Healthy Mama Doc Almost Lost Her Own Son

Healthy Mama Doc Almost Lost Her Own Son

What happens when a high-risk OB can't diagnose her own son? Dr. Sarah Pachtman-Shetty is a double board-certified maternal-fetal medicine specialist — a doctor trained to manage the most critical pregnancies imaginable. But when her two-year-old son Orion spiked a fever on a Caribbean vacation and his O2 sat dropped into the 70s, all that training couldn't stop her from feeling like a helpless mom. In this raw and unforgettable episode of HuMed, Sarah shares the terrifying night she called 911 on a St. Martin island, fought for a chest X-ray in a foreign ER at 2am, and watched a jack-of-all-trades surgeon prepare to place a chest tube in her toddler — with no pediatric ventilator in sight. This is the human side of medicine no one talks about.  Dr. Sarah Pachtman-Shetty | Maternal-Fetal Medicine | @HealthyMamaDoc   Virtual consultations: Uma Health In this episode: * The vacation that became a medical nightmare * Why even expert physicians miss signs in their own children * Practicing medicine in maternity care deserts * How a near-tragedy reordered her entire life  Subscribe for more stories from the human side of medicine   Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts #HuMed #MaternalFetalMedicine #HighRiskPregnancy #PhysicianLife #DoctorStories #MomLife #MedicalPodcast #WomensHealth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Time Is Finite: Dr. Jenna Taglienti on the Physician's Illusion of Control and Shift in Priorities

In this episode of HuMed, Dr. David Spiro is joined by Dr. Jenna Taglienti, a psychiatrist, residency program director, and assistant professor at the Zucker School of Medicine. Dr. Taglienti's recent JAMA essay, Time Is Finite, sparked widespread reflection across the medical field. Dr. Taglienti shares her deeply personal story of receiving an unexpected lung cancer diagnosis as a lifelong nonsmoker, which forced her to take a medical leave and step back from her roles. The experience provided time to reflect on the immense mental load she was carrying, and the true cost of continually postponing life. She discusses the profound realization that "institutions are designed to endure beyond individuals. On the other hand, families are not". This is a crucial conversation for any physician wrestling with the balance between a demanding career and their irreplaceable role at home. We discuss: The "invisible load" of mental energy physicians spend trying to control things that are out of their hands.3 The high divorce rate among doctors and how constant accessibility to work can distract from relationships.3 How the priority of medicine is ingrained from the first day of medical school, and the struggle to shift that focus when relationships and children arrive.3 The importance of being "present" with family and recognizing that small moments with children add up.3 Modeling self-care and good boundaries for residents, demonstrating that it's okay to prioritize health and return stronger.3 The therapeutic value of vulnerable writing, such as essays submitted to JAMA's A Piece of My Mind. Subscribe to HuMed with David Spiro, MD for more conversations about the human side of medicine. #PhysicianBurnout #WorkLifeBalance #TimeIsFinite #PhysicianWellness #Psychiatry #ResidencyLife #JAMA #HuMed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

His Labs Were Normal. But He Was Crashing.

What happens when your labs are “normal” — but you know something is wrong? In this episode of HuMed, Dr. David Spiro sits down with Dr. Stephen Sanders, a board-certified family physician and men’s health expert, to talk about the moment his own health collapsed in his late 30s. On paper, everything looked good: career, family, success. But inside, he was struggling with brain fog, fatigue, low energy, weight gain, erectile dysfunction, poor sleep, and the frightening feeling that his best days might already be behind him. Dr. Sanders shares how one photo during a bike ride in Colorado became the turning point — and how he rebuilt his health through sleep, nutrition, training, hormone optimization, community, and a completely different approach to men’s health. We discuss: • Why “normal labs” don’t always mean optimal health• Testosterone, free testosterone, and hormone optimization• Sleep, wearables, HRV, and recovery• Intermittent fasting and whole-food nutrition• Ultra-processed foods and metabolic health• GLP-1 medications, muscle loss, and protein• Creatine, sauna, cold plunge, and longevity tools• Male loneliness, stress, vulnerability, and community• Why medicine treats disease well — but often fails at creating health This is a conversation about men’s health, longevity, burnout, behavior change, and what it takes to feel alive again. Subscribe to HuMed with David Spiro, MD for more conversations about the human side of medicine. #MensHealth #Testosterone #Longevity #HuMed #HealthOptimization Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Prevention Mindset That Could Save Millions

Dr. David Spiro speaks with physician-scientist and clinical trialist Dr. Barry Davis, author of The Preventioneers, about one of the most important questions in medicine and public health: Why do we so often know how to prevent harm—but fail to act until crisis arrives? Dr. Davis shares the powerful story of Ignaz Semmelweis, the physician who discovered that handwashing could dramatically reduce childbirth deaths long before germ theory was accepted. He also discusses the resistance faced by prevention pioneers across history—from fire prevention and auto safety to hypertension, smoking, ultra-processed foods, and climate change. This conversation explores the gap between knowledge and action, the resistance to changing systems, and why prevention requires more than individual willpower. It requires leadership, culture change, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. Topics include: Semmelweis and the history of handwashing Why prevention is often resisted Hypertension and cardiovascular prevention Seat belts, auto safety, and public health Ultra-processed foods and the modern prevention crisis Why healthcare often treats disease instead of preventing it How physicians can become change agents Please subscribe for more conversations about the emotional, moral, and human realities of medicine. #Prevention #PublicHealth #Medicine #CardiovascularHealth #HuMed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

He Was the Doctor—Then He Found a Brain Tumor

What happens when the doctor becomes the patient? In this powerful episode of HuMed, Dr. David Spiro sits down with pediatric cardiologist Dr. Josh Daily to talk about the moment his life changed: unexplained fatigue, low testosterone, headaches, and eventually the discovery of a brain tumor deep in the center of his brain. Dr. Daily shares the full story of being diagnosed, challenging the initial read, seeking second opinions, undergoing high-risk brain surgery, facing a devastating recurrence, and nearly losing his vision. He also opens up about what it felt like to navigate the healthcare system from the other side of the bedrail—even as a physician. This conversation goes far beyond medicine. It’s about fear, vulnerability, faith, grief, resilience, and what serious illness teaches us about being human. In this episode: * What it feels like when a doctor becomes the patient * How his brain tumor was initially misread * Why his vision began rapidly deteriorating * The targeted therapy that changed everything * The emotional reality of serious illness * How faith reshaped his experience as both patient and physician * Why empathy and presence matter so much in medicine This is one of the most honest and moving conversations yet on HuMed. Subscribe for more conversations on the human side of medicine. #BrainTumor #DoctorBecomesPatient #HuMed #MedicineAndFaith #PatientStory #Neurosurgery #TargetedTherapy #PhysicianStory #MedicalPodcast #DavidSpiroMD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]