The Pituitary World News Podcast

In this podcast from our "musings series" comes an interesting discussion on lab result targets. This case comes from a hypothyroid patient who wanted to achieve a particular TSH lab result target. In the discussion, Dr. Blevins focuses on how the pituitary works, how lab tests work, and what makes aiming at and achieving a narrow target almost impossible.

Do you ever wonder what happens in the OR after you are wheeled in? We welcome once again our friend and contributor, Manish Aghi, M.D. Ph. D., Attending Neurosurgeon at the California Center for Pituitary Disorders, Professor of Neurological Surgery, and Principal Investigator at UCSF Brain Tumor Research Center. He spent an amazing hour with Dr. Blevins and me, walking us through his work with p...

To continue our focus on pituitary awareness month, this session touches on various issues related to awareness and its importance as a critical factor in reducing the time to diagnosis. Dr. Blevins illustrates a few cases of hypercortisolism from his busy clinic to explain the elements that make pituitary disease complex to diagnose and treat. Many excellent examples to add to your knowledge! Ple...

If you didn't have a chance to hear it live, here's a podcast from the live talk session from last Thursday with special guest, PWN friend, and contributor pituitary neurosurgeon Dr. Sandeep Kunwar.  He joined Dr. Lewis Blevins for a great discussion of the latest in pituitary surgery and disease management. These are two of the most experienced pituitary physicians in the world, providing a perso...

An informative discussion on the effects of hormones on hair loss, a common occurrence for people dealing with pituitary conditions.  In this LIve-talk session, Dr. Blevins discusses the facts and the myths.  

On our Live-talk program today, a fascinating, nothing left on the table, discussion about a variety of topics that affect pituitary patients; from access to medication and therapies to problems with social media and misinformation to the complexities of diagnosis and refuting diagnosis to the role of the doctor and the patient in getting involved to solve many of these challenges. This is an ecle...

Today's podcast focuses on an opportunity to learn about a group of rare diseases that share a common condition with pituitary disease. Histiocytosis or histiocytic disorders are a group of rare diseases that occur when there is an overproduction of white blood cells known as histiocytes that can lead to organ damage and tumor formation. DI impacts almost 50% of Histiocytosis patients and 35% of p...

It's always fascinating to listen to two of the recognized experts and leading clinicians in Cushing's disease discuss their experiences with the disease and patients.  In this "Live Talk" session, Pituitary World New's innovative program for education and awareness, Dr. Kevin Yuen and Dr. Lewis Blevins bring an intimate, revealing look at their approaches to Cushing's disease and syndrome.  The d...

In this podcast, Dr. Lewis Blevins discusses traumatic brain injury (TBI) and hypopituitarism with  Dr. Tamara Wexler,  a nationally recognized neuroendocrinologist and expert in pituitary dysfunction after a brain injury. They focus on the many aspects of assessing pituitary function in people with traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Wexler's research efforts focus on pituitary dysfunction after brain...

I'm happy to welcome Leslie Edwin, president of Cushing's Support and Research Foundation (CSRF) , to our microphones. The CSRF is a leading Cushing's disease and syndrome patient support organization. We talked about the opportunities and barriers for Cushing's patients and advocates. Geri Brown, a Cushing's patient and member of the CSRF, also joined us to talk about her perceptions as a new gro...

Mental health and emotional wellness are essential topics for pituitary patients, their families, and friends. This on-demand session from last Thursday's live-talk program focuses on the challenges and opportunities when considering these issues. This is a compelling discussion from the psychological and the medical point of view about the importance of putting people's mental and emotional well-...

Decisions made by doctors and their patients can be some of the most complicated, difficult decisions to make. They cover choices of treatment, medications, desired outcomes, and a host of complex variables that play a role in a person's health. It is perhaps one of the least understood aspects of the doctor-patient relationship. This session focuses on the factors that influence medical decision-...

Semantics, or by definition, the way we relate to different meanings of words or other symbols, are essential to medicine and pituitary medicine. The words we use to communicate and inform are critical. In our session today, we discuss the semantics of pituitary medicine and underline the importance of describing things accurately. Brain tumors and pituitary tumors are they the same? What is the d...

In this podcast,  we dive into the world of endocrine nursing with Dr. Chris Yedinak from the Oregon Health and Science University.  Chris is a family nurse practitioner and clinical research trials coordinator who oversees patient care at the OHSU Northwest Pituitary Center. Educated in Sydney, Australia, Chris has a background in psychiatric nursing care and tertiary education. Her research inte...

We caught up with Sheila a few weeks ago at the Acromegaly Community Conference near San Francisco. We had a captivating chat about Mycapssa (oral octreotide) , the new and only oral medication for the treatment of Acromegaly, where we learned about the drug since its introduction 18 months ago. But we also wanted to know about Amryt , a newcomer to the US and soon to all the Americas. We talked a...

This session presents more musings based on the actual practice of pituitary medicine. These insights derived from real cases include discussions of issues with Growth Hormone and the problems physicians have when they prescribe it. You don't want to miss this enlightening segment. Also, in the session, the recent Covid-19 surge and dexamethasone dose adjustments, and an interesting empty sella wi...

Dr. Lewis Blevins talks with guest Dr. Saleh Aldasouqi, Professor, Chief, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, and Clinician at Michigan State University Specialty Center, Endocrinology Clinic, about Biotin use and its interference with laboratory tests. This is definitely something you need to know to plan discontinuance of the supplement to allow for lab testing. You won’t want to miss this...

Our live talk session from May 12 is now available on-demand with guests Jill Sisco, president of the Acromegaly Community, and Sharmyn McGraw from the Pacific Neuroscience Institute.  This was a fascinating perspective on the challenges and opportunities for patient advocacy programs with two of the leading patient advocates in the world of pituitary disease, specifically Cushing's and acromegaly...

A highly informational "live-talk" session from Dr. Blevins.  The first segment covers the indications for pituitary surgery for patients with pituitary adenomas.  In the second half of the program, he discusses critical information for patients with Central Adrenal Insufficiency due to hypothalamic or pituitary disease.  Some of this information is applicable to those who have primary adrenal ins...

If you missed our live broadcast of Pituitary World News's new radio-style call-in show, here's your chance to listen to the recording. In session three, we cover the many possible complications from pituitary surgery in terms of pituitary function and the anatomy around the gland. This is a comprehensive review of potential consequences that all pituitary patients, whether they have had, or are a...

In our second Live Talk session, Dr. Lewis Blevins discusses the normal ranges of endocrine lab tests and shares examples from his pituitary practice. Also,  our guest this week, Pat Gildroy, who manages the Diabetes Insipidus Facebook group, Got DI, joins us for a fascinating discussion about this condition.

In the first Pituitary World News LIVE TALK radio-style program, our guest Dr. Manish Aghi discusses the many facets of headaches and pituitary tumors. If you missed the live broadcast, here is the show's podcast. Tune in to LIVE TALK every Thursday from 3:00 pm PST - 6:00 pm EST for the opportunity to call in and participate in these live conversations with pituitary experts and stakeholders. For...

In this podcast oriented to physicians, Dr. Lewis Blevins talks about a case of a patient with a pituitary lesion called a hemangiopericytoma invasive in the right cavernous sinus. Although the content is technical, patients and other interested parties may find the discussion interesting.

In today's podcast directed to physicians, PWN co-founder Dr. Lewis Blevins discusses the drug Recorlev® (levoketoconazole) recently approved by the FDA to treat endogenous Cushing's Syndrome. While this podcast contains medical and technical terminology, we encourage patients to listen to it and discuss it with their physicians.

To launch the eighth season of the Pituitary World News podcast, we welcome to our microphones, Brandy. Brandy has quite a story to tell us about her battle with Cushing’s disease and her diagnosis. Brandy is an American Sign Language (ASL) professional interpreter and an accomplished artist, blogger, and musician.  We caught up with Brandy a few days before the Holidays to chat about her experien...