
Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine
Medical
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.
Location:
Huntington, WV
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.
Twitter:
@Sawbones
Language:
English
Email:
justinmcelroy@gmail.com
Episodes
Sawbones: Wasps
7/1/2025
After an unfortunate and painful encounter with an angry flying insect, Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about wasps: how their stings work, and a journey into the science behind some folk remedies.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
Immigrant Defenders Law Center: https://www.immdef.org/
Duration:00:40:02
Sawbones: The Heartmobile
6/24/2025
It used to be that if you needed to get to the hospital quickly, you would call the herse – because it had the space to transport a person who was lying down. Well, all of that changed in Columbus, OH, with the Heartmobile, known as the first ambulance. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about its development, implementation, and the thrilling end of its ambulatory adventures.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
Transgender Law Center: https://transgenderlawcenter.org/
Duration:00:31:36
Sawbones: MAHA Mess
6/17/2025
Dr. Sydnee and Justin said they'd talk about when the US Health Department replaced the vaccine council . . . well, it's happened. But to EVERYONE'S surprise, it's more of a mess than a triumph. Dr. Sydnee talks about all the changes going on, the motive behind them, and why some good intentions can lead to dangerous outcomes.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
Transgender Law Center: https://transgenderlawcenter.org/
Duration:00:37:58
Sawbones: Is Noise Ointment a Waste of Time?
6/10/2025
Just in time for The Prom season, Justin and Dr. Sydnee bring your weird summer medical questions! Do other citrus fruits affect medication, or is it really just grapefruits? Why do hiccups happen so sporadically? Do carrots actually give you good vision? Can a broken finger fully heal by itself? Plus, an update on vaccines in the United States.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
Transgender Law Center: https://transgenderlawcenter.org/
Duration:00:36:05
Sawbones: Sex Chocolate
5/27/2025
It's a Sawbones grab-bag, featuring some pop-sci mythbusting around MSG, a reality check into current events around vaccines, and a fun new questionable product bringing chocolate to the bedroom.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
Center for Reproductive Rights: https://reproductiverights.org/
Duration:00:38:50
Sawbones Classics: Fluoride
5/20/2025
With all the news around fluoride, we bring the classic Sawbones episode about the benefits of fluoride in drinking water, because the science has not changed.
This week, Dr. Sydnee and Justin explore a medical mystery: Why, for a town in Colorado, was having brown teeth a sign of great tooth health?
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
Center for Reproductive Rights: https://reproductiverights.org/
Duration:00:43:35
Sawbones: Dr. Pope
5/13/2025
There was a time when Popes had secondary careers (or primary ones) on to of their Papal one. This includes Pope John XXI, the only Pope to have also been a physician. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about this non-traditional Pope and his contribution to medicine in the 12th century.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
Center for Reproductive Rights: https://reproductiverights.org/
Duration:00:35:47
Sawbones: Renaissance Medicine
5/6/2025
Sawbones brings you a studio version of the show at the ye olde Harmony House Renaissance Faire. Justin and Dr. Sydnee talk about how medicine evolved in the Renaissance beyond what passed for scientific theories during the middle ages including the four humours, alchemy, and the real cause of syphilis (insulting the sun god).
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
Center for Reproductive Rights: https://reproductiverights.org/
Duration:00:38:08
Sawbones: Tetanus
4/29/2025
It's a myth that tetanus is only found on rusty metal. What really matters is that a wound that is a dirty, deep puncture wound could to introduce the bacteria into the body. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the long history of humans and tetanus, what it does to a body, and why maybe it's not a great idea to garden barefoot.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
National Immigration Project: https://nipnlg.org/about/who-we-are
Duration:00:44:04
Sawbones: The Medical Freedom Movement
4/22/2025
The Medical Freedom or the Health Freedom Movement is not new, but it is currently gaining more traction and attention under RFK, Jr. On its face, it is a political movement that distrusts pharmaceutical companies and government regulations for supplements. But Dr. Sydnee talks about its history and roots in strange conspiracies and biases from the 1950s – and what the movement means for us today.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
"The John Birch Society" by The Chad Mitchell Trio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWCYSVZhPoU
National Immigration Project: https://nipnlg.org/about/who-we-are
Duration:00:41:31
Sawbones: Thalassotherapy
4/15/2025
TikTok has become enthralled with the idea of Thalassotherapy... which is basically going to the ocean to feel better. Dr. Sydnee talks about the history of this "sea cure" and Dr. Richard Russell, the man who popularized it in the second half of the eighteenth century.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
National Immigration Project: https://nipnlg.org/about/who-we-are
Duration:00:39:52
Sawbones: Why Don’t Edema and Enema Rhyme?
4/1/2025
Justin has gathered all the strangest listeners (questions) to quiz Dr. Sydnee with all of your weird and fun medical questions! Is Gatorade actually salty and NOT sweet? Are people with cat allergies allergic to big cats? Can you fart and spread norovirus? Can a fetus taste? And the most important question of all: who are Justin and Dr. Sydnee's favorite fictional doctors?
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
National Immigration Project: https://nipnlg.org/about/who-we-are
Duration:00:41:58
Sawbones: Dr. Odyssey: Shark Week
3/25/2025
What 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, but some of the medical beats are surprisingly accurate.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/
MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.
Duration:00:35:26
Sawbones: The Pitt
3/18/2025
Dr. 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 how it compares to the 1990s show ER.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/
MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.
Duration:00:40:00
Feed Drop: Clint and Justin join MFD Spring Break!
3/17/2025
It’s 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 ‘90s- and Spring Break-themed mini games!!
Featuring: Dave Holmes, Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya, Dimitry Pompée, Tom Lum, Ellen Weatherford, Alex Schmidt, Brenda Snell, Drea Clark, Alonso Duralde, Dan McCoy, Jordan Morris, Manolo Moreno, Ella Hubber, Caroline Roper, Ella McLeod, John-Luke Roberts, Justin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Mike Cabellon, Sierra Katow, Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, John Moe, Christian Dueñas, Christian Duguay.
MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.
Duration:01:19:17
Sawbones: Henry VIII
3/11/2025
How 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 – and changed the course of history.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/
Duration:00:35:57
Sawbones: Kleptomania
3/4/2025
Kleptomania 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. Sydnee unpacks the facts from fiction while Justin tries to steal the show.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/
Duration:00:38:51
Sawbones: Apple Cider Vinegar
2/25/2025
The 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 in peoples' lives could lead to fame and success in the pseudo-scientific alternative medicine world.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org/
Duration:00:42:13
Sawbones: Frostbite
2/11/2025
It'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 it.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org/
Duration:00:42:23
Sawbones: Science Updates
2/4/2025
There 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 and in the immediate future, and what we can do about it.
Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/
World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org/
Duration:00:41:10