Health & FitnessSociety & CultureScience

Not Your Doctor

Laurel, Rachel & Tara

Not Your Doctor is a chatty, question-driven podcast hosted by three resident doctors in the US and UK.

Each week, we answer listener-submitted questions about health, wellness, and life. All the things you’ve Googled at 2 a.m. or felt too awkward to ask your friends, or even your actual doctor. We mix evidence, real-world experience, cultural context, and plenty of hot takes, all without the jargon or judgment.

This is not medical advice. It’s honest conversation, thoughtful nuance, and doctors talking like people, for people.

Send your listener questions to NotYourDoctorPod@gmail.com or submit them here: https://forms.gle/yk3qETzXBm6d244z9

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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20 episodes
weekly
Avg 58 min
English

Episodes 20

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Wednesday · 1 hr 1 min
Waiting for my chill pill
Is it cancer, or have we just spent too much time on WebMD? This week, Tara and Laurel tackle health anxiety, from listener questions about suspicious moles to the particular psychological thriller of becoming a parent and discovering 47 new fears. We also confess whether medical school made us more or less neurotic, investigate the wellness trends convincing healthy people they're dying, and ask whether a little reassurance from your doctor is ever worth an unnecessary test. Unfortunately, having a body comes with risks, and so does access to WiFi. Discussing: health anxiety, hypochondria, illness anxiety disorder, cancer anxiety, medical anxiety, fear of cancer, health anxiety after having a baby, postpartum anxiety, new parent anxiety, medical school anxiety, medical students, WebMD, Googling symptoms, symptom checking, melanoma anxiety, health anxiety vs real symptoms, annual physical anxiety, medical reassurance, unnecessary medical testing, wellness trends, health and wellness podcast, Not Your Doctor Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
October 14 · 1 hr 6 min
Glamping for wellness
This week, Tara is planning on opening up a racoon farm (for wellness purposes) and Laurel is helping lost runners get even more lost. Then the gals delve into the oddities of wellness retreats before turning the conversation to some questions about breast augmentation, division of labor in relationships, corporate despair, and the potential dangers(?) of the pneuomnic plague. In this episode: wellness retreats, yurts, outdoors, corporate wellness, relationships, dating, women’s health, pneumonic plague, wellness culture, evidence-based medicine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
October 7 · 58 min
Bye bye baby docs
Against all odds, the higher powers let us stick around and become second-year doctors. This week, all three docs are back together to debrief intern year: best and worst shifts, tears and traumas, keeping relationships and hobbies alive, and the moments we felt we *might* actually know what we're doing. We also answer your nosiest questions about intern life whether or not it has delivered or flopped on every Grey's Anatomy or Pitt-adjacent fantasy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 30 · 1 hr
Wegovy vs Wolverine: the wondrous world of peptides
Peptides are having a moment, and apparently everyone now has a guy. This week, the docs wade into Wolverine Stacks, bodega peptides, injectable beauty promises and the mysterious vials of BPC-157 arriving in people's mailboxes, asking which peptide claims have actual medicine behind them and which are running several clinical trials ahead of the evidence. We also investigate whether peptides can heal your tendons, improve your skin and make you immortal, or whether your peptide guy might have oversold this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 23 · 28 min
From the Patreon: Toxins and toxic traits
Find the other half of the episode on Patreon at patreon.com/notyourdoctorpod where Tara and Laurel delve into our most toxic traits and relationships. And this week, the docs are your personal poison control center and ask what it takes to get products recalled, from lead-painted toys and asbestos makeup to craft beads that accidentally metabolize into GHB. Then we abandon toxicology for toxicity of a more personal variety, unpacking bad relationships, questionable personality traits and the uncomfortable possibility that sometimes the contaminant is coming from inside the house. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 16 · 1 hr
The IBS industrial complex
This is the episode where we say we’re going to talk about everything gastrointestinal and then mainly talk about IBS. Along the way, we declare war on minimal-privacy bathrooms, we decipher FODMAPs, explain why IBS and IBD are very much not the same thing, and investigate the deeply suspicious case of a boyfriend who apparently doesn’t poop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 9 · 1 hr 6 min
Prozac and Jesus are fighting for my soul
This week, the docs are finding god. Tara and Laurel tackle listener questions about SSRIs vs prayer, whether your delivery room needs a religious affiliation, and finding community at synagogue when you don’t actually believe in God. Plus, we dig into some of medicine’s complicated religious history and finally figure out what a hospital chaplain actually does. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 2 · 56 min
Radicalized by Daycare Moms United
This week, the docs tackle the people who know you best and therefore know exactly how to drive you up a wall: your family. We get into meddling mothers-in-law, getting caught in the crossfire of a parent’s divorce, a sister running birthday-party infection control like the CDC, and a mom who decides the pickleball league absolutely needs an update on her daughter’s IVF. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 26 · 1 hr 5 min
Build-A-Baby
Are your genes actually calling the shots, or do we just really want someone to blame? This week, the docs tackle listener questions about designer babies, whether Ancestry.com can accidentally become a paternity test, how worried we should be about inherited genetic disorders, and whether your DNA can really tell you if you're destined to be anxious, athletic, or just annoying. Join our Patreon at https://patreon.com/NotYourDoctorPod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 19 · 50 min
The discharge is giving yellowish
Laurel and Rachel tackle listener questions about troubleshooting office visits. We chat provider personalities, nosy receptionists, and a doctor who tries to set their patient up on a date. AND we now have a patreon: https://patreon.com/NotYourDoctorPod Please join we will love you forever and ever Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 12 · 54 min
Sense and Sensitivities
On this episode, Tara and Laurel tackle listener questions about dilemmas in friendships. One listener has a friend who seems dead-set on poisoning her. Another is sick of a pal’s therapy speak, and a third is wondering whether to lock it down with a work-wife. And how is a gentle-lady expected to maintain civility and decorum when a norovirus outbreak upsets a 30th birthday? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 5 · 50 min
The acupuncture of it all
Tara has just moved house and Laurel has moved to Canada (maybe). Amidst it all, the two delve into listener questions about chiropractors, acupuncture, and aromatherapy in this week’s episode on alternative or holistic medicine. In this episode: Acupuncture, holistic medicine, coining, aromatherapy, chiropractic, Eastern medicine, alternative medicine, traditional medicine, naturopath, skincare, beauty standards, wellness culture, evidence-based medicine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 29 · 1 hr 2 min
Botox and Beyond
This week, Rachel and Laurel dive into the booming world of med spas. We unpack which treatments actually have good evidence behind them, which are mostly marketing, and why the beauty industry has become increasingly medicalised. Along the way we talk injectables, "natural" beauty, and the culture behind one of the fastest-growing industries in healthcare. Check out Rachel’s newest podcast- How She Works! In this episode: Botox, fillers, lip filler, med spas, aesthetic medicine, cosmetic injectables, IV vitamin therapy, red light therapy, laser treatments, skincare, beauty standards, wellness culture, preventive Botox, cosmetic dermatology, evidence-based medicine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 22 · 56 min
Pickles, push plans and panic
Pregnant, pregnancy-curious, or just pregnancy-adjacent via your coworker's baby shower invite? This week the docs tackle listener questions on why your cravings feel like a hostage situation, and whether birth plans are legit or just a wish list to the tooth fairy. They also get into vocal toning, cord clamping, navigating pregnancy in the workplace and the real tea: whether the docs themselves are ready to trade scrubs for stretch marks Disclaimer: In this episode when Rachel talks about sushi she is referring to ParentData’s research on sushi in the United States from reputable establishments. Not gas station sushi or sushi that has been left out! These should 100% be avoided. As always, ask your doctor whether they think it is safe for you to eat sushi. We are not OBGYNs nor your doctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 15 · 55 min
What should my vagina smell like?
This week, Tara is moving house and Laurel is on a search for Joy in an otherwise dark time. The gals also tackle your questions relating to the bikini region. From celebrities selling vagina candles, to influencers peddling probiotic suppositories, to gamified kegel apps, we unpack the pelvis and sort the facts from pseudoscience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 8 · 1 hr 1 min
Rashes and Rationality
This week, docs Rachel and Laurel read and react to your tales from the trenches. We chat waiting rooms. Rashes. Burnout. Telehealth turned Croatian travel guide. And the infiltration of AI into your yearly wellness check. Send your stories and questions to notyourdoctorpod@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 1 · 1 hr 6 min
Microdosing our way to Enlightenment
Docs Tara and Laurel delve into supplements, giving their take on a myriad of powders and potions from super-molecule anti-aging concoctions to pre-workout creatine to sleepy magnesium. Is the Lion’s Mane Mocha Latte actually giving you a mental edge? And will your child be missing developmental milestones without Little Critters Immunity Super Boost? And what are the docs themselves willing to try? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 24 · 1 hr 5 min
Kaye’s and Rae’s Anatomy
As interns, Rachel and Laurel are the Meredith to each other’s Christina, and they’re both looking for the Dr. Robbys to their Mel. This week the gals gab about their favorite medical shows and answer questions about how real life compares. Do residents ever sneak away for sex in supply closets or sob in stairwells? Do bugs actually grow in wounds and do people die in the waiting room while waiting for 8+ hours to be seen? And have these docs actually watched the Pitt themselves? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 17 · 1 hr 6 min
Fellowship of the Oura ring
This week the girls talk wearables, as in the pretty jewellery that also takes your temperature, measures your sleep and judges your exercise habits. The docs answer listener questions about continuous glucose monitors, socks that check your baby’s oxygen, and other devices that promise big glow-ups but might give big anxiety. Digressions include horses on beaches, a celebrity shadowing and a damp kitty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 10 · 1 hr 4 min
Living our breast life
On this week’s episode, Rachel shares exciting news, Laurel flips to nights, and the docs delve into some double D dilemas on this episode about boobs. One listener is wondering if her asymmetry is a cause for alarm, and another listener ponders whether she should get a breast reduction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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