How many “ailments” can you remove in 60 seconds without buzzing? We ran a surgical showdown with Kristen Barczak and a patient named Garth with a cowboy boot blister. What would your theme song be?

Before the chaos, we go full operating-room theater with a surgical timeout, a named patient, and a procedure serious enough to deserve a chart but silly enough to spark instant jokes.

Meet Garth, who rolls into our makeshift OR with a cowboy boot blister and a whole lot of problems that need “fixing.” Kristan talks candidly about why real surgery was never the path, then immediately finds herself weirdly locked in once the scrubs go on.

From there it’s rapid-fire commentary, distraction tactics, anesthesia blame, and the very real feeling of trying to focus while everyone is watching. We count what actually counts, break down the final score, and wrap with a post-op “press conference” that turns honesty into the punchline. If you love comedy podcasts, improv games, timed challenges, or anything with a game show edge, this one is a quick hit of pressure and laughs.

Subscribe for more bits like this, share the episode with a friend who gets competitive, and leave a review with your best buzzer-game strategy. What song would you demand as your “surgery” theme music?

THANK TO OUR GUESTS:

Kristan Barczak (Comedian, Writer, Mom)

Instagram: @kristanbcomedy

https://www.kristanbarczak.com/

Dr Domenic (Chief Medical Officer, Emergency Medicine Physician, Pilot, DJ)

https://www.staypositive.news/article/tristar-skyline-welcomes-new-chief-medical-officer-dominec-martinello-md

DR BEN AND FRIENDS PODCAST:

This episode was produced by Angie Debelak with post-production editing by Ben Hill Sound.

Thanks for listening to Dr Ben and Friends. Laughter is the best medicine...unless you're treating bowel or bladder incontinence. See you next time!

Team Dr Ben

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Share a message with Dr Ben and Friends!

Support the show

Follow and listen for free on Dr Ben and Friends website, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio!

Fan of the show? Record yourself! on Dr Ben's website and YOU could be featured on the next episode!

DISCLAIMER: Dr Ben and Friends Podcast

Quick heads-up folks: Dr Ben and Friends is your weekly dose of laughs and stories. We celebrate healthcare heroes and pro comics.

This is infotainment-- think popcorn, not prescriptions or medical advice.

If you're feeling funky, see your medical professional. Your health? That's on you. We'll stick to the punchlines.

Medical jargon sounds harmless until you learn what it actually describes. We kick things off with a simple premise: hand a comedian a handful of real ER and cardiology terms, ask her to pronounce them, ask her to guess what they mean, then translate the truth in plain English. Comedian Kristan Barczak delivers!

The result is a mix of laugh-out-loud wrong answers, surprisingly sharp instincts, and a clearer sense of how healthcare teams use shorthand under pressure.

Dr. Domenic joins us as the medical translator, and Kristen bravely walks into the “What The Heck” hot seat.

We unpack asystole and why “flatline” is more than a movie moment. We tackle STEMI and what makes that acronym a time-sensitive kind of heart attack.

Then we dig into AFib with RVR, breaking down atria vs ventricles, what fibrillation looks like, and how controlled electricity can sometimes restore rhythm.

We wrap with cap refill, a quick bedside check that links circulation and hydration to something you can see with your own fingernail. Try it now!

If you’ve ever left an appointment thinking, “Wait, what did that word mean?”, this one is for you.

Subscribe for more comedy-meets-medicine, share the episode with a friend who loves learning, and leave a review. What medical term should we put in the game next?

THANK TO OUR GUESTS:

Kristan Barczak (Comedian, Writer, Mom)

Instagram: @kristanbcomedy

https://www.kristanbarczak.com/

Dr Domenic (Chief Medical Officer, Emergency Medicine Physician, Pilot, DJ)

https://www.staypositive.news/article/tristar-skyline-welcomes-new-chief-medical-officer-dominec-martinello-md

DR BEN AND FRIENDS PODCAST:

This episode was produced by Angie Debelak with post-production editing by Ben Hill Sound.

Thanks for listening to Dr Ben and Friends. Laughter is the best medicine...unless you're treating bowel or bladder incontinence. See you next time!

Team Dr Ben

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Share a message with Dr Ben and Friends!

Support the show

Follow and listen for free on Dr Ben and Friends website, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio!

Fan of the show? Record yourself! on Dr Ben's website and YOU could be featured on the next episode!

DISCLAIMER: Dr Ben and Friends Podcast

Quick heads-up folks: Dr Ben and Friends is your weekly dose of laughs and stories. We celebrate healthcare heroes and pro comics.

This is infotainment-- think popcorn, not prescriptions or medical advice.

If you're feeling funky, see your medical professional. Your health? That's on you. We'll stick to the punchlines.

Internet nonsense? A headline about worm larvae in someone’s brain sounds like nonsense until you hear the details and realize it’s a real food safety story.

We’re putting the “med in comedy” with a round of Headline Or Hoax, joined by Dr. Domenic (Chief Medical Officer, ER doc, DJ, pilot) and Kristan Barczak (mom, writer, comedian), and we invite YOU to guess right along with Team Dr Ben!

Once the reveal hits, we dig into what’s actually going on behind the shock value: undercooked pork, contaminated handling, and the very real parasite Taenia solium.

We talk through neurocysticercosis in plain language, why good hand hygiene matters more than people want to admit, and the unsettling fact that this condition is a leading cause of acquired epilepsy worldwide. Specifically, one of the top preventable causes of epilepsy.

It’s funny, gross, and surprisingly practical, especially if you’ve ever assumed “it’ll be fine” is a kitchen safety plan.

Then we take on the other headline and settle a question people love to argue about: does the five-second rule ever belong in a sterile environment?

We unpack the difference between clean and sterile, why operating room protocols exist, and what research shows when orthopaedic implant materials get dropped and “disinfected” with common antiseptics.

If you care about surgery, infection prevention, medical myths, or just want a smart laugh, you’ll walk away with a clearer line between acceptable risk and absolute no-go.

Subscribe for more healthcare comedy with real clinical insight, share this with a friend who needs a hand-washing reminder, and leave a review with your verdict: what’s your personal five-second rule?

P.S. Implants are the standard term for the artificial joints used in orthopaedic surgery (like the metal ball and plastic socket).

Jerry Lewis ordered his bacon “very, very, very stiff” — diner-speak for extra crispy. The man knew things. Cook yours the same way.
Source: 2018 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

SOURCES:

HEADLINE #1 (undercooked bacon, brain larvae): https://amjcaserep.com/abstract/full/idArt/943133

HEADLINE #2 (5-second rule in operating room): https://dicon.medicine.duke.edu/news/five-second-rule-dropped-food-does-it-apply-dropped-medical-objects-operating-room-randomized

THANK TO OUR GUESTS:

Kristan Barczak (Comedian, Writer, Mom)

Instagram: @kristanbcomedy

https://www.kristanbarczak.com/

Dr Domenic (Chief Medical Officer, Emergency Medicine Physician, Pilot, DJ)

https://www.staypositive.news/article/tristar-skyline-welcomes-new-chief-medical-officer-dominec-martinello-md

DR BEN AND FRIENDS PODCAST:

This episode was produced by Angie Debelak with post-production editing by Ben Hill Sound.

Thanks for listening to Dr Ben and Friends. Laughter is the best medicine...unless you're treating bowel or bladder incontinence. See you next time!

Team Dr Ben

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Share a message with Dr Ben and Friends!

Support the show

Follow and listen for free on Dr Ben and Friends website, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio!

Fan of the show? Record yourself! on Dr Ben's website and YOU could be featured on the next episode!

DISCLAIMER: Dr Ben and Friends Podcast

Quick heads-up folks: Dr Ben and Friends is your weekly dose of laughs and stories. We celebrate healthcare heroes and pro comics.

This is infotainment-- think popcorn, not prescriptions or medical advice.

If you're feeling funky, see your medical professional. Your health? That's on you. We'll stick to the punchlines.

You know that feeling when a hospital shift (or a comedy set) starts with a plan and immediately turns lively? That’s the lane we live in today, and we brought the perfect guests for it.

Dr. Domenic joins us as an emergency medicine physician who’s now a Chief Medical Officer at a Level 1 Trauma Center in Nashville. He’s the doctor in the executive suite whose job is to keep the whole machine running safely when the pressure spikes.

Kristen Barzak brings fresh comedian energy and mom-life honesty as we bounce from pilots and DJs to scooters, ladders, and the surprisingly dangerous stuff people do every day.

We get concrete about what a CMO actually does: supporting physicians, solving hospital-wide problems, coordinating resources, meeting with leaders and partner facilities, and making sure patients get the right care at the right place.

Dr. Domenic also breaks down trauma center levels in plain English, from rural stabilization all the way up to Level 1 research and resident training. If you’ve ever wondered how hospitals prepare for worst-day scenarios while still handling the nonstop “mundane” ER volume, this conversation pulls back the curtain.

Then we swerve into the most surprising résumé in healthcare: pilot, former professional DJ, and a guy who conquered skydiving without ever making peace with ladders.

Kristen Barczak brings sharp, funny questions about balance, fear, and what real life looks like outside the job of comedy and writing. She shines a light on rescue animals, cat chaos, and the kind of household mayhem that feels weirdly familiar to anyone who’s worked a shift.

We also share practical Nashville safety tips for visitors, especially around electric scooters, alcohol-related injuries, helmets, wrist guards, and why “drink responsibly” signs don’t always reach the right people.

If you like smart laughs with real hospital insight, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s the most dangerous “normal” thing you’ve seen someone do?

THANK TO OUR GUESTS:

Kristan Barczak (Comedian, Writer, Mom)

Instagram: @kristanbcomedy

https://www.kristanbarczak.com/

Dr Domenic (Chief Medical Officer, Emergency Medicine Physician, Pilot, DJ)

https://www.staypositive.news/article/tristar-skyline-welcomes-new-chief-medical-officer-dominec-martinello-md

DR BEN AND FRIENDS PODCAST:

This episode was produced by Angie Debelak with post-production editing by Ben Hill Sound.

Thanks for listening to Dr Ben and Friends. Laughter is the best medicine...unless you're treating bowel or bladder incontinence. See you next time!

Team Dr Ben

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Share a message with Dr Ben and Friends!

Support the show

Share a message with Dr Ben and Friends!

Support the show

Follow and listen for free on Dr Ben and Friends website, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio!

Fan of the show? Record yourself! on Dr Ben's website and YOU could be featured on the next episode!

DISCLAIMER: Dr Ben and Friends Podcast

Quick heads-up folks: Dr Ben and Friends is your weekly dose of laughs and stories. We celebrate healthcare heroes and pro comics.

This is infotainment-- think popcorn, not prescriptions or medical advice.

If you're feeling funky, see your medical professional. Your health? That's on you. We'll stick to the punchlines.

JOIN US FOR DECODE THE DOCS WEEK! We're revisiting our most popular episodes about medical word trivia. This is when our pro comics do the heavy lifting. Celebrate these heroes who keep you healthy and laughing with Team Dr Ben!

Medical words can sound like spells, pasta dishes, or something a doctor invented on the spot and that confusion is exactly what we’re fixing today. We’re Dr. Ben and Dr. Jennifer (a hospitalist), and we bring comedian Marcus Saputo into a game of “What the Heck?” where he has to pronounce real medical terminology and guess what it means before we translate it into normal human language.

-We break down pancytopenia (what it means when multiple blood counts are low) and why that matters for oxygen, infection risk, and bleeding.

-Then we get serious for a minute with pneumoperitoneum, the fancy term for free air in the abdomen, and why it can point to a perforated organ and a true emergency.

-We also hit onychomycosis (toenail fungus), proving that scary-sounding diagnoses aren’t always dangerous, just annoying.

-We round it out with hypernatremia (high sodium), plus idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), where we talk about platelets, clotting, and the not-so-comforting truth that “idiopathic” can mean the cause is unknown.

-Finally, we decode splenomegaly and what an enlarged spleen can mean, including why the treatment depends on the underlying problem.

Everyone is gonna wish Marcus was with them at their next checkup. He's the comedian every hospital should have on staff.

If you like comedy with real health education, hit subscribe, share this with a friend who hates medical jargon, and leave a review so more people can learn what these words actually mean.

THANKS TO OUR GUESTS:

Dr Jennifer: Internal Medicine, Hospitalist

Marcus Saputo: IG/TT/YT/FB @marcussaputo www.marcussaputo.com

This episode was produced by Angie Debelak with post-production editing by Ben Hill Sound.

Thanks for listening to Dr Ben and Friends. Laughter is the best medicine...unless you're treating bowel or bladder incontinence. See you next time!

Team Dr Ben

Share a message with Dr Ben and Friends!

Support the show

Follow and listen for free on Dr Ben and Friends website, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio!

Fan of the show? Record yourself! on Dr Ben's website and YOU could be featured on the next episode!

DISCLAIMER: Dr Ben and Friends Podcast

Quick heads-up folks: Dr Ben and Friends is your weekly dose of laughs and stories. We celebrate healthcare heroes and pro comics.

This is infotainment-- think popcorn, not prescriptions or medical advice.

If you're feeling funky, see your medical professional. Your health? That's on you. We'll stick to the punchlines.

JOIN US FOR DECODE THE DOCS WEEK! We're revisiting our most popular episodes about medical word trivia. This is when our pro comics do the heavy lifting. Celebrate these heroes who keep you healthy and laughing with Team Dr Ben!

A word can be funny until it’s on your chart. We’re turning the most intimidating oral and maxillofacial surgery terms into something you can actually understand, using a simple setup: Comedian Drew Davis takes a bold guess at what the term means, and Dr. Steve (our oral maxillofacial surgeon) explains the real definition with the kind of clarity you wish every appointment had.

We get into cleft lip repair and why timing matters for feeding and speech, then move into the big jaw-and-bite world of orthognathic surgery. Dr. Steve breaks down Le Fort fractures and the Le Fort osteotomy, explaining how surgeons use predictable midface patterns to classify trauma and also to plan elective jaw repositioning for dentofacial deformities and malocclusion.

We also connect it to the sagittal split osteotomy on the mandible, showing how upper jaw and lower jaw procedures work together to line teeth up and restore function.

Then we hit one of the wildest-sounding but most real techniques: distraction osteogenesis. We talk through how a controlled bone cut plus a device that advances tiny amounts each day can stimulate new bone growth, often in pediatric patients with small jaws that affect the airway.

We close with the sphenozygomatic suture, a key skull anatomy landmark that helps surgeons confirm a cheekbone is back where it belongs after facial trauma.

If you like medical terminology, anatomy, surgery stories, or just learning something useful while laughing, subscribe, share this with a curious friend, and leave a review. Which medical term should we decode next?

Thanks to our guests:

Dr Steve, oral maxillofacial surgeon

Drew Davis, Comedian, Founder Clean Comedy Collective

FB/IG/TT/YT: @drewdaviscomedy

https://drewdaviscomedy.com/

This episode was produced by Angie Debelak with post-production editing by Ben Hill Sound.

Thanks for listening to Dr Ben and Friends. Laughter is the best medicine...unless you're treating bowel or bladder incontinence. See you next time!

Team Dr Ben

Share a message with Dr Ben and Friends!

Support the show

Follow and listen for free on Dr Ben and Friends website, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio!

Fan of the show? Record yourself! on Dr Ben's website and YOU could be featured on the next episode!

DISCLAIMER: Dr Ben and Friends Podcast

Quick heads-up folks: Dr Ben and Friends is your weekly dose of laughs and stories. We celebrate healthcare heroes and pro comics.

This is infotainment-- think popcorn, not prescriptions or medical advice.

If you're feeling funky, see your medical professional. Your health? That's on you. We'll stick to the punchlines.

Join us for DECODE THE DOCS Week!

Most people hear a word like “anastomosis” and instantly feel like they missed a semester of medical school. We get it, so we turned that confusion into a game.

We’re joined by Adam, a surgical first assistant who works beside surgeons in the operating room, and Dr. Ben Sawyer, a history professor and stand-up comedian who’s brave enough to pronounce OR jargon on the fly and defend his wild definitions.

We break down what these terms actually mean in real clinical life, from anastomosis as the critical “reconnection” step after removing a diseased segment of colon, to laparoscopic cholecystectomy as the everyday name for minimally invasive gallbladder removal using ports and a camera.

Then we jump into the gear: the Bair Hugger warming blanket that helps keep patients at a safe body temperature during surgery, the Army Navy retractor that makes exposure possible, and electrocautery (the Bovie) for controlling bleeding.

We finish with one of the most satisfying tools to talk about: the surgical mallet and the bone work that makes orthopedics feel like carpentry with consequences, plus a few pop-culture detours that only a comedian historian would bring.

If you like smart comedy, healthcare stories, and learning surgical terminology without the snooze factor, hit subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review. What’s the most confusing medical word you’ve ever heard?

THANKS TO OUR GUESTS:

Adam: Surgical First Assistant

Podcast: Vassals of Kingsgrave

Dr Ben Sawyer: history professor, comedian, podcast and game show host

Podcast: The Road to Now

Game Show: Perfect Timing Game Show (live comedy)

IG: @SawyerComedy, @ptgameshow

X: @SawyerComedy

FB: PT Game Show

www.sawyercomedy.com

This episode was produced by Angie Debelak with post-production editing by Ben Hill Sound.

Thanks for listening to Dr Ben and Friends. Laughter is the best medicine...unless you're treating bowel or bladder incontinence. See you next time!

Team Dr Ben

Share a message with Dr Ben and Friends!

Support the show

Follow and listen for free on Dr Ben and Friends website, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio!

Fan of the show? Record yourself! on Dr Ben's website and YOU could be featured on the next episode!

DISCLAIMER: Dr Ben and Friends Podcast

Quick heads-up folks: Dr Ben and Friends is your weekly dose of laughs and stories. We celebrate healthcare heroes and pro comics.

This is infotainment-- think popcorn, not prescriptions or medical advice.

If you're feeling funky, see your medical professional. Your health? That's on you. We'll stick to the punchlines.

Your gut can turn into a microbrewery, and that’s not a metaphor.

We kick things off with our “Headline or Hoax” challenge, then follow the truth to autobrewery syndrome, a real medical condition where gut microbes (often involving yeast) ferment carbohydrates and produce ethanol. That means someone can show up slurring their words, fail a breathalyzer, and still be telling the truth when they say they didn’t drink. We talk through what’s happening inside the gut microbiome, why it’s so surprising, and why “outlandish” doesn’t always mean “fake” in medicine.

Next we get into snake oil, the phrase everyone uses for scams, and we try to be more precise than the punchline. There’s a long history here, from traditional use for joint pain and inflammation to famous frauds that sold “snake oil” with zero snake in it. The bigger point is how easily health claims slide from maybe-helpful to pure hype, and how fast misinformation spreads when people are in pain and looking for relief.

From there, we connect the dots to consumer protection and food safety laws, including the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the odd-but-real rule behind why Kinder Surprise eggs are illegal in the U.S.

We also touch on supplement loopholes, protein powders, and why independent lab testing matters when products aren’t held to drug-level standards. Then we take a historical turn into smallpox, variolation, and Washington’s risky decision to protect troops, before ending with our “Dr. Ben Buzz Battle” surgery game that proves how hard the job really is.

SOURCE: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/196/21/E724

Subscribe for more medical comedy with real science, share this with a friend who loves weird true health stories, and leave us a review. What’s the wildest real medical fact you’ve ever heard?

THANKS TO OUR GUESTS:

Adam: Surgical First Assistant

Podcast: Vassals of Kingsgrave

Dr Ben Sawyer: history professor, comedian, podcast and game show host

Podcast: The Road to Now

Game Show: Perfect Timing Game Show (live comedy)

IG: @SawyerComedy, @ptgameshow

X: @SawyerComedy

FB: PT Game Show

www.sawyercomedy.com

This episode was produced by Angie Debelak with post-production editing by Ben Hill Sound.

Thanks for listening to Dr Ben and Friends. Laughter is the best medicine...unless you're treating bowel or bladder incontinence. See you next time!

Team Dr Ben

Share a message with Dr Ben and Friends!

Support the show

Follow and listen for free on Dr Ben and Friends website, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio!

Fan of the show? Record yourself! on Dr Ben's website and YOU could be featured on the next episode!

DISCLAIMER: Dr Ben and Friends Podcast

Quick heads-up folks: Dr Ben and Friends is your weekly dose of laughs and stories. We celebrate healthcare heroes and pro comics.

This is infotainment-- think popcorn, not prescriptions or medical advice.

If you're feeling funky, see your medical professional. Your health? That's on you. We'll stick to the punchlines.