Medicine: The Truth with Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr

Today’s episode of Medicine: The Truth delves into the lasting impact of adverse childhood events (ACEs) on mental and physical health in adulthood. A groundbreaking study involving over 25,000 Swedish twins has shed new light on the significant role the environment plays in shaping mental health outcomes, revealing that individuals who experienced major childhood traumas were substantially more likely to develop psychiatric illnesses compared to their non-traumatized twin counterparts.

Podcast cohosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr unpack these findings, exploring the intricate relationship between childhood adversity and later life health challenges, including depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and even physical ailments like heart disease and cancer. The discussion extends to the influence of genetics versus environment on mental health and the transformative potential of nurturing healthier environments for children to mitigate these long-term impacts.

Are we underestimating the power of our childhood experiences on our adult well-being? Join us to explore this critical question and more in today’s thought-provoking episode. Here’s a snapshot of all the topics covered on this episode of Medicine: The Truth.

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of the new book “ChatGPT, MD: How AI-Empowered Patients & Doctors Can Take Back Control of American Medicine“  about the impact of AI on the future of medicine. All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post MTT #82: How do childhood traumas shape our health as adults? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Today’s episode of Medicine: The Truth takes a look at the mental and physical health of America’s youth.

More than ever before, kids 17 and under are getting their medical care at drug stores and retail clinics, signaling a further decline in traditional doctor-patient relationships. Meanwhile, new data show that young people, especially adolescent girls, experienced a massive increase in antidepressant medication usage during the pandemic—trends that continue today at an alarming rate.

Podcast cohosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr discuss what’s happening with America’s young people. Are the kids going to be alright? Find out on today’s show.

Here’s a snapshot of all the topics covered on this episode of Medicine: The Truth.

Click here for more info: https://www.fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post MTT #81: Are the kids alright, medically?  appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Today’s episode of Medicine: The Truth looks at the latest in new drug approvals and new drug pricing, topics that have become inseparable in our nation’s healthcare conversation.

One study found that the average “launch price” of new drugs has increased from $2,115 per year in 2008 to $180,007 per year in 2021. And there’s no sign drug makers are slowing down. Already in 2024, pharma companies have raised prices on 775 new medications.

Podcast cohosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr discuss the cost of new drugs and their relative value. Are Americans getting what they’re paying for? For that answer and more, here’s a snapshot of topics covered on today’s show:

Click here for more info: https://www.fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post MTT #80: What’s new in drug discovery and pricing? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

As it was this time last year, ‘tis the season for sneezing once again. While carolers are coughing and shoppers are sniffling, podcast cohosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr are tracking the seasonal surge in Covid-19, influenza and RSV.

Half a year has passed since the federal government declared an end to the public health emergency for Covid-19. But public health experts are worried that the lack of masking and social distancing this year could send tens of thousands of Americans to the hospital before winter’s end.

On today’s episode of Medicine: The Truth, listeners will uncover critical insights about this season’s most important health trends.

Here’s a snapshot of topics covered on today’s show:

Click here for more info: https://www.fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post MTT #79: Why do viruses love the holidays? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

This year, the cost of health insurance for a working family of four exceeded $24,000 for the first time ever. That’s up 7% from last year (the largest rate increase since 2011). But increased spending has not equated to happier patients. New research has uncovered an “unprecedented decline” in patient satisfaction throughout United States.

In today’s episode of Medicine: The Truth, podcast cohost Dr. Robert Pearl discusses the rise of medical costs alongside the rise in patient displeasure.

But the bad news doesn’t stop there. New data suggest that infant morality and maternal mortality are on the rise in America. At the same time, doctors, nurses and medical staff are exiting the profession by the hundreds of thousands.

However, listeners looking for good news will find some in today’s show, too.  Here’s a snapshot of the topics covered:

Click here for more info: https://www.fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post MTT #78: How high will premiums rise? How low will patient satisfaction go? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Last year, around this time, the CDC alerted physicians about the triple threat of Covid-19, seasonal influenza and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). The result was one of the worst flu seasons in more than a decade.

In today’s episode of Medicine: The Truth, podcast cohost Dr. Robert Pearl discusses the return of the “triple-demic” this winter and what listeners should do about it.

According to forecasts, researchers expect a total of 1.15 million hospitalizations from these three viruses. How do those numbers stack up against last year? And will the newest vaccines prove more or less efficacious?

Also featured on today’s program:

Click here for more info: https://www.fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post MTT #77: Is the ‘tripledemic’ returning? Will new vaccines help? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

The weight-loss drug Wegovy reduces serious heart disease, the nation’s No. 1 cause of death, according to a new clinical trial.

Proponents of the drug describe this finding as an added bonus to the drug’s prescribed purpose: shedding excess pounds.

In a nation where 60% of the population is obese or overweight and where 600,000+ die from cardiovascular events each year, the question is how can we afford not to prescribe more of these lifesaving medications?

The answer is complicated, says podcast cohost Dr. Robert Pearl, who explains that the cost of drugs in the U.S. remains disproportionately higher than in all other nations. The price of Ozempic (another drug known to assist with weight-loss) costs five times more in the United States than in Japan and 10 times more than in most European nations.

When it comes to paying for drugs that could make a huge difference in our nation’s health, who’s on the hook? That question and many others are answered on this episode of “Medicine: The Truth.”

Also featured on today’s program:

Click here for more info: https://www.fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post MTT #76: Can Rx weight-loss drugs help prevent heart attacks, too? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

More Americans over the age of 65 are now selecting Medicare Advantage over traditional Medicare for their health insurance coverage, according to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

What’s more, Medicare Advantage is expected to widen its lead in the years to come—projected to cover 60% of the eligible senior population by the year 2030.

It’s a major win for the “little brother” that blossomed out of a Congressional effort in the 1990s to improve the quality of Medicare-provided medical care while also lowering costs, says podcast cohost Dr. Robert Pearl.

Unlike Original Medicare, which is government-provided health insurance, Medicare Advantage plans are administered by private insurers. Medicare Advantage plans also include extra benefits like out-of-pocket maximums, dental or hearing coverage, and even fitness stipends. While there are many differences between the two options, the most important, according to Dr. Pearl, is how these programs pay hospitals and healthcare professionals to provide care.

On this episode of “Medicine: The Truth,” Dr. Pearl explains why “capitation” sets Medicare Advantage apart from traditional Medicare, which is a “fee-for-service” program. Anyone who’s 65+ or nearing that age should tune in for the full conversation. As always, Dr. Pearl and Jeremy Corr eagerly follow the facts, uncover the truth, and help listeners understand the world’s biggest medical stories.

Also featured on today’s program:

Click here for more info: https://www.fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post MTT #75: Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

The FDA moved forward this month with a recommendation to change the composition of Covid-19 boosters in time for fall. Whereas the current vaxx, a cocktail designed to target the original coronavirus and the Omicron strain, will soon give way to a shot aimed at the XBB.1.5 subvariant.

The question on the minds of public-health experts (and likely, soon to be on the minds of patients): Will it make any difference?

On this episode of “Medicine: The Truth,” cohost Dr. Robert Pearl poses two more pressing questions about the new vaccine: Will insurers cover the costs of the new vaccine or will they charge a copayment? And, regardless of the price, how many folks will roll up their sleeves to receive it (compared to last fall)?

In other medication news, another Alzheimer’s drug is expected to receive full FDA approval soon. This one, lecanemab (Leqembi), received conditional approval in January based on its success removing a substance called amyloid-beta from the brains of people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

But this news raises questions, too: How does lecanemab stack up against its controversial predecessor, aducanumab? Will payers like Medicare make it easy or difficult for patients to access and afford the new medication? Does the high price of any Alzheimer’s drug match the health benefits or expected increase in life expectancy?

Hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr discuss these questions and several other pressing healthcare topics, including: the upcoming season of Fixing Healthcare’s focus on end-of-life issues, the latest on a new lung-cancer drug, the current threat of long-COVID and whether the threat is great enough to get more Americans vaccinated and boosted.

Tune in for the full conversation around Covid-19 and a host of healthcare topics. As always, Dr. Pearl and Jeremy eagerly follow the facts, uncover the truth, and help listeners understand how the world’s biggest healthcare stories affect us all. Click here for more info: https://www.fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post MTT #74: A change in the Covid-19 booster? A new Alzheimer’s drug? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.

Today’s episode of “Medicine: The Truth” (formerly “Coronavirus: The Truth”) looks at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic on the same day that the Twitter hashtag #CovidIsNotOver is trending.

This month, both the U.S. government and the World Health Organization made decisive statements on the transition out of a global crisis.

“It is time for countries to transition from emergency mode to managing Covid-19 alongside other infectious diseases,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. In support of that statement, Covid-19 deaths continue to fall and may soon dip below 1,000 weekly mortalities, which would put the virus’ annual mortality in the same range as seasonal flu and traffic accidents.

Still, more than 1.1 million Americans have died from the virus while many more live with comprised immune systems and, therefore, remain at heightened risk from infection. These troubling figures leave us with difficult questions.

How many Covid-19 deaths could have been avoided? Why did Black and Hispanic individuals die from Covid-19 more frequently than white and Asian people? Are we any safer or better prepared for the next pandemic?

Hosts Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr discuss these questions and several other pressing healthcare topics, including: a major change in the recommended age for mammogram screenings,  the DEA’s plan to reduce deaths from opioid addiction and overdose, and new about FDA advisors backing over-the-counter birth control pills.

Tune in for the full conversation around Covid-19 and a host of healthcare topics. As always, Dr. Pearl and Jeremy eagerly follow the facts, uncover the truth, and help listeners understand how the world’s biggest healthcare stories affect us all. Click here for more info: https://www.fixinghealthcarepodcast.com/

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Dr. Robert Pearl is the author of a book about medicine’s invisible yet highly influential physician culture. Check out “Uncaring: How Physician Culture Is Killing Doctors & Patients.” All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The post MTT #73: #CovidIsNotOver or is it? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.