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Freakonomics, M.D.

Author: Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

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Each week, physician, economist, and author of "Random Acts of Medicine" Dr. Bapu Jena will dig into a fascinating study at the intersection of economics and healthcare. He takes on questions like: Why do kids with summer birthdays get the flu more often? Can surviving a hurricane help you live longer? What do heart surgery and grocery-store pricing have in common?
87 Episodes
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In the newest show from the Freakonomics Radio Network, host Zachary Crockett explores the hidden side of the things around us. This week: One creature’s trash is another’s cash.  (Or, how one man found profit in pee.)
A sneak peek at Bapu's new book, Random Acts of Medicine, available now from Doubleday, and an announcement about the show.
Couples get divorced for all kinds of reasons. Is having kids one of them? Bapu talks about research that investigates what happens to parents who unexpectedly have twins. Plus, an announcement about the future of the show.
Doctors and nurses get most of the attention — but a new study suggests we can improve health care by raising wages for a group of workers who are often overlooked.
In hospitals, a softer pillow or a nicer room might be more than just amenities — they could improve outcomes for patients.
Americans eat a lot of sugar — and it’s hard to determine how it affects our health. Bapu explains how a new study uses data from the 1950s to help solve the mystery.
 It’s not a new question, but it’s a tricky one to study. Bapu explains why, and talks about how an N.F.L. labor dispute helped him get some answers. 
The most expensive drugs in the world are treatments for genetic diseases. And more of these cures are on the horizon. How will anyone be able to afford them?
Breakthroughs in biotech that seem like science fiction are becoming reality. Why aren’t more patients benefiting from them?
mRNA vaccines helped bring the pandemic under control. Could they also train the immune system to fight cancer?
Success and failure are hard to measure in medicine. Bapu looks at how surgeons are judged after a bad outcome — and whether men and women are treated the same.
We take it for granted that, when people are acutely ill, they should be in the hospital. Is there a better way?
Figuring out which patients to hospitalize and which to safely send home can be tricky. Is there a way to make this decision easier for doctors — and get better outcomes, too?
A small number of patients with multiple chronic conditions use a lot of resources. Dr. Jeffrey Brenner found a way to identify and treat them. Could it reduce health-care spending too?
Bapu tries to stump master clinician Dr. Gurpreet Dhaliwal with a medical mystery. 
It’s a surprisingly hard question to answer. Bapu talks with a health economist about a natural experiment that led to some unexpected findings. 
At the start of the 20th century, there weren’t many hospitals in the U.S. That changed in 1918, thanks to the Great Influenza pandemic. Its effects on health care are still being felt today. Which makes us wonder: will the impact of Covid-19 also be felt 100 years from now?
Half the world's population uses social media — and a new study suggests that it causes anxiety and depression. Can anything be done, or is it too late?
Some diagnostic tests give distorted results for Black patients. How are doctors trying to change that?
Promising drugs keep failing in trials. Allegations of fraud have cast a shadow over the field. An expert explains why Alzheimer’s treatments have been so hard to find — and why one clue may lie in the Andes Mountains.
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Comments (30)

Shelly Miller

Amy Berger, is a nutritionist and journalist. She shows how diet can have a significant effect on Alzheimers and cognitive decline. Please check her out. She wrote "The Alzheimers Antidote" https://www.dietdoctor.com/authors/amy-berger#:~:text=Amy%20Berger%20is%20a%20nutritionist,Memory%20Loss%2C%20and%20Cognitive%20Decline.

Feb 16th
Reply

David Garnon

The comment of the average of one hour and four minutes per appointment but only 20 minutes face to face with the provider is misleading. You then say that is all time waiting. There are many diagnostics that are conducted without a provider present. Please do not misconstrue the data.

Dec 12th
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Jurry Taalib-Deen

very informative and valuable information to have

Jul 29th
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Jurry Taalib-Deen

Excellent show! I listened to it twice; back to back & learned so much. Thank you & your guests.

Jul 29th
Reply

albus

nice

Jun 5th
Reply (1)

Marina Ell

Important: when the temperature is hot enough, fans will make you WARMER, not cooler. Wind increases heat transfer and 99% of the time, this happens to cool you down because the air is cooler than your body temperature. However, when the temperatures were above 110°F in Portland, fans killed people.

Jun 4th
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albus

intereting

May 27th
Reply (1)

albus

wow

May 22nd
Reply (1)

albus

whoa

May 19th
Reply (1)

albus

wow

May 18th
Reply (1)

albus

ooh

May 15th
Reply (1)

albus

interesting

May 12th
Reply (1)

albus

dang

May 9th
Reply (1)

albus

cute

Apr 30th
Reply (1)

albus

wow

Apr 21st
Reply (1)

albus

fascinating

Apr 6th
Reply

albus

fascinating

Apr 5th
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Bethany Galster

This is a fantastic episode! Thanks for exploring this topic.

Mar 2nd
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Vassili Savinov

Great insight on specialization!

Jan 12th
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Park Koore

The topics are always good, but this guy's delivery is dry.

Nov 25th
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