On today’s episode, Ali asks Asif about the phenomenon of synesthesia (2:33). Asif gives the definition of the term and gives several examples of synesthesia. He discusses how it is thought to possibly be genetic, and describes how common it is (occurs in 1 in 2000 people!). Asif talks about acquired cases (i.e. from strokes) as well as the theories as to what causes this phenomenon (disinhibited feedback between regions vs the amount or pattern of dendritic and/or axonal connections). Then Asif gives Ali a quiz on famous people who are reported to have synesthesia (17:44). 

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:

• Everyday fantasia: The world of synesthesia: https://www.apa.org/monitor/mar01/synesthesia

• What is synesthesia? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-synesthesia/

• Survival of the Synesthesia Gene: Why Do People Hear Colors and Taste Words?: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1001205

• A critical review of the neuroimaging literature on synesthesia: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00103/full

• Chapter 13 - Synesthesia: The current state of the field: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128124925000139

• How A Stroke Can Make A Shade Of Blue Disgusting And The James Bond Theme Orgasmic: https://www.businessinsider.com/brain-injury-causes-synesthesia-2013-7

• When the Senses Become Confused: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/health/25brai.html

• From the thalamus with love: A rare window into the locus of emotional synesthesia: https://n.neurology.org/content/81/5/509.short?sid=ae421f6d-c1fe-48a4-9ddc-16b9e6cd91b8

On today’s episode, Asif asks Ali about different comedy styles and why aspiring comedians would choose to adopt a particular style (1:54). He goes over  ‘one-liner’, ‘storytelling’, ‘observational’ styles. He then goes over comics who adopt characters, shock/insult comics, prop/magic/music comedians, and political comics. Then Ali asks Asif about obstructive sleep apnea (33:45). Asif talks about his personal experiences with being diagnosed with sleep apnea. He then goes over how common sleep apnea is, the causes, risk factors and symptoms. Asi discusses the warning signs as well as what the testing for sleep apnea entails. Asif then talks about CPAP as a treatment for sleep apnea, as well as other possible treatments. 

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:

• Shock Humor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shock_humour

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Adults: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp1816152

• Diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in adults: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/189/48/E1481

• Up, down, or no change: weight gain as an unwanted side effect of CPAP for obstructive sleep apnea: https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.8888

On this special episode, the guys interview physician and podcaster Dr. Mark Shapiro, host of the ‘Explore the Space’ podcast and ‘Med Lasso’. The guys ask Mark about his “origin story” and how he got started in medicine and podcasting. He goes into detail on how he eventually went into Internal Medicine and became a hospitalist. Mark discusses how the name “Explore the Space” came from the Saturday Night Live “More Cowbell” sketch…and then the guys take a digression to review their favourite SNL sketches. Asif then asks Mark about how he has come around to using social media to connect with others and as an advocacy tool. Ali then asks Mark about gun control… and Mark quickly points out how that term is used by pro-gun advocates to sow discord. Mark then addresses the controversy several years ago when physicians were told to “stay in your lane” regarding gun violence in the US. 

The guys then segue into a discussion about entertainment, with Mark starting off by talking about his love for Robin Williams. The guys then discuss the influence of Robin Williams on the character of Ted Lasso. Mark discusses his love for ‘Ted Lasso’, how he decided to do the ‘Med Lasso’ episodes of his podcast and why ‘Ted Lasso’ resonates so much with the medical community. All three then preview the upcoming 3rd season of ‘Ted Lasso’. 

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:

• Explore the Space Podcast: https://www.explorethespaceshow.com/

• Doctors Revolt After N.R.A. Tells Them to ‘Stay in Their Lane’ on Gun Policy: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/13/us/nra-stay-in-your-lane-doctors.html

• Jason Sudeikis Reveals How ‘Ted Lasso’ Was Inspired by Robin Williams: https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/ted-lasso-jason-sudeikis-streaming-room-1234843360/

• Jason Sudeikis 'can't give a definitive answer' about future of Ted Lasso: https://ew.com/tv/jason-sudeikis-ted-lasso-season-3-future/

In this special episode, the guys preview the 95th Annual Academy Awards Preview, taking place on March 12, 2023 (no medical topic this episode). The guys start off by discussing how other awards (SAG awards, Directors’ guild, Producers’ Guild, Golden Globes, Writer’s Guild can sometimes predict the Oscars. They guys then go through each category as well as their individual pics. During the Best Actress pics, the guys go over the controversy regarding the nomination of Andrea Riseborough and why the Academy launched an investigation into her nomination. They also discuss how her nomination may have excluded some prominent black actresses. 

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:

• Ana de Armas Overcomes Blonde Backlash to Score Best Actress Nomination: https://www.moviemaker.com/ana-de-armas-overcomes-blonde-backlash-to-score-best-actress-nomination/

• Review: Andrea Riseborough is unmissable and unforgettable in 'To Leslie': https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/review-andrea-riseborough-unmissable-unforgettable-leslie/story?id=96698670

• Was the Andrea Riseborough Oscar Campaign Illegal? https://puck.news/was-the-andrea-riseborough-oscar-campaign-illegal/

• ‘To Leslie’ Instagram Post Referencing Cate Blanchett Could Factor Into Academy Board Meeting: https://variety.com/2023/awards/awards/to-leslie-andrea-riseborough-instagram-post-1235505104/

• 'What does it say that the black women who did everything asked of them are ignored for someone who did everything outside the system?' Hollywood in ferment over Andrea Riseborough's surprise Oscar nomination: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11698687/Hollywood-ferment-Andrea-Riseborough-shortlisted-ahead-two-black-actresses.html

• Inside the Oscar Nominations Ceremony, Andrea Riseborough’s Surprise Nod Shocked Everyone: https://www.indiewire.com/2023/01/inside-the-2023-oscar-nomination-announcement-room-1234803279/

• What Ever Happened To Brendan Fraser? https://www.gq.com/story/what-ever-happened-to-brendan-fraser

• Steven Spielberg Tells Tom Cruise: ‘You Saved Hollywood’s Ass’ and ’Top Gun: Maverick’ Might’ve ‘Saved the Entire Theatrical Industry’: https://variety.com/2023/film/news/steven-spielberg-tells-tom-cruise-saved-hollywood-top-gun-maverick-1235522763/

Today, Ali and Asif debate the merits of the cult-classic television show ‘Community’ (1:31). They start off by discussing how it was created by Dan Harmon after ‘Rick and Morty’ and then discuss Harmon’s writing style. Then then discuss the sexual misconduct allegations against Dan Harmon and his eventual apology to Megan Ganz, one of the women he harassed. Then Asif discusses how he finds the show clever, but not especially funny…and Ali disagrees. Arguments ensue.

Then they discuss the pros and cons of virtual medicine (34:18). Asif starts by discussing the various types of virtual medicine and how its use has increased since the Covid-19 pandemic. He discusses the benefits of virtual medicine and uses ‘telestroke’ as an example. Ali discusses his negative experiences with virtual medicine and Asif talks about some of the concerns the medical community has with virtual medicine.  

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: 

• Community Movie Begins Filming in June, Joel McHale Reveals: https://www.ign.com/articles/community-movie-filming-june-joel-mchale-reveals

• Dan Harmon Story Circle: The 8-Step Storytelling Shortcut: Dan Harmon Story Circle: The 8-Step Storytelling Shortcut

• Save the Cat: https://savethecat.com/
• Elephant Bucks: https://mwp.com/product/elephant-bucks/

• Dan Harmon Gives 'Full Account' of Sexually Harassing Community Writer Megan Ganz: https://time.com/5100019/dan-harmon-megan-ganz-sexual-harassment-apology/ 

• 'No hugging, no learning': 20 years on Seinfeld's mantra still looms large: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/may/10/no-hugging-no-learning-20-years-on-seinfelds-mantra-still-looms-large

• The Rise of Telehealth: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/apple-day/202210/the-rise-telehealth

• Telehealth transformation: COVID-19 and the rise of virtual care: https://academic.oup.com/jamia/article/27/6/957/5822868?login=false

• Telehealth Benefits and Barriers: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1555415520305158

• Considerations for the Implementation of a Telestroke Network: A Systematic Review: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S105230572100576

• The Telehealth Era Is Just Beginning: https://hbr.org/2022/05/the-telehealth-era-is-just-beginning

Today the guys discuss the implication for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in comedy/entertainment and medicine. The guys go over the basics of AI (1:10) and discuss the rise of Chat GPT. Ali then references how he was on the CBC show “Because News” and how he competed with Chat GPT to come up with a sonnet about hamburgers. Ali then talks about AI in comedy and how some developers created a robot who does stand up comedy. Ali then gives examples of how AI created an “Ali Hassan” stand up routine as well as a screenplay based on Ali and Asif’s (and friends’) lives. They then discuss the use of ChatGPT by students and the concerns raised by academia. 

Then Asif discuss AI in medicine (34:23. Asif starts the “Pie in the Sky” ideal of AI assisting doctors and patients. Asif reviews the use of AI to date in radiology, pathology, cardiology, neurology and in endoscopies. He then goes over the significant limitations and concerns associated with AI in medicine. 

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:

• The College Essay Is Dead: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/12/chatgpt-ai-writing-college-student-essays/672371/

• Comedian Ali Hassan takes the news quiz: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/becausenews/comedian-ali-hassan-takes-the-news-quiz-1.6713577

• Artificial Intelligence Can Now Craft Original Jokes—And That’s No Laughing Matter: https://time.com/6132544/artificial-intelligence-humor/

• Bot or not? This Canadian developed an app that weeds out AI-generated homework: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/ai-generated-homework-1.6725710

• Elon Musk Sounds the Alarm About ChatGPT: https://www.thestreet.com/technology/elon-musk-sounds-the-alarm-about-chatgpt

• AI revolution in medicine: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/11/risks-and-benefits-of-an-ai-revolution-in-medicine

• Machine Learning in Medicine: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1814259

• AI 'outperforms' doctors diagnosing breast cancer: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-50857759

• International evaluation of an AI system for breast cancer screening: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1799-6.epdf?sharing_token=73p_xddYYfCXR223Djr_ONRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0M5zwPVx5jT4z_z-YkUZTBTbM27UWphyoF6vHoR667kKgqCi8GNWj2oxgaEK9QGM_J8TQydlaQ1nMXBUQrsn-83UCUXO7SuwGbD3s5OuqoOSNwRSESFwlfAfcnd7hRZOIcdlNH55gszgA7eOZvj2vKQU5Hli2dyISwrlxvPJ62f4A%3D%3D&tracking_referrer=www.bbc.com

• Artificial Intelligence Achieves Near-Human Performance in Diagnosing Breast Cancer: https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/news/artificial-intelligence-achieves-near-human-performance-in-diagnosing-breast-cancer

• Artificial Intelligence Can Now Prevent Heart and Brain Strokes: https://industrywired.com/artificial-intelligence-can-now-prevent-heart-and-brain-strokes/

• How this Canadian start-up spotted coronavirus before everyone else knew about it: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/03/bluedot-used-artificial-intelligence-to-predict-coronavirus-spread.html

• AI in health and medicine: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01614-0

• AI in Medicine Is Overhyped: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-in-medicine-is-overhyped/

Today, Ali and Asif discuss the hit TV show ‘The Last of Us’ (0:56). Asif starts off by discussing the game it is based on and whether video games can be considered ‘art’. Then the guys discuss the challenges of adapting video games to other media. They then discuss the development of the show and how the creators avoided the ‘video game curse’. The guys then give their thoughts on the show. Then Ali asks Asif about fungal infections (22:13). Asif starts off by defining what fungi are and describes some common fungal infections found on the skin. He then talks about more invasive fungal infections in immunocompromised individuals. Finally, Ali asks Asif if the “zombie fungus” that can infect ants could jump to humans.

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:

• ‘Contagion,’ the Movie That Predicted Our Pandemic, Is Really About Our World Falling Apart: https://variety.com/2020/film/columns/contagion-the-movie-that-predicted-our-pandemic-1234590420/

• How The Last of Us became ‘the greatest story that has ever been told in video games’: How The Last of Us became ‘the greatest story that has ever been told in video games’

• How The Last of Us became ‘the greatest story that has ever been told in video games’: 

• Elliot Page, Bella Ramsay and the Last of Us casting controversy that won’t go away: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/last-of-us-hbo-cast-compare-video-game-voice-actors/

• Bad Dads Vs. Hyper Mode: The Father-Daughter Bond In Videogames: https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/hyper-mode/

• The Last Of Us Does What No Show Has Done Before: https://www.wired.com/story/last-of-us-does-the-impossible-hbo/

• https://scriptnotes.net/

• HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ is a hit. This producer wants to clear the air: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2023/01/20/the-last-of-us-hbo-craig-mazin/

• They’re Getting Rid of Sonic the Hedgehog’s Teeth After All: https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/sonic-the-hedgehog-teeth-830842/

• Cutaneous Fungal Infections: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/845251

• What Are Fungal Infections? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3103258/

• Frightened by fungal zombies in The Last of Us? The real-life threat is terrifying, too: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/frightened-by-fungal-zombies-in-the-last-of-us-the-real-life-threat-is-terrifying-too-1.6736291

• White-Nose Syndrome Killed Over 90% of Three North American Bat Species : https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/white-nose-syndrome-killed-over-90-three-north-american-bat-species

• Why Deadly ‘Black Fungus’ Is Ravaging COVID Patients in India: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-deadly-black-fungus-is-ravaging-covid-patients-in-india/

• The “zombie” fungus in The Last of Us, explained by a biologist: https://www.vox.com/culture/2023/1/21/23561106/last-of-us-fungus-cordyceps-zombie-infect-humans

Today for our 100th episode, Asif and Ali welcome back one of their most popular guests, Will Flannary aka social media star Dr. Glaucomflecken. As a bonus they are also joined by Will’s wife Kristen Flannary, aka Lady Glaucomflecken. They guys ask Will and Kristin about their busy lives with Glaucomflecken.com and balancing work and family and how they met back in college. They then ask about Will’s cardiac arrest in 2020 and how Kristen had to do CPR on Will for 10 minutes. They clarify how Will had a cardiac arrest and not a heart attack and how doctors never found a cause for his arrest. They talk about Kristen’s role increasing awareness of both CPR as well as co-survivors of medical trauma. 

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:

• https://glaucomflecken.com/

•  The Quiet Place: https://www.onlinejcf.com/article/S1071-9164(21)00403-6/fulltext

Today, Ali and Asif discuss the career of actor Chris Hemsworth. They discuss his background, his early roles and his breakthrough roles in “Star Trek” and ‘Thor” (1:00).  Then Asif gives Ali a trivia quiz on all things Hemsworth. Then, the guys discuss how on Chris’ new show “Limitless”, he discusses that genetic testing reveals that he has an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Asif starts off by giving a bit of background on Allzheimers, what causes it and how common it is (15:49). He then talks about how it is diagnosed as well as the treatment and prognosis. Asif talks about the current treatment as well as the promising new drug Lecanemab. Then Ali brings up the testing done by Dr. Peter Attia on Limitless which revealed that Chris has 2 copies of the APOE4 gene which increases his risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 8-10 times. 

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:  

• The BEST of 'Loki' Tom Hiddleston | The Graham Norton Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdwClcDvVao

• Chris Hemsworth Changed His Life After an Ominous Health Warning https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/11/chris-hemsworth-exclusive-interview-alzheimers-limitless

• Alzheimer disease: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1134817-treatment#d14

• Spirit of the West's John Mann, 57, dies after battle with Alzheimer's: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/spirit-of-the-west-s-john-mann-dead-1.5367381

• Is lecanemab the Alzheimer's drug that will finally make a difference? https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/12/08/1141396375/lecanemab-alzheimer-drug-researchers-hope

• Lecanemab in Early Alzheimer’s Disease: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2212948

Today on a special episode, Ali and Asif interview actress, comedian and YouTube sensation Julie Nolke. They start off by discussing Julie’s background and how she almost pursued engineering before studying theatre. She then discusses how she struggled for years with auditioning before finding her voice on YouTube. They then discuss her viral hit video  “Explaining the pandemic to my past self”, which has over 20 million views. Ali then asks Julie about online criticism which is often sexist when it comes to female comedians. Jule then describes her creative process and the work involved in putting out her weekly videos on her YouTube channel. The guys then ask Julie about her collaborations with Ryan George and Bruce McCulloch. Finally the guys talk about Julie and Ali both being cast on ‘Run the Burbs’ and discuss the second season of the hit sitcom.  

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:

• Julie Noke YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@julienolke

• The 6 Year Overnight Success | Julie Nolke | TEDxIIITA: Julie TEDX talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_azujpI4tmE

• Sketches of a Comedic Life on Video: https://www.swaggermagazine.com/home/selfmade/JulieNolke

• Bruce McCulloch Admires the ‘Ferocious’ Comedy of Julie Nolke: https://www.vulture.com/article/julie-nolke-bruce-mcculloch-interview.html

• Run the Burbs: https://gem.cbc.ca/media/run-the-burbs/s01