American Family Physician

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Welcome to the American Family Physician Podcast for part one of the September 2026 issue.

I'm Jake.

I'm Krista.

And we are residents and faculty, mostly residents, of the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix Family Medicine Residency Programs.

Today on the podcast, we'll talk about smokeless tobacco cessation, ear pain, testosterone replacement, cognitive behavioral therapy, RSV vaccination, and ADHD treatments.

The opinions expressed in the podcast are our own and do not represent the opinions of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the editor of American Family Physician or Banner Health.

Do not use this podcast for medical advice.

If you could only read one magazine that month, I don't know if they come out as a magazine or not, which one would you pick up, the JAMA or the New England one? Well,

my bias is I have to put a plug in for American Family Physician.

It's a free journal, and it is packed full of MacGyver medicine.

This is what really helps people day to day.

The nerves in your neck travel all the way down your arms and into your hands, which is why neck problems so often show up as arm pain, hand numbness, or finger tingling.

Researchers writing in the American Family Physician describe this pattern as cervical radiculopathy, pain or neurological symptoms that radiate along the path of a compressed nerve root.

Some people also notice muscle weakness, trouble gripping objects or lifting the arm.

In rare cases, if the herniation presses on the spinal cord itself, it can affect balance or bladder control.

Diagnosis typically involves a physical exam, checking reflexes, muscle strength, and range of motion, followed by imaging.

An MRI is the most detailed tool for seeing disc and nerve involvement.

The American Family Physician notes that most people with cervical radiculopathy improve with non-surgical care, physical therapy, activity changes, and targeted interventions to reduce nerve inflammation.

If your neck or arm symptoms have been going on for weeks without improvement, a clinical evaluation is the right next step.

Yeah.

The only time I did r- um, CPR in the field was at a little restaurant called The Glenwood in Onuckama, and I was having dinner with the editor of American Family Physician, Jay Sewick.

And so this lady went face down in her soup at the table next to us, apneic, pulseless, and we got her back.

So unfortunately, since he's the editor-in-chief, he got the chest compressions while I got the, the breathing, and she threw up into my mouth.