Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine

Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroy

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.

  • 37 minutes 54 seconds
    Sawbones: Hepatitis B

    A 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 surrounding the vaccine, why do people usually get this vaccine as babies – and why didn’t Justin get it?

    Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

    Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/

    16 December 2025, 6:30 pm
  • 33 minutes 2 seconds
    Sawbones Classic: Christmas is Trying to Kill You

    A 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, Live from Huntington, WV and Candlenights 2015: CHRISTMAS IS TRYING TO KILL YOU. Grandma. Egg nog. Trees. Mistletoe. The Grinch. RUN.

    Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

    Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/

    9 December 2025, 5:00 pm
  • 37 minutes 4 seconds
    Sawbones: The True Meaning of Candlenights

    It'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 and some of the myths and facts behind homelessness in West Virginia and the United States.

    Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

    Harmony House: https://harmonyhousewv.com/

    2 December 2025, 5:00 pm
  • 49 minutes 58 seconds
    Sawbones: Anyone Else Get Pee Shivers?

    Cozy 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 from? Did getting my gallbladder removed change my taste buds?  Plus an update on the CDC website's recent posting about vaccines.

    Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

    Native American Aid: https://nativepartnership.org/naa/

    25 November 2025, 5:00 pm
  • 51 minutes 24 seconds
    Sawbones: Dopamine Detox

    The 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, and certain corners of the internet think we are overflooded with it. But Dr. Sydnee talks about what dopamine is, its connection to Parkinson's and other medical conditions, and how this culture around self-deprivation came about.

    Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

    Native American Aid: https://nativepartnership.org/naa/

    18 November 2025, 5:00 pm
  • 37 minutes 48 seconds
    Sawbones: Monkey Escape

    Sometimes 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 actually happened, were these monkeys infected, and what is the purpose of monkeys being infected in the name of science in the first place?

    Sawbones audience feedback survey: https://forms.gle/kLXiFU8iRzAazPyn9

    Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

    Native American Aid: https://nativepartnership.org/naa/

    4 November 2025, 5:00 pm
  • 43 minutes 8 seconds
    Sawbones: Methylene Blue

    Often 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 touted as a cancer treatment, which is . . . not based on evidence. But Dr. Sydnee talks about the history of this colorful substance and what it can be actually used for.

    Sawbones audience feedback survey: https://forms.gle/kLXiFU8iRzAazPyn9

    Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

    Border Angels: https://www.borderangels.org/

    28 October 2025, 4:00 pm
  • 38 minutes 17 seconds
    Sawbones: Do You Know About the Penis Fish?

    As 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 when I put in earplugs? What is the white crescent on my nails? How does the vaccine nasal spray work? And what is the humble leech’s role in modern medicine?

    Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

    Border Angels: https://www.borderangels.org/

    14 October 2025, 4:00 pm
  • 38 minutes 18 seconds
    Sawbones: Leucovorin

    Justin 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 known as vitamin B-9. It can't possibly be that simple, can it? (No). Dr. Sydnee explains where this idea came from and what leucovorin is actually currently used for in medicine.

    Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

    Border Angels: https://www.borderangels.org/

    7 October 2025, 4:00 pm
  • 48 minutes 32 seconds
    Sawbones: Tylenol

    You 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. This week, Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the history of acetaminophen and where the claim even came from.

    Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

    Border Angels: https://www.borderangels.org/

    30 September 2025, 4:00 pm
  • 36 minutes 21 seconds
    Sawbones: Dr. Asher

    Another 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 and critical thinker whose medical contributions included noting the dangers of bed rest and naming the "seven sins of medicine." His children also had notable music careers.

    Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/

    Equality Florida: https://www.eqfl.org/

    16 September 2025, 4:00 pm
  • More Episodes? Get the App