Medical Evidence Matters with Liz Tucker

What Happens When the Doctor Becomes The Patient?

Neurosurgeon and author, Mr Henry Marsh, pioneer of the awake craniotomy, a brain surgery performed while the patient is still awake, discusses the ethical dilemmas and realities of the surgeon’s role. And he explains why he thinks doctors need a certain level of self-deception and exaggerated self-belief.
But after decades of treating patients, frequently for dangerous and life-threatening conditions, it was a huge shock as Henry describes in his latest book, And Finally, when he found himself diagnosed with prostate cancer, which was treatable but not curable.
So just how does a doctor cope when he becomes the patient?
If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal.
The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director.  You can follow Liz on X and read further information about the podcast on her Substack newsletter.
Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

Has Medicine Been Too Slow to Explore the Benefits of Fasting?

Dr Jason Fung, a kidney specialist, and one of the world's leading pioneers in low carb diets and intermittent fasting, reveals why modern medicine has been so slow to explore the  benefits of fasting and discusses its benefits not just for type II diabetes but for a range of other metabolic and neurological conditions.
For decades, patients with type II diabetes were told to eat a high carbohydrate diet, despite the fact that their problem was that their carbohydrate levels were already out of control.
A major study published back in 2008 in the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the world's most prestigious medical journals, had shown that  intensive best practice management of type II diabetes actually increased the death rate from the disease.
But despite this, treatment remained largely unchanged. Yet emerging data now suggests that the majority of type II diabetes patients can not only reverse their disease with diet, they can also prevent it developing and so stop many of the life-changing side effects of the disease, so why did it take so long for medicine to discover this?
If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal.
The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director.  You can follow Liz on X and read further information about the podcast on her Substack newsletter.
Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/
 
 
 

Why The UK Does Poorly For Some Cancers & The Devastating Impact of Covid on the UK’s Cancer Services

In the final part of his interview, Professor Karol Sikora, one of the world's leading cancer experts and a past director of  the WHO Cancer Programme, explains why the UK does poorly in the treatment of some common cancers and the reforms he believes are necessary to change this.
And Karol goes on to discuss the devastating impact that Covid has had on the UK's cancer services, which led to palliative care being halted and now means that patients are presenting with much later stage cancers, which are far harder to treat. He argues we will see the results of this in a higher cancer death toll in years to come.
Professor Karol Sikora worked in the UK's NHS for over 35 years and until recently was also the Chief Medical Officer of Rutherford Health, a private company providing proton bean therapy centres.
If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal.
The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director.  You can follow Liz on X and read further information about the podcast on her Substack newsletter.
Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/
 

How To Be A Savvy Cancer Patient

Professor Karol Sikora, one of the world's leading cancer experts - an oncologist for 44 years and a past director of the WHO Cancer Programme - talks about his experience of treating cancer over the last four decades, and  explains what cancer patients really need to know. He believes those who take an active interest in their care are in the strongest position to get the best treatment, so knowing how to navigate the health care system effectively can make a huge difference.
He talks about his experience in the UK's NHS, but much of his advice will be useful to patients in many other countries too.
If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal.
The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director.  You can follow Liz on X and read further information about the podcast on her Substack newsletter.
Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/

Why Does Medical Science Know So Little About The Female Body?

Journalist Gabrielle Jackson reveals how the  research for her book Pain and Prejudice uncovered just how little medical science understands the female body. Astonishingly, it turns out that most of what we know about human biology comes from the study of men, male animals and male cell lines.
Up until the 1990s, women were largely excluded from medical trials. The result of this is that there are many drugs in use today that were never trialled on women.
And in fact, eight out of ten drugs that were taken off the market by the  US Food and Drug Administration between 1997 and 2000,  were removed due to the greater health risks for women.
As Dr Janine Clayton, Head of the Office for Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health Center puts it: "We literally know less about every aspect of female biology compared to male biology".
If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal.
The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director.  You can follow Liz on X and read further information about the podcast on her Substack newsletter.
Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/
 

SSRIs - Serotonin Hypothesis, Drug Effectiveness & Emerging Data About Sexual Side Effects

Professor Joanna Moncrieff discusses the serotonin hypothesis, the evidence for the effectiveness of SSRIs, and the emerging data about SSRI sexual side effects.
 
If you would like to support this podcast you can do so via Patreon at or via PayPal.
The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director.  You can follow Liz on X and read further information about the podcast on her Substack newsletter.
Medical Matters with Liz Tucker has been selected by Feedspot as one of the top 15 UK Medical Podcasts https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_medical_podcasts/