Sawbones: Dopamine Detox

Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine

Justin McElroy

Medical History, Health & Fitness, Comedy, Medicine, Sawbones, History

4.8 • 15.1K Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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/

Transcript

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0:00.0	Sawbones is a show about medical history, and nothing the hosts say should be taken as medical advice or opinion.
0:07.2	It's for fun.
0:08.7	Can't you just have fun for an hour and not try to diagnose your mystery boil?
0:14.2	We think you've earned it.
0:15.8	Just sit back, relax, and enjoy a moment of distraction from that weird growth.
0:22.6	You're worth it.
0:25.9	All right.
0:27.5	Tommy is about some books.
0:30.6	One, two, one, two, one, two, three, four. We came across a pharmacy with its windows blasted out.
0:52.5	Pushed on through the broken glass
0:54.4	And had ourselves a look around
0:56.3	The medicines, the medicines
0:58.4	That I scallet McCorm for the mouth
1:03.8	Hello everybody and welcome to
1:06.1	Sawbones, a marital tour of misguided medicine
1:08.3	I'm your co-host, Justin McElroy
1:09.9	And I'm Sidney McElroy. And I'm Sydney McElroy.
1:11.1	Oh, it's so good to be here with you. So we didn't talk about our introduction. Usually we brainstorm something. No, usually you just kind of launch in with a... Oh, I was using the Royal Wee. Sorry, I should have been more clear. Yes. I, King Justin usually come up with a bit. And actually this week's bit is that I've started using the royally, apparently, and calling myself King Justin. How's that grab you? I love it. I think it's a fair distribution of labor since I do all the research for the podcast. And I do all the jokes, some of the jokes. Occasionally do some of the jokes. I think it's fair to say you do most of the jokes. I hung up the lights in the room and I point the microphones. And you decorated. I decorated. I point the microphones. You do point the microphones. I refuse to learn how to point the microphone. So I got, that's my skill. I keep myself relevant. You also, you also keep changing the microphones. So important. That's how I keep myself relevant. You also keep changing the microphones.
2:01.5	So important, that's how I keep myself relevant.
2:03.9	You know, without me, you would leave me for someone more capable because you would have
2:10.3	the microphone thing figured out.
2:11.6	So as long as I keep you sort of like dependent on my microphone pointing skills, then you will
	...

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