Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine

Canonically, Dr. Sydnee doesn’t know much about teeth, but there are several cases in dental journals about teeth that spontaneously exploded. Dr. Sydnee tries to make sense of a few mysterious account of these events, conceding that some medical mysteries remain unexplained. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become...

It’s a bird! It’s a podcast! It’s Justin’s superhero anatomy textbook to the rescue! What is the medical and scientific explanation of how Superman’s powers work? Batman has thoroughly analysed his Justice League colleagues, but Dr. Sydnee brings the actual medical knowledge to discuss X-Ray Vision, Super Strength, and a Kryptonite weakness.  Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.b...

A rare but deadly mosquito-born illness called Eastern equine encephalitis is prompting some local governments to limit evening play for kids. But after the COVID public health crisis, the discussion about how to best protect people has gotten much more complicated. Music: ""Medicines"" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a membe...

If you haven’t already been personally affected by a fentanyl overdose, you likely know someone who has. This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee explores the rapid rise of fentanyl as a lethal street drug and what one West Virginia group is doing in hopes of turning the tide against overdose fatalities. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock...

Dr. Sydnee goes through her own story of a routine mammogram and its follow up: how the experience is different coming in as a doctor, the advantages and the disadvantages of trying to doctor yourself, and how easy it is for someone without every advantage to fall through the cracks of the United States health care system. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help su...

It wouldn't be Twenty Fungalore without talking about the alleged medicinal properties of mushrooms, which are a fungus and not a plant at all. Justin and Dr. Sydnee talk to Cleveland about common fungi used as medical supplements, from the parasitic Cordyceps to the infamous psilocybin. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus con...

Magnetic bracelets, immortality rings . . . the internet is full of wearables that are sold for their medicinal properties as if they’re equipment in Baldur’s Gate. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the history of this fashionable medicine and what it claims to do.  Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member a...

Sometimes the cities we visit on tour have some historical medical mess-ups, but not Detroit! Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about Forest Dewey Dodrill, who performed the first successful heart surgery (with a pump) in a time where operating on the heart was considered a no-no.  Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become...

You may have heard that a new study showed tampons contain traces of metals. Dr. Sydnee and Justin go through the history of tampons, why they might contain metal, and what we still need to find out about the possible effects of using them. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/...

Can you touch your tongue with your nose or wiggle your ears? Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the science and studies behind weird little tricks some bodies can do, or "stupid human tricks."  Can you flare your nostrils? Take our poll: https://shorturl.at/rdzY3  Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at...

Sawbones listeners just have so many strange medical questions! Questions like: Why do I sneeze at dark chocolate? Does Diet Coke actually relieve nausea? Why does saliva get thicker while exercising? And you know that TikTok with the cinnamon rolls and the yeast infection. . . is that . . .real?  Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock...

To coincide with the opening of Justin and Sydnee's stage production, we bring to you a classic episode about the medicinal history of chocolate!  This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin take a sunrise and sprinkle it with dew.  Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsaw...

There are different versions of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory exploits, but all of them involve strange things happening to children who misbehave. But from a biological standpoint, what does that look like? Dr. Sydnee and Justin discuss the strange science going on at Wonka's factory and whether gum could possibly contain enough juice to turn someone into a blueberry.  Note: Willy Wonka is the...

Hot time, summer in the city, time for listener Sawbones questions! Questions like: Why is blood sticky? Why does skin itch when it grows back? Might my twin reject my organs? And should I bring my own speculum to an exam?  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

Dr. Sydnee has ruined her TikTok algorithm for the listeners once again and came across something called "Hydrogen Water." Similar to alkaline water, hydrogen water goes through an ionization process that leaves it with excess hydrogen molecules. But . . . is it better than regular water? Probably not.   Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and...

In a collaboration of medical fads and brands, Dr. Sydnee and Justin dive into the confusing MLM called Plexus. The company started as a seller of the Breast Chek [sic] Kit but has since branched out into wellness and weight management products that it encourages its Ambassadors to recruit others to sell.  Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show a...

You may have seen some celebrities or influencers on social media getting something called a Vampire Facial. It's exactly what it sounds like: blood spread on the face like a cream mask. But why would anyone do this unless it's supposed to do something for the skin? Dr. Sydnee and Justin draw out where this trend came from and its questionable benefits. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://...

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://ta...

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.b...

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/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at...

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/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content!...

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/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Becom...

Dr. Sydnee and Justin are welcoming in the spring and allergy season with listeners' strangest medical questions! Why do some people get goosebumps when they do alcohol shots? Does baking soda work for bug bites? Do people with facial hair get more sick? And for real, how long can you REALLY actually look at an eclipse before it's unsafe?  Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.band...

There are many ways people get sick, but sometimes diseases are carried to people by insects. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the top ten "bad bugs" including mosquitoes, ticks, assassin bugs, and some beetles that are big and bad.  Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsaw...

Started in the 1930s by scientist Dr. Miriam Menkin, in vitro fertilization is a medical procedure to help with fertility that took until the 1970s to have results in humans. With some drastic misunderstandings going on in the news, Dr. Sydnee and Justin go through the long history of in vitro fertilization and its importance in fertility and contraception today. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayer...