Katie Upham is the Harm Reduction Educator of the Substance User Network of the Atlantic Region (SUNAR). She is a member of a number of other advocacy and drug user groups such as The Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs and The National Safer Supply Community of Practice. Today she speaks to the fellas about the need for a change in the way that Canadians need to change the way we speak about and view drug use and a need for safe supply. NORS - Call (Canada only): 1-888-688-NORS(6677) y...
Sep 07, 2022•53 min
A good friend of the podcast stops into the studio to chat all about his lifelong penis woes. Brent knew at a young age that something wasn't quite right with his member. In university, he became aware of the fact that he was living with phimosis — a condition in which the foreskin cannot be pulled back past the glans of the penis. Long-time listeners of the podcast will be familiar with this condition as one of Sickboy's earliest episodes covered the topic when speaking to Andrew and Jeremie ab...
Sep 05, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 360
Scientists are doing some wild-ish these days. Like growing a “synthetic” embryo with a brain and beating heart – without eggs or sperm! We live in a Sci-Fi epic. Psychedelics are being used to test whether or not they can play a role in helping people who struggle with alcohol use disorder! The results are promising... go figure. Now that the world seems to be getting back to "normal" the folks over in Lancashire are elated to get the World Gravy Wrestling championships back up and running! Pou...
Sep 02, 2022•1 hr
Gene therapy! The next big thing. But what does it all mean? What are the ethics? Where did it even come from? What in the sweet hell is CRISPR? This week we hop in the time travel machine and head all the way back to that time the fellas are joined by Dr. Graham Dellaire, Professor of Pathology at Dal & Principle Investigator at the Dellaire Lab of Nuclear Structure and Cancer Biology. He drops some fascinating knowledge on all things gene therapy & gene editing! This episode is a nerd'...
Aug 31, 2022•1 hr 16 min
Christina is a high school teacher living in Ottawa and the sister of a past Sickboy guest. Today she joins the fellas to discuss how she’s been living with Tourettes and OCD since she was six and the challenges her illness has presented her over the years. To make things worse, she suffered a stroke back in 2015 which most certainly doesn’t help with her OCD. Sickboy LIVE in Edmonton Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sickboy-live-in-edmonton-tickets-400700244217 Sickboy LIVE in Vancouver Tic...
Aug 29, 2022•51 min•Ep. 359
Jer makes a public apology to the world and Elliot from BadDadRadDad. Everybody loves cats. The chances are probably pretty high that you have a doppelgänger but what's even more wild is that you probably share DNA with them! A vaginal fluid transplant could be the next miracle treatment for folks suffering from BV! Nova Scotia reports its first case of Poxy McPoxface. The fellas have a sobering chat about the state of MAiD in Canada, but as a palate cleanser, they chat about The Restaurant of M...
Aug 26, 2022•1 hr 14 min
This week we kick off a new series of Routine Checkup episodes by checking in on past guests and seeing how they are doing as of late. Our first guest is our very own Brian Stever. Not long after Brian began seeking therapy he discovered he has ADHD (you’ve probably heard him mention this once or twice… or more). Bri sits with Jer and Tay to discuss how far he’s come in his therapy and how he’s currently managing his ADHD. Sickboy LIVE in Edmonton Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sickboy-liv...
Aug 24, 2022•1 hr
What began with dental pain in the upper left side of the face resulted in what is recognized in the medical community as one of the most painful disorders a human can experience. Susan sits with the fellas to discuss her experience with Trigeminal Neuralgia, a long-term pain disorder that affects the trigeminal nerve, the nerve responsible for sensation in the face and motor functions such as biting and chewing. It’s a story of a long and painful journey that we hope has come to a much-needed e...
Aug 22, 2022•58 min•Ep. 358
Neuroscience research suggests LSD might enhance learning and memory by promoting brain plasticity?! Happy Friday y'all! A wild story out of Europe about the man who has reportedly repatriated more than 800 bodies in two decades. The corpses wash up on shore, and he solves the mystery of who they are in order to get them back to their family but at a price. One Nova Scotia mom is $80k in debt because of her out-of-country lymphedema surgery, but at least now she can play with her children again!...
Aug 19, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Lisa Purdy is a medical laboratory technologist and works at the University of Alberta as an Associate Professor and Director of the BSc in the medical laboratory science program. Chaska Vilchez is a recent graduate of the program and is working in Microbiology. The two of them join the fellas to give them a little peek behind the medical curtain to understand how important clinical laboratories are in aiding physicians in the diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of diseases. Sickboy LIVE in Edmo...
Aug 17, 2022•40 min
Anick Soni was born with a rare variation of sex development and describes himself as an intersex man. Today he joins Jer and Tay to for an absolutely fascinating talk about all things differences of sexual development. What is phalloplasty, really? How does it work? How did navigating being intersex affect Anick's social and dating life? How did his family's cultural influences play a role in his medical journey? All of this and more about the medicalization of difference in this week's episode...
Aug 15, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 357
The fellas kick this week off with some afterlife discussion. One woman's near-death experience left her feeling like the afterlife is dope and she can't wait to go back. Speaking of dope... or perhaps terrifying? Necrobotics. Turning dead spiders into arcade machine claw grabbers. One man who developed a Pseudobulbar affect through MS can't control his laughter and it's far more heartbreaking than it sounds. An update on rainwater - it's not good. Finally in this weeks WHAT THE HELLTH!? One man...
Aug 12, 2022•53 min
Terrence is a son, brother and caregiver. Since establishing himself as a strategist, facilitator, and community builder in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, he's developed his ability to advocate tirelessly for the greater good. Among his biggest influences is his younger brother, who lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Terrence has learned to understand the unique needs of patients and caregivers after caring for his brother for over 30 years and his mother who died of stage fou...
Aug 10, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Bill Potts is the author of "Up for the Fight. How to Advocate for Yourself as You Battle Cancer." He knows a thing or two about cancer treatment. By the time he wrote his book he has fought for his life 5 times. By the time he sat down to record with the fellas it was 6 times. Living with an incurable cancer that he knows will come back, again and again, has changed his life in many ways, but that doesn't prevent Bill from getting the most he can out of life! Bill and the fellas dive into the b...
Aug 08, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 356
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT at the top of the show!! See ya soon Vancouver! This week Jer continues his fascination with conjoined twins with the latest story coming out of Brazil where two boys conjoined at the skull were separated with the help of VR! Meanwhile in the U.S., researchers have found a way to revive dead pig organs. This could be a huge step in organ donation, but it also raises some hard questions like: what is death, really? Sunscreen is hella important, but Banana Boat Sunscreen made a li...
Aug 05, 2022•57 min
Lelainia Lloyd is a rare disease patient, advocate, educator living on the beautiful west coast of Canada, just outside of Vancouver, B.C. She was diagnosed with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) in 2012 after initially being misdiagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2007. She has lived with NMO since she was 12. Lelainia joins the fellas to talk about NMOSD and her published papers in The Journal of Medical Imaging & Radiation Sciences and a year-long column, The View From H...
Aug 03, 2022•59 min
Jasmine worked in the disability field for over a decade before becoming disabled herself with myasthenia gravis. Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune, neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the skeletal muscles that worsens after periods of activity and improves after periods of rest. Jasmine walks the fellas through her list of treatments (including needing to pump her own lungs to breathe easier) and how her illness has put into perspective how important her work is. Join the post...
Aug 01, 2022•57 min•Ep. 355
Looks like researchers have discovered a new language. One that each and every one of us already knows how to and likely speak on a semi-regular basis. Parentese - the unintelligible warble of cuteness. Colorado could be making great leaps forward in the legalization of psychedelics! We dive back into the world of the TRUE twin, but this time with a heart-wrenching yet fascinating story of Mary and Jodie. Paddy The Baddy is Paddy The Saddy because Men still stigmatize being vulnerable with one a...
Jul 29, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 576
Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH) is a network of Canadian families impacted by substance-use-related harms and deaths. They advocate for the change of failed drug policies, provide peer support to grieving families, and assist those with loved ones who use or have used substances. This week the fellas are joined by Emily, a Board of Directors member for Atlantic Canada and Peer facilitator for Holding Hope NB. Emily gives the guys some insight into the important work MSTH does and shares a heartwarming...
Jul 27, 2022•57 min
Karen Malkin Lazarovitz is a "Previvor" Cancer advocate, the creator of EMPOWERink and all around self-proclaimed badass! She joins the fellas this week to discuss why she decided to have a double mastectomy and hysterectomy even though she did not have breast or ovarian cancer. She also shows the fellas her new boobs and explains the process of getting ink done over mastectomy scars! Applications for this year's EMPOWERink open on July 25th! You can find the application here on that date: https...
Jul 25, 2022•57 min•Ep. 354
Our Angel Number Podcast! FGF 122 on July 22, 2022. This episode is all about alignment. The forecast today calls for a 10% chance rocket debris falling from the sky and killing you. Trikafta is now approved for kids 6-11 in Nova Scotia! The countries youngest recipient of an artificial heart is cute as a button. A sex toy a day keeps the doctor away... just gotta find a way around those pesky fun toy laws in Alabama. Uber drops the ball for disabled customers and pays the price. UPS trucks are ...
Jul 22, 2022•1 hr 17 min
The Director of Care at GreeneStone, Naomi brings her knowledge and expertise from her designation as a Registered Practical Nurse and extensive experience in residential treatment settings. This week she joins the fellas to dive into her personal experience with addiction and how she ended up doing the important work she does over at GreenStone, offering support for folks struggling with addictions. Join the post-episode conversation over on Discord! https://discord.gg/expeUDN
Jul 20, 2022•56 min
Matthew is an actor from Baltimore and currently resides in New York City. He recurs on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon) and New Amsterdam (NBC) and is the star of the new feature film Unidentified Objects which recently premiered at the Inside Out Fest in Toronto! Matthew joins the dudes to talk about being undeniable as an actor, how dwarfism has had an impact on his life and much much more. Join the post-episode conversation over on Discord! https://discord.gg/expeUDN
Jul 18, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 353
Taylor brought a 4th co-host to the studio today. Zaya is here, and she just won't shut up. First things first: frostbite. It's gnar-gnar as heck and we have the proof thanks to @medicaltalks on IG. Yuck. Speaking of yuck, according to a scientist (who legit put many many hours into researching this), human flesh is not that nutritious when you stack it up against other animals in the wild. But hey, if you are in a pinch at least you know that your pal is about the calorie equivalent to a walkin...
Jul 15, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Guy Standing is a labour economist and Professorial Research Associate at SOAS University of London. He is also a founder and honorary co-president of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), an international NGO promoting basic income as a right. Guy sits with the fellas to guide them through an incredible conversation about basic income and how it could (and should) work to relieve many of the stressors that a lot of folks are facing these days when it comes to living a comfortable life. This is...
Jul 13, 2022•59 min
Long time friend and Patron Sadie joins the fellas and kicks the whole thing off with a top notch roast! Sadie shares how trauma, cultural messages about food and body, lessons from her family growing up, and genetics caused her to be fat starting in my pre-teen years. Sadie had a gastric sleeve weight loss surgery. It was a long, frustrating, and occasionally hilarious process. She also introduces the boys to the fat liberation movement which intersects with disability justice, feminism, racial...
Jul 11, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 352
This week the fellas kick things off with some classic pee-pee talk. Hypospadias (pronounced hype-oh-spay-dee-us) is a birth defect in boys where the opening of the urethra is not located where it typically should be. Period tracking apps may become hella problematic for folks living in the U.S., but what about people up here in Canada? Ricky, Rocky, Rock… things get confusing when it comes to The Rock's Dad and all of his alleged half-siblings. Ever curious about what human flesh tastes like? O...
Jul 08, 2022•53 min
This week the fellas are joined by Karen Slaunwhite, the executive director at Hope For Mental Health. Through her work at Hope For Mental Health, Karen is committed to breaking down mental health barriers and providing programs and services that support individuals with lived experience and their families and friends. The gang talk about the association's name change and their hopes for the future of mental health awareness in Nova Scotia. Join the post-episode conversation over on Discord! htt...
Jul 06, 2022•43 min
This week Brian and Jer are joined by Bruce to discuss his life long struggle with crippling depression. Bruce is VERY familiar with mental illness. He's lived with depression and anxiety for more than 45 years. He walks the fellas through the how he got himself through some of the toughest times, how his views on mental health have shifted over the decades, and how he feels a person can live a productive life despite the burden of mental illness 24/7. Check out Bruce's book "Breaking Free of De...
Jul 04, 2022•55 min•Ep. 351
Lawn Summer Nights starts this week! Support our team below! Don't be like Taylor. Disability parking spots are for folks who need it! Canada may have found out what is behind Long COVID! CRISPR is 10 years old! Happy birthday! Dangerous drivers in the UK could be facing a life sentence. Juul may be looking at a full on ban in the U.S. Polio is creeping around the London sewers. Finally in this weeks WHAT THE HELLTH!? A 2-year-old boy was accidentally tainted with testosterone gel and it gave hi...
Jul 01, 2022•1 hr 13 min
