Episodes

Today, Ali and Asif discuss the career of Mel Brooks and the recent documentary on his life and career “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!” (1:25). The guys start off by discussing when they first started watching Mel Brooks and then go over how the documentary highlights some little known aspects of Brooks’ career. They discuss his origins in comedy, his work with Carl Reiner and the ups and downs of his career. They also discuss how influential Brooks was as a producer, including promoting the ...

Today, Asif and Ali discuss the documentary on Martin Short “Marty, Life is Short” (3:47). They discuss director Lawrence Kasden and what led him to make a documentary on his friend Martin Short. They discuss how the documentary not only goes over Martin Short’s career, but also discusses both grief and the “joy” of being friends with Martin Short. Then the guys discuss the concept of grief and why “prolonged grief” can be considered a medical diagnosis (21:58). Asif starts off with some definit...

Today, Ali and Asif discuss their favourite entertainment of 2026 to date (1:51). Listen as they discuss “Nivanna the Band, The Show, The Movie”, “It Was Just an Accident”, “Beef”, “Wonder Man”. “His and Hers”, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”, as well as stand up specials by Wanda Sykes and Ramy Youssef. And as usual, Ali lists some of his must read books and Asif talks about new music from Noah Kahan and U2. Then, since Asif recently returned from China and Taiwan, on today’s episode, he gives Ali...

Today, Asif and Ali discuss something that seems closer to science fiction than reality – using your brain waves to perform actions or communicate. They chat with guest Dr. Adam Kirton to discuss Brain Computer interface aka BCI. Dr. Kirton is Professor of Pediatrics and Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Calgary and an attending Pediatric Neurologist at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Dr. Kirton’s research focuses on applying neurotechnologies to generate new opportunities for life p...

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses sexual abuse. Most of you have heard about the blockbuster success of the movie “Michael”. So today Ali and Asif discuss their thoughts on the resurgent popularity of Michael Jackson. Then we will “remix” in our conversation from 2024 discussion Jackson, his complicated legacy and his use of propofol. They start off by talking about Jackson’s early life (19:38), the success of the Jackson 5 and the abuse he allegedly suffered at the hands of his father,...

Today, Ali and Asif discuss ‘The Roast of Kevin Hart’ on Netflix (2:06). The guys go over host Shane Gillis and their thoughts on each of the roasters. They then discuss some of the controversies associated with the roast, including their thoughts on the sets of Tony Hinchcliffe, Pete Davidson and Katt Williams. Then the guys discuss peptides (38:45). Ali asks Asif about what exactly they are and why they have become so hyped as of late. Asif then discusses what they are used for and in particul...

Most of you have heard about the recent outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship, so today Asif and Ali revisit that topic (no entertainment topic for today). We will go over the facts of the outbreak and then splice in our conversation from last spring about all things hantavirus. Ali asks Asif about this rare infection and how it is transmitted by exposure to rodent droppings. Asif discusses how people contract it, how common it is and where in North American you can be exposed to it. He then d...

Asif and Ali, after a brief digression about Halifax and indie-band ‘The Lowest of the Low’, the guys discuss ‘SNL UK’ (4:25). They discuss how the show came about, the involvement of Lorne Michaels, and other failed SNL franchises in other countries. They then discuss the similarities and differences between the show and classic SNL. Finally they go over their thoughts on the cast and the show as a whole. Then Ali tells us the story about his recent sleep study (22:50). Asif then goes over slee...

Today Asif and Ali discuss the career of Riz Ahmed and his new Prime series ‘Bait’. They start off by discussing Ahmed’s rap career, his early roles, how he broke the colour barrier for South Asian actors, and their favourite Riz Ahmed movies. They then discuss his genre bending new series ‘Bait’. Then they discuss psychosis (a theme in ‘Bait’). Ali asks Asif about what it is, how commonly it is seen, and what the symptoms are. Asif then describes how psychosis is different from schizophrenia an...

Today, Asif and Ali discuss the hit TV show ‘The Pitt’. They discuss how it was initially developed as an ‘ER’ follow-up and how it evolved into its final form as a real-time show, with each season taking place over a single ER shift. They then go over the filmmaking style and the phenomenal cast. Finally they discuss their overall thoughts on the show and whether it is an accurate portrayal of the medical world. Then Ali asks Asif about a major theme of ‘The Pitt’ – PTSD in health care. Asif ta...

Today, Ali and Asif (after a digression about Ali’s recent trip to Mexico) in Celebration of National Canadian Film on April 15, the guys list their favourite films by Canadian directors (no medical topic today). Listen to hear where they rank movies by Atom Egoyan, Denys Arcand, Denis Villeneuve, Jean-Marc Valle, Kevin Tierney, Celine Song, James Cameron and Ivan Reitman. The opinions expressed are those of the hosts, and do not reflect those of any other organizations. This podcast and websit...

Today, Ali and Asif discuss the revival of ‘Scrubs’ (do not call it a reboot). The guys discuss their thoughts on the old version of Scrubs, the non-stop comedy, their favourite moments, the amazing finale and the much-maligned season 9 (2:04). The guys then discuss the recent revival and how Zach Braff and Donald Faison’s podcast helped to influence the trajectory of the new season. Then they discuss the recent social media trend of “Looksmaxxing” (26:21). They discuss what it is, how it is th...

Today Ali and Asif discuss the career of Timothee Chalamet (2:22). Asif starts off by quizzing Ali about Chalamet’s early life. Then they go over their favourite Timothee Chalamet performances. Finally they discuss the recent controversial remarks that Chalamet made regarding ballet and opera. Then Ali asks Asif about the dangers of raw milk (32:43). Asif starts off by discussing pasteurization and the history of food preservation. Then Ali goes over the various talking points of raw milk advoc...

Today Asif and Ali discuss the nomination of Dr. Casey Means for the position of U.S. Surgeon General (no entertainment topic). They discuss her early background (including why Ali thinks he is a nepo baby) and how she went to Stanford medical school and left partway through residency. They then go over the (very few) positive aspects of her nomination. However, they spend most of the rest of the podcast discussing why she is a terrible choice for surgeon general, including her inability to pr...

The guys were on hiatus when two prominent entertainers passed away – Rob Reiner and Catherine O’Hara – so today Ali and Asif discuss their careers. They guys start of by discussing Rob Reiner (3:43), his early career and when they both first heard of him. They discuss ‘All in the Family’, This is Spinal Tap’, and Rob Reiner’s unprecedented run of movies beginning with ‘Stand By Me’ to ‘A Few Good Men’. Finally they discuss Reiner’s life outside of entertainment, including his political activis...

The boys are back! After a brief discussion about their hiatus, the guys discuss the recent situation that occurred at the BAFTA awards regarding John Davidson and Tourette Syndrome (2:24). The guys go over exactly what happened at the BAFTA’s and what occurred prior to Davidson yelling a racial slur at actors Micheal B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo. Ali then asks Asif about Tourette syndrome, how common obscenities are in this disorder and how the movements and noises are involuntary (9:44). They th...

For the next few weeks, the guys will be re-airing some of their favourite episodes from our archives. Today, Ali and Asif discuss the career of comedian Anthony Jeselnik and his special ‘Bones and All’ (1:54). They discuss his early life, when they first saw him (Ali actually met him person!) and an insightful interview with Jeselnik in ‘Cracked Magazine’. They discuss Jeselnik’s success as well as his admiration for Norm MacDonald. The guys then discuss (31:31) psychopathy and antisocial perso...

For the next few weeks, the guys will be re-airing some of their favourite episodes from our archives. This week, Asif is in France on his sabbatical. To commemorate this, the guys give each other a quiz on France. Ali starts off by quizzing Asif about French culture and cuisine. They discuss croissants, Bouillabaisse, Versailles, and French greetings. Then Asif quizzes Ali about medicine in France including the advent of teaching in hospitals, pasteurization, the guillotine (!), as well as a l...

For the next few weeks, the guys will be re-airing some of their favourite episodes from our archives. Today, Ali and Asif review the new documentary about Louis CK, ‘Sorry / Not Sorry’ (1:53). They start off by discussing Louis CK’s background, his blockbuster success as a stand up comedian and how he changed the financial model of stand up comedy specials. Then then discuss his sexual impropriety as outlined in the New York Times as well as in the documentary. The guys go over what they percei...

For the next few weeks, the guys will be re-airing some of their favourite episodes from our archives. Today Asif and Ali interview podcaster Kate Downey about period pain and her new podcast “Cramped”. The guys chat with Kate about why she wanted to start a podcast about period pain (dysmenorrhea) and her personal journey with what she calls ‘death cramps”. Kate then elaborates on why period pain is often treated differently than other types of pain and the relation between period pain and endo...

For the next few weeks, the guys will be re-airing some of their favourite episodes from our archives. Since March has been endometriosis awareness month, on today’s episode, Asif and Ali welcome gynecologist Dr. Sonhy Singh to discuss this common and often debilitating disease.. Dr. Singh explains what it is and how it affects at at least 10% of women. He discusses how it is often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed how this delay in diagnosis can have long term impacts. He then discusses some tests...

For the next few weeks, the guys will be re-airing some of their favourite episodes from our archives. After debriefing about the return of Jimmy Kimmel (1:15), in the second emergency podcast in as many weeks, Asif and Ali discuss President Trump’s recent press conference linking autism to Tylenol use. Ali starts off by asking Asif about autism (8:27). Asif discusses what it is, how common it is, and the theories about why the prevalence of autism has been increasing over the past 2 decades. He...

For the next few weeks, the guys will be re-airing some of their favourite episodes from our archives. Today, Asif and Ali discuss ultraprocessed foods (no medical topic today). To start off, Asif quizzes Ali about his favorite snack foods (1:29). Then Ali gives Asif a quiz on ultraprocessed foods from the New York Times. They then discuss the obesity epidemic and the the theory that ultraprocessed foods may have contributed to this (25;17). They then go over the NOVA food classification system ...

For the next few weeks, the guys will be re-airing some of their favourite episodes from our archives. Today, Ali and Asif interview misinformation expert Timothy Caulfield about his new book, ‘The Certainty Illusion: What You Don’t Know and Why It Matters ’. They start off by discussing Tim’s background and how he became involved in the battle against misinformation and how he deals with internet trolls. Ali then asks Tim about certain topics he addresses in his new book including gluten, fresh...