If you're like Dr. Sydnee and your TikTok algorithm keeps advertising medical substances at you, perhaps you've heard of asafoetida. It's a pungent resin derived from a plant, and has culinary appeal as well as reportedly some medical benefits. But what, if any, research and evidence do we have about these medicinal claims? And most importantly, what does it really smell like? We need to know, for science.

Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Sawbones: Asafoetida

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.

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Squishing someone’s heart and blowing air into them to bring them back to life seems so basic, so why weren’t we able to agree on it for the past few hundred years? This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee gives an overview of the evolution of CPR which, despite what movies and TV would have you believe, isn’t quite an infinite cheat code for avoiding death.

Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Sawbones: CPR

What if someone was declared dead . . . only for their heart to start beating again? This is a phenomenon sometimes called "Lazarus Syndrome" or "auto resuscitation after failed pulmonary resuscitation". Dr. Sydnee and Justin discuss the outline of exactly what needs to occur, some possible reasons this might happen, and a few wild examples.

Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Sawbones: Lazarus Syndrome

Another day, another fad superfood on social media! Sea moss, or carrageenan or Irish moss, has historically been used for ulcers and sore throats, but does it actually have any proven medical use? Well, no, but it’s probably a good vegan substitute for gelatin.

Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Sawbones: Sea Moss

With so much medical research out there on internet, how can you sort through what's based in science and what's just three people in a room? Dr. Sydnee discusses the all the different factors to think about when deciding how much weight to give any article or study. There's a lot! 

Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Sawbones: Interpreting Research

If you want to Get Good at video games quickly, are there any magic pills you can take? Well, there are people trying to sell them to you. Justin and Dr. Sydnee look at some supplements that claim to give gamers better focus and more energy, none of which are doctor-approved.

Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

Sawbones: Asafoetida

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