

The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast
The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast
The Curbsiders Internal Medicine Podcast brings you expert interviews, clinical pearls, and practice-changing knowledge — plus the occasional bad joke. Trusted by 100,000+ health professionals every month, we cover the full spectrum of internal medicine to keep you learning and laughing. No boring lectures here, just high-value content and a healthy dose of humor. Fantastic for Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Primary Care, and Hospital Medicine.
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Episodes
Mentioned books

May 16, 2022 • 55min
#335 Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Join us as we de-mystify the diagnosis, talk treatment strategies, parse through pharmaceutical options, and figure out follow-up in Generalized Anxiety Disorder with Dr. Dheepa Sekar (@DheepaSekarMD)! Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health concerns in our country and this episode will give you the tools to address it in clinic! Claim free CME for this episode at curbsiders.vcuhealth.org!
Episodes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com | Free CME!
Show Segments
Intro, disclaimer, guest bio
Guest one-liner, Picks of the Week*
Case from Kashlak; Definitions
Differential diagnosis for GAD
Counseling about diagnosis
Initial guidance on first-line management, apps for mindfulness
Prescribing basics, SSRI and SNRI considerations
Bridging with hydroxyzine and buspirone
Monitoring treatment response
Managing side effects
Tapering medication
Alternative agents, atypical antipsychotics, and benzos
Take Home points, Outro
Credits
Producer, Scriptwriter, Show Notes, Infographic/Cover Art: Beth Garbitelli
Hosts: Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP, Beth Garbitelli
Reviewer: Emi Okamoto MD
Showrunner: Matthew Watto MD, FACP
Production Team: PodPaste
Guest: Dheepa Sekar MD
Sponsor: Indeed
Visit indeed.com/internalmedicine to claim you $75 credit now.
Sponsor: Locumstory
Visit Locumstory.com to learn more about locums
Sponsor: Panacea Financial
Visit panaceafinancial.com today to learn how a bank for doctors, by doctors can help you.
Sponsor: BetterHelpVisit betterhelp.com/curb for 10% of your first month.CME Partner: VCU Health CEThe Curbsiders are partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Visit curbsiders.vcuhealth.org and search for this episode to claim credit.

6 snips
May 9, 2022 • 1h 39min
#334 IBS, Functional Dyspepsia, and Cyclic Vomiting: Disorders of Gut Brain Interaction (DGBI)
Learn diagnostic and therapeutic management strategies for IBS, functional dyspepsia, and cyclic vomiting (aka disorders of gut brain interaction (DGBI))! It's like three episodes in one as we run through how to individualize evaluation and management for patients with functional dyspepsia, IBS, and cyclic vomiting. Topics: scripts for counseling patients, the pathophysiology of DGBI, which diagnostic tests are necessary, pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic options, and even hypnotherapy?! We’re joined again by the great Dr. Xiao Jing (Iris) Wang, (@IrisWangMD, Mayo Clinic)
Claim free CME for this episode at curbsiders.vcuhealth.org!
Episodes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com | Free CME!
Show Segments
Intro, disclaimer, guest bio
Guest one-liner, Picks of the Week*
Case from Kashlak; Definitions (6:20)
Definition of Disorders of the Gut-Brain Interaction (7:30-11:00)
Functional Dyspepsia: diagnostic criteria, definitions (15:30-24:30), and treatments (24:30-36:00)
Irritable bowel disease: diagnostics (41:00), testing algorithm, and treatments (55:00)
Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome and Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome: definitions, diagnosis, and management (1:11)
Take home points
Outro
Credits
Producer: Elena Gibson MD
Writer:Andréa Perdigão, Elena Gibson
Show Notes and Infographics: Andréa Perdigão
Cover Art: Kate Grant
Hosts: Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP
Associate Editor: Leah Witt
Showrunner: Matthew Watto MD, FACP
Editor: Clair Morgan of nodderly.com
Guest: Dr. Xiao Jing (Iris) Wang MD
Sponsor: Ten ThousandGo to tenthousand.cc/curb to receive 10% off.
Sponsor: PatternVisit patternlife.com/curbsiders to request a disability insurance quote. CME Partner: VCU Health CEThe Curbsiders are partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Visit curbsiders.vcuhealth.org and search for this episode to claim credit.

19 snips
May 6, 2022 • 1h 2min
#333 Prescribing pearls, Periop Medicine, PMR, Gout, OSA, Nocturia, Food as Medicine, a new Obesity paradigm, and rethinking Afib! ACP #IM2022 Highlights
We recap the top pearls from ACP #IM2022 including important drug interactions/intolerance (acetaminophen, tramadol, ticagrelor, nirmatrelvir-ritonavir), perioperative medicine (bridging, DOAC reversal agents, dental procedures, MINS), recognizing PMR, when to initiate urate-lowering therapy in gout, glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, food as medicine, dietary potassium, OSA, nocturia, telemedicine and health equity, a new obesity medicine paradigm, advances in HIV/PrEP, and rethinking atrial fibrillation!
Note: Due to a rapid turnaround there is no CME for this episode, but visit curbsiders.vcuhealth.org to claim credit for past episodes.
Episodes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com | Free CME!
Show Segments
Intro
Tapering long-term opioids
Physician Wellbeing
Common drug interactions (acetaminophen, ticagrelor, tramadol, Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir)
Perioperative medicine (bridging, DOAC reversal agents, dental procedures, MINS)
Nocturia and OSA
Food as Medicine
Rheumatology (how to diagnose PMR, when to initiate ULT for gout and steroid-induced osteoporosis)
Avi’s pearls on (diversity, telemedicine, telehealth, burnout)
Obesity medicine (a new paradigm and a new medication)
HIV in primary care (PrEP, long-acting injectable antiviral therapy)
Atrial fibrillation
Outro
Credits
Written, Produced, and Hosted by: Nora Taranto MD; Molly Heublein MD; Chris Chiu MD, FACP, FAAP; Avital O’Glasser MD, FACP; Alan Dow MD, FACP; Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP
Show Notes: Matthew Watto MD, FACP
Cover Art: Chris Chiu MD, FACP, FAAP
Production team: Pod Paste
Sponsor: Indeed
Visit indeed.com/internalmedicine to claim you $75 credit now.
Sponsor: Locumstory
Visit Locumstory.com to learn more about locums

13 snips
May 2, 2022 • 1h 2min
#332 Inpatient Covid Management with Dr. Nathan Erdmann
Join Dr. Nathan Erdmann (@NerdmannID, University of Alabama Birmingham) as he walks us through inpatient covid management from antivirals, immune modulators and anticoagulation. Claim free CME for this episode at curbsiders.vcuhealth.org!
Episodes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com | Free CME!
Show Segments
Intro, disclaimer, guest bio
Guest one-liner, Picks of the Week*
Case from Kashlak; Definitions
Outpatient vs ER therapeutic options
Considerations for labs to risk stratify
Antivirals
Immunomodulators
Anticoagulation
Empiric Antibiotics
Transitions of Care
Take Home Points
Outro
Credits
Producer: Monee Amin, MD
Writers: Monee Amin, MD and Meredith Trubitt, MD
Show Notes: Meredith Trubitt, MD
Infographic and Cover Art: Monee Amin, MD
Hosts: Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP
Reviewer: Rahul Ganatra, MD
Showrunner: Matthew Watto MD, FACP
Production Team: PodPaste
Guest: Nathan Erdmann, MD
Sponsor: Panacea Financial
Visit panaceafinancial.com today to learn how a bank for doctors, by doctors can help you.
Sponsor: BetterHelpVisit betterhelp.com/curb for 10% of your first month.
CME Partner: VCU Health CEThe Curbsiders are partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Visit curbsiders.vcuhealth.org and search for this episode to claim credit.

27 snips
Apr 27, 2022 • 1h 1min
#331 Inpatient Diabetes Part 2: DKA, insulin drips, insulin pumps, and CGMs
More inpatient diabetes! In this part 2 of 2, we cover diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), euglycemic DKA, how to handle insulin pumps in the hospital, continuous glucose monitors, and how to transition patients off an insulin drip! Our guest is Dr. Dave Lieb (@dclieb), an internist, endocrinologist and the endocrinology program director from Eastern Virginia Medical School. Claim free CME for this episode at curbsiders.vcuhealth.org!
Episodes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com | Free CME!
Show Segments
Intro
DKA and HHS - introduction and therapy overview
Insulin drips, closing the gap and transitioning to a subcutaneous regimen
Euglycemic DKA
Pumps and glucose monitors
Final take home points
Outro
Credits
Producer: Adam Barelski MD, Cyrus Askin MD
Writer: Adam Barelski MD
Show Notes: Cyrus Askin MD
Infographic: Edison Jyang
Cover Art: Kate Grant MBChb, MRCGP
Hosts: Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Adam Barelski MD
Technical Production: Pod Paste
Showrunner: Matthew Watto MD, FACP
Content Editor: Emi Okamoto MD
Guest & Content Reviewer: David Lieb MD, FACE, FACP
CME Partner: VCU Health CEThe Curbsiders are partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Visit curbsiders.vcuhealth.org and search for this episode to claim credit.
Sponsor: BambeeVisit bambee.com/curb for a free HR audit of your business.
Sponsor: GrammarlyVisit grammarly.com/curb for 20% off when you sign up

41 snips
Apr 25, 2022 • 1h 20min
#330 Inpatient Diabetes Part 1: Insulin regimens, oral hypoglycemics, corrections scales and more!
Dominate inpatient diabetes! In this part 1 of 2, we discuss how to handle oral hypoglycemics, how to choose an initial insulin regimen, the use of correction scale insulin monotherapy, how to titrate insulin, how to use NPH for steroid-induced hyperglycemia (check out this Twitter thread on safe dosing), and how to reconcile diabetes meds at discharge! Stay tuned for part 2 (drops Wed April 27th) covering diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), euglycemic DKA, how to handle insulin pumps in the hospital, continuous glucose monitors, and how to transition patients off an insulin drip!Our guest is Dr. Dave Lieb (@dclieb), an internist, endocrinologist and the endocrinology program director from Eastern Virginia Medical School.
Claim free CME for this episode at curbsiders.vcuhealth.org!Episodes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com | Free CME!Show Segments
Intro #1, disclaimer, guest bio
Guest one-liner, Picks of the Week*
Inpatient diabetes - a bird’s eye view and the goal(s) of therapy
Management of outpatient diabetes medications
Inpatient insulin - options and dosing
Correctional insulin (“sliding scale”)
A word on the “Diabetic Diet”
Steroids and hyperglycemia
Discharge pearls for the patient with diabetes
Outro #1
Credits
Producer: Adam Barelski MD, Cyrus Askin MD
Writer: Adam Barelski MD
Show Notes: Cyrus Askin MD
Infographic: Edison Jyang
Cover Art: Kate Grant MBChb, MRCGP
Hosts: Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Adam Barelski MD
Technical Production: Pod Paste
Showrunner: Matthew Watto MD, FACP
Content Editor: Emi Okamoto MD
Guest & Content Reviewer: David Lieb MD, FACE, FACP
Sponsor: Bambee
Visit bambee.com/curb for a free HR audit of your business.Sponsor: Grammarly
Visit grammarly.com/curb for 20% off when you sign upCME Partner: VCU Health CEThe Curbsiders partner with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Visit curbsiders.vcuhealth.org and search for this episode to claim credit.

26 snips
Apr 18, 2022 • 1h 17min
#329 Curing Hepatitis C: A Primary Care Primer
DeLiver on the promise of elimination with Dr. Christian Ramers
Let’s deLiver on the promise of hepatitis C elimination! Dr. Christian Ramers @cramersmd brings hepatitis C diagnosis, care, and cure into the primary care clinic with a simplified algorithm for workup and treatment.
Claim free CME for this episode at curbsiders.vcuhealth.org!
Episodes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com | Free CME!
Show Segments
Intro, disclaimer, guest bio
Guest one-liner, Picks of the Week*
Case from Kashlak; Definitions
Who should we screen?
Patient Workup
Preparing for treatment
Treating hepatitis C
Opportunities for integration of care
Outro
Credits
Producer, writer, co-host: Emi Okamoto MD, FACP
Show Notes, infographic, cover art: Lyan Chang
Hosts: Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP
Reviewer: Leah Witt, MD
Executive Producer: Beth Garbitelli
Showrunner: Matthew Watto MD, FACP
Editor: Clair Morgan of nodderly.com
Guest: Christian Ramers MD, MPH, FIDSA
Sponsor: BetterHelp
Visit betterhelp.com/curb for 10% of your first month.
Sponsor: MedMastery
Visit www.medmastery.com/curbsiders for a 15% lifetime discount!
Sponsor: Birch Matresses
Visit birchliving.com/curb to claim your $200 off any Birch Mattress plus two free pillows
Sponsor: Indeed
Visit Indeed.com/internalmedicine and get a $75 credit to sponsor your first job
CME Partner: VCU Health CE
The Curbsiders are partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Visit curbsiders.vcuhealth.org and search for this episode to claim credit.
Update Description

Apr 15, 2022 • 1h 20min
#328 Updates in Hospital Medicine, Primary Care, Breast Health, Sexual Health, Addiction Medicine, Meded and more! Highlights from #SGIM22
Fill up with delicious practice-changing knowledge food from #SGIM22 as The Curbsiders team discusses breast cancer survivorship, sexual dysfunction, How climate change will affect health, Are PT consults necessary in the hospital?, Do we need antibiotics for aspiration events?, bias in note writing, Are plant-based meats a healthy?, complications after breast implantation, how to get breast reduction approved, doxycycline for chlamydia, the metronidazole and alcohol myth, pearls for clinician-educators, telehealth, TEACHIM.org, CGMs help lower a1c, PT for rotator cuff disease, Is it safe to taper antidepressants? and how to treat methamphetamine use disorder!
Note: There is no CME for this episode, but claim CME for prior episodes at curbsiders.vcuhealth.org!
Episodes | Subscribe | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com | Free CME!
Credits
Written and Hosted by: Nora Taranto MD, Beth Garbitelli (about to be an MD!), Era Kryzhanovskaya MD, Justin Berk MD, MPH, MBA, Shreya Trivedi MD, Chris Chiu MD, Paul Williams MD, Matthew Watto MD
Show Notes and Cover Art: Matthew Watto MD, FACP
Showrunner: Matthew Watto MD, FACP
Technical Production: Pod Paste
Show Segments
Intro
A few ambulatory teaching models include the One Minute Preceptor, SNAPS (summarize, narrow, analyze, probe, plan, and select), PIPP (precepting in the presence of the patient) [see Community Preceptor Toolbox]
Ikigai is a Japanese term indicating a motivational force or reason for living. It is associated with decreased mortality [Tanno, 2009]. Explore your ikigai here (PositivePsychology.com).
Listening to podcasts while driving does not affect knowledge retention (Gottleib et al. 2021)
Treatment of Hot flashes: Avoid paroxetine, fluoxetine, and sertraline in breast cancers survivors taking tamoxifen. Instead use venlafaxine (or another SNRI), citalopram, or escitalopram. Gabapentin given at bedtime is also an option. (Clinical Update 2019: Tamoxifen and Antidepressants)
Distress in patients with cancer can be measured using the NCCN screening tool [NCCN Distress Thermometer]
Don’t forget to ask for a Cancer Survivorship Plan from oncology [CDC Cancer Survivorship Care Plans]
Ask about sexual dysfunction in cancer survivors.
How will climate change impact our patient’s health? NIH framework; CH2OPD2 environmental screening tool [CH2OPD2 ]; and the 15 steps of climate communication.
Use the AM-PAC score cutoff of >18 to avoid a PT consult in hospitalized patients (Martinez 2021).
Early antibiotics after an aspiration event do not improve outcomes (Aga 2021).
Biased language is more common in notes about Black patients (Beach 2021). Be thoughtful about what you write and role model good behavior.
While plant-based meats are more eco-friendly than animal-sourced meats, they are heavily processed foods (van Vliet 2021) and may have high sodium.
Silicone breast implant rupture can be insidious. Guidelines recommend screening with MRI after 6 years, then every 2-3 years (FDA 2020, More FDA info) (Note: FDA’s most recent guidance also recommends ultrasound as an alternative screening method, so always check with the patient's insurance about which modality will be covered)
Document a trial of NSAIDs, physical therapy, attempted weight loss, and supportive bra usage before breast reduction surgery for macromastia.
Doxycycline is now first line for chlamydia rather than azithromycin [STI Treatment Guidelines Update], BUT the most effective treatment is the one your patient will take!
Metronidazole does not cause a disulfiram-like reaction and is no longer recommended by the guidelines [STI Treatment Guidelines Update]
More clinician-educator pearls from Era: Don’t be afraid to brand yourself! Network with like-minded individuals (e.g. interest groups).
BST mode: bite-sized teaching pearls can help reduce extrinsic load and improve retention [Manning, 2021]
A guided discussion based on Scrubs episodes can improve resident wellness [Holtzclaw 2021]
Chris recaps some posters (click links to see them on Twitter!): Telehealth disparities and tech equity (poster 1, poster 2); TeachIM.org (poster)
Continuous glucose monitors can help lower a1c in patients on basal insulin [Martens 2021]
A single session of PT improved shoulder pain. The benefits of steroid injections were limited to 8 weeks in the GRASP trial [Hopewell 2021]
There is a high risk of recurrence after tapering antidepressants [Lewis 2021]
Methamphetamine use disorder can be treated with IM naltrexone every 3 weeks, plus oral bupropion 450 mg daily [Trivedi 2021]. Limitations include cost and co-use of opioids.
Outro
Sponsor: Masterworks
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Sponsor: Ten Thousand
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Sponsor: Green Chef
Go to GreenChef.com/curb130 and use code curb130 to get $130 off, plus free shipping!
Sponsor: Blueland
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Apr 11, 2022 • 1min
#SGIM22 Recap is on it's way! - Teaser Trailer
We need a few days to process the highlights from #SGIM22 in Orlando, FL. We'll be dropping a DELUXE recap and highlights episode this Friday April 15, 2022 covering Updates in Hospital Medicine, Primary Care, Breast Health, Sexual Health, Addiction Medicine, Meded and more!

36 snips
Apr 4, 2022 • 59min
#327 Acute Pancreatitis
Learn what you really need to diagnose pancreatitis, when to use imaging sources and what is most important in management! Rapidly treating Acute Pancreatitis might change its course! We’re joined by Dr. Kaveh Sharzehi @sharzehi of Oregon Health & Science University (@OHSUNews).
Claim free CME for this episode at curbsiders.vcuhealth.org!
Episodes | Spotify | Swag! | Top Picks | Mailing List | thecurbsiders@gmail.com | Free CME!
Show Segments
Intro, disclaimer, guest bio
Guest one-liner
Case from Kashlak
Risk factors for severe course
Use of Scoring Systems
Requirements to make the diagnosis
Rational use of imaging
Initial management: fluids, analgesia, and nutrition
When to use antibiotics
When to perform cholecystectomy
Most common complications and interventions
How to follow up in the outpatient setting
Credits
Producer & Scriptwriters: Monee Amin MD and Meredith Trubitt MD
Show Notes & Infographics: Andréa Perdigão
Cover Art: Monee Amin MD
Hosts: Matthew Watto MD, FACP; Paul Williams MD, FACP
Reviewer: Molly Heublein MD
Executive Producer: Beth Garbitelli
Showrunner: Matthew Watto MD, FACP
Editor: Clair Morgan of nodderly.com
Guest: Kaveh Sharzehi MD, MS
Sponsor: BetterHelp
Visit betterhelp.com/curb for 10% of your first month.
Sponsor: MedMastery
Visit www.medmastery.com/curbsiders for a 15% lifetime discount!
CME Partner: VCU Health CE
The Curbsiders are partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE continuing education credits for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Visit curbsiders.vcuhealth.org and search for this episode to claim credit.


