This Medical Life – Details, episodes & analysis

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This Medical Life

Auscast Network

Health & Fitness

Science

Frequency: 1 episode/15d. Total Eps: 142

Welcome to the This Medical Life podcast. Our mission is to share stories about the triumphs and tragedies of diseases and illnesses from ancient times up until what we know today. It is about those scientific and medical minds who came before us and how, every single day, we stand on the shoulders of giants. This is a podcast about the stories of medicine. Hosted by Dr. Travis Brown and Steve Davis, our target audience is General Practitioners, medical students, and other health professionals. We hope to educate, inspire and celebrate those who choose to care for others in their profession. From experience, we know that our audience extends beyond these fields and would like to welcome anyone to listen. The stories of those who came before us are nothing short of remarkable and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Production by Tim Whiffen Design by Tom Buzz

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🇬🇧 Great Britain - medicine
19/04/2026
#99

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https://omnystudio.com/listener
169 shares
https://theadelaideshow.com.au/listen-or-download-the-podcast/adelaide-in-crowd/
56 shares
https://thismedicallife.com.au/
43 shares

https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnstronnar/
2 shares
https://au.linkedin.com/in/andrewandrews
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https://au.linkedin.com/in/michelleperugini
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https://www.patreon.com/ThisMedicalLife
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Score global : 79%

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Episode 98: Statin Dosage | Finding The Sweet Spot

Season 7 · Episode 98

Monday, April 6, 2026 • Duration 31:25

It has been well established in studies and articles that cholesterol lowering medications have significant heart morbidity and mortality benefits. However, high dosage trials did not show additional survival benefits but had increasing side-effects for patients. Therefore, the maximum dose for statins is not necessarily the best dose for patients.

This is the story of statin dosing.

Guest:

Professor Simon Dimmitt is a Consultant Physician working in General and Cardiovascular Medicine. He is Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Western Australia and Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine & Public Health at the University of Newcastle. His website contains Dose Tables and reviews for a modest subscription: Correct Dosing.

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Episode 97: Crucifixion | Ancient Rome & State Sanctioned Execution

Season 7 · Episode 97

Thursday, April 2, 2026 • Duration 38:34

Crucifixion was a form of punishment, humiliation, and execution. Adopted by the Ancient Romans, crucifixion was used on the State’s worst criminals on lower classes and slaves. As common as it was though, we know very little about how people died on the cross. In this episode, we take a closer look at crucifixion through a medical lens.

This image is not historically accurate. It was crafted within the guidelines of Gemini as a stereotypical rendering of crucifixion but our episode gets into the, sadly more brutal, truth.

This is the story of crucifixion.

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Episode 88: Intimate Partner Violence | Permission To Ask And Listen

Season 6 · Episode 88

Monday, September 1, 2025 • Duration 59:40

The statistics of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Domestic Violence prevalence are staggering. 1 in 6 adult women and 1 in 16 adult men have experience physical or sexual abuse at the hands of their partner. Approximately 2.5 million Australians (13%) experienced abuse during their childhood. However, IPV is a topic that is rarely discussed. As healthcare professionals, we need to change this.

A recent study by our guests on this episode, Timelines of psychological, physical and sexual intimate partner violence among a nationally representative sample of Australian women, studied the timeline of psychological, physical, and sexual intimate partner violence. They highlighted that early warning signs of an abusive partner include isolation, controlling behaviour, and intense jealously. We discuss these important findings and other take home messages of this study and how we can apply it to everyday practice.

This is the story about intimate partner violence.

Our special guests:

Dr Elizabeth McLindon is a Research Fellow in the Department of General Practice and works in the Sexual Abuse and Family Violence (SAFE) program. Elizabeth is the Deputy Director of the Centre for Family Violence Prevention at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne.

Professor Kelsey Hegarty is an academic general practitioner who holds the joint Chair in Family Violence Prevention at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women’s Hospital. She also leads the Safer Families Centre.

Listen:

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify. Help support us on our donation page.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ep 42 The Cholesterol Conundrum | Pathology

Season 2 · Episode 42

Thursday, July 15, 2021 • Duration 45:44

** Thanks for downloading this episode. If you'd like to stay in touch with our continuing story, Season 2 continues at This Medical Life, in which Dr Travis Brown continues his exploration of diseases and our approaches to treatment from history to the modern day. Have a look in your podcast app now for This Medical Life, and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode **

Cholesterol is an essential component of our cells.

It is synthesized by our cells and affected by dietary, lifestyle, and genetic factors.

Unfortunately, cholesterol for doctors can feel like a moving target as different guidelines have different recommendations, new measurements can appear on reports (ie Non-HDL), and it is a constantly evolving topic for research

In this episode, we talk to one of Australia’s foremost expert in Cholesterol, Professor Ken Sikaris.

This podcast is eligible for 1 RACGP CPD point – self reporting.

Associate Professor Ken Sikaris Bio

KEN trained in science then medicine at Melbourne university before becoming a pathologist in 1992. He worked for several years at St Vincent’s hospital in Melbourne including running a specialist lipid/cholesterol laboratory performing research as well as seeing hundreds of patients in the lipid/cholesterol clinic.

Since then he has worked in private pathology and currently in his job as chemical pathology director he supervises testing on thousands of patients each day - including thousands of cholesterol tests. He is well known internationally in the fields of pathology Quality and how we define the decision limits we use to interpret blood tests.

Ken has several YouTube’s on the low carb down under site (with a total of over half a million views) and some may have seen him as Professor Blood in the Australian documentary ‘That Sugar Film’.

Bio Link:

Ep 41 Napoleon | The Bonaparte Conspiracy & Gastric cancer pathology

Season 2 · Episode 41

Thursday, July 1, 2021 • Duration 36:00

“I die before my time, killed by the English oligarchy and its hired assassins.”

These are the words of Napoleon Bonaparte dictated in his last will and testament on his death bed.

Napoleon is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest Generals.

During his life, France become a global power. The man responsible for the Napoleonic wars and had previously escaped exile before, was captured again following the defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and exiled a second time to the island of St Helena in the Pacific.

The official cause of death concluded by an autopsy was stomach cancer.

However, his death is surrounded by controversy.

Did the British have him killed?
Was he poisoned with arsenic?
Was his body swapped before or after his death?

In this episode we discuss the life & death of Napoleon Bonaparte, gastric cancer and some of the conspiracy theories surrounding the Great General’s demise.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ep 40 Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (M.E.N.) Pathology | Genetic Puzzles

Season 2 · Episode 40

Wednesday, June 16, 2021 • Duration 46:43

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia is a difficult diagnosis for patients, families, and clinicians.

The vast array of symptoms, affected organs, and complex genetics often mean that it can take years (if not longer) for it to be diagnosed. In addition, the impact for the patient is significant as it is a familial disease that is autosomal dominant with very high penetrance.

These syndromes were only identified around the 1960s. However, clinical suspicions were unable to be confirmed as the molecular/genetic techniques only in its infancy. It is a rare condition but one that is critical to recognise early to ensure we provide the best care and management for patients and their families.

Special Guest
Mark A. Lewis, MD, is director of gastrointestinal oncology at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah.

Specializing in cancers of the gastrointestinal tract and accessory organs, his interests focus on hereditary cancer syndromes and young-onset cancers, shared decision-making, and patient-physician communication.

The death of his father not only took a huge emotional toll on Lewis, but also piqued his intellectual curiosity. Lewis’ paternal uncle and grandfather both died of rare cancer types and then Lewis was diagnosed with a suspicious symptom himself – hypercalcemia, or high levels of calcium – something his father had also experienced.

As Lewis completed his medical training and established his current position as a haematologist/oncologist at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah, his PNETs were serially monitored. After the dominant PNET changed, crossing a threshold of concern, he had surgery and has documented the experience. Lewis had another special person in mind though and says, “I wanted my son, who has inherited MEN1 from me and may one day require pancreatic surgery himself, to have a record of my own operation.”

Ep 39 Coeliac disease and Pathology | De Slag om Gluten (Dutch)

Season 2 · Episode 39

Thursday, June 3, 2021 • Duration 26:31

Coeliac disease has been recognised since the times of Ancient Greece.

This is a malabsorption disease that causes abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhoea, and leaves sufferers starved of nutrients.

The offending protein is Gluten which is found in wheat, rye, and barley.

It was a Dutch Paediatrician by the name of Dr Willem Dicke who discovered the link between Gluten and Coeliac disease around the 1940s. This arose from the keen observation of a young patient’s mother to the devastation and starvation of the Hunger Winter in World War 2.

This is a story like no other.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ep 38 Leprosy and Pathology | From tzaraat to leprosy

Season 2 · Episode 38

Wednesday, May 26, 2021 • Duration 40:56

Leprosy the disease, is rife with myths and false beliefs.

In 1863, Hawaii recognised leprosy an official public health threat. In 1865, a law of segregation was enacted forcing sufferers to Kalaupapa on Molokai island.

As fate would have it, St Damien of Molokai (canonized in 2009) was there to serve.

His role was that of a model Priest and his feats were super-human. However, local legends are not always a perfect reflection of historical events, and Damien the man can be lost in St Damien the hero.

Leprosy is a terrible disease but it is much less contagious than commonly thought.

Its historical significance may have heightened due to inter-language Biblical translation over centuries. In any event, it is a fascinating disease and one worth knowing more about.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ep 37 Lead Pathology | Saturn’s sweet poison

Season 2 · Episode 37

Wednesday, May 19, 2021 • Duration 40:28

Lead has been used for thousands of years.

And why not? This is a metal that is abundant, pliable, has a low melting point, and does not easily corrode. However, even our ancestors knew that those who worked closely with it often became sick.

Called Saturnism by the Ancient Romans, lead poisoning was known to cause a pale appearance, intestinal problems, paralysis, delirium, and even death.

We have not escaped the perils of lead in our modern times.

Petrol, paint, construction, ammunition, cosmetics, toys, etc. have at all included lead at some point in time. Recent regulations have reduced the exposure of the general population. However, we are not immune from contamination and outbreaks as recent history has shown.

GUEST INTERVIEW

This episode includes an interview with special guest, Dennis Strenk, Milwaukee Pathologists' Assistant, CFO and Board of Trustees member of the AAPA and People of Pathology Podcast host [peopleofpathology.podbean.com]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Ep 36 HIV Pathology | Defenceless

Season 2 · Episode 36

Friday, May 7, 2021 • Duration 34:22

In June 1981, the CDC reported an article of 5 men who presented with Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP). PCP is an opportunistic infection more commonly found immunosuppressed patients (ie. patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer).

The 5 men were young and otherwise healthy.

They were also all homosexual.

In July 1981, another CDC article reported 26 men who presented with PCP as well as Kaposi sarcoma. Kaposi sarcoma is a rare blood vessel tumour. This could not be a coincidence and the world was on the precipice of a pandemic that would kill millions and unleash a wave of homophobia, prejudice and demonization.

Fortunately, today, HIV is a manageable disease and patients can continue to live productive and healthy lives which could not be further from this once terminal diagnosis.

This is the story of HIV.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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This Medical Life – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

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Apple Podcasts

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This Medical Life – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other68

LinkedIn8

Patreon1

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other68

LinkedIn8

Patreon1