Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine

By Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroy

Comedy History Medicine

What's Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine about?

Join Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin McElroy for a tour of all the dumb, bad, gross, weird and wrong ways we've tried to fix people.

4.8

12,764 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

Weird Medical Questions Str...

09.22.2021

Is there evidence that sugary drinks cause worse hangovers? Does green snot mean there’s an infection? We’re answering more of your weird medical questions. Well, to be fair, Dr. Sydnee is answering your medical queries about sticky lip germs, C.diff, ...

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine episodes:

09.22.2021 Weird Medical Questions Strike Back Is there evidence that sugary drinks cause worse hangovers? Does green snot mean there’s an infection? We’re answering more of your weird medical questions. Well, to be fair, Dr. Sydnee is answering your medical queries about sticky lip germs, C.diff, ...
09.14.2021 Black Oxygen Organics Well, people are eating dirt. Real expensive dirt, too. That’s where we’re at. There’s a multi-level marketing company that sells people dirt to eat. We’re doing a Sawbones about it, and it turns out that we actually think it’s a ...
09.07.2021 Herbalife If you’ve seen a new smoothie shop or “Nutrition Club” open up in your area, take note: It may not be a smoothie store at all. This week on Sawbones, we explore the history of Herbalife and why this multi-level ...
08.31.2021 Havana Syndrome We’ve got a real mystery for you on Sawbones this week: Havana Syndrome. It’s either a secret beam being blasted at American diplomats . . . or a mass psychogenic illness . . . or a complete fabrication. Or anything ...
08.24.2021 Thalidomide In the 1950s, Thalidomide was rolled out very quickly and what followed was a tragic story that highlighted perils of greed and hidden agendas. This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin attempt to untangle this murky narrative, and highlight ...
08.10.2021 Vicks Justin takes over Sawbones researching duties from Dr. Sydnee this week as he begins profiling the unsung heroes of business: Brands. In this inaugural attempt, he’ll present the story of Vicks and how the company’s VapoRub took over the world. ...
08.03.2021 Virology How well do we understand viruses? We were fighting them before we could even see them. Fast forward to today, Dr. Sydnee explains how all of this relates to what we know now about the Delta variant. To donate to ...
07.27.2021 Balto Sawbones is finally doing the Balto episode! What happens when a remote town in Alaska has a diphtheria breakout, but their entire anti-toxin supply is expired? Call up Balto and the pack of hero dogs and mushers to make the ...
07.20.2021 Naloxone Naloxone is known as the “life-saving drug,” since it can bring someone back from an opiate overdose. Dr. Sydnee goes through the history of this hero drug, how it works, and the recent struggle of keeping it accessible in some ...
07.13.2021 Hot Medical Question Summer It’s time to answer more of your medical queries, like what is Texidor’s Twinge, when does the sunscreen clock start, and yeast infections: why?
07.07.2021 Jimmy Buffett We recorded this episode live on the Joco Cruise 2020, where Dr. Sydnee dissects the medicine mentioned in the songs of Jimmy Buffett. What is recommend for “Island Fever”? What should Mr. Buffett be concerned about when eating that “Cheeseburger ...
06.29.2021 Physician Burnout Workplace burnout is commonplace in the 21st century, but it’s a fairly recent idea. It’s especially insidious among physicians, who are taught that any fatigue is a sign of weakness. Dr. Sydnee shares her personal experience with exhaustion and what ...
06.15.2021 Black Lung Disease As any proud West Virginian knows, the history of mining in the United States is tied tightly to the history of the labor movement. This was partially to address something known as coal worker’s pneumoconiosis, also known as black lung ...
06.08.2021 COVID Variants and Guns for Vaccines You might have heard about the COVID variants that have some people worried, and how effective the current vaccine will be against them. But not to worry, we’ve got the sweet sweet data from the Lancet, and some good news ...
05.25.2021 The Parasite Delusion Last week, we talked about if eating papaya seeds could rid your body of parasites (spoiler: it can’t). But being concerned about having parasites is not new. We continue the conversation by looking into the phenomenon of Ekbom’s syndrome, or ...
05.18.2021 Papaya Seeds and Parasites TikTok is where the kids are getting all their information on new new wellness trends, so Dr Sydnee decided to check one that’s been popping up a lot: eating Papaya seeds. The main claim is that the seeds awesomely force ...
05.11.2021 Revenge of the Sawbones Quiz Test your medical history knowledge from this past year’s episodes in the Super Secret Sawbones Quiz of Interesting Information to Inform and Enlighten and Entertain and Impress Your Friends 2021! Consider becoming a supporter of our show: www.maximumfun.org/join/ Sad Trombone ...
05.04.2021 Direct-to-Consumer Advertising For MaxFunDrive 2021, Sawbones is talking about gross medicine of a different sort. In the United States (and New Zealand) we see a lot of those commercials for prescription medicines with jaunty names and a full minute disclaimer at the ...
04.27.2021 Chlorophyll Along with Dr. Sydnee’s amazing videos, TikTok is also a host to an interesting wellness trend: chlorophyll. The green pigment that helps plants turn sunlight into food and oxygen has also been thought to boost your immune system and help ...
04.20.2021 Vaccine Verification About a year ago, Sawbones discussed what herd immunity was not. In this episode, we look at how we’ll get there, and what role vaccine verification will play. How has it impacted public health historically, and what can we anticipate ...
04.06.2021 St John's Wort A somewhat invasive plant with yellow flowers named after John the Baptist has been used for centuries as a kind of cure all. Dr. Sydnee will lead you through a history of its many applications, what it’s used for today, ...
03.30.2021 Gamer Danger When the Nintendo Wii was released, it also came with a warning about potential injuries, to yourself and to others. But are video games good or bad for your health? Justin takes the lead to educate, entertain and delight about ...
03.23.2021 Blue Light Therapy Have you ever noticed an old house house that has blue glass windows? It's pretty, sure, but it's also supposed to provide healing energy. You can thank a man who really liked growing, farming, and . . . colors for ...
03.16.2021 COVID-19: One Year Later It's been around a year since COVID-19 began to reshape America. On this week's episode of Sawbones, we look back at the past 12 months and examine what we've learned and what we've lost. We'll also take a look at ...
03.09.2021 Harm Reduction There are simple, common-sense ways we can save the lives of injection drug users. The United States is woefully behind in adopting these best practices and there are some who are fighting to keep it that way.
03.02.2021 Believe It Or Not, More As for Your Qs The more questions answered, the more oddly specific they become. Justin plays the listener as Dr Sydnee addresses Alice in Wonderland syndrome, super glue, and sixth disease.
02.16.2021 The U.S. Surgeon General A new presidential administration means a new U.S. Surgeon General, so this week on Sawbones, we're examining exactly what that means. Are they a general? Why do they get to tell us what to do? And why do they care ...
02.09.2021 Mewing Would you believe that without spending a single cent, with just a slight movement of your tongue you could breathe better, sleep better and perhaps even ... become your most beautiful self? You probably wouldn't believe that, because you listen ...
02.02.2021 The Great Smog As with almost every cultural touchstone, Dr. Sydnee and Justin are extremely late to The Crown party. But the Netflix historical drama has provided not only immovable hairdos and withering glares, it also serves as the inspiration of our latest ...
01.26.2021 How to Talk About Vaccine Hesitancy The COVID-19 vaccine has finally arrived and there are, dishearteningly, too many that are on the fence about getting it. This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin provide a guide for talking with those who are vaccine hesitant and ...
01.19.2021 Dropsy It's a true shame that the medical condition with perhaps the most adorable name, dropsy, doesn't really exists. Well, it exists but ... you know what, this is too complicated. Let's just do a podcast episode about it.
01.05.2021 COVID-19: The Final Mile OK, so the COVID-19 vaccine is here, basically, kind of, but how do you get it? How does your Nonnee get it? How will anybody get it? The answers are ... well, they're a lot less clear than we'd like. ...
12.18.2020 COVID Vaccine Questions and Answers Vaccines are here! Vaccines are here! But wait ... aren't they ... rushed? Did you hear they might be ... tainted? Do they give you ... cheetah powers? Even if you believe in vaccines, it's normal to have some questions ...
12.11.2020 Don't Steal Your Dog's Worm Medicine to Treat COVID-19 Ivermectin is a fantastic, incredible miraculous drug that has recently been touted by some as a potent treatment for COVID-19, despite not having the research yet to back up the claims. This week, we'll help you avoid stealing your dog's ...
12.04.2020 Sawbones: Clinical Trials Dr. Sydnee and Justin have turned themselves into lab rats as they join a COVID-19 vaccine trial. But how did humanity discover the practices and policies that guide these sorts of human experiments? Listen and find out! Our primary source ...
11.27.2020 Even More Weird Medical Questions Is it possible for your medical questions to be ... too weird? That's a question you may be asking yourself on this latest Q&A episode of Sawbones, which explores the contents of poop and a secret button above your buttcrack ...
11.13.2020 Hypodermic Needles With news that a COVID-19 vaccine may be on the horizon and flu shot season in full swing, we take things back to basics with a history of the hypodermic needle and syringe. Also, a strangely large amount of car ...
11.08.2020 Angel's Glow On a chilly, rainy Civil War battlefield in Tennessee, soldiers started noticing something strange: Some of their wounds had begun ... glowing. Stranger still: Those with the glow tended to fare better than their illuminated counterparts. The assumption? Angels were ...
10.30.2020 A Health Care Voter's Guide If, by some set of unexplainable circumstances, you are still an undecided voter in the U.S. we've prepared something special for you in anticipation of next week's presidential election on Nov. 3. If you're not undecided, you'll at least have ...
10.23.2020 Herd Immunity There's been a lot of discussion about herd immunity in the face of COVID-19, but did you know that anyone who talks about achieving herd immunity without a vaccine (something humanity has never pulled off ever) is a big stinky ...
10.16.2020 Sawbones: Osteopathic Medicine Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.s) have been thrust into the spotlight recently when one was tasked with caring for the world's most famous COVID-19 patient. Some even went so far as to dismiss the president's D.O. for those two letters ...
10.02.2020 Our 2020 Flu Shot Extravaganza Gather the family around, it's time for our annual celebration of the flu shot! We got you the PERFECT gift: A bunch of answers to your flu shot quandries, especially in the age of COVID-19. C'mon, the party's starting!
09.25.2020 How Horseshoe Crabs (Probably) Saved Your Life Horses? Majestic. Frogs? Maybe royalty. But have you taken a moment to reflect on the humble, half-billion-year old horseshoe crab that almost certainly saved your life with its incredible blood? If not, THIS is that moment.
09.18.2020 Forced Sterilization Many were shocked to learn of allegations of forced sterilizations at an ICE facility. In this episode, we explore the long American history of this practice and the heartbreaking truth that this latest incident is just the latest in a ...
09.11.2020 Death Certificates You may have recently heard a statistic that just six percent of COVID-19 deaths are attributed to COVID alone. This statistic was based on death certificates. This week on Sawbones, we explain, through the history of this odd document, why ...
09.04.2020 Nostalgia Lately, have you found yourself pining for a simpler time? An easier time? Maybe just, like, ANY time other than your current one? You may be experiencing nostalgia. This week on Sawbones, we'll track its evolution from a clinical diagnosis ...
08.29.2020 Vagina Shaming For millennia, people with vaginas were told that there was something wrong with them (if they were even spoken about at all). Their vagina smelled wrong, looked wrong, it was too wet or not wet enough. This week on Sawbones, ...
08.21.2020 Oleander Puzzled as to why a pillow peddler is pushing poison to the president to pacify a pandemic? Please press play. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
08.14.2020 Grounded for Life This week on Sawbones, we explore The Most Important Health Discovery Ever! We know it's the The Most Important Health Discovery Ever because the book is called Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever. So there you have it.
08.07.2020 Osmosis Jones This week on Sawbones, we close out the #MaxFunDrive with a FAR too thorough examination of history's only medical animated comedy in which Bill Murray barfs on Molly Shannon. Let's talk about Osmosis Jones.

Older episodes