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I am Dr. Todd Brandt. I am a urologist. 

These are words I couldn't have imagined myself saying as I was growing up thinking about medicine as a career. 

And I have been asked many, many times why I went into urology as a medical specialty. In this podcast I attempt to explain how I got here. Why did I choose urology as a specialty? Why do I like it? Why, if you are someone with a urinary tract, should you care? Get it? Why Urology.

This podcast is a personal experiment in medical audio content. I make the obvious disclaimer that this is not medical advice. You should be going to your own physician for that.

These episodes are meant to educate, entertain, inspire or inform you in some way with urology as the launching point for each episode. Each episode is varied in format and length as I have experimented with content. 

Listen, follow, share, rate, review, repeat...you know what to do.

If you have kidney stones, or prostate cancer, or another urologic health concern this podcast may help you.

If you have a loved one with any urologic health concern this podcast may help you. 

If you are someone who has asked, "How does my bladder do it's thing?", this podcast may help you.

If you make urine, or even if you don't, this podcast may help you.

Thank you for listening to this podcast. I do appreciated any feedback I get so please reach out to me at the link provided on this website. 

Be well,

Dr. Todd Brandt

  1. All Episodes
  2. Prostate Cancer-Risks of Androgen Deprivation Therapy ep. 14

Prostate Cancer-Risks of Androgen Deprivation Therapy ep. 14

Aug 28, 2016

Men with prostate cancer are living longer, but many survive with a greater burden of treatment. More than one-third of the nearly three million prostate cancer survivors in the United States currently receive androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). ADT improves the clinical outcomes for men with prostate cancer in certain settings, but has a variety of adverse effects that may impact their long-term health.

For this podcast I’m taking much of my information from a monograph printed in 2015 by the Prostate Cancer Foundation itled “Maintaining Health during Androgen Deprivation Therapy.” You can download it at the Prostate Cancer Foundation website.

(http://www.pcf.org/atf/cf/{7c77d6a2-5859-4d60-af47-132fd0f85892}/MAINTAININGHEALTHADT_MONOGRAPH.PDF)

ADT delays disease progression and increases survival but has a variety of potential harms including:

  1. “hot flashes”
  2. decreased desire for sexual activity and loss of erections
  3. anemia—lowered red blood cell count
  4. fatigue
  5. obesity
  6. diabetes
  7. increased triglycerides and cholesterol levels
  8. sarcopenia--general loss of muscle mass
  9. osteoporosis

The primary focus for many survivors is to live free from prostate cancer. ADT helps men lead much longer lives free from pain and suffering from the cancer.

By understanding some of the risks of ADT we can empower men to lead higher-quality lives during the time they are receiving this treatment