Is Laughter the best medicine? We attempt to answer this and other pressing questions in Doctor Vs Comedian. Dr Asif Doja is a pediatric neurologist and Ali Hassan is a stand up comedian and actor (CBC‘s Laugh Out Loud, Designated Survivor, Goon) who are each fascinated by what the other one does. In each episode, Asif picks a topic for Ali from comedy and entertainment and questions Ali about it. Then Ali picks a topic from medicine and health and grills Asif on that subject. We talk about serious subjects in an unserious way. If you want to hear about comedy, entertainment, health and wellness and don‘t want to have to choose between being entertaining AND informed, then this show is for you.
Episodes
Friday May 28, 2021
Episode 12: 'Sound of Metal" / Cochlear Implants
Friday May 28, 2021
Friday May 28, 2021
The guys start out today’s show discussing unrelated pop culture that is linked in each of their minds (00:55). Then, the guys discuss the recent movie ‘Sound of Metal’, Ali’s personal connection to it and the impressive performance of Riz Ahmed (6:30). They also discuss how the movie comments on the concept of personal identity and how it relates to the Covid-19 pandemic. They guys then rave about the sound design in ‘Sound of Metal’. Asif then talks about rapid onset hearing loss like Riz Ahmed’s character suffers from in the movie (18:42), followed by a discussion on cochlear implants. He discusses what the movie gets right or wrong and whether they are considered controversial in the Deaf community.
The opinions expressed are those of the hosts, and do not reflect those of any other organizations. This podcast and website represents the opinions of the hosts. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for entertainment and informational purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions.
Music courtesy of Wataboi and 8er41 from Pixabay
Contact us at doctorvcomedian@gmail.com
Follow us on Social media:
Twitter: @doctorvcomedian
Instagram: doctorvcomedian
Show Notes
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What two pieces of unrelated pop culture are forever connected in your mind? https://www.avclub.com/what-two-pieces-of-unrelated-pop-culture-are-forever-co-1846691101
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MC And Actor Riz Ahmed Embraces A New Kind Of Role In 'Sound Of Metal' https://www.npr.org/2021/03/26/981549708/mc-and-actor-riz-ahmed-embraces-a-new-kind-of-role-in-sound-of-metal
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Riz Ahmed on identity, hearing loss, and Sound Of Metal https://film.avclub.com/riz-ahmed-on-identity-hearing-loss-and-sound-of-metal-1845804534
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Understanding Deafness: Not Everyone Wants to Be 'Fixed' https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/08/understanding-deafness-not-everyone-wants-to-be-fixed/278527/ Allegra Ringo
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Why some people turned down a 'medical miracle' and decided to stay deaf https://www.insider.com/why-deaf-people-turn-down-cochlear-implants-2016-12
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A Clearer Message on Cochlear Implants https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/21/opinion/deaf-cochlear-implants-sign-language.html
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'Sound of Metal' is a heartwarming — and frustrating — take on deafness
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Deaf in the Time of the Cochlea https://academic.oup.com/jdsde/article/16/2/153/366456
Friday May 21, 2021
Episode 11: Saturday Night Live Top 5’s / Intermittent Fasting
Friday May 21, 2021
Friday May 21, 2021
In today’s episode, the guys start the episode discussing Elon Musk and their surprising takes on his recent Saturday Night Live hosting gig (1:08) -- plus a brief discussion on Wayne Gretsky’s (in)famous hosting gig. Then, to commemorate the upcoming season finale of the 46th season of Saturday Night Live, Ali and Asif discuss their top 5 SNL performers (9:25). Listen to find out who they include and who they shockingly leave out! Then Asif discusses the concept of intermittent fasting (27:30). He goes over the theory for why it should work and the basic science evidence. Then he reviews the clinical studies supporting and refuting the effectiveness of intermittent fasting. Finally, he discusses promising new trials regarding cancer and intermittent fasting.
The opinions expressed are those of the hosts, and do not reflect those of any other organizations. This podcast and website represents the opinions of the hosts. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for entertainment and informational purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions.
Music courtesy of Wataboi and 8er41 from Pixabay
Contact us at doctorvcomedian@gmail.com
Follow us on Social media:
Twitter: @doctorvcomedian
Instagram: doctorvcomedian
Show Notes
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The One Big Problem With Elon Musk’s Autism Announcement: https://slate.com/culture/2021/05/elon-musk-aspergers-snl-autism-spectrum.html
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A Conversation With a Harvard Geneticist on How to Live (Well) Past 100: Dr. David Sinclair talks intermittent fasting, Benjamin Button and more
- https://www.insidehook.com/article/health-and-fitness/how-to-live-past-100
- Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1905136
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Intermittent fasting and weight loss: Systematic review: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32060194/
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Diet Review: Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/intermittent-fasting/
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Effects of Time-Restricted Eating on Weight Loss and Other Metabolic Parameters in Women and Men With Overweight and ObesityThe TREAT Randomized Clinical Trial: JAMA Intern Med. 2020;180(11):1491-1499. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.4153
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A Potential Downside of Intermittent Fasting: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/28/well/eat/a-potential-downside-of-intermittent-fasting.html
Sunday May 16, 2021
Bonus: As if the director wouldn’t let you pronounce “Asif” properly
Sunday May 16, 2021
Sunday May 16, 2021
For our last episode on Code Switching, Ali actually forgot to tell a story he had about a director insisting that the name “Asif” be pronounced a certain way. We’ve included it for you here as a bonus clip.
The opinions expressed are those of the hosts, and do not reflect those of any other organizations. This podcast and website represents the opinions of the hosts. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for entertainment and informational purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions.
Music courtesy of Wataboi and 8er41 from Pixabay
Contact us at doctorvcomedian@gmail.com
Follow us on Social media:
Twitter: @doctorvcomedian
Instagram: doctorvcomedian
Friday May 14, 2021
Episode 10: Code Switching / Video Games
Friday May 14, 2021
Friday May 14, 2021
In this episode, the guys discuss the topic of code-switching (1:36). They review examples of code switching in the media including Barack Obama, Boots Riley’s “Sorry to Bother You” and Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele’s code switching sketch on “Key & Peele”. They also discuss the Harvard Business Review’s piece on code-switching in the workplace as well as the use of different accents as a form of code switching. Finally, Ali discusses his personal views on code-switching and a conversation he had on the topic with Hasan Minhaj. Next, Asif discusses the prevalence of video game playing in society and the argument that they may actually be good for you (17:33). He then reviews the evidence for the association between video games and aggression in children and teens. Finally, Asif reviews the concept of video game addiction and provides practical tips for parents on regulating video game use in kids.
The opinions expressed are those of the hosts, and do not reflect those of any other organizations. This podcast and website represents the opinions of the hosts. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for entertainment and informational purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions.
Music courtesy of Wataboi and 8er41 from Pixabay
Contact us at doctorvcomedian@gmail.com
Follow us on Social media:
Twitter: @doctorvcomedian
Instagram: doctorvcomedian
Show Notes:
- Key and Peele phone call sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXH5CD3O7Oc
- The costs of code switching, Harvard Business Review, 2019: https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-costs-of-codeswitching
- NPR’s Code Switch podcast: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch
- Metaanalysis of the relationship between violent video game play and physical aggression over time, 2018: https://www.pnas.org/content/115/40/9882
- The Link Between Playing Video Games and Positive Youth Outcomes, Child development perspectives, 2017: https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cdep.12232
- Video gaming in school children: How much is enough?, Annals of Neurology, 2016: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ana.24745
- Evidence for striatal dopamine release during a video game, Nature, 1998: https://www.nature.com/articles/30498
- WHO, Addictive Behaviors: Gaming Disorder: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/addictive-behaviours-gaming-disorder
- Do violent video games trigger aggression?: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-violent-video-games-trigger-aggression/
- Brain and Life magazine: https://www.brainandlife.org/
- Gaming: A parent’s guide: https://drdanpezzulo.wordpress.com/2014/08/12/gaming-a-parents-guide/amp/
Thursday May 06, 2021
Episode 9: Accents & Apu / ’Medical ‘Miracles’ & Doctor Distrust
Thursday May 06, 2021
Thursday May 06, 2021
In today’s episode, after a bit of listener mail about Ali’s love of Shonda Rimes (1:00), the guys discuss the issue of actors faking accents on movies and TV shows (2:09). Ali discusses Rizwan Manji from Schitt’s Creek and Aziz Ansari. Ali even discusses how he originally auditioned for the role of Ray Bhutani on Schitt’s Creek and his own experience with using an accent in roles. We also discuss the case of Paul Sun-Hyung Lee on Kim’s Convenience. They then discuss “The Problem with Apu”, the documentary by Hari Kondabolu, and Hank Anzaria. They discuss the historical example of Peter Sellers and “The Party”. Ali then talks about Hank Azaria’s recent appearance on “Armchair Expert” with Dax Shepard and Hank’s apology to South Asians. Then, Asif talks about so-called ‘miracle cures’ in medicine and his contempt of practitioners who peddle them (21:19). Ali then counters with the question of whether patients seek miracle cures because of a distrust of doctors and the medical system. They then discuss how distrust of the medical system can affect health outcomes and touch on the issue of race and its relation to medical distrust (and discuss Michael Che from Saturday Night Live). Asif then discusses what the medical community can do to improve trust.
The opinions expressed are those of the hosts, and do not reflect those of any other organizations. This podcast and website represents the opinions of the hosts. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for entertainment and informational purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions.
Music courtesy of Wataboi and 8er41 from Pixabay
Contact us at doctorvcomedian@gmail.com
Follow us on Social media:
Twitter: @doctorvcomedian
Instagram: doctorvcomedian
Show Notes
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Schitt's Creek Actor Rizwan Manji Doesn't Regret Giving His Character an Accent :https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/12/schitts-creek-ray-rizwan-manji-south-asian-accent
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Hank Azaria feels he should apologize for Apu 'to every single Indian person in this country': https://www.kezi.com/content/national/574196012.html?ref=012:
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Armchair Expert Podcast with Hank Azaria: https://armchairexpertpod.com/pods/hank-azaria
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The Problem with Apu:https://gem.cbc.ca/media/documentary-specials/episode-39/38e815a-010f377caad
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Do You Trust the Medical Profession? By Dhruv Khullar: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/upshot/do-you-trust-the-medical-profession.html
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Measuring Patients’ Trust In Physicians When Assessing Quality Of Care: https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.23.4.124
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Linking primary care performance to outcomes of care: https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?v=2.1&it=r&sw=w&id=GALE%7CA21215648&prodId=AONE&authCount=1&u=nysl_me_weillmdc&selfRedirect=true
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Understanding and Ameliorating Medical Mistrust Among Black Americans https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletter-article/2021/jan/medical-mistrust-among-black-americans
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Bad Medicine: The Harm That Comes From Racism: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/13/upshot/bad-medicine-the-harm-that-comes-from-racism.html Austin Frakt
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Harriet A. Washington: Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans From Colonial Times to the Present: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/185986/medical-apartheid-by-harriet-a-washington/