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/ Palestine Children's Relief Fund: https://www.pcrf.net/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! B...
Jan 21, 2025•36 min•Ep. 526
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: https://www.pcrf.net/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://max...
Jan 14, 2025•35 min•Ep. 525
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 support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Jan 08, 2025•41 min•Ep. 524
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 McElroy Phil: Griffin McElroy Chris: Justin McElroy Ms. Crimble: Teresa McElroy Mr. Frankson: Dwight S...
Dec 24, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 523
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 and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Dec 17, 2024•36 min•Ep. 522
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 unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Dec 10, 2024•39 min•Ep. 521
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! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Nov 26, 2024•41 min•Ep. 520
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.org/joinsawbones...
Nov 19, 2024•42 min•Ep. 519
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 personally believes, banning abortion doesn’t stop abortion. It just makes it unsafe. Music: "Medicines...
Nov 05, 2024•47 min•Ep. 518
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
Oct 29, 2024•37 min•Ep. 517
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 content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Oct 22, 2024•40 min•Ep. 516
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 unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Oct 15, 2024•42 min•Ep. 515
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 Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member a...
Oct 08, 2024•42 min•Ep. 514
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://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Oct 01, 2024•39 min•Ep. 513
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 a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Sep 24, 2024•34 min•Ep. 512
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.bandcamp.com/ Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.o...
Sep 17, 2024•43 min•Ep. 511
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 member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Sep 03, 2024•47 min•Ep. 510
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 bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Aug 27, 2024•43 min•Ep. 509
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 support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Aug 20, 2024•45 min•Ep. 508
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 content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Aug 13, 2024•37 min•Ep. 507
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 at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Aug 06, 2024•45 min•Ep. 506
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 a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Jul 23, 2024•31 min•Ep. 505
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/joinsawbones...
Jul 16, 2024•48 min•Ep. 504
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 https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Jul 09, 2024•41 min•Ep. 503
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 bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
Jul 02, 2024•47 min•Ep. 502
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/joinsawbones...
Jun 18, 2024•34 min•Ep. 501
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 creation of Roald Dahl, not a good person. More information about his antisemitism available here: ht...
Jun 11, 2024•35 min•Ep. 500
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...
Jun 04, 2024•43 min•Ep. 499
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 unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
May 21, 2024•39 min•Ep. 498
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 and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinsawbones...
May 07, 2024•45 min•Ep. 497
