Explore every episode of the podcast The Curious Clinicians

This week, we're rebooting Episode 80, originally posted November 8, 2023, in which we asked the question: "Why do we use ACE inhibitors to treat scleroderma renal crisis?"

Show Notes for this episode can be found on our website.

In this episode, Avi walks us through a medical mystery many of us may not be aware of: Did President Franklin Delano Roosevelt truly have polio, or is an alternate diagnosis more likely?

Click here for show notes and click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

In the waning days of summer, we at The Curious Clinicians were in the mood take things back to the rains of spring. This episode is a reboot from our archives of one originally posted on March 27, 2025. Hannah dove into a question inspired by nature: Why do humans have such a keen smell for petrichor, aka the scent of rain?

This week, Dr. Roshan Sethi joined us for a conversation about his new book, The Simp, balancing life as a director, author, and radiation oncologist, and a bit about his upcoming work. Listen for more insights about Hollywood versus medicine and maintaining roles across many areas!

In this episode, Tony walks us through the surprising physiology behind a phenomenon many of us see every day: Why does iron deficiency cause thrombocytosis?

Click here for show notes and click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

In this episode, we talk curiosity, healing, and the wonders of the human body with Dr. Rana Awdish, bestselling author of In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope and the new book, After Shock, out now!

The book prompts doctors (and everyone else) to feel curious and open to the amazing abilities the human body has to heal. We think that if you enjoy our podcast, you'll find something meaningful to take away from the book. Thanks to Dr. Awdish for joining us!

Audio for this episode was produced by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com and Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

In this episode, Avi achoo-ses an seasonal question: Why can sunlight exposure induce sneezing??

Click here for show notes and click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

What are the Hidden Pathways in the Human Body?

This week, Avi fills us in on the science behind his New York Times Magazine article (link) describing the interstitium as our third circulatory system. We cover questions that he wasn't able to get to in the article and he fills us in on the story behind this (magazine) story!

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, we talk with Dr. Grace Farris, who is a hospitalist and the author of See One, Do One, Teach One: The Art of Becoming a Doctor: A Graphic Memoir. We explore how she got into comic-drawing, her advice for people who want to explore storytelling about medicine through comics, and some of the backstory behind the book!

Today, we are rebooting an absolute classic from way back in our catalog - episode 9. Avi teaches us about the biology behind the taste of umami and why we might have evolved to find it so delicious.

Show notes for the episode are a very long scroll down our website, or you can find them here: https://curiousclinicians.com/2020/09/16/episode-9-why-is-umami-so-delicious/

We'll be back in 2 weeks in discussion with doctor and illustrator Grace Ferris!

Why don't interstitial lung disease patients typically get increased pCO₂? The answer involves one of the fastest chemical reactions in the human body.

Click here for show notes and click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

In this neck(st) episode, Avi asks an isthmus-ing question: Why does an autoimmune antibody stimulate the thyroid in Graves disease?

Click here for show notes and click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

We apologize for the break in our regularly scheduled programming! This is a reboot of Episode 77, originally posted in September 2023, which asked: why is hyperthyroidism associated with atrial fibrillation? We will return with an adjacent thyroid-related topic in 2 weeks!

Read the show notes here.

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com.

This is a reboot of Episode 66, originally posted back in March 2023, where investigated why tricuspid valve endocarditis is more common in persons who inject IV drugs.

Read the show notes here.

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com.

This week, Tony shares a morning report physiology pearl: Why do patients with active lupus have a low CRP?

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

Cold and flu season greetings from the Curious Clinicians! We hope you all are cold-free, but we were unfortunately under the weather this week. In honor of our "heme boards" series from Hannah's PGY-6 year, we decided to reboot this PGY-1 "intern question" that taught us all a new word. We will be back in 2 weeks with our regularly scheduled new episodes!

Show notes for this episode are here!

This week, Hannah shares the story of an overlooked piece of the coagulation cascade, beginning with a 1950s medical mystery: Why didn't John Hageman bleed?

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, Avi shares the pathophysiology behind an important question: Why can't people with familial fatal insomnia fall asleep?

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, Tony explores a fascinating, hospital rounds-ready question: Why does cirrhosis cause low SAAG ascites?

You can read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, Avi follows up Episodes 112 and 114 with the question: How does a bacterial species called Deinococcus radiodurans withstand extreme levels of radiation?

You can read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, Dr. Mike Todorovic returns as a special guest to tell us about his book with Dr. Matt Barton, The Body A-Z!

Join us as Dr. Mike gives us a sneak preview of the interesting questions and fascinating insights within. You can order the book here, and show notes for this episode are here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, Tony brings us a question straight from the hospital wards: Why does valproic acid cause elevated ammonia?

You can read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, Dr. Mark Shapiro joins us for a candid conversation about the art of the question. Join us to think through how we interview, how to make connections, and how curiosity translates in the clinic and beyond.

You can read the show notes here!

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, Avi follows up Episode 112 with the question: What's with the black mold growing inside Chernobyl?

You can read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, we bring back a classic question for new interns and old hats alike: Why do we give calcium in hyperkalemia?

You can read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, Tony poses a hard question: Why does calcium deposit in blood vessels?

You can read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, Avi asks: Why was iodine given to people exposed to radioactivity after Chernobyl?

You can read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This episode was sponsored by FIGS. FIGS is offering 15% off your first purchase. Just go to wearfigs.com and use the code FIGSRX at checkout

This week, Tony asks a physiologic question: Why is Duffy Null status associated with lower neutrophil counts? 

You can read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, Avi shares a saline-ent question: Why does rubbing salt in a wound hurt so much? 

You can read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, Tony shares another "fresh case" physiology question: Why don't we all get spontaneous HIT? 

You can read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Medical student (soon to be resident) Giancarlo Buonomo is our producer.

This week, Avi shares new insights on the topic of episode 61: alpha-gal! We tackle the question: How could alpha-gal be used to treat cancer?

You can read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Medical student (soon to be resident) Giancarlo Buonomo is our producer.

This week, Hannah dives into a question inspired by nature: Why do humans have such a keen smell for the scent of the rain?

You can read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Medical student (soon to be resident) Giancarlo Buonomo is our producer.

This week, Tony brings us a fresh case straight from morning report! Join  the Curious Clinicians as we learn: Why do patients with methemoglobinemia have an oxygen saturation fixed at 85%?

Watch this episode on our new YouTube channel here, and read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Medical student Giancarlo Buonomo is our producer. 

We're on a gram negative run! Join the Curious Clinicians as we learn: Why does Pseudomonas smell like grapes?

Watch this episode on our new YouTube channel here, and read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Medical student Giancarlo Buonomo is our producer. 

Producer Giancarlo Buonomo is back! Join the Curious Clinicians as we learn: Why do we worry about Pseudomonas infection in diabetic patients?

Watch this episode on our new YouTube channel here, and read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Medical student Giancarlo Buonomo is our producer. 

Welcome back to the Curious Clinicians! In today's episode, Tony asks an important question: "Why don't we administer insulin orally?"

Read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Happy Holidays from the Curious Clinicians! In today's episode, Avi shells us about a fascinating question: "Why do lobsters live so long?"

Read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

In today's episode, Hannah asks the question: "Why do we 'automatically' form antibodies to ABO blood type antigens that are not our own?"

Read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Join us as we revisit our annual Thanksgiving episode, in which we answered the question: "Does tryptophan in turkey really cause a food coma?"

Read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

For our 100th episode this week, the Curious Clinicians take a look back at some of our favorite old episodes. Take a trip down memory lane with us and get some spaced repetition of our favorite learning points along the way. Thank you so much for listening to our show!

Watch this episode on our new YouTube channel here, and read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

This week, the Curious Clinicians come to you LIVE from the CHEST 2024 conference explore a breathtaking topic: How could you live with only one lung?

Watch this episode on our new YouTube channel here, and read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Before our 100th episode, we are rebooting some favorite early episodes! In episode 89, we asked the question: Why don't elephants get cancer?

Read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

This week, the Curious Clinicians meet Dr. Jessi Gold to talk about an important, and often undiscussed question in medicine: "How Do You Feel?" Dr. Gold's new book, out 10/8, covers the mental and physical costs of caring for others as a medical professional. More information about her book can be found here. 

Regular episodes will return with our final pre-100th episode reboot on 10/16 and a special live episode on 10/30! Thank you for listening.

This week, the Curious Clinicians explore the mechanism behind-- and against-- a common prescribing cascade: Why does gabapentin cause edema?

Watch this episode on our new YouTube channel here, and read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Before our 100th episode, we are rebooting some favorite early episodes! In episode 24, we asked the question: Why is fever beneficial?

Read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Before our 100th episode, we are rebooting some favorite early episodes! In episode 25, we asked the question: Why can furosemide improve pulmonary edema from heart failure almost immediately?

Read the show notes  here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Dr. Mike Todorovic, medical educator and science communicator extraordinaire, joins The Curious Clinicians to discuss the Na+/K+ ATPase pump ("the most important enzyme in the human body") and his approach to digital medical education.

Watch this episode on our new YouTube channel here, and read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Dr. Matt & Dr. Mike's podcast: https://drmattdrmike.com.au/dr-matt-mikes-medical-podcast/

Dr. Matt & Dr. Mike's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DrMattDrMike/featured

This week, the Curious Clinicians return to the topic of episode 72, "Bringing up Beethoven" with a surprising news update and new perspectives on a 200 year old tale!

Watch this episode on our new YouTube channel here, and read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

This week, the Curious Clinicians give a 'hot take' on a common symptoms: why do hot flashes occur?

Watch this episode on our new YouTube channel here, and read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Producer Giancarlo Buonomo joins the Curious Clinicians this week to answer a morning report musing: why do we use IV PPIs to treat upper GI bleeding?

Watch this episode on our new YouTube channel here, and read the show notes here!

Click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours).

Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Medical student Giancarlo Buonomo is our producer.