Straight Talk MD

This is a special edition of STMD from the "Frankly Speaking" files. Frank Sweeny tells the Allegory of the Bus as recited to him from the Master, and he explains how the lesson learned can be applied to TrumpCare.

On March 6, 2017, the House Republicans released their highly anticipated bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, called "The American Health Care Act," or AHA. From the moment the bill was released, it came under fire from Democrats, Republicans, conservative groups, progressive organizations, the AARP, and nearly all healthcare advocacy groups. Today, Ron Howrigon and I perform a warm autopsy on t...

In his recent address to Congress, President Trump said he intends to repeal and replace Obamacare. Because Obamacare is literally a matter of life and death for many Americans, any plan to repeal and replace it will affect the lives of millions of people who depend on it. We examine the impact of the repeal and replacement of Obamacare with Dr. Rick Mayes, a former George Bush Sr. Administration...

The war on science may soon include a war on vaccines. Donald Trump still publicly expresses the idea that vaccines are associated with autism, which is at odds with the conclusion of the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the NIH, and virtually every other scientific agency in every country that has studied vaccine safety. Now Trump is reportedly forming a "Golden Vaccine Safety Task Force,...

In this episode, we tackle some of the most controversial ethical questions that arise in human enhancement, and the ethical approach to building a better human.

In honor of National Women Physicians Day, we speak with Dr. Karen Sibert, a nationally recognized MD anesthesiologist, a former professional writer for the Wall Street Journal, and author of one of the most widely read medical blogs, A Penned Point.

Burnout research pioneer, Dr. Christina Maslach, discusses job burnout, and what we can do about it.

For the anniversary of the Roe versus Wade decision, I talk with bioethicist Gregory Pence about abortion, Roe v. Wade, and the highly controversial Kenneth Edelin Case.

International anti-doping policy expert, Professor Paul Dimeo, discusses the circumstances surrounding the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's decision to strip Lance Armstrong of his medals, and ban him from competition.

Dr. Sweeny and Dr. Paul Yost discuss the recent FDA warning on the use of general anesthetics and sedation drugs in young children and pregnant women.

Ron Howrigon talks about his new book, "Flatlining: How Healthcare could Kill the U.S. Economy." He discusses the looming economic crisis in healthcare that could be far bigger and more widespread than the auto industry and the housing market crashes combined.

Bioethicist Gregory Pence discusses ethical issues in treating alcoholism.

Sam Quinones joins us to talk about his book, Dreamland, and the origin and evolution of the prescription painkiller and heroin addiction epidemic in the U.S.

Dr. Anna Lembke discusses "Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health" and what we can do about the addiction epidemic in America.

The executive director of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, Andrew Kolodny, discusses the prescription opioid and heroin addiction crisis.

Tom Shroder, discusses his remarkable book, "Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal," that chronicles the evolution of psychedelic drugs.

Dr. Anna Lembke discusses the forces behind the prescription pill epidemic and how we can solve it.  

We examine the controversies surrounding ADHD with Dr. Stephen Hinshaw, author of the critically acclaimed book, "The ADHD Explosion" and come up with the answers.

Healthcare policy expert, Rick Mayes, discusses where Obamacare is headed depending on who wins the election on November 8th.

Healthcare economist and President of Fulcrum Strategies, Ron Howrigon, is back in the virtual studio to discuss the status of Obamacare, and to answer the four-trillion dollar question: Is Obamacare Terminal?

In Part I of this series, healthcare expert, Ron Howrigon of Fulcrum Strategies, explains the broken U.S. health insurance system and why it cannot last.

Award-winning climate scientist and author, Michael Mann, talks about his new book "The Madhouse Effect," climate change science, and why a small minority of scientists and politicians go to great lengths to deny, distort, or confuse the public on what the climate science tells us.

Dr. John Gleaves talks everything you ever wanted to know about sports doping, but didn't know to ask.

For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we invited Dr. John West back to the podcast to discuss optimal breast care.

We interview anesthesiology expert, Dr. Klane Hales, about the most common questions regarding anesthesia management for total hip and total knee replacement.