Bizarre RX – Weird, Wild, and Wacky Medical History

In this episode of Bizarre Rx , we’re cracking open the skulls of history—literally. Welcome to the ancient (and somehow ongoing?!) world of trephination , where headaches, demons, and bad vibes were treated with a rusty drill to the dome. From prehistoric skull holes to Hippocrates playing Home Depot with human heads, all the way to 1960s dudes self-drilling in the name of enlightenment , this ep...

In this episode of Bizarre Rx, we’re cracking open the skull—figuratively—to explore the strange, controversial world of phrenology . Once hailed as cutting-edge brain science, this now-debunked practice claimed your personality lived in the bumps on your head. Spoiler: it gets weirder…and way more problematic. WARNING: In this show, we dive into the strangest, most jaw-dropping medical practices...

In this episode of Bizarre Rx, we’re wading knee-deep into the golden, glistening world of urine therapy, specifically, how horse pee became a multi-billion-dollar menopause treatment. From pregnant mares strapped to pee-collection rigs to the doctors who looked at a horse and thought, That’s the cure , we’re covering the wild history of Premarin. Was it a medical breakthrough or just Big Pharma t...

In this episode of Bizarre Rx, we’re diving into the messy, murky world of faith healing, where miracles meet manipulation and the line between divine intervention and a good old-fashioned scam gets blurry. From snake-oil preachers to "holy" water that’s just...water (and undrinkable), we explore the shady history of those promising salvation, health, and eternal life, all for a price. Is it a cur...

WARNING: This isn’t the main show. This is Afterthoughts , where we push past the weird and straight into the unhinged. We’re talking controversial takes, spicy topics, and the kind of conversation that makes polite society clutch its pearls. From corpse medicine to beef tallow makeup, from raunchy romance to porn and relationships. Nothing’s off-limits. If you’re easily offended, now’s your chanc...

Feeling sick? In the 1600s, the solution wasn’t chicken soup. It was ground-up mummy, fresh human blood, or a nice rub of corpse fat. That’s right, medical cannibalism was all the rage, and rich folks treated powdered Pharaohs like their personal Advil. From grave robbing to straight-up execution blood vendors, history proves people will eat anything if they think it’ll keep them alive. Would you...

Ever heard the phrase "blowing smoke up your ass"? Turns out, it wasn’t just an expression—it was an actual 18th-century medical procedure. Welcome to Bizarre Rx , the podcast that explores the wild, weird, and WTF moments in medical history. In this episode, we’re lighting up a story so ridiculous you’ll wonder if it’s satire—but no, people really thought pumping nicotine into your rectum could c...

Snake oil salesmen, real water snakes, and Perkins Tractors. Welcome to the weird world of placebos. In this episode, we dive into how people have been tricked (or tricked themselves) into feeling better for centuries, from miracle cures to modern-day magic pills. Whether it’s a weight-loss supplement, a boner pill, or just a couple of wooden rods, placebos are everywhere. But do they actually wor...

We don’t always do this, but sometimes we just can’t shut up. Welcome to After Afterthoughts —where we go even deeper into the weird, the wild, the controversial, the cheeky, the mind-melting, and occasionally...the smelly. No rules, no filters, just us, spiraling for your entertainment. From Cormac McCarthy to Tribe, from ghosts to dishwashing mindfulness. Today, we’re jumping headfirst into the...

The poop talk’s over. Now for Afterthoughts where we talk names, social skills, and at some point, we ended up on car boobs and Freud, because of course we did. Do names really matter? Does eye contact actually make you human? Now tell us—do you use people’s names when you talk to them, or do you dodge with "hey man," "dude," or a well-placed "bro” or ma’am? This is a public episode. If you would...

Would you eat poop if it could save your life? Turns out, people have been doing it for centuries. In this episode, we dive into the bizarre history of fecal transplants, from ancient China to modern medicine, plus all the weird, wild, and slightly horrifying facts in between. Buckle up, because this one’s a real movement . Would you ever try a fecal transplant if it meant saving your life? Have y...

Welcome to Afterthoughts , where we take the bizarre, the ridiculous, and the downright random from today’s episode and run with it. Sometimes we stay on topic, sometimes we don’t, and sometimes we bring on guests to make it even weirder. Let’s get into it. In this episode, we’re joined by Amanda as we dive into a conversation about personality, identity, and what it really means to be your true s...

Welcome to Bizarre RX, A Podcast About Weird, Wild, and Wacky Medical History. Before there was Viagra, there were goat testicle implants. Yes, really. In this episode, we unravel the bizarre story of Dr. John Brinkley, the man who convinced thousands of men that goat glands were the key to virility. From wild medical claims to white glove service for your brand-new goat balls, this one is as ridi...