In big cities, traveling to work and back can sometimes take more than 10% of your day. Traffic on the roads makes the ride even more unbearable. However, there is a solution to make each ride enjoyable.
Listening to podcasts and audiobooks is a great way to look forward to your travel time instead of dreading it. Some of us might find it hard to keep track of audiobooks as the journey is much shorter than the book, but podcasts are always an easy choice. The average duration for a typical podcast is between 45 and 60 minutes, which fits in nicely with our daily rides.
The next step is choosing the genres of your interest. It is always interesting to hear a new or a different take on the work that you do. That’s why we have curated a list of five of the best medical podcasts you can listen to in 2021. The list keeps changing every other year as there are always new creators on the horizon. But some are constant. Let’s get into it all.
1. The Drive
The drive is a weekly podcast created by physician Peter Attia (Stanford/Hopkins/NIH-trained MD) wherein he delivers insights into a plethora of topics that are usually related to health, longevity, and critical thinking. He brings on excellent guests on his show to talk about how we as humans can do better in various aspects of our lives and how science can be advanced moving forward
Some of the episodes might get a bit jargony and technical, but it can lead you down a new path on unexplored knowledge. It’s a brilliant podcast for medical students as well. Sometimes, it might feel like going back to med school as you will find yourself going back to reference studies and data for the topics in the discussion!
With an iTunes review of 4.9/5, it is a must-listen podcast for any healthcare worker.
2. Found My Fitness
Dr. Rhonda Patrick thoroughly goes into the issues of health, science, nutrition, aging, and fitness and backs up her information with studies and data. Dr. Patrick is a massive research enthusiast, and if you love a deep dive into the weeds as it were, you will thoroughly enjoy her podcast, FoundMyFitness. She explains complex topics such as fasting and DNA damage in the simplest of forms
While talking about studies, Dr. Patrick sticks to the facts and doesn’t jump to radical conclusions or make wild guesses concerning what they may imply. She lets professionals explain their research first hand. Keep a notebook at a hand’s distance just in case if you would like to unpack all the information later on.
With over 65 episodes to date, the podcast is rated 4.2 on iTunes.
3. The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss needs no introduction. Best known for his book, The 4-Hour Workweek, he has now cemented his foot in the podcast industry. In his show, he deconstructs world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, chess, pro sports, etc.), digging deep to find the tools, tactics, and tricks that his listeners can use. It’s not a medicine podcast at its core, but Tim invites guests from a multitude of industries, and you are bound to find a guest you will love listening to.
With over 500 episodes and counting, The Tim Ferriss show makes for a great listen on a commute. He always asks thought-provoking questions and digs deep to find more about the mental models of his guests. He has a great interviewing style - he lets his guests do most of the talking. In a few of his episodes, he opens up about his vulnerabilities and struggles with mental and emotional health. That helps his listeners connect with him.
Rated 4.6 on iTunes, The Tim Ferris show is a must-listen for any podcast listener.
4. NEJM This Week
Brought to you by The New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM This Week is a weekly medical podcast that brings you the latest in medical research and development and puts forward their reviews and perspectives on all the latest in the medical community. The length of each episode is around 30 mins and the most prominent healthcare articles of the week are summarised. If you want more, you can head over to their website for all the latest in health around the world.
It is one of the best medical podcasts for doctors who want to stay in the loop with every advancement happening in their field. Cited more often in the scientific literature than any other medical journal, NEJM This Week keeps health care professionals at the leading edge of medical knowledge.
It’s rated 4.5 on iTunes.
5. This Won’t Hurt A Bit
Time for some medical humour, don’t you think? Dr Mel Herbert, Dr Jess Mason and the FOOLYBOO team bring you a Medicine, Science, History and Humor Podcast that won't hurt a bit. It’s a medical podcast for your cortex and funny bone. The co hosts share an amazing rapport which makes it an easy listen.
The show does not have a vast catalogue to choose from which makes listeners crave for more. Some even listen to the same episodes more than once!
Rated 4.9 on iTunes, this educational comedy podcast would brighten up your day.
What podcasts do you listen to? Share with our global community of healthcare workers here — My Medical Panel.