Description
Join Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin McElroy for a tour of all the dumb, bad, gross, weird and wrong ways we've tried to fix people.
Episodes
- 2025 / 3 / 25Sawbones: Dr. Odyssey: Shark WeekWhat medical drama does a doctor on a cruise ship get involved in? Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about Dr. Odyssey: Shark Attack!, and the follow-up, Dr. Odyssey: Shark Attack! Part 2: Orca. It's a wild ride,...
- 2025 / 3 / 18Sawbones: The PittDr. Sydnee brings a little levity as she talks about a new medical show, The Pitt. Following fictional doctors in real-time(ish), Dr. Sydnee discusses how it compares to working in an actual ER, as well as it...
- 2025 / 3 / 17Feed Drop: Clint and Justin join MFD Spring Break!Itâs not MaxFunDrive without a wild kickoff spectacular! Former real-life VJ and host of MTV's Spring Break 1999, Dave Holmes, takes your favorite MaxFun hosts through some wacky â90s- and Spring Break-themed...
- 2025 / 3 / 11Sawbones: Henry VIIIHow dangerous is jousting? Just look into the example of King Henry VIII of England. The Tudor king is infamous for his six wives, but Dr. Sydnee explains how a jousting injury may have changed his behavior â...
- 2025 / 3 / 4Sawbones: KleptomaniaKleptomania is defined by an undeniable compulsion to steal, so it has wavered between legitimate diagnosis and flimsy criminal defense to somewhere in between since its inception. This week on Sawbones, Dr....
- 2025 / 2 / 25Sawbones: Apple Cider VinegarThe recent semi-fictionalized Netflix series Apple Cider Vinegar explores the world of wellness following bloggers Belle Gibson and Milla Blake. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about what factors in the world and...
- 2025 / 2 / 11Sawbones: FrostbiteIt's been bitterly cold in our region lately and that's got Dr. Sydnee thinking about frostbite. This week, we'll gain a better understanding of this malady and even stage a brief theatrical selection about...
- 2025 / 2 / 4Sawbones: Science UpdatesThere has been a lot going on in the United States in the last few days that might affect what's going on with health, medicine, and other sciences. Dr. Sydnee talks about the implications of all of these now...
- 2025 / 1 / 28Sawbones: Whooping CoughDepending on where you live, you might be hearing a lot lately about Pertussis or Whooping Cough, even in Dr. Sydnee and Justinâs home county. Dr. Sydnee talks about the long history of this disease, its...
- 2025 / 1 / 21Sawbones: Physicians' UnionsImagine if your doctor could go on strike in the middle of a treatment. Thatâs the most popular argument against physiciansâ unions, but thereâs a lot more to the issue. Dr. Sydnee talks about the process of...
- 2025 / 1 / 14Sawbones: Seven-Second Poop TrickIt'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...
- 2025 / 1 / 8Sawbones: Book ClubDr. Sydnee and Justin are easing back into the swing of things after the holidays by discussing what theyâve been reading, both apart and together. So cozy up with some tea to hear some good book...
- 2024 / 12 / 24Sawbones Classic Double-Feature: A Medicine Called Christmas 1 & 2Happy 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...
- 2024 / 12 / 17Sawbones: How's My Lump Doing?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...
- 2024 / 12 / 10Sawbones: Walking PneumoniaItâs nearly winter, which means the return of mycoplasma or âWalking Pneumoniaâ on this hemisphere. This week Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about how this infection was discovered, the questionable way it was...
- 2024 / 11 / 26Sawbones: Tesla MedbedSomehow 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...
- 2024 / 11 / 19Sawbones: Project 2025Needless to say itâs going to be a long four years for the United States. This weekâs episode of Sawbones offers some guidance on what we might expect for medicine and health care going forward and what...
- 2024 / 11 / 5Sawbones Classic: History of AbortionIt'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, itâs important to talk...
- 2024 / 10 / 29Sawbones: John Green and Good.StoreDr. 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:...
- 2024 / 10 / 22Sawbones: Doctor OdysseyThere'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...
- 2024 / 10 / 15Sawbones: Brazilian Butt LiftSome 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...
- 2024 / 10 / 8Sawbones: Can Doritos Make Skin See-Through?Bring on the fall weather and bring on the listenersâ weird medical questions! Dr. Sydnee and Justin answer listenersâ strangest queries and maybe learn a thing or two themselves. Is Shy Bladder a real thing?...
- 2024 / 10 / 1Sawbones: KegelsNo 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...
- 2024 / 9 / 24Sawbones: Exploding TeethCanonically, Dr. Sydnee doesnât 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...
- 2024 / 9 / 17Sawbones: SupermanItâs a bird! Itâs a podcast! Itâs Justinâs superhero anatomy textbook to the rescue! What is the medical and scientific explanation of how Supermanâs powers work? Batman has thoroughly analysed his Justice...
- 2024 / 9 / 3Sawbones: Triple E and Public Health in 2024A 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...
- 2024 / 8 / 27Sawbones: Fentanyl and the ONEboxIf you havenât 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...
- 2024 / 8 / 20Sawbones: The Doctor PatientDr. 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...
- 2024 / 8 / 13Sawbones: MushroomsIt 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...
- 2024 / 8 / 6Sawbones: Medical JewelryMagnetic bracelets, immortality rings . . . the internet is full of wearables that are sold for their medicinal properties as if theyâre equipment in Baldurâs Gate. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the...
- 2024 / 7 / 23Sawbones: Mechanical Heart PumpSometimes 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...
- 2024 / 7 / 16Sawbones: TamponsYou 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...
- 2024 / 7 / 9Sawbones: Human TricksCan 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."Â Can you flare...
- 2024 / 7 / 2Sawbones: A Couple of Boob QuestionsSawbones 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...
- 2024 / 6 / 18Sawbones Classic: ChocolateTo 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...
- 2024 / 6 / 11Sawbones: Willy WonkaThere 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...
- 2024 / 6 / 4Sawbones: Do You Know How Italian I Am?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...
- 2024 / 5 / 21Sawbones: Hydrogen WaterDr. 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...
- 2024 / 5 / 7Sawbones: PlexusIn 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...
- 2024 / 4 / 30Sawbones: Vampire FacialsYou 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...
- 2024 / 4 / 23Sawbones: CPRSquishing someoneâs heart and blowing air into them to bring them back to life seems so basic, so why werenât we able to agree on it for the past few hundred years? This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee gives an...
- 2024 / 4 / 16Sawbones: Lazarus SyndromeWhat 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....
- 2024 / 4 / 9Sawbones: Sea MossAnother 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,...
- 2024 / 4 / 4Sawbones: Interpreting ResearchWith 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...
- 2024 / 3 / 28Sawbones: Gamer PillsIf 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...
- 2024 / 3 / 19Sawbones: Can You Lick the Capsaicin Patch?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...
- 2024 / 3 / 12Sawbones: Bad BugsThere 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...
- 2024 / 3 / 5Sawbones: IVFStarted 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...
- 2024 / 2 / 27Sawbones: Knock Knock HiJustin and Dr. Sydnee are joined by parallel-universe versions of themselves, The Glaucomfleckens! The two doctor-spouse duos talk about Will and Kristen Flanary's journey into podcasting, including serious...
- 2024 / 2 / 13Sawbones: Tongue TiesA tongue tie is not just a turn of phrase, it's a medical condition in which the frenulum under your tongue is too thick and restricts your lingual movement. For a long time, a procedure to cut it has been...