What’s Ailing Us? A Comedic Deep Dive with Dr. Drew and Harland Williams – Harland Highway Podcast 173

0:00 - 2:49: Introduction, Promos & Podcast Launch The episode begins with applause and music. Harland Williams promotes his upcoming stand-up comedy shows at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, on August 23, 2025, noting its connection to The Shining. He encourages listeners to subscribe to his Harland Highway Podcast, which is "inching up on 200,000 subscribers," and teases the upcoming release of his movie, The Wingman. He also thanks the episode's sponsors, Chubbies (offering $10 off with code HARLANDHIGHWAY) and Wayfair.

2:50 - 6:28: Dr. Drew's "Authentication" & First TV Interview The segment begins with a musical interlude. Harland humorously asks if "insane asylums" still exist, then proceeds to "authenticate" Dr. Drew by having him draw the first thing that comes to mind. Dr. Drew's drawing of a bunny leads to a comedic exchange about Harland having "primed" him with a Bugs Bunny reference and Elmer Fudd's voice. Dr. Drew reveals that his very first television interview was with Harland Williams on Lovelines around 1996-1997, a satellite interview with continuity issues, where Harland intentionally mispronounced the interviewer Charles Grodin's name as "Charels". They recall Grodin's show replacing Tom Snyder's slot and being filmed in Snyder's former studio.

6:29 - 13:43: Canadian Background & California Fire Management Harland's Canadian background becomes a topic, with Dr. Drew noting Harland's Canadian accent and Harland speaking a little French. Harland references his past experience as a forest ranger in remote Canadian bush camps off Lake Superior, where he encountered bears and moose. This leads to a discussion about California's yearly fires, which Harland attributes to a lack of forest and brush management by state governing bodies, despite the inevitability of fires due to the dry chaparral.

13:44 - 20:56: Animal & Human Sexual Seasons Harland asks Dr. Drew if he is familiar with "the rut," the mating season for large tooth mammals like elk and moose, where they become "horny" and aggressive. Dr. Drew confirms his knowledge, having learned about it in a medical school class on hormone changes around 1980. They then discuss human sexual seasons, with Dr. Drew explaining that men are "pretty much continuous" sexually, while women's receptivity can change with their ovulatory cycle (monthly period). He humorously compares the complexity of women's cycles to the "flight deck of a 747" versus men's "hamster on a wheel". The conversation touches on the human egg and the development of a yolk sac.

20:57 - 26:28: Dietary Advice & Medical Dogma Critique Dr. Drew expresses his strong "anti-seed oil" stance, stating that polyunsaturated fats, once considered "wonderful," are now viewed as "comically bad". He criticizes what he calls a "playbook" used by "evangelical doctors" who gain control of regulatory and professional organizations to establish "axiomatic positions" that become "unassailable" and "weird religious ideology". He applies this critique to past approaches with opiates, COVID lockdowns, and dietary fats, noting the anxiety surrounding food in America.

26:29 - 33:09: The "Live Forever" Mentality & "Broken Penis" Dr. Drew expresses disdain for the "live forever" mentality, arguing that rigid health regimens prevent individuals from truly living in the present, citing Willie Nelson and Keith Richards' longevity versus Richard Simmons' death as an ironic example. The conversation shifts to sexual health, with Dr. Drew explaining a "broken penis" as a tear in the internal blood-filled tubes, not an external injury. He clarifies that the most common position for this injury is when the woman straddles the man and causes a "mis-slide". He also humorously addresses "self-abuse" injuries like Peyronie's Disease. Harland introduces the fictional "Keebler condition" related to small elves on a "mushroom cap".

33:10 - 41:23: Doctor Specializations & GI Tract "Outside the Body" Dr. Drew discusses his comfort with all medical topics and his dual role as an internist/primary care physician and director of an addiction program in a psychiatric hospital. They humorously delve into the field of proctology, which Harland refers to as "where the poo poo is". Dr. Drew shares a surprising anatomical fact: the entire gastrointestinal tract, from mouth to anus, is technically "outside the body" as it's a tube running through it, preventing peritonitis. They also discuss the relative lengths of the small and large intestines, noting the "small" one is actually much longer.

41:24 - 46:27: Gynecology & Aggressive Male Doctors Dr. Drew reveals he "almost went into" gynecology and delivered many babies during his rotations in the early 1980s. He found it striking that the field was exclusively male at the time and that male gynecologists seemed "weird and aggressive" with their patients, in stark contrast to the "angel fingers and a delicate touch" Harland suggests are ideal.

46:28 - 56:22: Visual Ailments & Humor as Medicine Harland presents images of various human afflictions. They discuss familial hirsutism ("Wolfman syndrome"), noting its genetic cause and lack of easy treatment. Next is neurofibromatosis ("Elephant Man syndrome" or "bubble wrap syndrome"), a genetic disorder causing nerve tumors, which Dr. Drew has treated when it affects the bowels. He briefly mentions immune modulation and interleukin as potential treatments. A large facial tumor, which Harland humorously likens to "meatloaf," is discussed, with Dr. Drew confirming it's a real tumor that might be treated with radiation or surgery. Harland injects humor into these serious topics, recounting an anecdote about a "seething" Canadian woman at a gym fiercely guarding her equipment, challenging the stereotype of Canadians always being "nice". Harland states, "laughter is the best medicine," but then quotes a female comedian who rebuts, "No, medicine is the best medicine." Harland humorously recounts visiting a hospital to laugh at sick people to "prove that laughter is the best medicine".

56:23 - 1:07:22: More Ailments & California's Homelessness Crisis They look at more skin tumors, describing them as warts and what might be called "tree trunk syndrome," which is viral and requires systemic treatment beyond Botox. The discussion moves to rhinophyma ("testicle nose"), an overgrowth of sebaceous glands, which Dr. Drew states is easily treatable by an ENT surgeon. The conversation pivots to the California homelessness and addiction crisis. Dr. Drew passionately criticizes the state's dismantling of "custodial care environments" (insane asylums), which has led to a large population of mentally ill and addicted individuals on the streets, calling it "negligent manslaughter". He highlights the prevalence of diseases like TB and rat-borne rickettsial diseases (like the plague) on Skid Row due to these conditions. He criticizes the legalization of petty theft (under $900), drug carrying, and drug trafficking in California, which he believes attracts addicts to the state. He mentions his friend Jared Klickstein, a former addict who wrote Crooked Smile, about "do-gooders" who kept him on the street. Dr. Drew advocates for expanding treatment beds and allowing medical professionals to directly intervene, criticizing the current approach managed by social workers, who he believes are untrained for such complex cases. He also states that bonafide addiction is a "genetic disorder," often incited by childhood trauma, leading to a loss of insight.

1:07:23 - 1:16:03: Dr. Drew's Motivation & Spirituality Harland acknowledges Dr. Drew's deep passion and "love" for helping addicts. Dr. Drew explains his personal motivation came from "accidentally" entering the field in the late 1980s and witnessing severely ill addicts transform into "unbelievable human beings," like a "butterfly from a cocoon". He emphasizes the importance of "tough love" and direct honesty in confronting manipulative behaviors, recounting a breakthrough moment with a patient he confronted about lying. He states that addicts are often "naturally a very rich one, lovely, smart population of people". Harland touches on Dr. Drew's unique relationship with humanity. Harland then shares his own spiritual experience as a forest ranger in the Canadian wilderness, where he would "dee-evolve" by stripping down and wandering the woods to feel "at one with organic entities" and "interface with God". Dr. Drew contrasts this with his own spirituality, which he finds in interpersonal connections and helping others.

1:16:04 - 1:20:47: "Words from a Wooden Shoe" & Final Promos In the "Words from a Wooden Shoe" segment, the chosen word is "Theme park mishap". Harland recounts two incidents at Disney World: his daughter vomiting three milkshakes onto her princess dress, and his son vomiting at Jeppetto's Italian restaurant, both cleaned up quickly by a "SWAT team" of Disney staff. Finally, Dr. Drew promotes his website (drdrew.com) and his streaming show (drdrew.tv) on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 2 PM Pacific, mentioning a recent guest, Jenny McCarthy. Harland encourages listeners to join his Patreon and request custom video messages on Cameo.