Beyond the Prescription

My book, Beyond the Prescription , comes out on August 11! I wrote it with you in mind. Episode Summary Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with Dr. Amy Commander, breast oncologist at Mass General Brigham and author of Paving Your Path Through Breast Cancer and Beyond , to cut through the fear and misinformation around breast cancer. They cover who is actually at risk, what the screening guidelines mean i...

Dr. Lucy McBride sits down again with Dr. Greg Katz , cardiologist at NYU, to tackle the questions patients ask most about blood pressure: what the numbers actually mean, why a single reading in the doctor’s office can mislead, what drives hypertension in the first place, and how to think about treatment. Tune in for practical, plainspoken advice, grounded in the reality of everyday patient care....

Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with Benoit Denizet-Lewis, longtime writer for the New York Times Magazine and bestselling author of You’ve Changed: The Promise and Price of Self-Transformation , for a wide-ranging conversation about how people actually transform. What Transformation Actually Means—and How It Happens * The self-help industry focuses on habit change and optimization; Denizet-Lewis was i...

Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with award-winning journalist Jennifer Wallace, author of the New York Times bestseller Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose , to explore why feeling valued—and adding value—may be one of the most powerful and overlooked determinants of health. They discuss the physiology of mattering and what you can do today to feel more grounded in their own...

Episode Summary Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with Dr. Vivek Murthy , the 19ths and 21st U.S. Surgeon General and the founder of the Together Project, to talk about why the “achieve, acquire, optimize” model of success leaves so many people empty, and what actually fills the gap. They explore the science of social connection, the hidden costs of optimization culture, social media’s complex role in ou...

Episode Summary Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with Dr. Greg Katz, cardiologist and educator at NYU, to make sense of the new 2026 cholesterol guidelines — and what they actually mean for real patients. Together, they cut through the noise on coronary artery calcium scores, Lp(a), statins, GLP-1s, and the lifestyle factors that matter most for heart health. The upshot: we treat people, not numbers. Th...

Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with Dr. Zeke Emanuel — physician, bioethicist, and key architect of the Affordable Care Act — to discuss his new New York Times bestseller Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life . They explore the challenges of navigating our fragile medical system alongside a bustling wellness industry, what the data show about longevity, and why a living mean...

Episode Summary Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with Dr. Lauren Streicher , Northwestern University professor and sexual medicine expert, to untangle two decades of fear-based messaging about hormone therapy in the wake of the Women’s Health Initiative . They revisit what the WHI actually showed (and didn’t show) and make the case for individualized, evidence-based menopause care across hot flashes, sl...

Episode Summary Dr. Lucy McBride uses a patient's obsession with getting a facelift to explore what aging well actually requires — and why the $60 billion anti-aging industry is designed to ensure you never feel like you're winning. She breaks down the four areas where aging actually shows up in your health and offers a more honest framework for deciding where to focus your time, energy, and money...

Subscribe to Dr. McBride's Substack: lucymcbride.substack.com . Episode Summary Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with Dr. Bob Wachter , chair of the Department of Medicine at UCSF and bestselling author of A Giant Leap to discuss artificial intelligence in healthcare. They explore the current frustrations with electronic health records that don't communicate with each other, the unprecedented rapid adop...

Episode Summary Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with registered dietitian Ashley Koff, best-selling author of "Your Best Shot," to discuss metabolic health, GLP-1 medications , and why the medical profession needs to shift from weight loss to weight health. They explore why BMI is just one data point, debunk the myth of the non-compliant patient, and examine how GLP-1s teach us about hunger and fullnes...

EPISODE SUMMARY: In this week's episode, Dr. Lucy McBride reads from her newsletter addressing how witnessing collective trauma affects our physical and mental health. Through patient stories, she introduces her "3 A's" framework (Awareness, Acceptance, Agency) for navigating anxiety during turbulent times and offers practical guidance for knowing when distress signals a need for help. KEY CONCEPT...

Episode Summary Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with behavioral economist Emily Oster , PhD, to discuss the newly released USDA dietary guidelines . They explore what the guidelines actually say, debunk common misconceptions, and examine the problematic framing that suggests individual dietary choices alone can solve America’s health crisis. The conversation addresses the USDA’s appropriate emphasis on...

Episode Summary Dr. Lucy McBride discusses hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and menopause, breaking through the noise of conflicting medical information. She explains the science behind menopause, addresses common misconceptions about HRT risks, and examines the recent FDA announcement about removing black box warnings on estrogen products. Throughout the episode, she advocates for evidence-based...

In this conversation, Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with New York Times journalist Susan Dominus to discuss her recent article “‘I’m on Fire’: Testosterone Is Giving Women Back Their Sex Drive—and Then Some” on testosterone supplementation in women. With testosterone use surging among midlife women, they explore the gap between recommendations from the medical establishment and the wellness industry,...

Episode Summary In this conversation, Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with psychiatrist Dr. Jessi Gold to discuss how to manage emotional wellbeing during times of political upheaval. With the country feeling unsettled by ongoing violence and crisis, they explore practical strategies for emotional regulation, the importance of naming feelings without judgment, and why small daily acts of self-care aren...

Episode Summary In this episode, Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with Dr. Shira Doron, Chief Infection Control Officer and Hospital Epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center, to cut through the confusion surrounding COVID vaccines and public health policy . With the CDC in upheaval and patients calling with urgent questions about protecting their families this winter, they tackle the messy reality of vacc...

Episode Summary In this episode, Dr. Lucy McBride tackles the crisis facing American healthcare and provides practical strategies for navigating a broken system. She explores a fundamental disconnect between what patients need and what the current system delivers: while patients require comprehensive, relationship-based healthcare that addresses their whole story, the system provides fragmented, r...

Episode Summary In this episode, Dr. Lucy McBride welcomes cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Julie Fratantoni to discuss practical strategies for protecting and improving cognition. There’s a fundamental disconnect between modern lifestyle patterns and optimal brain health : while our culture celebrates multitasking, passive consumption, and constant stimulation, the neuroscience reveals that our brain...

Episode Summary In this episode, Dr. Lucy McBride welcomes Dr. Sunita Puri for an intimate conversation about death, dying, and what it means to have a "good death." Dr. Puri, author of the critically acclaimed memoir "That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the 11th Hour," shares her expertise on palliative care while addressing the critical gap in how modern medicine approaches end-of-life convers...

Episode Summary In this conversation, Dr. Lucy McBride speaks with author and journalist Debbie Weil about the surprising truths of aging. Weil, who writes the [B]old Age newsletter on Substack, shares insights from her journey of self-discovery in her 70s, challenging common narratives about aging as inevitably terrible. The conversation explores the unexpected freedoms that come with age and the...

Episode Summary In this conversation, host Dr. Lucy McBride sits down with Shannon Watts , founder of Moms Demand Action and author of NYT bestselling book, Fired Up , to explore how women can break free from societal pressures and pursue their authentic desires. Watts shares insights from her 11 years leading the largest grassroots gun safety organization and her interviews with 70 women for her...

Episode Summary In this conversation, Dr. Lucy McBride hosts Dr. Mary Claire Haver , the renowned board-certified OBGYN from Galveston, Texas. Dr. Haver, author of the bestselling book The New Menopause, discusses the current menopause moment, the complexities of hormone replacement therapy, and why women have been deprived of essential information about their hormonal health for decades. The conv...

Episode Summary In this comprehensive discussion, Dr. Lucy McBride interviews urologist and sexual medicine expert Dr. Rachel Rubin about the critical but often overlooked aspects of sexual health , hormone replacement therapy , and genitourinary syndrome of menopause. Dr. Rubin shares her holistic approach to patient care, explaining why sexual health should be treated like any other organ system...

Episode Summary In this episode, Dr. Lucy McBride addresses the most common gastrointestinal complaints she encounters in her primary care practice. She emphasizes that most GI issues aren't mysterious and often have simple solutions when approached systematically. The conversation covers five main digestive problems—IBS, GERD, bloating and gas, constipation, and colon cancer prevention—while high...