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Podcast 181 - Discrepancies in Testing & Treatment

Updated: 7 days ago



Does medicine have dangerous side effects for women? Are the "normal" values we have set for diagnostics possibly endangering specific populations? In this episode of the FOAMfrat podcast, Tyler sits down with Dr. Alyson McGregor, emergency physician and author of Sex Matters, and Tim Redding, EMS educator and lecturer, to discuss the discrepancies in medical testing, diagnosis, and treatment between male and female patients.


Dr. McGregor shares her journey of discovering gender bias in medicine, particularly how women’s symptoms are often dismissed or mislabeled as psychiatric in nature. The discussion explores how male-centric research has shaped clinical guidelines, leading to underdiagnosis and undertreatment of women across a wide range of conditions—from heart attacks to strokes and even pain management.


What You’ll Learn:

  • Why the term “atypical symptoms” in women may mean “not male-typical”

  • How the historical exclusion of women from clinical research continues to influence modern care

  • Differences in disease presentation, medication metabolism, and diagnostic delays

  • Practical ways EMS providers can adjust their mindset and assessment strategies

  • The dangers of bias in pharmacology, risk-scoring tools, and prehospital care models


Notable Quotes:


💬 “If you just study men and apply that to women, that’s not okay. And that’s what we’ve been doing.” – Dr.  Alyson McGregor


💬 “Being aware of this will reduce your bias… and help your patients.” – Tim Redding


💬 “Women don’t present atypically—they present like women. The model is just based on men.” – Tyler Christifulli


Takeaways for EMS Providers:

  • Ask sex-specific cardiovascular risk questions (e.g., preeclampsia, early menopause, RA)

  • Recognize bias in clinical decision-making (e.g., assuming psychiatric etiology in women)

  • Be cautious with medications known to have differing effects or metabolism in females

  • Advocate for including sex-based considerations in education, protocols, and scoring tools


Resources Mentioned:📘 Sex Matters: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women’s Health—and What We Can Do About It by Dr.  Alyson McGregor🔗 Dr. McGregor’s Website📧 Email: Dr. McGregor | Tim Redding🌐 Tim Redding’s Site: eecmedical.org





 
 
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