We have come a long way in our understanding of epilepsy and seizures.

Historically, epilepsy was associated with possession and demonic forces.

Modern medicine has helped us to understand that epilepsy is an electrical disorder of the brain that can affect an area or the entire brain itself.

Unfortunately, a lot of stigma and misinformation remains about epilepsy and it is an important condition to be aware of.

This is the story of epilepsy.

Our special guest:

Professor Mark Cook who is the Director of Neurology and Chair of Medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne. He was awarded the Order of Australia in 2023.

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It is evident from paintings that Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo suffered some form of underlying hand pathologies. These have been the focus of discussions and journal articles amongst many academics. Our understanding of different disease processes involving the hand have come a long way. There are a lot of options for patients both medical and surgical that we discuss in this episode.

This is the story of hand pathology

Our special guest:

Dr Paul van Minnen is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who runs his own private practice in Adelaide called ‘Grip surgery’.

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Hyponatraemia, the most common electrolyte disturbance in clinical medicine, is often subtle but can be serious.

In this episode, we trace the surprising history of fluid replacement back to the 1832 cholera riots in Liverpool, where experimental saline saved lives amidst chaos and mistrust.

We then bring the conversation into modern practice, exploring diagnostic steps, common causes, and when GPs should refer patients to hospital.

This is the story of Hyponatraemia.

Our special guest is:

Dr Michael Page, Chemical Pathologist and CEO of Clinipath.

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In 1958, Dr Denis Burkitt was working in Uganda when he saw multiple children with large and aggressive jaw tumours. He had never seen anything like this before and he investigated further. Over the next few years, he discovered that these tumours had a geographical distribution across equatorial Africa and also was related to rainfall.

This led to the discovery of an aggressive form of lymphoma that we now know as Burkitt lymphoma as well as the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It is a remarkable story of intellectual curiosity, scientific discovery, and commitment.

Éanna Mac Cana was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma in 2017. This diagnosis led him to the story of Dr Denis Burkitt and how we first learned about this disease. He has created a documentary using never-before-seen archival footage of Dr Denis Burkitt and his discovery, and included his own journey with this disease.

This is the story of Burkitt lymphoma.

Our special guests include:

Éanna Mac Cana who is a documentary filmmaker from Belfast in Ireland.

Professor Jonathan Bond from the University College Dublin and works in paediatric molecular haemato-oncology.

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Osteoporosis is a disease that takes years and even decades to develop. Up to 40% of post-menopausal women are affected who have a lifetime risk of fracture of ~40%. Men aged 60 have a 25% lifetime risk of an osteoporotic fracture. Evidence also shows that patients health significantly deteriorates following a significant fracture.

The best treatment for osteoporosis is prevention. We discuss this disease, lifestyle, diagnosis, and management with a panel of experts at COMBATT: Comprehensive Osteoporosis Management workshop, at the Adelaide Convention Centre in February 2025.

This is the story of osteoporosis.

Our special guests:

Our special guests are:

Dr Alecia Macrow: General Practitioner

Dr Nick Kasmeredis: Endocrinologist

Dr Steve Soukoulis: Periodontist

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Recent genetics studies have shown that ancient Humans and Neanderthals coexisted around 50,000 years ago for approximately 7,000 years. There is evidence of these different human species mixing and having offspring. Around 2-4% of modern humans can be traced back to Neanderthals.

This is the story of Humans and Neanderthals.

Our special guests:

Our special guest is Associate Professor Bastien Llamas who is affiliated with the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA.

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And we’re back for 2025. We thought we’d ease into this season with some medical stories. From the Manhattan project and the demon core to the inspirational stories of Dr Elizabeth Blackwell, Dr Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, and Dr Emma Constance Stone. We are reaching back into the medical archives.

Our special guests:

Dr Travis Brown, himself!

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Patients with colorectal cancer often have their diagnosis, treatment, and care discussed at a regular multidisciplinary team meeting. This includes: gastroenterologists, surgeons, oncology, radiation oncology, pathologists, home care nurses, oncology nurses, genetic councillors, care coordinators plus others.

This is the third episode of a three part series on colorectal cancer.

This episode focuses on management.

Many thanks to Dr Tristan Rutland who helped organise this series.

This is the story of colorectal cancer (part 3).

Our special guests:

Dr Stephanie Lim: medical oncologist who works at GenesisCare and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre

Dr Meredith Johnston: radiation oncologist who works at Liverpool hospital

Dr Emilia Ip: medical oncologist and cancer geneticist at Liverpool hospital

This Medical Life podcast is available on all podcasting services and Spotify.

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