Category Archives: Uncategorized

Why does chronic alcohol use cause macrocytosis? Previously on the Curious Clinicians, we’ve discussed some of the physiologic effects of alcohol that may be familiar to many: Feeling warm and peeing a lot. On this episode, we discuss another effect that is likely only seen by clinicians. Macrocytosis, or enlarged red blood cells (RBCs), isContinue reading “Episode 86 – Enlarging Alcohol”

Welcome to NephMadness 2024! In collaboration with Things We Do For No Reason (TWDFNR), we are excited to promote the start of this amazing medical education opportunity. Inspired by the “March Madness” college basketball tournament, NephMadness is a “a free online, CME-granting, evidenced-based, noncommercial learning initiative that leverages the tools of social media to teachContinue reading “Episode 85 – NephMadness 2024”

Why might the genetic mutations leading to hereditary hemochromatosis have offered an evolutionarily advantage to our Neolithic ancestors? A great paradox of medical genetics is that certain deadly inherited illnesses have persisted across generations because they may actually protect carriers from other deadly illnesses. The cystic fibrosis gene helps defend the lungs against tuberculosis, whileContinue reading “Episode 84 – History & Hemochromatosis: The Ins and Outs of Iron”

How did this anti-nausea drug cause thousands of birth defects? On the Curious Clinicians, we like to often discuss more lighthearted topics, such as why some people think cilantro tastes like soap or whether the post-Thanksgiving turkey coma is a real thing. This episode deals with something whose pathophysiology and history are considerably darker, butContinue reading “Episode 83 – Thalidomide Embryopathy”

Why don’t we transfuse to a normal hemoglobin? Patients are so much more than numbers on a chart, but those numbers really are important. Lab values like potassium and white blood cells are not just figures to be balanced like there’s an impending IRS audit – they give quantifiable information on how a patient isContinue reading “Episode 82 – When Normal Labs Aren’t Necessary”