Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroy

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine

Comedy EN ↓ 588 episodes

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.

Author

Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroy

Category

Comedy

Podcast website

maximumfun.org

Latest episode

Jul 7, 2026

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Episodes

Sawbones: Thalassotherapy 15.04.2025

TikTok has become enthralled with the idea of Thalassotherapy... which is basically going to the ocean to feel better. Dr. Sydnee talks about the history of this "sea cure" and Dr. Richard Russell, the man who popularized it in the second half of the eighteenth century. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ National Immigration Project: https://nipnlg.org/about/who-we...

Sawbones: Why Don’t Edema and Enema Rhyme? 01.04.2025

Justin has gathered all the strangest listeners (questions) to quiz Dr. Sydnee with all of your weird and fun medical questions! Is Gatorade actually salty and NOT sweet? Are people with cat allergies allergic to big cats? Can you fart and spread norovirus? Can a fetus taste? And the most important question of all: who are Justin and Dr. Sydnee's favorite fictional doctors? Music: "Medicines" by T...

Sawbones: Dr. Odyssey: Shark Week 25.03.2025

What medical drama does a doctor on a cruise ship get involved in? Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about Dr. Odyssey: Shark Attack!, and the follow-up,  Dr. Odyssey: Shark Attack! Part 2: Orca. It's a wild ride, but some of the medical beats are surprisingly accurate. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/ Help support this show an...

Sawbones: The Pitt 18.03.2025

Dr. Sydnee brings a little levity as she talks about a new medical show, The Pitt. Following fictional doctors in real-time(ish), Dr. Sydnee discusses how it compares to working in an actual ER, as well as it how it compares to the 1990s show ER. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus co...

Feed Drop: Clint and Justin join MFD Spring Break! 17.03.2025

It’s not MaxFunDrive without a wild kickoff spectacular! Former real-life VJ and host of MTV's Spring Break 1999, Dave Holmes, takes your favorite MaxFun hosts through some wacky ‘90s- and Spring Break-themed mini games!!  Featuring: Dave Holmes, Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya, Dimitry Pompée, Tom Lum, Ellen Weatherford, Alex Schmidt, Brenda Snell, Drea Clark, Alonso Duralde, Dan McCoy, Jordan Morris,...

Sawbones: Henry VIII 11.03.2025

How dangerous is jousting? Just look into the example of King Henry VIII of England. The Tudor king is infamous for his six wives, but Dr. Sydnee explains how a jousting injury may have changed his behavior – and changed the course of history. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus conte...

Sawbones: Kleptomania 04.03.2025

Kleptomania is defined by an undeniable compulsion to steal, so it has wavered between legitimate diagnosis and flimsy criminal defense to somewhere in between since its inception. This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee unpacks the facts from fiction while Justin tries to steal the show. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/ Help...

Sawbones: Apple Cider Vinegar 25.02.2025

The recent semi-fictionalized Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar explores the world of wellness following bloggers Belle Gibson and Milla Blake. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about what factors in the world and in peoples' lives could lead to fame and success in the pseudo-scientific alternative medicine world. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ World Central Kitchen:...

Sawbones: Frostbite 11.02.2025

It's been bitterly cold in our region lately and that's got Dr. Sydnee thinking about frostbite. This week, we'll gain a better understanding of this malady and even stage a brief theatrical selection about it. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maxim...

Sawbones: Science Updates 04.02.2025

There has been a lot going on in the United States in the last few days that might affect what's going on with health, medicine, and other sciences. Dr. Sydnee talks about the implications of all of these now and in the immediate future, and what we can do about it. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org/ Help support this show an...

Sawbones: Whooping Cough 28.01.2025

Depending on where you live, you might be hearing a lot lately about Pertussis or Whooping Cough, even in Dr. Sydnee and Justin’s home county. Dr. Sydnee talks about the long history of this disease, its symptoms, and how the vaccine eventually came about. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Palestine Children's Relief Fund: https://www.pcrf.net/ Help support this s...

Sawbones: Physicians' Unions 21.01.2025

Imagine if your doctor could go on strike in the middle of a treatment. That’s the most popular argument against physicians’ unions, but there’s a lot more to the issue. Dr. Sydnee talks about the process of training doctors in the United States, why doctors would want to unionize, and what a doctors’ union might look like. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Palest...

Sawbones: Seven-Second Poop Trick 14.01.2025

It's a real medical (with a lower-case m) mystery, as Dr. Sydnee tries to find the source of a trick on TikTok that reportedly helps alleviate constipation. Join Sydnee on her surprisingly difficult journey to find what exactly this "trick" is to determine whether or not it does anything at all. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Palestine Children's Relief Fund: h...

Sawbones: Book Club 08.01.2025

Dr. Sydnee and Justin are easing back into the swing of things after the holidays by discussing what they’ve been reading, both apart and together. So cozy up with some tea to hear some good book recommendations from your favorite health professional and clown husband. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Palestine Children's Relief Fund: https://www.pcrf.net/ Help s...

Sawbones Classic Double-Feature: A Medicine Called Christmas 1 & 2 24.12.2024

Happy Candlenights! We've got for you a double-feature of the original A Medicine Called Christmas 1 and 2. Medicine Called Christmas: Live from Candlenights 2018, we're so proud to present a staged reading of the new Hallmark Christmas movie written by Justin and Sydnee McElroy: A Medicine Called Christmas. Music: Adam Sakiyama CAST:   Narrator: Rachel McElroy Daniel: Tommy Smirl Tabitha: Sydnee...

Sawbones: How's My Lump Doing? 17.12.2024

As a gift to the audience, we have another Sawbones Q and A, answering strange questions submitted by listeners! How does a menstrual disk work? How should we ACTUALLY clean our ears? Are cat biscuits bad for pregnancy? And why does Justin have the old man cough? Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/ Help support this show an...

Sawbones: Walking Pneumonia 10.12.2024

It’s nearly winter, which means the return of mycoplasma or “Walking Pneumonia” on this hemisphere. This week Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about how this infection was discovered, the questionable way it was researched and how it differs from “typical” pneumonia. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/ Help support this show and...

Sawbones: Tesla Medbed 26.11.2024

Somehow the Tesla medical bed, or Tesla Biohealing Wellness Hotel and Resort is not related to Elon Musk. It is also not really related to actual medical care. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about another wellness product and what this harnesser of biphoton energy is supposed to do. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Bec...

Sawbones: Project 2025 19.11.2024

Needless to say it’s going to be a long four years for the United States. This week’s episode of Sawbones offers some guidance on what we might expect for medicine and health care going forward and what pro-active steps you may want to consider. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun...

Sawbones Classic: History of Abortion 05.11.2024

It's Election Day in the United States of America, and so we present this Sawbones episode on the history of abortion from May 2022. Go vote! With the recent news about Roe v. Wade, it’s important to talk about the history of abortion in the United States. The right to autonomy over one’s own body in regard to medical care is one of the basic tenets of medical ethics; but no matter what anyone per...

Sawbones: John Green and Good.Store 29.10.2024

Dr. Sydnee and Justin are joined by John Green to talk about the still-prevalent disease of tuberculosis and how his company Good. Store is using coffee and tea to eradicate it in one African country. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones

Sawbones: Doctor Odyssey 22.10.2024

There's a new medical show in town, and Sawbones is all here for it. Dr. Sydnee goes through some of the highlights of the medical emergencies above the cruise ship in Doctor Odyssey and their plausibility and how likely it is to be able to do procedures like dialysis on the high seas. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus conte...

Sawbones: Brazilian Butt Lift 15.10.2024

Some cosmetic surgeries include adding silicon or plastic to enhance the figure. But what if the extra fat came from your own body? Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the fraught and history of the Brazilian Butt Lift, or BBL, which is a story of eugenics, bad medicine, and unrealistic beauty standards.  Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and u...

Sawbones: Can Doritos Make Skin See-Through? 08.10.2024

Bring on the fall weather and bring on the listeners’ weird medical questions! Dr. Sydnee and Justin answer listeners’ strangest queries and maybe learn a thing or two themselves. Is Shy Bladder a real thing? Can you inhale an item into your lungs? Are mosquitoes eating my bruises? And is urea actually good for your skin or is some skin care just pee in a bottle? Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayer...

Sawbones: Kegels 01.10.2024

No matter the body parts, strengthening your pelvic muscles is generally good for you. But who were they named after, and most importantly, who introduced them? Dr. Sydnee and Justin go on a journey through the Kegel's medical history and naming conventions. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https...

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