Available until February 1, 2026

The practice of medicine is often stressful and at times, even frustrating. Sometimes the stress and frustration can get out of hand and lead us to feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. This has been described as burnout. There’s good evidence to suggest that well over half of all physicians practicing in the U.S. have exhibited some symptoms of burnout at some time during their career. Healthcare professional burnout not only has negative consequences for the clinician, but also for patients, as patient care can often suffer. What are the symptoms of burnout, can we prevent them and how can we manage those who are experiencing professional burnout? We’ll discuss these questions and more with Colin P. West, M.D., Ph.D., an internist in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic.

Available until February 1, 2026

The liver is the second most commonly transplanted organ; nearly 10,000 patients received a liver transplant in 2021. The major factor, which has limited the transplants performed, has been the availability of the donated organs and some patients have waited several years before an acceptable organ becomes available. Transplants can be performed for a variety of end-stage liver diseases, usually giving patients years of additional life. Who’s a candidate for a liver transplant and what criteria for selection are required? Our topic for this podcast is “Liver Transplant Selection Criteria” and we’ll discuss this topic with our guest, Michael D. Leise, M.D., from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Mayo Clinic.

Available until February 1, 2026

Millions of Americans suffer from seasonal allergies causing a variety of symptoms which often force them to stay indoors and limit their activities. Allergic rhinitis carries a significant economic burden accounting for an estimated 2 million lost school days, and 6 million lost workdays per year. Fortunately, there are numerous treatment options available. The topic for today’s podcast is seasonal allergies and our guest is Mansi J. Kanuga, M.D., an allergist at the Mayo Clinic. We’ll discuss how to use the patient’s history to determine the patient’s allergies, when allergy tests are indicated and management of seasonal allergies.

Available until February 1, 2026

Testosterone has a variety of health benefits. It helps maintain bone density, muscle mass, red blood cell production and sexual function. Testosterone levels in men tend to peak between age 30 to 40 then gradually decline and it’s not unusual to find low testosterone levels in men over the age of 50. It’s also known that in men with hypogonadism, testosterone supplementation can improve libido, bone density and muscle mass. Should we be checking testosterone levels in our middle-age male patients? How do we determine who should receive testosterone supplementation and finally what are the risks of supplementation? In this podcast, these are all questions I’ll be asking our guest, Dr. Nahid Punjani, a urologist at the Mayo Clinic as we discuss “Testosterone Supplementation in Men”.

Available until February 1, 2026

As primary care providers, evaluating patients with a virus is a common part of our practice. This ranges from colds, a painful shingles outbreak, COVID-19, RSV bronchiolitis, influenza, and many more. Oftentimes, after a detailed physical exam, we tell our patients the cause of their symptoms are due to a virus and that their symptoms should improve in a couple days to weeks. However, we know that sometimes the symptoms of a viral infection can be a harbinger of more severe disease. In today’s talk, we will be discussing a virus. Acute infection with this virus can present with fever, fatigue, myalgias, arthralgias, lymphadenopathy, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, weight loss, and rash. This constellation of symptoms, especially when they persist for a prolonged duration of time can be representative of an acute HIV infection. Tune in to this episode to learn more about the pathophysiology of HIV, how a patient can contract HIV, the tests to perform when an acute HIV infection is suspected, how to prevent an HIV infection, and also to learn a bit more about anal Pap smears.

Available until February 1, 2026

Hearing loss is a commonly seen symptom in a primary care office practice, as is tinnitus and vertigo. Fortunately, they’re almost always due to a benign cause. However, these symptoms may represent something more ominous, an acoustic neuroma, also known as a vestibular schwannoma. It’s important to consider this diagnosis when we see them in our patients, as there is the potential for serious consequences to develop if this remains untreated. What type of hearing loss is associated with a vestibular schwannoma? What are the other associated symptoms? How do we go about evaluating these patients and how are they best treated? I’ll be asking these questions of our guests Michael J. Link, M.D., a neurosurgeon from the Department of Neurologic Surgery and Mathew L. Carlson, M.D., a head and neck surgeon from the Department of Otolaryngology, both at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Our topic for this podcast is vestibular schwannomas.

Available until February 1, 2026

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death to individuals in the U.S. Many feel that our typical American diet with its high saturated fat content is a major contributor to this. There’s good evidence that shows plant-based diets are cost-effective in lowering the risk factors for cardiovascular disease including obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes. They may also lower the number of medications an individual needs to take to manage their chronic diseases. So, are there any disadvantages to a plant-based diet? Are all plant-based diets healthy and what are the nutritional challenges for a patient on a plant-based diet? We’ll discuss these questions in this podcast on “Plant-Based Diets”. Our guest is Lisa Lammert, a registered dietician and nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic.