Our understanding of infectious disease and pathology stems from the 19th century with Robert Koch pioneering research. Dr Koch help to shaped modern microbiology and medicine when he identified the causative agents for anthrax and tuberculosis. Since that time, the number of infectious microorganisms that we know of that cause illness and diseases has increased exponentially. Thanks to modern day techniques, laboratories can test for these agents directly or indirectly and get an answer often within hours. As such, microbiology is on the verge of a new era. Instead of the principle of on ..read more

In episode 56 of This Medical Life, Dr Travis Brown and Steve Davis delve into the critical topic of iron studies, with a special focus on iron deficiency, under the expert guidance of returning guest, Professor Ken Sikaris. Iron deficiency’s prevalence is influenced by factors such as age, sex, and ethnicity, noting that women, especially those of childbearing age and pregnant women, are at higher risk. Prof Sikaris addresses the challenges and misconceptions surrounding iron studies, particularly the reliability of various tests like serum iron, transferrin saturation, and ferritin. While fe ..read more

In this episode we delve into the nuanced world of the Pomegranate Health podcast with our guest, Mic Cavazzini. Pomegranate Health, a creation of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, serves as a platform to explore the multifaceted culture of medicine. It weaves through the clinical intricacies of medicine with episodes that span from the deeply technical aspects of healthcare to broader discussions on skills essential for effective practice and systemic issues within global health. This episode embarks on a journey through the confused history of opium use, offering a rare focus on ..read more

In Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Part 1, we learned that CTE is a neurodegenerative disease caused by repetitive cumulative brain injury. Patients suffer from debilitating mental health symptoms and may even have suicidal thoughts or actions. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for this disease and it can only be official diagnosed at autopsy (after death). The only successful strategy to combat this illness is prevention. Unfortunately, this is an ongoing challenge as there is a lot we don’t know about CTE but some features are clear. The largest risk factor for CTE is the dura ..read more

In 2005, Dr Bennet Omalu would publish a report in the United States on the autopsy brain findings of a former professional footballer from the NFL. His conclusion was the former athlete suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE); a disease caused by repeated brain injuries most likely due to sport. The response was swift and severe claiming that the findings were incorrect, the conclusions erroneous, and a retraction of this report was demanded. Surprisingly, this was not the first time medical literature has noted the link between sport, repeated head injuries and brain damage. The ..read more

We begin this year with one of the most important topics for General Practitioners in 2024: what are the Continuous Professional Development requirements for doctors and how have they changed? Our special guest is Rachel White who is the Managing Director for the Australian Medical CPD Standards (AMcpdS) who has over twenty years supporting high quality medical education. We discuss the yearly requirements for doctors, component breakdown and what has changed. This is the story of CPD for 2024. And here is a summary of CPD requirements, supplied by Rachel. We are also thrilled to ann ..read more

And that’s another year done. A huge thank you to all of our guest speakers who have been generous with their time and expertise. We would also like to thank our listeners and hope you enjoyed the episodes. This episode is a mini reflection on this year’s episodes, a link to one of Steve’s favourite podcasts, some TML clips, and an embarrassing memory lapse on my behalf…thanks for keeping that part in Steve & Tim.  Random acts of Medicine on EconTalk podcast: https://www.econtalk.org/anupam-bapu-jena-on-random-acts-of-medicine/ This Medical Life ..read more

During the mid-twentieth century, menopause was touted as a severe disease that destroyed women’s femininity and was a burden to their husbands. Thankfully, today we recognise menopause as a natural part of ageing and conversations about it are happening more and more. In this episode, we have four special guests: Niki Bezzant: award-winning writer, author, journalist and media personality from New Zealand who has written the book ‘This Changes Everything: the Honest Guide to Menopause and Perimenopause’.  Dr Carmel Reynolds: General practitioner and SA/NT board member on the Australian ..read more

In July 2020 in the midst of a global pandemic, we released our first episode called ‘What is pathology?’ with This Pathological Life podcast. We hoped to create something that would entertain and education the audiencem and shed light on to some of the amazing stories and characters in medicine. In creating these podcasts, I am always thankful and appreciative to our guests who willingly give their time and expertise. If there is anyone who has excited our audience, been an inspiring teacher and a fantastic storyteller, it is Professor Graeme Suthers. He has been involved in the following epi ..read more

On the 1st of November 2023, the Australian Government will release new guidelines for screening prostate cancer with the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test. These guidelines are based upon the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) published in 2016 with new items to be included in the Medicare schedule. These items are based upon the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Cancer Council of Australia guidelines that have been endorsed by the NHMRC, RACGP, and USANZ. We speak to Professor Ken Sikaris who has been at the forefront of these new recommendations. Our special guest is Professor Ken ..read more