63. What Medicine Gets Wrong About Race

In the newest show from the Freakonomics Radio Network, host Zachary Crockett explores the hidden side of the things around us. This week: One creature’s trash is another’s cash. (Or, how one man found profit in pee.) 

A sneak peek at Bapu's new book, Random Acts of Medicine, available now from Doubleday, and an announcement about the show. 

Couples get divorced for all kinds of reasons. Is having kids one of them? Bapu talks about research that investigates what happens to parents who unexpectedly have twins. Plus, an announcement about the future of the show. 

Dr. Donald Redelmeier, a Professor at the University of Toronto Medical School, is an expert in training doctors how to reduce medical errors. He shares how he thinks doctors should think. 

Host: Darryl S. Chutka. M.D. [@chutkaMD] Guest: Ashima Makol, M.B.B.S. Guest: Matthew J. Koster, M.D. Rheumatologic problems are some of the most common health conditions we see as primary care professionals. In many cases, taking months and sometimes years to properly diagnose, ... Show More

Where does a medical cure come from? 100 years ago, it wasn't uncommon for scientists to test medicines by taking a dose themselves. As medical technologies get cheaper and more accessible, patients and DIY tinkerers are trying something similar—and mainstream medicine is racing ... Show More

Lots of psychology studies fail to produce the same results when they are repeated. How do scientists know what's true? 

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, we’ve heard a lot of talk about coronavirus tests. But how do tests for such a new virus work and what do the results really tell you? If your test comes back negative, what do you do? And what kinds of tests will help us in the futu ... Show More

What are the ways that patients fail breathing trials, and what can they tell us about how to optimize them for next time? 

Much of medicine doesn’t do what it is supposed to do: improve health. That is the view of orthopaedic surgeon, Ian Harris. Ian believes too many drugs are being prescribed, too much surgery is being performed, and there are too many unhelpful tests, scans, and overdiagnosis. The ... Show More

Addressing racial diversity amongst doctors can improve outcomes for people in their local communities. We speak to Dr Monica Peek, Doctor of Internal Medicine and Professor for Health Justice of Medicine at the University of Chicago, about a new study showing that a 10 per cent ... Show More

There are several reasons for the increasing use of medical imaging tests buy they may not always benefit the patient