The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast is a popular medical education series focused on internal medicine topics. Hosted by a team of clinician educators, the podcast delivers expert interviews and discussions covering a broad range of clinical conditions, diagnostic approaches, and management strategies.
The show emphasises evidence-based medicine and practical insights, aiming to support learners at all levels—from students to practising internists—in building clinical reasoning and improving patient care.
Peptides, mouth taping, raw milk and other social-media health trends show why clinicians need curiosity alongside critical appraisal, separating testimonials and observational associations from causal evidence while addressing product quality, commercial incentives and potential harm.
Timing and triggers classify dizziness into episodic, acute continuous and chronic syndromes, guiding positional tests, HINTS+ and stroke assessment; management includes Epley manoeuvres for BPPV, early vestibular rehabilitation and combined treatment for persistent postural-perceptual dizziness.
Chronic gastrointestinal symptoms are used to revisit disorders of gut-brain interaction, including irritable bowel syndrome, inability-to-belch syndrome and abdominophrenic dyssynergia. The episode stresses positive diagnosis, targeted testing and the harms of unvalidated microbiome or food testing.
Unexpected hyperkalaemia should be confirmed before treatment is changed, with attention to haemolysis, kidney function, medicines, acidosis and constipation. Hypokalaemia assessment uses urine potassium and magnesium, while management aims to preserve beneficial cardiorenal therapy where possible.
Preliminary signals for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists in alcohol use disorder do not replace established treatment. Practical decisions include naloxone selection, unverified methadone dosing, opioid-tolerant analgesia, flumazenil risk and transitions between injectable and sublingual buprenorphine.
Loud snoring, witnessed apnoeas, daytime sleepiness and difficult-to-control hypertension increase suspicion for obstructive sleep apnoea, but comorbidity determines the right test. Home testing suits uncomplicated high-probability cases; negative results with persistent suspicion or concern for central apnoea, hypoventilation, heart failure, opioid use or neuromuscular disease need laboratory assessment.
Cardiology, endocrinology and general-practice clinicians get a prevention-focused discussion of cardiometabolic risk, apoB, lipoprotein(a) and coronary calcium. It highlights why short-term calculators, normal HbA1c or reassuring glucose traces may understate risk in younger patients with metabolic syndrome or premature family history.
Primary-care clinicians get a structured way to discuss multivitamins, fish oil, magnesium, vitamin D, creatine and curcumin. The framework asks what the patient hopes to achieve, what evidence supports the product, how benefit will be measured and which interaction, duplication, quality or toxicity risks apply.
The internal-medicine feed carries the same clinically focused kratom discussion, reinforcing the importance of identifying the exact formulation rather than treating every product as equivalent. Routine urine drug screens may not detect exposure, and concentrated products can produce rapid withdrawal, repeated dosing and clinically important respiratory risk.
General-practice, rheumatology and mental-health clinicians get a practical approach to nociplastic pain. Widespread pain, fatigue, poor sleep, brain fog, sensory sensitivity and overlapping pain syndromes are linked to validation, body mapping, focused exclusion testing, gradual activity, sleep treatment and cautious medication use.
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