Succeed in Medicine

EP451 - Exploring Medical Curiosity with Dr. Anthony Breu

23min | 04/01/2025

Description

This episode is sponsored by: Set For Life

Set for Life Insurance helps doctors safeguard their future with True Own Occupational Disability Insurance. A single injury or illness can change everything, but the best physicians plan ahead. Protect your income and secure your future before life makes the choice for you. Your career deserves protection—act now at https://www.doctorpodcastnetwork.co/setforlife.

_______

Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a tool for better medicine. In this episode, Dr. Anthony Breu joins Dr. Bradley Block to explore how asking "why" transforms medical practice and patient care.

They discuss the origins of the Curious Clinicians Podcast, born from social media "why" questions during the COVID era, and how it evolved into a platform for uncovering medical mysteries. Dr. Brau shares mind-blowing insights from the show like why elephants rarely get cancer, how furosemide works beyond diuresis, and the potential for oral insulin to revolutionize diabetes care. The conversation also covers practical takeaways, such as rethinking elevated lactate assumptions and wearing goggles to chop onions tear-free.

With a mix of humor, science, and real-world applications, this episode is a masterclass in staying curious, challenging dogma, and bringing fresh perspectives to medicine—both in and out of the exam room.

Three Actionable Takeaways:

Stay Curious to Stay Sharp: Ask "why" about the things you see daily—whether it’s a patient’s response to meds or a biological oddity—to deepen your understanding and improve care.
Challenge Medical Assumptions: Don’t assume elevated lactate means hypoperfusion—consider beta-2 agonists like albuterol as a cause to avoid unnecessary treatments.
Apply Podcast Lessons to Life: From wearing contacts to cutting onions without crying to appreciating furosemide’s vasodilatory effects, small insights can enhance both personal and professional practice.

About the Show:

The Physician’s Guide to Doctoring covers patient interactions, burnout, career growth, personal finance, and more. If you're tired of dull medical lectures, tune in for real-world lessons we should have learned in med school!

About the Guest:

Dr. Anthony Breu is the Director of Resident Education at VA Boston Healthcare System and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. A board-certified internist and hospitalist, he co-hosts the Curious Clinicians Podcast. With a BA in Bioethics and MD from Brown University, Dr. Breu trained at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His interests include medical education, clinical reasoning, and tackling intriguing medical mysteries.

Website and Podcast:
https://www.bumc.bu.edu/camed/profile/anthony-breu/

https://curiousclinicians.com/

About the Host:

Dr. Bradley Block is a board-certified otolaryngologist at ENT and Allergy Associates in Garden City, NY. He specializes in adult and pediatric ENT with interests in sinusitis and obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Block also hosts the Physician’s Guide to Doctoring podcast, focusing on personal and professional development for physicians.

Want to be a guest?

Email Brad at brad@physiciansguidetodoctoring.com or visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to learn more!

Socials:

● @physiciansguidetodoctoring on Facebook

● @physicianguidetodoctoring on YouTube

● @physiciansguide on Instagram and Twitter

Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctor...

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Succeed in Medicine

Was your training enough to handle everything physician life demands? From lawsuits to leadership, career decisions to challenging conversations, balancing the personal with the professional — not enough was addressed in medical school, residency or fellowship. This show fills those gaps so you can live up to the expectations that come with the white coat — not just in the exam room, but in all the places your MD follows you. Your host, Dr. Bradley Block, a private practice ENT, is right there with you — navigating the same challenges and bringing in world-class guests to teach, as he puts it, “everything we should have been learning while we were memorizing Kreb’s cycle.” With nearly 500 episodes and close to half a million downloads, Brad has built a trusted space where physicians come for brass-tacks, immediately-applicable advice. You don’t need another certification. You need a podcast that covers personal finance, private practice, side-gigs, main-gigs, reacting to bad reviews, misinformation, social media, charting, parenting, communicating, negotiating, leading, managing, teaching, learning and what to do when someone yells, “Is there a doctor on board?”

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Succeed in Medicine

Was your training enough to handle everything physician life demands? From lawsuits to leadership, career decisions to challenging conversations, balancing the personal with the professional — not enough was addressed in medical school, residency or fellowship. This show fills those gaps so you can live up to the expectations that come with the white coat — not just in the exam room, but in all the places your MD follows you. Your host, Dr. Bradley Block, a private practice ENT, is right there with you — navigating the same challenges and bringing in world-class guests to teach, as he puts it, “everything we should have been learning while we were memorizing Kreb’s cycle.” With nearly 500 episodes and close to half a million downloads, Brad has built a trusted space where physicians come for brass-tacks, immediately-applicable advice. You don’t need another certification. You need a podcast that covers personal finance, private practice, side-gigs, main-gigs, reacting to bad reviews, misinformation, social media, charting, parenting, communicating, negotiating, leading, managing, teaching, learning and what to do when someone yells, “Is there a doctor on board?”

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Description

This episode is sponsored by: Set For Life

Set for Life Insurance helps doctors safeguard their future with True Own Occupational Disability Insurance. A single injury or illness can change everything, but the best physicians plan ahead. Protect your income and secure your future before life makes the choice for you. Your career deserves protection—act now at https://www.doctorpodcastnetwork.co/setforlife.

_______

Curiosity isn’t just a trait—it’s a tool for better medicine. In this episode, Dr. Anthony Breu joins Dr. Bradley Block to explore how asking "why" transforms medical practice and patient care.

They discuss the origins of the Curious Clinicians Podcast, born from social media "why" questions during the COVID era, and how it evolved into a platform for uncovering medical mysteries. Dr. Brau shares mind-blowing insights from the show like why elephants rarely get cancer, how furosemide works beyond diuresis, and the potential for oral insulin to revolutionize diabetes care. The conversation also covers practical takeaways, such as rethinking elevated lactate assumptions and wearing goggles to chop onions tear-free.

With a mix of humor, science, and real-world applications, this episode is a masterclass in staying curious, challenging dogma, and bringing fresh perspectives to medicine—both in and out of the exam room.

Three Actionable Takeaways:

Stay Curious to Stay Sharp: Ask "why" about the things you see daily—whether it’s a patient’s response to meds or a biological oddity—to deepen your understanding and improve care.
Challenge Medical Assumptions: Don’t assume elevated lactate means hypoperfusion—consider beta-2 agonists like albuterol as a cause to avoid unnecessary treatments.
Apply Podcast Lessons to Life: From wearing contacts to cutting onions without crying to appreciating furosemide’s vasodilatory effects, small insights can enhance both personal and professional practice.

About the Show:

The Physician’s Guide to Doctoring covers patient interactions, burnout, career growth, personal finance, and more. If you're tired of dull medical lectures, tune in for real-world lessons we should have learned in med school!

About the Guest:

Dr. Anthony Breu is the Director of Resident Education at VA Boston Healthcare System and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. A board-certified internist and hospitalist, he co-hosts the Curious Clinicians Podcast. With a BA in Bioethics and MD from Brown University, Dr. Breu trained at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His interests include medical education, clinical reasoning, and tackling intriguing medical mysteries.

Website and Podcast:
https://www.bumc.bu.edu/camed/profile/anthony-breu/

https://curiousclinicians.com/

About the Host:

Dr. Bradley Block is a board-certified otolaryngologist at ENT and Allergy Associates in Garden City, NY. He specializes in adult and pediatric ENT with interests in sinusitis and obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Block also hosts the Physician’s Guide to Doctoring podcast, focusing on personal and professional development for physicians.

Want to be a guest?

Email Brad at brad@physiciansguidetodoctoring.com or visit www.physiciansguidetodoctoring.com to learn more!

Socials:

● @physiciansguidetodoctoring on Facebook

● @physicianguidetodoctoring on YouTube

● @physiciansguide on Instagram and Twitter

Visit www.physiciansguidetodoctor...

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Succeed in Medicine

Was your training enough to handle everything physician life demands? From lawsuits to leadership, career decisions to challenging conversations, balancing the personal with the professional — not enough was addressed in medical school, residency or fellowship. This show fills those gaps so you can live up to the expectations that come with the white coat — not just in the exam room, but in all the places your MD follows you. Your host, Dr. Bradley Block, a private practice ENT, is right there with you — navigating the same challenges and bringing in world-class guests to teach, as he puts it, “everything we should have been learning while we were memorizing Kreb’s cycle.” With nearly 500 episodes and close to half a million downloads, Brad has built a trusted space where physicians come for brass-tacks, immediately-applicable advice. You don’t need another certification. You need a podcast that covers personal finance, private practice, side-gigs, main-gigs, reacting to bad reviews, misinformation, social media, charting, parenting, communicating, negotiating, leading, managing, teaching, learning and what to do when someone yells, “Is there a doctor on board?”

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

About Succeed in Medicine

Was your training enough to handle everything physician life demands? From lawsuits to leadership, career decisions to challenging conversations, balancing the personal with the professional — not enough was addressed in medical school, residency or fellowship. This show fills those gaps so you can live up to the expectations that come with the white coat — not just in the exam room, but in all the places your MD follows you. Your host, Dr. Bradley Block, a private practice ENT, is right there with you — navigating the same challenges and bringing in world-class guests to teach, as he puts it, “everything we should have been learning while we were memorizing Kreb’s cycle.” With nearly 500 episodes and close to half a million downloads, Brad has built a trusted space where physicians come for brass-tacks, immediately-applicable advice. You don’t need another certification. You need a podcast that covers personal finance, private practice, side-gigs, main-gigs, reacting to bad reviews, misinformation, social media, charting, parenting, communicating, negotiating, leading, managing, teaching, learning and what to do when someone yells, “Is there a doctor on board?”

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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