Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine
499 episodes - English - Latest episode: 16 days ago - ★★★★★ - 14.4K ratingsJoin 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.
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Episodes
Sawbones: The Hippocratic Oath
October 11, 2019 16:22 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBWe've all heard about the oath new doctors have to take before they get their first scalpel and weird head mirror thing. But has it always been the same? Did Hippocrates really make it up? Is "First, do no harm" part of it? We'll answer all that and more on this week's Sawbones. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: National Hotel Disease
October 04, 2019 19:37 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MBThis week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin check in with National Hotel Disease, the diarrhea so bad it almost brought down a U.S. presidency. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Essential Oils
September 27, 2019 16:00 - 36 minutes - 33.1 MBThis week on Sawbones, we talk about the many, many things essential oils can't do for you and the dueling Utah-based companies that insist we're wrong. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Garlic
September 20, 2019 16:39 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MBFor thousands of years, throughout an unprecedented number of cultures, garlic has been touted for its ability to improve our health. How? Well, by warding off vampires, silly. ... OK, there's some other stuff too. You should probably just listen. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Vaping
September 13, 2019 16:48 - 52 minutes - 48.7 MBOn Sawbones, we like to take a lot of hard lines and make grand proclamations: Vaccines good, viruses bad, that sort of thing. But when it comes to vaping, things get a little ... cloudier? Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Hydrotherapy
September 09, 2019 01:27 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBWater: There's plenty of it, it's not obviously poisonous and it's cheap as all get out. Maybe THAT'S the answer to all our species' medical woes? ... It's not, but if you've ever listened to Sawbones before you see where this episode (recorded live in beautiful Atlanta) is going. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: The HPV Vaccine
August 30, 2019 16:00 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBA vaccine that can practically eliminate a type of human cancer should be cause for celebration across our species. Would it surprise it to learn that some people don't trust it? ... Probably not at this point, huh? This week on Sawbones: The HPV vaccine. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Sneezing
August 26, 2019 01:58 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBWelcome to all the owners of human bodies! You're gonna love these things, they can run, jump ... and every once in a while they uncontrollably blast snot out of your face at 100 MPH. This week on Sawbones: Sneezing. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Fever
August 18, 2019 20:13 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBAny species could have created a bunch of bogus ways to treat fevers. But only humans could use fevers as a bogus treatment for other stuff and then end up being sort of right about it. This week on Sawbones, we're burning down the house. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Eli Lilly's Secret Pot Farm
August 04, 2019 21:28 - 30 minutes - 28 MBOne of the nation's leading pharmaceutical companies once maintained one of the biggest marijuana farms in the country. This week on Sawbones, how Eli Lilly lost its taste for pot, and why it refuses to acknowledge its past. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Yes, More Medical Questions Answered!
July 26, 2019 17:58 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MBDoes medicated chap stick doing anything? What are doctors hiding? Why can't you keep your bones? This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin bring you answers to these questions and many more on a new Q&A episode! Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: The Chattanooga Medicine Company
July 19, 2019 16:00 - 32 minutes - 30 MBThis week on Sawbones, live from the historic Ryman Auditorium, hear the patent medicine company so insidious they made Dolly Parton sing about laxatives on one of the biggest stages in country music. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Medical Reversals
July 12, 2019 19:10 - 40 minutes - 37.6 MBYou're well acquainted with all of humanity's history of medical mistakes, but even modern medicine changes it's mind from time to time. This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin explain what a medical reversal looks like! Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Wine
June 30, 2019 18:39 - 35 minutes - 32.7 MBWe all know that consuming wine has no downsides whatsoever, but did you know it also has some amazing health benefits as well?! It's true! (Depending on your definition of "benefits" ... and "health" and ... OK, and "amazing" too. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Medicine in Japanese American Concentration Camps
June 21, 2019 16:51 - 46 minutes - 43.6 MBThis week on Sawbones, we revisit a dismal period in American history that our government seems determined to repeat. Also you'll meet the heroic Japanese American doctors, nurses, dentists and other medical professionals that fought to save lives despite the fact that they themselves were prisoners. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Trichinosis
June 13, 2019 01:19 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBWe all know it's probably smart not to eat raw pork, but this week on Sawbones, we'll meet the inspiring people brave enough to ask "Why?" (Note: We're publishing this week's episode a little early because we're headed out on tour!) Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Adenoviruses
June 07, 2019 20:58 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBThis is the story of the military-funded vaccine that was, wasn't and then ($100 million later) was again. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Paternity Testing
May 31, 2019 20:30 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBThough we have it down to a (literal) science at this point, the history of determining parentage is chock-full of fake medicine. Two words: Impotence court. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: The World of Warcraft Plague
May 26, 2019 18:05 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBThis week on Sawbones: A real-world miracle. Justin gets to talk about video games as Dr. Sydnee explores a in-game plague that brought World of Warcraft to its knees.
Sawbones: The First Pharmacist
May 18, 2019 14:44 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MBThis week on Sawbones, we meet the first pharmacist in the U.S., visit the New Orleans museum that celebrates his legacy and hunt the ghosts that supposedly haunt it. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Bleach
May 04, 2019 20:20 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MBThis week on Sawbones, an unnerving look into the upsettingly modern invention of ingesting bleach for medicinal uses. Content warning: This episode includes descriptions of "therapies" that are being used primarily on children and other vulnerable populations. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Why Doctors Don't Fix Teeth
April 26, 2019 17:10 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBWe've joked a lot about how Dr. Sydnee doesn't know much about teeth, but this week we're explaining exactly why. It all goes back ... to The Historic Rebuff. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Warfarin
April 19, 2019 17:04 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBSure, an episode about a common blood thinner may not sound particularly sexy. But we'd bet that once you hear the inspiring story of how moldy hay became a life saving medicine (with a detour as a rat poison) you may think differently. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Cavities
April 12, 2019 16:28 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBDr. Sydnee finally took a much belated trip to the dentists office and she and Justin are celebrating in the only way they know how: Digging through all the retched ways we've tried to fix teeth since the dawn of time. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Pinworms
April 07, 2019 19:33 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBWe recorded this episode of Sawbones live on the Joco Cruise 2019. (Book your cabin for 2020 now, they're filling up fast!) When confronted with the beauty of the ocean and cool island breezes, Dr. Sydnee's mind turns to the only rational place: Pinworms. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Modern Day Snake Oil Salespeople
March 29, 2019 16:46 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MBOften on Sawbones, we talk about pushers of false cures as if snake oil is a relic of a bygone era. This week on a special MaxFunDrive episode of Sawbones, a reminder that snake oil salespeople are just a present as ever. DONATE NOW! Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Broken Heart Syndrome
March 22, 2019 16:41 - 45 minutes - 42.2 MBThis week on Sawbones to celebrate the Maximum Fun Drive we've got a special crossover episode with Shmanners! Let's talk about broken heart syndrome (which is exactly what we'll have if you don't donate!) DONATE NOW! Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Medical Legends of Alabama
March 15, 2019 16:00 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBDid you know that Alabama has been the home of some huge medical milestones? It's true! Join us as we share the inspirational, hilarious and terrifying medical legends of The Yellowhammer State. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Stroke
March 08, 2019 17:00 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MBToday, we're honoring the memory of Luke Perry who passed away this week after a stroke. We'll be talking about the history of strokes, but more importantly teach you how to help prevent them and how to spot them when they happen. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Rubella
March 01, 2019 22:56 - 41 minutes - 37.9 MBThis week on Sawbones we complete our three-part series on the MMR vaccine as we make you an honorary Rubella Fighter. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Auriculotherapy
February 22, 2019 22:36 - 40 minutes - 36.8 MBEverybody loves harnessing the power of reflexology, but what if you want all the great, totally real, not at all fabricated benefits of reflexology, but don't wanna touch people's feet? Friends, auriculotherapy is here for you. ... You're OK with touching ears, right? Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Mumps
February 15, 2019 21:25 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MBThis week on Sawbones we return to the MMR vaccine, specifically the "mumps" part. We'll also meet the brilliant mind behind the vaccine and the tragic reason he never gets the credit he's due. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Tom Brady's Snake Oil
February 05, 2019 16:20 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBBesides being a king of football and all around touchdown master, did you know Tom Brady endorses a training and nutrition regimen co-created by a guy who got in trouble with the FTC for selling fake cancer pills? Let's talk about TB12. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Rock Medicine
February 01, 2019 21:41 - 41 minutes - 38.4 MBThis week on Sawbones, we'll meet a San Francisco doctor that reimagined how we care for people with drug addiction and got a hit put out on himself in the process. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Bizarro World
January 25, 2019 18:12 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBImagine a world where Sawbones never existed, medical progress was halted and false wellness ran rampant. That's the horrifying world painted by a recent issue of The Times that Dr. Sydnee and Justin are going to guide you through this week. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Alkaline Water
January 12, 2019 22:59 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MBAs shelves seem to be overtaken by "pH-balanced" beverages, alkaline water has moved from the fringes into the mainstream. This week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin see if every human malady really can be fixed by low-pH water. (Spoiler: No.) Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Colic and Gripe Water
January 04, 2019 18:03 - 39 minutes - 36 MBGripe water and colic are a match made in Sawbones heaven: A cure-all and a catch all. This week, we'll explore the history of how a misunderstood diagnosis has helped keep a made-up medicine on the shelves. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
A Sawbones Special Presentation: A Medicine Called Christmas
December 24, 2018 17:03 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBLive 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 Slappe Mr. Cameron: Travis McElroy Beth: Teylor Smirl Mandy: Rileigh Smirl Mr. Golfberg: Michael Meadows ...
Sawbones: Vitamin B17
December 15, 2018 18:42 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBThis week's episode of Sawbones is all about "Vitamin B17" which is, brace yourself ... not a vitamin. Yup, it's gonna be one of those sorts of episodes. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
December 02, 2018 20:38 - 32 minutes - 29.6 MBWhen Dr. Sydnee and Justin find themselves in Colorado, an episode on Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever seems a natural fit ... except it's not really that common in Colorado. But when the story of a disease is able to tie together cow-dipping terrorism and frozen food, how can they resist? Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: The Herpes Thanksgiving Special
November 21, 2018 18:33 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBThis Thanksgiving, Dr. Sydnee and Justin invite you on their ambitious quest to use the biggest family meal of the year to destigmatize herpes. No more waiting for your problematic uncle to make things weird; this you're YOU'LL be the one starting uncomfortable conversations. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Black Salve
November 16, 2018 18:27 - 36 minutes - 33.9 MBWould you believe that the hot new (very old) alternative medicine paste that indiscriminately burns your cells off is bad for you? We know, we were shocked too. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Jilly Juice
November 09, 2018 18:11 - 40 minutes - 37.4 MBThis week on Sawbones, Dr. Sydnee and Justin take a swig from the new miracle drink Jilly Juice, which can not only cure every disease but can regrow limbs! (It can't, it makes you puke and poop and that's it, but you should listen anyway.) Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Your Weird Questions, Our Weirder Answers
November 03, 2018 15:33 - 37 minutes - 34.7 MBWe've spotted a boatload of your weird medical questions on the horizon and we've pointed our knowledge cannons at it and we're ... sinking it? Listen, the metaphor got away from us. We're sorry. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Possession
October 28, 2018 20:32 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBThis week on Sawbones, we detail all the real medical conditions that have been mistaken for demonic possession and the modern day psychiatrists that are pushing for possession to be taken more seriously. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: 27 Reasons Why You Should Get a Flu Shot
October 21, 2018 17:15 - 49 minutes - 68.2 MBDr. Sydnee and Justin asked why you, their beloved listeners, haven't gotten a flu shot and now they're taking 27 (yes, 27) of your most common excuses and blowing them to smithereens. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: 27 Reasons Why You Should Get a Flu Shot
October 21, 2018 17:15 - 46 minutes - 42.8 MBDr. Sydnee and Justin asked why you, their beloved listeners, haven't gotten a flu shot and now they're taking 27 (yes, 27) of your most common excuses and blowing them to smithereens. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: Dr. Price's Bad Ideas
October 13, 2018 15:54 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBDr. Price was a dentist with some pretty bad ideas about nutrition. That probably wouldn't have merited an appearance on Sawbones ... except those bad ideas went on to inspire a terrifying modern following. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers
Sawbones: The Oregon Trail
October 08, 2018 17:19 - 34 minutes - 31.7 MBThis week Justin and Dr. Sydnee try desperately to save you from cholera on a grand tour of the many different ways to die on The Oregon Trail. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers (Apologies if your player downloads this episode twice, we had an issue with the file we're trying to troubleshoot.)
Sawbones: Vasectomy
September 30, 2018 20:49 - 31 minutes - 29 MBYou had to see this one coming. Yes, just a few short weeks after Justin's surgery, Dr. Sydnee decides to explain the complete history of vasectomies in excruciating detail in front a few thousand of their closest friends. Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers