127 - ACHOO! (The Sunlit Sneeze)

In the waning days of summer, we at The Curious Clinicians were in the mood take things back to the rains of spring. This episode is a reboot from our archives of one originally posted on March 27, 2025. Hannah dove into a question inspired by nature: Why do humans have such a keen smell for petrichor, aka the scent of rain?

This week, Dr. Roshan Sethi joined us for a conversation about his new book, The Simp, balancing life as a director, author, and radiation oncologist, and a bit about his upcoming work. Listen for more insights about Hollywood versus medicine and maintaining roles across many areas!

In this episode, Tony walks us through the surprising physiology behind a phenomenon many of us see every day: Why does iron deficiency cause thrombocytosis? Click here for show notes and click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours). Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

In this episode, we talk curiosity, healing, and the wonders of the human body with Dr. Rana Awdish, bestselling author of In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope and the new book, After Shock, out now! The book prompts doctors (and everyone else) to feel curious and open to the amazing abilities the human body has to heal. We think that if you enjoy our podcast, you'll find something meaningful to take away from the book. Thanks to Dr. Awdish for joining us! Audio for this episode was produced by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com and Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

In this episode, Avi achoo-ses an seasonal question: Why can sunlight exposure induce sneezing?? Click here for show notes and click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours). Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

What are the Hidden Pathways in the Human Body? This week, Avi fills us in on the science behind his New York Times Magazine article (link) describing the interstitium as our third circulatory system. We cover questions that he wasn't able to get to in the article and he fills us in on the story behind this (magazine) story! Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

This week, we talk with Dr. Grace Farris, who is a hospitalist and the author of See One, Do One, Teach One: The Art of Becoming a Doctor: A Graphic Memoir. We explore how she got into comic-drawing, her advice for people who want to explore storytelling about medicine through comics, and some of the backstory behind the book!

Today, we are rebooting an absolute classic from way back in our catalog - episode 9. Avi teaches us about the biology behind the taste of umami and why we might have evolved to find it so delicious. Show notes for the episode are a very long scroll down our website, or you can find them here: https://curiousclinicians.com/2020/09/16/episode-9-why-is-umami-so-delicious/ We'll be back in 2 weeks in discussion with doctor and illustrator Grace Ferris!

Why don't interstitial lung disease patients typically get increased pCO₂? The answer involves one of the fastest chemical reactions in the human body. Click here for show notes and click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.

In this neck(st) episode, Avi asks an isthmus-ing question: Why does an autoimmune antibody stimulate the thyroid in Graves disease? Click here for show notes and click here to obtain AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.5 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (0.5 hours), or ABIM MOC Part 2 (0.5 hours). Audio edited by Clair Morgan of Nodderly.com. Resident Giancarlo Buonomo and medical student Millennium Manna are our producers.