Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine

Is there evidence that sugary drinks cause worse hangovers? Does green snot mean there’s an infection? We’re answering more of your weird medical questions. Well, to be fair, Dr. Sydnee is answering your medical queries about sticky lip germs, C.diff, and the hot debate about that thing on your back.

Well, people are eating dirt. Real expensive dirt, too. That’s where we’re at. There’s a multi-level marketing company that sells people dirt to eat. We’re doing a Sawbones about it, and it turns out that we actually think it’s a really cool and good idea! Eating pricey dirt goo, we mean.… No, no, it’s terrible. It’s all terrible.

If you’ve seen a new smoothie shop or “Nutrition Club” open up in your area, take note: It may not be a smoothie store at all. This week on Sawbones, we explore the history of Herbalife and why this multi-level marketing weight loss company is opening smoothie shops with no smoothies for sale.CW: Discussion of dieting and weight lossMusic: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

We’ve got a real mystery for you on Sawbones this week: Havana Syndrome. It’s either a secret beam being blasted at American diplomats . . . or a mass psychogenic illness . . . or a complete fabrication. Or anything in between?Yep, it’s a weird one. Hang in there.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

In the 1950s, Thalidomide was rolled out very quickly and what followed was a tragic story that highlighted perils of greed and hidden agendas. This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin attempt to untangle this murky narrative, and highlight the doctor who heroically kept this disaster from claiming many more lives.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Justin takes over Sawbones researching duties from Dr. Sydnee this week as he begins profiling the unsung heroes of business: Brands. In this inaugural attempt, he’ll present the story of Vicks and how the company’s VapoRub took over the world. Also: The puzzling truth about NyQuil’s name.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

How well do we understand viruses? We were fighting them before we could even see them. Fast forward to today, Dr. Sydnee explains how all of this relates to what we know now about the Delta variant.To donate to the Immunization Action Coalition: immunize.orgMusic: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Sawbones is finally doing the Balto episode! What happens when a remote town in Alaska has a diphtheria breakout, but their entire anti-toxin supply is expired? Call up Balto and the pack of hero dogs and mushers to make the harrowing journey.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Naloxone is known as the “life-saving drug,” since it can bring someone back from an opiate overdose. Dr. Sydnee goes through the history of this hero drug, how it works, and the recent struggle of keeping it accessible in some communities. Check out the Free Naloxone Day Fundraiser: Bit.ly/SawbonesNaloxoneMusic: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

It’s time to answer more of your medical queries, like what is Texidor’s Twinge, when does the sunscreen clock start, and yeast infections: why?Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

We recorded this episode live on the Joco Cruise 2020, where Dr. Sydnee dissects the medicine mentioned in the songs of Jimmy Buffett. What is recommend for “Island Fever”? What should Mr. Buffett be concerned about when eating that “Cheeseburger in Paradise”? And do the lyrics of “Frenchmen for the Night” mean he may have Jumping Frenchmen of Maine?Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Workplace burnout is commonplace in the 21st century, but it’s a fairly recent idea. It’s especially insidious among physicians, who are taught that any fatigue is a sign of weakness. Dr. Sydnee shares her personal experience with exhaustion and what might be done to address this problem in the United States.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

As any proud West Virginian knows, the history of mining in the United States is tied tightly to the history of the labor movement. This was partially to address something known as coal worker’s pneumoconiosis, also known as black lung disease. Though unions may have won the battle for recognition, the war against this disease continues to this day.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

You might have heard about the COVID variants that have some people worried, and how effective the current vaccine will be against them. But not to worry, we’ve got the sweet sweet data from the Lancet, and some good news regarding the (specifically Pfizer) vaccine. And if you haven’t gotten a vaccine yet, maybe a car or lotto ticket will motivate you. Or a gun?Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Last week, we talked about if eating papaya seeds could rid your body of parasites (spoiler: it can’t). But being concerned about having parasites is not new. We continue the conversation by looking into the phenomenon of Ekbom’s syndrome, or delusional parasitosis, a difficult disorder to both manage and treat.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

TikTok is where the kids are getting all their information on new new wellness trends, so Dr Sydnee decided to check one that’s been popping up a lot: eating Papaya seeds. The main claim is that the seeds awesomely force parasitic worms out of your body – worms you didn’t even know you had! But is there a SEED of truth in these claims?Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Test your medical history knowledge from this past year’s episodes in the Super Secret Sawbones Quiz of Interesting Information to Inform and Enlighten and Entertain and Impress Your Friends 2021!Consider becoming a supporter of our show: www.maximumfun.org/join/Sad Trombone by Benboncan: https://freesound.org/people/Benboncan/Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

For MaxFunDrive 2021, Sawbones is talking about gross medicine of a different sort. In the United States (and New Zealand) we see a lot of those commercials for prescription medicines with jaunty names and a full minute disclaimer at the end. How they came to be the norm here is a complicated history of bad medicine and the shifting of credence among doctors, patients, and pharmaceutical companies.Consider becoming a supporter of our show: www.maximumfun.org/join/Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Along with Dr. Sydnee’s amazing videos, TikTok is also a host to an interesting wellness trend: chlorophyll. The green pigment that helps plants turn sunlight into food and oxygen has also been thought to boost your immune system and help with body odor. But chlorophyll as a health food is an idea that dates back to 1930, and spoilers ... it's just as effective now as it was then.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

About a year ago, Sawbones discussed what herd immunity was not. In this episode, we look at how we’ll get there, and what role vaccine verification will play. How has it impacted public health historically, and what can we anticipate in the near future?Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

A somewhat invasive plant with yellow flowers named after John the Baptist has been used for centuries as a kind of cure all. Dr. Sydnee will lead you through a history of its many applications, what it’s used for today, and explain what exactly is a wort.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

When the Nintendo Wii was released, it also came with a warning about potential injuries, to yourself and to others. But are video games good or bad for your health? Justin takes the lead to educate, entertain and delight about both the medical harm and medical good that video games can do.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Have you ever noticed an old house house that has blue glass windows? It's pretty, sure, but it's also supposed to provide healing energy. You can thank a man who really liked growing, farming, and . . . colors for this bizarre but beautiful notion. We've got his story (and how his legacy endures) on this week's Sawbones.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

It's been around a year since COVID-19 began to reshape America. On this week's episode of Sawbones, we look back at the past 12 months and examine what we've learned and what we've lost. We'll also take a look at the current state of vaccine rollouts and answer some of your questions.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

There are simple, common-sense ways we can save the lives of injection drug users. The United States is woefully behind in adopting these best practices and there are some who are fighting to keep it that way.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

The more questions answered, the more oddly specific they become. Justin plays the listener as Dr Sydnee addresses Alice in Wonderland syndrome, super glue, and sixth disease.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

A new presidential administration means a new U.S. Surgeon General, so this week on Sawbones, we're examining exactly what that means. Are they a general? Why do they get to tell us what to do? And why do they care so much about sailor health?Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Would you believe that without spending a single cent, with just a slight movement of your tongue you could breathe better, sleep better and perhaps even ... become your most beautiful self? You probably wouldn't believe that, because you listen to Sawbones. You probably would believe that the simple, possible effective technique called "Mewing" has been co-opted by incel culture though, right? Yeah, that sounds like Earth.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

As with almost every cultural touchstone, Dr. Sydnee and Justin are extremely late to The Crown party. But the Netflix historical drama has provided not only immovable hairdos and withering glares, it also serves as the inspiration of our latest episode, in which a freak weather pattern (and an overuse of fossil fuels) nearly suffocated a city.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

The COVID-19 vaccine has finally arrived and there are, dishearteningly, too many that are on the fence about getting it. This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin provide a guide for talking with those who are vaccine hesitant and how using a kind, empathetic approach can help them see the light (and the antibodies).Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

It's a true shame that the medical condition with perhaps the most adorable name, dropsy, doesn't really exists. Well, it exists but ... you know what, this is too complicated. Let's just do a podcast episode about it.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

OK, so the COVID-19 vaccine is here, basically, kind of, but how do you get it? How does your Nonnee get it? How will anybody get it? The answers are ... well, they're a lot less clear than we'd like. This week on Sawbones, we'll equip you with the best information we have in the hopes of reaching herd immunity (and Nonnee immunity) just as quickly as possible.Buy The Sawbones Book paperback!Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Vaccines are here! Vaccines are here! But wait ... aren't they ... rushed? Did you hear they might be ... tainted? Do they give you ... cheetah powers? Even if you believe in vaccines, it's normal to have some questions about them. So this week we'll be providing you with all the answers we have to your pressing queries.Pre-order The Sawbones Book paperback!Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Ivermectin is a fantastic, incredible miraculous drug that has recently been touted by some as a potent treatment for COVID-19, despite not having the research yet to back up the claims. This week, we'll help you avoid stealing your dog's worm medication in the hopes of fending off coronavirus.Pre-order The Sawbones Book paperback!Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Dr. Sydnee and Justin have turned themselves into lab rats as they join a COVID-19 vaccine trial. But how did humanity discover the practices and policies that guide these sorts of human experiments? Listen and find out!Our primary source for this week's episode is this excellent article by Dr. Arun Bhatt.Pre-order The Sawbones Book paperback!Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Is it possible for your medical questions to be ... too weird? That's a question you may be asking yourself on this latest Q&A episode of Sawbones, which explores the contents of poop and a secret button above your buttcrack that makes you pee.PRE-ORDER THE SAWBONES BOOK PAPERBACK!Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

With news that a COVID-19 vaccine may be on the horizon and flu shot season in full swing, we take things back to basics with a history of the hypodermic needle and syringe. Also, a strangely large amount of car talk for you gear heads. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

On a chilly, rainy Civil War battlefield in Tennessee, soldiers started noticing something strange: Some of their wounds had begun ... glowing. Stranger still: Those with the glow tended to fare better than their illuminated counterparts. The assumption? Angels were bringing them back from the brink.An incredible story.This week on Sawbones? You guessed it, Dr. Sydnee and her old buddy Science are gonna ruin the whole thing.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

If, by some set of unexplainable circumstances, you are still an undecided voter in the U.S. we've prepared something special for you in anticipation of next week's presidential election on Nov. 3. If you're not undecided, you'll at least have a better understanding of how important this election is.We'll be reviewing the major tenets of the healthcare plans of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Who will have the better plan? You'll have to listen to find out. (It's not Trump.)Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

There's been a lot of discussion about herd immunity in the face of COVID-19, but did you know that anyone who talks about achieving herd immunity without a vaccine (something humanity has never pulled off ever) is a big stinky liar goofball?We'll explore that truth and so much more on this week's episode of Sawbones.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.s) have been thrust into the spotlight recently when one was tasked with caring for the world's most famous COVID-19 patient. Some even went so far as to dismiss the president's D.O. for those two letters following his name. But is that fair?This week on Sawbones: Do D.O.s do what M.D.s do?Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Gather the family around, it's time for our annual celebration of the flu shot! We got you the PERFECT gift: A bunch of answers to your flu shot quandries, especially in the age of COVID-19. C'mon, the party's starting!More Information: The Immunization Action CoalitionMusic: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Horses? Majestic. Frogs? Maybe royalty. But have you taken a moment to reflect on the humble, half-billion-year old horseshoe crab that almost certainly saved your life with its incredible blood? If not, THIS is that moment.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Many were shocked to learn of allegations of forced sterilizations at an ICE facility. In this episode, we explore the long American history of this practice and the heartbreaking truth that this latest incident is just the latest in a long string of clinical genocide by those in power.

You may have recently heard a statistic that just six percent of COVID-19 deaths are attributed to COVID alone. This statistic was based on death certificates. This week on Sawbones, we explain, through the history of this odd document, why that's a really terrible idea.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Lately, have you found yourself pining for a simpler time? An easier time? Maybe just, like, ANY time other than your current one? You may be experiencing nostalgia. This week on Sawbones, we'll track its evolution from a clinical diagnosis to a possible healing tool.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

For millennia, people with vagina was told that there was something wrong with them (if they were even spoken about at all). Their vagina smelled wrong, looked wrong, it was too wet or not wet enough. This week on Sawbones, a reminder that your vagina is (almost always) just fine the way it is.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

Puzzled as to why a pillow peddler is pushing poison to the president to pacify a pandemic? Please press play.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

This week on Sawbones, we explore The Most Important Health Discovery Ever! We know it's the The Most Important Health Discovery Ever because the book is called Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever. So there you have it.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers

This week on Sawbones, we close out the #MaxFunDrive with a FAR too thorough examination of history's only medical animated comedy in which Bill Murray barfs on Molly Shannon. Let's talk about Osmosis Jones.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers