Episodes

Today Asif and Ali combine the medicine and entertainment subjects when they discuss “I Swear” – the BAFTA award winning movie about Tourette Syndrome (1:52). They chat about the background of the movie and how it is based on activist John Davidson, who has a severe version of Tourette Syndrome. They review how the film was developed, including discussion about director Kirk Jones and star Robert Aramayo. Then they give their thoughts on the film and single out Aramayo’s performance, which was a...

NOTE: This episode contains explicit language and discussions of sexual abuse and self-harm Today, Ali and Asif are joined by comedian and longtime podcast host Paul Gilmartin, former co-host of TBS’s Dinner and a Movie, stand-up comedian, and creator and host of The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast. Paul talks about his journey into comedy and why so many comedians seem to have a complicated relationship with pain, vulnerability, and humor. We explore how The Mental Illness Happy Hour began, w...

Today Asif and Ali explore the remarkable life and legacy of Dolly Parton (1:55)—from her humble beginnings in rural Tennessee and extraordinary career as a singer, songwriter, actress, and entertainer to her enduring impact far beyond music. They discuss some of her most iconic songs, including “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You,” as well as the business savvy that helped make her one of the most successful artists of all time. But Dolly’s greatest legacy may be her philanthropy: f...

In this episode, Asif and Ali examine the intense public scrutiny surrounding Ariana Grande and Jenna Ortega and what our fascination with celebrities’ bodies reveals about the culture we have created. They discuss why an eating disorder cannot be diagnosed from a photograph, Grande’s public comments about body scrutiny, Ortega’s reflections on her experiences as a child actor, and the ways celebrity culture, social media, appearance comparison and unrealistic beauty standards can affect body im...

Today, Asif and Ali sit down with Dr. Mubin Syed, an interventional radiologist and neuroradiologist with more than 30 years of clinical experience, board-certified in vascular medicine and obesity medicine, health historian, medtech entrepreneur, and inventor with 28 patents. Dr. Syed shares his personal journey of suffering a heart attack and how this led him into a deep dive of trying to understand why South Asians are at a much higher risk of cardiovascular disease. He explores the “thin-fat...

Today, Asif and Ali discuss all things vaccines with the author of ‘The Vaccine Bible’ Dr. Michael T. Myers Jr (1:23). A pediatrician and physician leader with more than 35 years of experience in primary care, medical group practice, public health, and health care consulting, Dr. Myers recently retired as Chief of Primary Care, Pediatrics, and Practice Transformation for Summit Health New Jersey. The guys chat with him about what led him to become a vaccine advocate and why he felt this was the ...

Today, at the beginning of the episode, Asif and Ali discuss the recent passing of Irish singer Glen Hansard. Then based on recent “Popular Information” articles, Asif and Ali discuss Scientology, their war on psychiatry and SSRI’s and the connection to RFK Jr. The guys start by discussing L. Ron Hubbard, the pulp and science-fiction writer who developed Dianetics in 1950, introducing concepts such as the “reactive mind,” “engrams,” and “auditing.” They then explore how Dianetics evolved into S...

Only medical topics today! Today at the beginning of the episode, Ali asks Asif about the rising rates of head and neck cancer (1:42). Asif explains why smoking-related cancers of the mouth and voice box are declining while HPV-related cancers of the throat—particularly those affecting the tonsils and base of the tongue—are rising, often in younger adults who have never smoked. He discusses what human papillomavirus (HPV) is, why most infections never lead to cancer, and how persistent infection...

Hulk Hogan died one year ago this month, so today, Ali and Asif discuss Hulk Hogan’s legacy with “Why Hulk Hogan Matters” author David Shoemaker. They start off by discussing David’s early memories of Hulk Hogan and then segue into the complicated feelings we all have towards the legendary wrestler. They discuss “unreliable narrators” in wrestling and how Hulk Hogan was a prime example of this. They then go over the use of steroids by Hulk Hogan, how “the lie” is an accepted part of wrestling. A...

Today, Asif and Ali cover TWO medical topics. First, Ali asks Asif about the parasite Cyclospora which is causing outbreaks of explosive diarrhea in large parts of the US (4:13). He explains how the parasite spreads through contaminated food and water—most commonly fresh produce rather than person-to-person contact—why it has become an increasing concern with the globalization of the food supply, and why simply washing fruits and vegetables cannot completely eliminate the risk. He then reviews w...

Today, Asif and Ali discuss their favorite movies from 1996 (2:15) and then they debate the best albums from that same year (28:05) (no medical topic today). Listen to hear what made their list, what didn’t and what overlap, if they had. 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 ...

Recently, Bill Maher received the Mark Twain Prize for American humor. So today, Asif and Ali give their thoughts on Maher (spoiler: they don’t like him) (1:40). They discuss their admiration for “Politically Incorrect” and the fallout for that show from Bill’s comments about 9/11. Then then go over his increasingly problematic views on libertarianism, the “Me Too Movement”, vaccines and Islam. Finally they discuss criticism of Mahr from Larry David, Ben Affleck, Bill Burr and Wanda Sykes. Then...

This month, Steven Spielberg’s 35th feature film, “Disclosure Day” hit theatres. In honour of this Ali and Asif discuss their top 5 Spielberg films (after some inane banter about gift giving). (5:00) Listen to hear what the guys think about “Schindler’s List”, “Jaws”, “E.T.”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Munich” and "Jurassic Park”. Then, since Disclosure Day is about aliens, in our medical section, the guys discuss two alien-like phenomena in medicine – alien hand syndrome and sleep paralysis (...

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 c...

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 defini...

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 Al...

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 pa...

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 particu...

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 ...

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 sle...

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 a...

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 t...

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...