Sickboy

Turns out love is more than just a bunch of birds and bees getting it on. There is an entire science behind what happens in the human brain when we fall head over heels. Love chemicals flood the brain when we form attachment and fall in lurrrv. Not unlike how MDMA (also known as ecstasy) floods the brain with feel-good neurotransmitters. Now combine MDMA alongside couples therapy and you've got a pretty interesting potential for groundbreaking work in healing past trauma. We are elated to be joined by Brian Earp — Associate Director of the Program in Ethics and Health Policy at Yale University & Research Fellow in Practical Ethics at Oxford, to discuss this fascinating topic with us.

Hannah has never been able to burp. No big whoop you say? Well did you know that most people produce about 1 to 3 pints of gas a day and pass it through a burp or a fart about 14 to 23 times a day. Now think about that... What if you all of a sudden didn't have the ability to release that gas through a belch? If it still isn't sinking in, let Hannah express to you how awful it can be. Bloating so bad she looks 6 months pregnant. Constant pain. Way worser farts. Then on the other side of things, how dismissive doctors can be when it comes to getting a diagnosis for something like Retrograde Cricopharyngeus Dysfunction (R-CPD). Hannah has a fascinating story that leads us to a ""cure"" with a procedure that is really quite simple in the grand scheme of things... However, easy doesn't necessarily mean accessible.

Metal. A NS prisoner in his 70s has been declined parole to seek alternative treatment to his cancer treatment. The gang chime in with their thoughts on this very grey area and Brian proves that he doesn't have a heart. It's been a front this entire time. Lucy the accessibility evangelist made some big moves in the world of accessible washing machines. Then we cover one of the wildest What The Hellth?! segments yet! A soldier has an unexploded RPG surgically removed from his hip/abdomen and survives! A harrowing story of war and valor. Shout out to Andre Antunes for the killer metal intro!

Dr. Shannon Dames is a professor of nursing at Vancouver Island University and a resilience researcher. This week she takes the fellas on a journey into the world of Ketamine-assisted therapy for PTSD. How is it different from traditional psychotherapy? Are there risks involved? What do the results look like? Another fascinating conversation about how psychedelics can change our mental wellbeing for the better.

Jenny has asthma. Now before you roll your eyes and say "big whoop" just consider for a moment. On average, in America, 10 people die a day from asthma. For Jenny that reality is a little bit more spicy considering she lives with what is called Brittle Asthma — a severe and ultra rare form of asthma. Her lung function has dipped as low as 20%. She's been hospitalised more times than she can count. She's been intubated. She's been ignored, scoffed at, and invalidated by health care professionals. Yet she remains one of the most vibrant and jovial guests we've ever had on the show!

New Sickboy merch (https://shop.sickboypodcast.com/) AND a cure for the blind?! Doesn't get any better than this! This week we dive into a couple medical advancements that could bring mega change to those living with certain disabilities. From curing blindness, to finding a way to allow a paraplegic man to type 90 characters a second using frickin telekinesis, to Monkey Pong masters!?! The future is now. Then the gang discusses a sobering study from the WHO about how in 2016 overworking led to the death of 740,000 people. How many hours a week do you work? Have you taken a break lately? Maybe right now is a good time. It's not worth dying over.

The game is simple, the implications are complex. Jesse Lipscombe is the man behind the #MakeItAwkward movement and also the co-creator behind Not That Funny, a tabletop game designed to uncover the damaging truths behind everyday jokes directed at many marginalized groups and individuals. This week the fellas have a chat with Jesse about awkward conversations when it comes to health, illness, death, racism and more! You can support the Not That Funny Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jesselipscombe/not-that-funny

Antonio has been through the wringer. It all started with a hormone imbalance that led to developing breasts. This caused years of bullying and self confidence/body issues which eventually led to a severe eating disorder. This week Antonio gets vulnerable as hell and the fellas are here for it. This was an important conversation and we are so glad Antonio had the courage to share so deeply.

J.O. is bringing the Feel Good energy this week. After battling Lymphoma for three years, the little dude receives a heartwarming standing-O from his entire school! Then we bring the mood down with some sobering news — COVID will kill your boner. Folks with penises are 6 times more likely to develop E.D. with the tiny little virus that could. Speaking of sobering… the UK won’t be any time soon. Could you down 124 pints in a summer? That’s the task that’s been given to those jolly ol’ folks across the pond in order to bring the food and beverage industry back! Finally, we cap it all off with some wild and scary news coming out of our own stomping grounds here in Atlantic Canada. A rare and undiagnosable brain disease. Could it be a close cousin to Mad Cow? Or perhaps aliens?

Do you ever look at your pet sleeping with its tongue sticking out and think "you're so cute I want to stomp on you"? Or do you ever see a baby and think "Look at its little fingers! They are so small and cute, I want to bite them off!" Or "Look at this baby chinchilla! I want to squeeze it until it's eyes pop out!"? Well if you said yes, then you, my friend, have what is referred to as Cute Aggression! This week we speak with Dr. Katherine — Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and a licensed clinical psychologist — all about the bizarre phenomenon of cute aggression and what she learned by conducting the first neuroscientific study of cute aggression.

Usually, nothing good comes out of Googling your symptoms when you’re sick. Sometimes, though, you might actually be able to diagnose yourself. That was the case for today's guest, Justin, who discovered he had hemochromatosis from Googling his bloodwork. What is hemochromatosis, you ask? It's a tricky little blood disorder where too much iron builds up in your body. We're talking, hunks of iron, people! From bad bedside manner to bloodletting, this episode has it all!

This week is high octane! We get an update on the preserved tattoo skin of Chris Wenzel. Turns out human remains are fair game when it comes to seizure of assets. Then some FANTASTIC news coming out of the EU. The European Space Agency has opened up its application for its next batch of astronauts. Added to the list of accepted applicants are folks living with physical disabilities! We break down this news and hear from our past guests Caden and Jim Teneycke who live with dwarfism to get their take on the exciting space exploration announcement! Finally, we cover a case report that is too fast & too furious. Find out what happens when you mistake NOS octane booster with NOS energy drink... Yikes.

Maggie cares. She cares about improving the lives of patients & caregivers alike. As someone who has fallen into the role of caregiver over and over again throughout her life, she knows a thing or two about what it means to give care. This week we talk to Maggie about her role as a caregiver, what she'd like to see change in the current healthcare system and much more!

Mohit is a gem. He uses his music business, marketing, entrepreneurship and patient experience to advocate for equity in the healthcare system. A system he knows all too well. Mohit lived with Biliary Atresia, a rare disease that affects the bile ducts with no known cause. It’s no joke. About 85% of patients die before they are 2 years old. Mohit spent about 70% of the first eleven years of life in hospital. He experienced medical racism. He had a hard time making/maintaining friends his own age. And at a very young age received a liver transplant. Mohit has been through it all and we’re elated to have him be a part of our community.

People are curious, and that's great. But there are some questions you just shouldn't ask—or at least not like that. Elena "#millennial" Hudgins Lyle and Harvinder "just a dad" Wadhwa break these questions down with guests who get asked them. Inappropriate Questions is back with Season 3 and discusses questions like, is asking “where are you from?” appropriate small talk, is it okay to ask a coworker “how much do you make?”, and is it okay to ask an amputee “What happened to you?” More episodes are available at http://hyperurl.co/iqpodcast

We could learn a thing or two from Mexico. Who wouldn't want group dancing/lucha libre wrestlers and opera singing at a vaccination site?! The gang then go deep into more death talk with a discussion about a procedure that allows for the preservation of your tattoos, long after you are dead. Who wouldn't want a framed and mounted hunk of dead skin hanging from their wall? Brian sure wouldn't. Then for this week's "WHAT THE HELLTH?!" Jeremie gives the gang a history lesson all about poor Frau Troffea and that time she busted a move so good that it spread like COVID and killed a bunch of people. That's Outrageous! Speaking of outrageous, shout out to this weeks music maker Richard McNeil for the killer intro and outro music.

Nikolas Badminton is a futurist and speaker who helps organizations boost innovation and creativity. This week he shoots the shizz with the fellas all about his work as a "futurist", the future of health care, his own personal journey to undo past family traumas and much much more!

Sue has spent much of her time dealing with the healthcare system. It began when she was a nursing student, but was told she was "too soft for it". Then back in it with the birth of her son Aaron, after he was diagnosed with Down syndrome. Then again as a patient when she was diagnosed with cancer. Sue has learned a lot. Especially when it comes to what is lacking in the current system. We are so grateful to have her sit down with us and share her story and her experience in what it means to provide care.

Cue the Law & Order theme music because the gang is on LOCKDOWN! Numbers have soared in Nova Scotia so the gang is in their separate abodes for this week's Feel Good Friday. Don’t fret, it’s just as silly goose as ever. Turn out toilets are a product of the devil and they WILL give you COVID. Big Pharma knows how to make a solid breakfast. And one woman in the U.S. has a horrifying experience with a swarm of Face Flies that is this week's inspiration for WHAT THE HELLTH?! Stay safe out there folks. Wash your hands and pet your pets.

Evy is an editor at the Toronto Star. She and her colleagues put together a series of videos called ‘In Their Own Voices’ where people talk about why they got the vaccine in their languages in order to combat vaccine hesitancy in racialized and immigrant communities. This week we discuss the broader shifts in journalism towards using storytelling as an effective tool to cultivate change, and what inspired In ‘Their Own Voices’.

Alex Dowsett is a British professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Israel Start-Up Nation. He also happens to live with the rare disorder of Hemophilia. You know, that thing where if you get a paper cut you’ll bleed to death? Well… that’s a myth. Alex fills the boys in on all things Hemophilia and shares his fascinating story of following his passion in the sport of cycling and how he started the charitable foundation Little Bleeders. Not only do they raise awareness for Hemophilia, they also support young hemophiliacs to engage in physical activity! Meanwhile, Taylor tries his hardest not to fangirl the entire recording.

Upon recording this weeks FGF it was 4/20. What better way to celebrate than to peer pressure Jeremie into drinking THC-infused water even though he really really doesn't enjoy it. This episode is jam packed. From illness fakers seeking financial gain, to new and exciting psilocybin + depression studies to how cats are pure evil. Not only do they pee & poo IN THE HOUSE!? But they will likely give your child schizophrenia. Yeah yeah yeah, say clickbait all you want. This weeks "What the Hellth?!" is the proof inside that pudding. Mmmm, pudding.

For a lot of folks, drug costs can be the deciding factor for whether or not someone will end up taking their prescribed medicine. So one would think that doctors have a grasp on the different price points for certain drugs, right? Not so much. We are joined by our new favourite repeat guest Dr. Iris Gorfinkel to break down the importance of drug price transparency between doctors and patients. Why is the system failing us? What can be done to fix it? Seems like a daunting task, but if anyone is going to make waves, it's Dr. Gorfinkel!

Buckle up. This week the fellas are treated to another one of those jaw-droppers. Every ten years Dave seems to go through something catastrophic. First it was simultaneously snapping both arms. Ouchie. Another decade later he wakes up in an ambulance with every bone in his face broken followed by a nasty little bout of psychosis. A decade later brings us to today. Dave literally walked out of the hospital from surgery on his lungs yesterday and joins us in the studio to tell us all about this series of unfortunate events.

Transplant innovation, no burp, no fap, bottomless mimosas and busted teeth. This week's episode is stacked. We cover the groundbreaking story in the world of transplants where the first successful trachea transplant took place in the U.S. Then, imagine what life would be like to never have the ability to burp. Spoiler alert: sounds awful. Piggy backs and bottomless mimosas do not mix. Finally for this week's edition of "WHAT THE HELLTH?!" we cover a mysterious case of penile ossification from one of our favourite medical journals: Urology Case Report. Feel Good Friday is bringing the goods.

Jake Ernst is a registered social worker and psychotherapist. He’s the clinical director of Straight Up Health and hosts the podcast “This Isn’t Therapy” with Simon Paluck. This week he sits down with the fellas and schools them on some key points surrounding mental health and mental illness. How does anxiety present physically? What's the difference between anxiety and stress? How does intergenerational trauma work? It's kind of like an hour long group therapy session, but not. Be sure to check out Jake's podcast "This Isn't Therapy"!

Brantt Myhres has done something no other professional NHL athlete has ever done. He received a lifetime ban from the league. Not an accomplishment he is proud of. This week the fellas chat with Brant all about his tumultuous history of drug and alcohol addiction that ended his career as an athlete. The pressures of being an enforcer and using substances to mask the anxiety of having to show up night after night with the expectation to go to battle. Though his story ends with a strong beam of hope. Brantt now works as a "sober coach" in the NHL. Be sure to check out his new book, Painkiller, available now.

Competitive accidents and medical nightmares are what we're bringing to the table to send you off into your weekend! Everyone knows MMA is violent, but no one was expecting Canadian fighter, Khetag Pliev, to lose his finger during a fight last week! A family in the U.S. was also not expecting to lose a loved one to a taco eating competition in 2019. Then in our latest segment of "What The Hellth!" we cover a case report about a gentleman who didn't take his diabetes medications, leaving him with high levels of "triglycerides" in his blood. Basically so much fat content in his blood that it came out milk white! Buckle up folks.

Dr. Gaibrie Stephen (Dr. Gabe) is an emergency physician with an interest in health inequity and improving emergency medicine care. This week the gang chat about the importance of paid sick leave and how Canada seems to be dropping the ball on a no-brainer! We go into the details of paid sick leave, how it would work, who it would benefit, and how COVID has shown us how important this type of social program can be!

Anbrea.. damn-it. ANDREA has dyslexia. Has that stopped her from excelling academically and professionally? Hell no. Just means that she has to put a whole hell of a lot more work into what she is doing and find ways to cope with the challenges she's been dealt with. The fellas get schooled on all things dyslexia, in what turns out to be an equally fun and fascinating conversation with their new pal, Anbrea... er... Andrea.

Who wouldn't want to have a viking warrior send-off? Maine may make open air funeral pyres a reality! We talk about the ins and outs of receiving a hero’s send-off. Is it safe to roast marshmallows over a burning corpse? Brian seems to think so. Then Jer introduces the gang to a hilarious yet horrible story of an elderly woman who mistook a massive wad of wasabi for avocado. Spoiler alert: She wasn't okay.

MKULTRA was the code name for a top-secret mass-scale series of psychological human experiments performed by the CIA in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Experiments on humans were intended to weaken the individual and force confessions through brainwashing and psychological torture. Although it sure sounds like some tin-foil hat conspiracy, it's true and it's horrifying. This week we have an in-depth and fascinating conversation with Michelle Shephard, investigative journalist and host of CBC's Brainwashed, a podcast all about the CIA, LSD and the victims of one of the most bizarre social experiments ever conducted.

This week we do something a little different! We explore how the very relatable and common life experiences of grief and mental illness can be used as an effective narrative tool in providing spooks in film and television! The gang chats with Madison Walsh and Michael Musi, the co-stars and co-creators of the CBC Gem series Something Undone. The series follows Jo, who goes home to settle her late mother’s estate, where she discovers a dark family secret and becomes obsessed with finding the truth. Check out Something Undone on CBC Gem for free!

Sperm. Ever wonder what would happen if you injected it into your veins? Spoiler alert: the results aren't desirable. Speaking of sperm — ever wonder what would happen if the global sperm rate fell to zero? Spoiler alert: the results aren't desirable. This weeks episode is basically a SFW bukkake special. The whole episode is drenched in sperm talk. On top of that we talk about the beauty in pleasuring one's self with one's deceased lovers ashes. Yeah... this week is a lot.

This week the gang hear from past guest and mental health advocate Mark Henick all about the implications of Bill-C7 on people with mental illness. MAID (Medical Assistance In Dying) has been available to those who were staring death in the face, living with an incurable and end stage illness. Now Canada has opened the doors to allow folks suffering from mental illness the same access to end their life in the name of ending suffering. Although according to Mark, this seems to be an easy out. Instead of offering people with mental illness the very much needed resources to care for their mental health, the government has decided to allow them to take the route of assisted death. Does it boil down to money? Lack of public education? Lack of will? We get serious this week and tackle something that deserves quite a bit of attention.

On April 6, 2018, Kaleb's life changed forever. It was like any other day, traveling with his team on their way to a game when all of a sudden everything went black. When Kaleb finally woke up in the hospital four days later he was told about the tragic incident that took the lives of 16 of his closest friends. The Humboldt Broncos bus crash is a tragedy that shook the entire planet and Kaleb shares with us how he has used the power of a positive attitude to beat the odds and strive to live the best life he can live. Be sure to check out Crossroads, his new book.

Between pranks and equine therapy there are lots of ways to make your hospital stay a bit more enjoyable. Speaking of equine therapy, have you ever heard of Dr. Payo? It's enough to bring a tear to your eye. You'll love him and the work he does about 100x more than Taylor loves Loki. We also cover a WILD medical case about a collapsed iris. Oh, and Brian finally admits to being a Grey's Anatomy poser. 10 episodes maybe?! Get outta here!

Tranna Wintour, a performer and co-host of CBC’s Chosen Family podcast, joins the hosts of Sickboy to discuss the effect of the pandemic on the arts, mental health and finding connection through podcasting.

What's scarier? Being deployed to a war zone to fight a foreign enemy? Or going to battle against a foreign cancer that is eating away at you from the inside out? Brandi Benson is no stranger to either experience. The gang chat with her about the experience of being pulled from the ranks in order to navigate the challenges of fighting a rare form of bone cancer. “Basic training had taught me how to fight, how to use a gun, throw grenades, how to push past my physical limits, combat techniques, and how to defend my country—but this was a different kind of battle. It crept up on me like a stealth enemy in the night. I was not ready for such an attack from within.” - Brandi Benson

It's been one full year since Sickboy wondered "Wut Da Hek Is COVID?" We kickstart FGF with a throwback to the preacher who introduced us to the true meaning of death by bass. Zoom court hearings! A new meme machine that shows us how little Zoom etiquette some folks have. Then the gang talk about a man who did some snowcaine while eating toxic blowfish liver. Could this be the beginning of a new FGF segment: Florida Man or Nah.

Asante Haughton is a mental health advocate who looks at the challenges surrounding mental illness through a lens of race. Born in Toronto, Asante draws from his own life experience as a Black man living with mental illness and the system (or lack thereof) to support him. Asante is the co-founder of Reach Out Response Network, a non-police mental health emergency service, led by clinicians and peer workers from the communities they serve. The pilot is set to begin in Toronto.

Meet Lucy Greco. She is the Accessibility Evangelist and this week she took the fellas to church!! Tune in as she teaches her newest disciples all about inclusive design and how accessible design benefits everyone, not just people with disabilities. From washing machines to AI she covers it all.

Move over Jolene, there's a new babe in town and her name is Moderna! The Backwoods Barbie shows the world how to get vaccinated in style. The gang discuss the importance of Japan's newly-appointed Minister Of Loneliness whose job is to manage the country's first rise in suicides in 11 years. Ever hear of hikikomori? Then, what does one do with a 9-day grade IV boner? Go to the doctor, that's what. We go deep into the world of Priapism. Apologies to Louise if we completely butcher all anatomy portions of this episode. We didn't have any professionals to keep us in line.

"DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?!" Dylan is a health advocate, fundraiser and public speaker. He is also no stranger to cancer treatment. Since being diagnosed with Lymphoma in his second year of university, he has gone through the cancer battle another two times! That's enough cancer to make most normal folks feel pretty gosh darn down and out but Dylan is one the most radiantly positive guests that has ever stepped up to the mic on Sickboy. We talk about his positive mental attitude, his fascinating experience with stem cell transplants, and how all of this has taken a toll on his mental health!

What's the secret to beating COVID as a 105-year-old woman? According to Lucia DeClerc, prayer and a daily dose of liquor-soaked fruit. Also, we learn that raccoons LOVE raw hot dogs and that the human anus is hella stretchy. Don't worry those last two things aren't related. Well... sorta, but not really. Then the gang chat with Dr. Zetter all about MRNA. Not only is this little bike messenger a game changer in the world of COVID vaccines, it's also looking like it has a pretty bright future in cancer care and other genetic diseases!

"It all started with an itchy knob. Then ultra tight foreskin. Then he noticed a lump the size of a ""fat lentil"". Turns out, Jonathan Little had cancer of the willy, aka cancer of the ding dong, aka cancer of the weiner, aka Penile Cancer. Join the gang this week as they manage their very real phantom pains while Jonathan tells them the simultaneously horrifying yet hilarious breakdown of his experience of having this rare cancer. "

A new "Human Challenge Study" is coming to the UK. The gang weighs in on what price is right when risking your wellbeing in the name of science. Speaking of science, a group of smart people are trying to recreate an AI super-sniffing robot dog to either sniff out cancer, or eradicate the planet of humans. Good boy. Then the fellas speak with Joshua Keyes, a certified genetic counselor out of Boulder, Colorado! What the heck is genetic counseling? What role does it play in diagnosis & treatment? Is there a difference between the work that he does and the online services like 23&me? Joshua gives us all the deets on everything you didn't realize you wanted to know about your genes.

Julia is a psychotherapist and author who specializes in grief. Not only does she have an incredible ability to dissect and examine the myriad of ways we all deal with bereavement, she also has a wicked good sense of humour. In what may be one of the all-time greatest conversations we have had on the podcast, Julia and the gang tackle all types of grief. Not only grief from losing a loved one, but the grief of the lives we once knew. Be sure to check out Julia's latest book This Too Shall Pass. It is a beautiful piece of work and if you've been an OG Sickboy listener we know this book will be right up your alley.

This week we go DEEP into the world of feces AKA stool AKA poopy. From Jeremie's bowels explained from doctor Ben to the wonders of fecal transplant to wombat cube crap, to the utter sh*t show that is the private Long Term Care system that has completely failed our country. Naheed Dosani returns again to tell us all about the important work he is doing with the Doctors for Justice in LTC coalition!

Chosen Family is a podcast hosted by comedians and best friends, Thomas Leblanc and Tranna Wintour. The duo bring their signature wit and warmth to deep and meaningful conversations with artists and creators from music, television, film, and literature to illuminate the powerful connection between the creative process, community, and healing trauma. More episodes are available at: smarturl.it/chosenfamilycbc