The Present Illness

Alyssa Burgart & Arghavan Salles
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Society’s running a fever, and two sharp-witted physicians are on the case. Surgeon-scientist Arghavan Salles dives into social media’s wildest trends, while anesthesiologist-bioethicist Alyssa Burgart follows news and legal cases for their ethical twists. Together, they examine the cultural, political, and public health symptoms of our time with scalpel-sharp analysis, unflinching questions, and enough humor to keep us all going.

  1. Supremely Bad Birthday Gifts for America

    1 day ago

    Supremely Bad Birthday Gifts for America

    The Supreme Court let America keep birthright citizenship for it’s birthday. Trump’s 250th Independence Day celebration is a flop. Surprise! Pew: Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political TypologyGallup: Data on pride in being AmericanWhat’s happening with the Great American State Fair?Yellow substance oozing from arch at the Great American State FairMt. Olive Pickles withdraws from the Great American State FairNote: Trump said he will give a speech in 107 degree weather on the 4th of July (not on the 6th) SCOTUS Season Closes: 90 cases in 2026, 66 with majority decisions Trans Athlete Bans Upheld West Virginia v. BPJLittle v. Hecox“Biological Female” is not a biology term - it’s an anti-trans slurMonsanto and Cancer Warnings Monsanto v. DurnellRFK Jr flip flops on glyphosateBirthright Citizenship Trump v. BarbaraNPR summaryFolarin Balogun birthright citizenshipMail-In Ballots Watson v. Republican National CommitteeNBC summaryLA mayoral race💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Arghavan’s summary (with clips) of the couple climbing the Empire State BuildingStork Embroidery ScissorsHobee’s Pride Coffee CakeText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    1hr 7min
  2. Aliens, Propaganda & Lessons from New York Primaries

    26 Jun

    Aliens, Propaganda & Lessons from New York Primaries

    Dem Establishment hell bent to learn nothing from Mamdani and NY Primaries; Trump Admin’s dirty propaganda comparing immigrants to alien creatures; Join Team Algae in the Reflecting Pool drama; Hegseth can’t even lift; Alyssa makes a mixtape Note: the memo labeling many people “terrorists” is NSPM-7, not NPSM-7 Four years after the fall of Roe The Reflecting Pool Some background on the Reflecting Pool renovationArghavan’s first and second carousel about the Reflecting Pool saga Lessons From NY Primary Mamdani’s candidates winJaime Harrison’s tweet about Democratic politicsNew York AG’s comments about Mamdani Dehumanization via Government Propaganda "Dept of War" UAP website: https://www.war.gov/UFO/Racist, xenophobic Aliens.gov siteSCOTUS’s decision on Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and SyriansHegseth works out with the militaryLonger video of Hegeth’s workout shows he does almost everything half-heartedly. What a warrior!Summary of Prairieland casePrairieland sentences 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Pentagon reinstates flu vaccine mandateReactions to JD Vance patting Usha’s kneeAlan Opts Out MixtapeJune 26 - Come see Alyssa and Courtney Maum at Book Passage in Corte MaderaText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    1hr 7min

  3. 19 Jun

    Pride Under Trump 2026

    It’s the second Pride Month of this Trump administration, and things are rough. San Francisco Giants’ pitchers anti-Pride stunt; gender as a weapon; Rainbow washing and corporate backstabbing. Note: Dana White is the president and CEO of UFC Summary of MOU with Iran Pride Under Trump + Juneteenth: What happened at the Giants’ Pride NightJD Vance says “Trump won we don’t have to do this anymore”Josh Hokit calls Michelle Obama a manReactions to Josh Hokit’s commentDad takes daughters to the bathroom, police are called1 year-old Kohen Wiley killed by police in MississippiCyrus Carmack-Belton killed by Rick Chow 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 A fabulous song about perimenopauseA hilarious rendition of You Oughta KnowCollage from anesthesia drug labelsComplex sculptures made of old medicine containersText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    54 min
  4. Birth Autonomy with Dr. Jen Lincoln

    12 Jun

    Birth Autonomy with Dr. Jen Lincoln

    The Birth Book with OB-GYN Dr Jennifer Lincoln. Pro-autonomy! Pro-Consent! Pro- vitamin K for babies! Anti-shame and coercion! She hopes folks name their babies "OG" Anunoby. The Birth Book Get your copy of The Birth BookResources for The Birth BookFollow Dr. Lincoln on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Jen’s book recommendation: Roll of Thunder, Hear My CryMarcus Tudrick on InstagramPaper Pepper healing Van Gogh Text us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    57 min
  5. Flesh Eating Flies and Project 2025 "Efficiency" Destroys Science

    5 Jun

    Flesh Eating Flies and Project 2025 "Efficiency" Destroys Science

    Flesh eating flies (disgusting!); Project 2025 budget cuts (despicable!); sterile flies; non-standard healing crystals from a crystal scientist; Hunter Biden is a natural poster Note: New data from ASCO regarding melanoma indicate those with Stage 3b to 4 melanoma had longer time to recurrence and longer time to metastasisAlyssa accidentally called the screwworm fly as a “screw-tape.” Oops! New World Screwworm Fly Texas Tribune: What to know about screwworm in TexasScrewworm LifecycleSterile fly production facilitiesHow sterile flies are used in mitigation Disaster OMB Budget Proposal Summary of proposed OMB changes to federal fundingThings to consider while writing your commentregulations.gov, OMB-2026-0034 is where you can enter your commentOr you can go to StandUpForScience.net and they have a link as well 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 “Non-standard Healing Crystals”Trad LiftingSome Hunter Biden tweets Would not have left his drugs behindHe’s never stolen an erectionCorrecting a bad AI photo of himselfHunter Biden campaign sloganText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    58 min

  6. 29 May

    Pope Leo takes on AI; Ashley St. Clair Spills Hot MAGA Tea

    Pope Leo takes on AI in first encyclical; Ashley St. Clair spills hot MAGA tea; UFC fight at the White House; Ronnie Chieng commencement speech RFK Jr and snakesPreparations for the UFC fight at the White HouseEbola updates from the WHOUS sends exposed citizens to KenyaDemocrats respond to Stephen MillerFact check: The study Arghavan referenced regarding students learning with AI vs without demonstrated changes in brain connectivity (based on EEGs), not amount of learning.  Pope’s First Encyclical: Magnifica Humanitas text, promo videoArghavan’s Instagram post with excerpts from the encyclicalUC Berkeley’s new AI policy Ashley St. Clair: Ashley St. Clair’s Tik Tok pageAshley’s video about how MAGA campaigns workAshley on I’ve Had It News talking about Stephen MillerAshley’s video about meeting ElonAshley’s video about Elon and the space lasersAshley’s video about Elon after she got pregnantAlisa Valdes-Rodrigues’ dangerous Epstein reveal 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Ronnie Chieng commencement speechNew Yorker comics about RFK Jr and SSRIsText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    1hr 20min
  7. Replay: The Professor Will See You Now (If they still have a job)

    22 May

    Replay: The Professor Will See You Now (If they still have a job)

    Replay: Academic freedom under attack; viral case of an Oklahoma pre-med student's targets her transgender professor; Erika Kirk's terrible NYT interview;  Our hosts investigate the alarming trend of politically-motivated complaints against university professors. From Indiana University to Texas A&M, faculty are experiencing acute cases of administrative panic when confronted with student outrage—often resulting in terminal employment outcomes. Here’s more about Samantha Fulnecky and the story at the University of OklahomaHere’s more about the instructor (Jessica Adams) who was removed from teaching her class at Indiana UniversityHere’s more about the instructor (Melissa McCoul) who was fired at Texas A&M and the findings of the faculty committee that reviewed what happenedJennifer Freyd’s DARVO concept - Deny-Attack-Reverse Victim and Offender 💊Take Two and Call Me In The Morning 💊 Here’s one of Haley Dortch’s videos. You’re welcome!Somebody, Somewhere on HBOHow I escaped MAGA! Critical thinking woke me up.Nurse Johnn on being unprofessionalHere’s Jeff Hiller’s book Actress of a Certain AgeText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    56 min
  8. Rich Folks Complain About Helicopters Carrying Sick Kids and Shingles Vaccine May Prevent Dementia

    15 May

    Rich Folks Complain About Helicopters Carrying Sick Kids and Shingles Vaccine May Prevent Dementia

    Seattle’s Laurelhurst community vs. Seattle Children’s Hospital; Shingles Vaccine may reduce dementia; Hantavirus scare; American dialects; Zaffron Bloom restaurant NEJM article on hantavirus (no paywall) Rich Folks Complain About Seattle Children’s Helicopters Seattle Children’s-Laurelhurst helicopter situation explainedLaurelhurst “old money” Seattle neighborhood1992 Complaint about “noisy neighbor”Satirical take on LaurelhurstHelicopter landing dataSeattle Children’s Statement on Helipad AgreementShingles Vaccine and Dementia The three research articles mentioned: NatureJAMACellHerpes Zoster explainer video (Osmosis) 💊Take Two and Call Me in the Morning💊 Rick Aschmann’s North American English Dialect MapMatt Forrest’s reel about the mapZay (linguist) on Tik TokPop v Soda MapHistory of regional words for carbonated beveragesNew York Turk visits Zaffron BloomText us! Thanks for listening to The Present Illness!  Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube @ThePresentIllness Credits Production by Arghavan Salles & Alyssa BurgartEditing by Alyssa BurgartMusic by Joseph UphoffSocial Media by Arghavan SallesDon’t take medical advice from random people on a podcast. This show is for informational purposes, is meant to be fun, and is certainly not medical advice. Please, take your medical questions to a qualified professional. Nothing we say represents our employers or anyone else.

    58 min
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About

Society’s running a fever, and two sharp-witted physicians are on the case. Surgeon-scientist Arghavan Salles dives into social media’s wildest trends, while anesthesiologist-bioethicist Alyssa Burgart follows news and legal cases for their ethical twists. Together, they examine the cultural, political, and public health symptoms of our time with scalpel-sharp analysis, unflinching questions, and enough humor to keep us all going.

Information

  • Creator
    Alyssa Burgart & Arghavan Salles
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Present Illness
  • Show Website
    The Present Illness

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