Sawbones: A Practical Guide to Terrible Decisions
by Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McE
Latest episode
Sawbones : How to Impeach RFK, Jr.
Sawbones : How to Impeach RFK, Jr.
About this podcast
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.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sawbones-a-practical-guide-to-terrible-decisions--6882425/support.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 602 episodes
- Sawbones : How to Impeach RFK, Jr. · 40 min · Episode 600With the recent shift in US politics, there might well be a wave of upcoming hearings and impeachments for various government offices, including the head of Health and Human…
- Sawbones: Medicare and Medicaid · 47 min · Episode 599Government medical insurance is not exactly sexy, but it's an often overlooked issue when going to the voting booth. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the difference between the…
- Sawbones: Horror Doctors · 43 min · Episode 598Horror movies and stories sure do have a lot of mad scientists and doctors running around. But should they still be practicing? Dr. Sydnee and Justin discuss Dr. Caligari, Dr…
- Sawbones: Cinnamon · 40 min · Episode 597Unfortunately we can't have nice things. Dr. Sydnee and Justin must break the news that there is often lead in cinnamon, and discuss how exactly this has happened. However, they…
- Sawbones: Lethal Injection · 42 min · Episode 596The United States public opinion on the death penalty has waxed and waned so much that its use is on a state-by-state basis, nearly dividing the country in half. Dr. Sydnee and…
- Sawbones: Glucose Monitors · 40 min · Episode 595Would people benefit from wearing a glucose monitor all day every day, even if they’re not on insulin? Evidence does not say there is a benefit, and there are some reasons not to…
- Sawbones: Artificial Sweetener · 41 min · Episode 594Pretty much since the first artificial sweetener was developed, we've been concerned about their potential adverse effects. How could something 20,000 times as sweet as sugar…
- Sawbones: Dolphins and LSD · 43 min · Episode 593With an email subject line of "Dolphins and LSD", Dr. Sydnee and Justin just HAD dive deeper. Enter John C. Lilly, a doctor, scientist, and psychonaut who became very interested…
- Sawbones: Catfish, Man of the Woods · 40 min · Episode 592All medicine is local, and little is more local to Justin and Dr. Sydnee than a medicine man in their own West Virginia. Dr. Sydnee talks about a local character named Catfish…
- Sawbones: Sentinel Chickens · 36 min · Episode 591Sawbones' least favorite animal, mosquitoes, are back with yet another reason they suck: Dengue Fever has made its way into Florida. But don't worry. Dr. Sydnee talks about some…
- Sawbones: Little People Hallucinations · 41 min · Episode 590There's been some social media talk about a psychoactive mushroom that causes visions of small people, like the Lilliputians from Gulliver's Travels. This is a rare but real…
- Sawbones: COVID Reflection and Butts Update · 36 min · Episode 589While some people in power are trying to minimize how bad things were at the height of COVID-19, we thought it was important to document the real story. Since Dr. Sydnee was…
- Sawbones: What’s More Edible, Paper or Cotton? · 43 min · Episode 588It’s one of our favorite kinds of episodes, making use of Dr. Sydnee’s expertise and Justin’s street smarts: medical questions! Why do we fart? How long is the digestive tract?…
- Sawbones: Cyclospora · 45 min · Episode 587The food has been going wild lately, and none more in the headlines this second than cyclospora parasite which is causing an outbreak of . . . intense gastrointestinal distress…
- Sawbones: Medicine Brand Names · 43 min · Episode 586This week, Justin walks Sydnee through the complexities of pharmaceutical naming. Join them as they review the history of the functional regulatory procedures, as well as the way…
- Sawbones Classic: Sunburns · 38 minAs folks in the northern hemisphere get back into the swing of summer we here at Sawbones thought it'd be a good time to reshare a classic episode about sunburns to help you get…
- Sawbones: Blisters · 40 min · Episode 585We've probably all gotten a blister at some point, whether from walking too much or from shredding a guitar solo. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about what actually causes a blister…
- Sawbones: Matilda and Telekinesis · 36 min · Episode 584Dr. Sydnee is joined this week by Charlie and Cooper, who are starring in a production of Matilda, and therefore experts in . . . telekinetic government experiments. The three…
- Sawbones: Kratom · 45 min · Episode 583Maybe you've heard of kratom, a substance being sold as a 'natural' energy substance. With its alarmingly growing popularity, Dr. Sydnee and Justin look into what exactly it is…
- Sawbones: Hantavirus, Part 2 · 37 min · Episode 582The recent outbreak of human-communicable Hantavirus on a cruise ship continues to change rapidly and the U.S. continues to lag behind other nations in its response. This week on…
- Sawbones: Hantavirus · 47 min · Episode 581In what may be our most requested episode of all time, Dr. Sydnee addresses the hantavirus outbreak in the headlines, looks at its history and evaluates just how badly the U.S…
- Sawbones: Can Black Widow Venom Cure Diabetes? · 45 min · Episode 580After all the listener support, it’s only fair we give back! “We” meaning Dr. Sydnee is giving back to the listeners by answering their medical questions! Can hanging upside-down…
- Sawbones: Milk, Part 2 - Government Cheese · 50 min · Episode 579Are you ready to lose your mind about dairy and look at your charcuterie board differently? Justin tells Dr. Sydnee all about the inflated demand for milk, how good for you dairy…
- Sawbones: Milk, Part 1 - Lactose Intolerance · 42 min · Episode 578Why do some people have stomachaches when they drink or eat dairy products? Dr. Syndee and Justin talk about lactose and lactase to explain that it's really those who can drink…
- Sawbones: Vitamin K · 39 min · Episode 577No, not the musical artist who sang the graduation song (that's Vitamin C). Vitamin K has been in the news a little bit lately because it's often given as a shot to newborns. Dr…
- Sawbones: Ranking TV Medical Shows · 51 min · Episode 576In celebration of Dr. Sydnee’s birthday, Justin brings a whole swath of medical show on TV since the year of her birth. From Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman to Nip/Tuck to The Pitt…
- Sawbones: Medicine in Movies · 41 min · Episode 575Miracle drugs, strange side effects, classical conditioning: there are many films where the plot hinges around the existence of some unrealistic medicine. Justin brings to the…
- Sawbones: Second Update: Havana Syndrome · 1 h 5 min · Episode 574Our first ever double-update, Justin and Dr. Sydnee bring an update to an update about the very mysterious Havana Syndrome. Not only is there kind of a reversal of the last…
- Sawbones: Measles 2026 · 47 min · Episode 573It's been a decade since Sawbones last talked about measles, and we don't often check in with an update unless . . . well, something comes up in the news. Dr. Sydnee talks about…
- Sawbones: Would a Healing Vape be More Efficient Than a Healing Potion? · 46 min · Episode 572The snow’s piling up outside so we’re cozying down with another batch of listener medical questions! Can I take all my antibiotics at once? If my twin has an allergy, do I have…
- Sawbones: Carpal Tunnel · 42 min · Episode 571Carpal tunnel sydrome, or an irritation of the median nerve, is often thought of as a more "modern" ailment, exacerbated by 8-hour days at a computer and video game hobbies. Dr…
- Sawbones: Sauna · 43 min · Episode 570Even though it's associated with Nordic countries, the Sauna has been around in many different cultures for as long as people have been trying to get warm in a hot box. But how…
- Sawbones: Tear Gas · 37 min · Episode 569Right now in the news you may be hearing about the use of tear gas against protesters. But what exactly IS tear gas and where did it come from? Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about…
- Sawbones: Mushroom Coffee · 41 min · Episode 568Another wellness trend that feels newer than it actually is, people have been looking for a coffee substitute since coffee was discovered (see: episode about coffee). Dr. Sydnee…
- Sawbones: Colonoscopy Preparation · 48 min · Episode 567Back from his first colonoscopy, Justin outlines the extremely detailed steps he took in order to prepare for the screening: the before, the after, and whether it's easier to…
- Sawbones: Colonoscopy · 37 min · Episode 566In honor of Justin's first colonoscopy, Dr. Sydnee goes through the history of looking inside the colon. From Pompei to the Light Conductor to the more flexible tubes today…
- Sawbones Classic: Nose Blowing · 42 min · Episode 565This cold and flu season, we're bringing you a classic episode on clearing your nasal passage correctly.Blowing your nose is maybe the only small glint of satisfaction had while…
- Sawbones: Hepatitis B · 41 min · Episode 564A trip to get an updated tetanus shot led to the realization that Justin never got a Hepatitis B vaccine. So Dr. Sydnee explains what exactly is Hep B, the recent headlines…
- Sawbones Classic: Christmas is Trying to Kill You · 36 min · Episode 563A pre-Christmas warning, we're re-releasing our 2015 live show outlining all the ways that you need to watch out this Christmas – and not just from Santa's wrath.This week on…
- Sawbones: The True Meaning of Candlenights · 40 min · Episode 562It's the most wonderful time of the year – Candlenights! Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the plans for the upcoming Candlenights special, as well as the story of Harmony House…
- Sawbones: Anyone Else Get Pee Shivers? · 53 min · Episode 561Cozy up by the fireplace with some weird listener medical questions. What's the difference between a disease and a disorder? Where does the extra blood during pregnancy come…
- Sawbones: Dopamine Detox · 54 min · Episode 560The algorithm strikes again, this time telling Justin about a popular wellness trend known as a Dopamine Detox. Dopamine is often associated with pleasure centers and addiction…
- Sawbones: Monkey Escape · 41 min · Episode 559Sometimes we like to have fun on Sawbones, like diving into a recently reported story of a truck full research animals who escaped and were infectious to humans. But what…
- Sawbones: Methylene Blue · 46 min · Episode 558Often pseudo-scientific medicine is brought to Dr. Sydnee by friends and family. But this time, she encountered methylene blue in the wild! Methylene blue is currently being…
- Sawbones: Do You Know About the Penis Fish? · 41 min · Episode 557As the weather turns, so do Dr. Sydnee and Justin to their inbox to answer more of listeners' WEIRD medical questions. Questions like: Can pee cure my foot fungus? Why do I cough…
- Sawbones: Leucovorin · 41 min · Episode 556Justin and Dr. Sydnee continue to bring news from the forefront of history with the second part of the announcement about autism – a possible treatment. It's leucovorin: also…
- Sawbones: Tylenol · 52 min · Episode 555You may have heard the recent announcement From the US government linking acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism. Well, at the risk of spoiling the episode, it’s nothing…
- Sawbones: Dr. Asher · 39 min · Episode 554Another episode in the Sawbones multiverse, Dr. Sydnee and Justin resist Dr. Richard Asher, who is the person who coined Munchausen Syndrome. Dr. Aster was a prominent physician…
- Sawbones: Medical Update: Vaccines · 46 min · Episode 553With all the changes going on in the CDC, Dr. Sydnee and Justin check back in with an update on vaccines and vaccine mandates, as well as dispelling some common vaccine myths…
- Sawbones: Munchausen Syndrome · 44 min · Episode 552There are many eponymous disorders and diseases, but Munchausen is an interesting case of a disease named after a character who is based on a real person. Dr. Sydnee and Justin…
