3SchemeQueens

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 4:25**

In 1692, a group of young girls in colonial Massachusetts began experiencing bizarre symptoms, including violent convulsions, uncontrollable screaming, strange movements, and claims that invisible forces were attacking them. With no clear medical explanation, their community concluded that witchcraft was responsible.

But more than 300 years later, researchers have proposed several alternative explanations, including mass psychogenic illness, ergot poisoning, neurological disorders, and psychological trauma. In honor of Halloween, let's go back to Salem and meet the patients, examine the differential diagnosis, explore the historical evidence, and ultimately ask whether modern medicine could have prevented the tragedy.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome back for a Throwback Thursday episode! This week, we're reaching back into the Season 2 archives to revisit a topic that's near and dear to our hearts… Diet Coke. Is it slowly poisoning us? Is aspartame actually dangerous? Is your daily Diet Coke habit a one-way ticket to an early grave? Or has the internet once again taken a perfectly good beverage and turned it into a public health emergency? In this episode, we're digging into the science and separating the actual evidence from the fearmongering. Because while Diet Coke might not qualify as a health food, some of the claims about it are a little more dramatic than the research supports.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

** Discussion begins at 3:45**

Welcome to Consult Queens, our brand-new monthly series where we put Hollywood medicine under the microscope. For our inaugural consult, we're scrubbing in with everyone's favorite sarcastic, Vicodin-popping diagnostician, Dr. Gregory House! We're breaking down the Emmy winning episode "Three Stories" (Season 1, Episode 21), where three patients present with leg pain, but their cases take some wildly different turns. From diagnostic dilemmas and missed clues to the devastating medical decisions behind House's own mysterious limp, we're examining what the show gets right, what it gets wrong, and what would actually happen in a hospital.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

This week, in our throwback episode the 3SchemeQueens and their expert guest Dr Andrew, PharmD, put Big Pharma under the microscope. Are drug companies hiding cures to protect their profits? Are we being prescribed medications we don't actually need? And just how much influence does Big Pharma have over doctors, researchers, and the FDA? From allegations of suppressed treatments and manipulated clinical trials to the very real scandals that have fueled public distrust, we're separating documented misconduct from speculation and asking the million-dollar question: Is Big Pharma in the business of making us better, or just making money?

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 5:25**

In 1988, Peggy Carr and several members of her family began experiencing bizarre symptoms, including excruciating pain, muscle weakness, and hair loss. As doctors struggled to identify the cause, Peggy's condition rapidly deteriorated. The culprit? Thallium, a rare and deadly poison. But how did an entire family become exposed, and who would want them dead?

This week, we're investigate the terrifying case of Peggy Carr, the medical clues that cracked the mystery, and the eccentric, Mensa-member neighbor with a suspicious interest in chemistry and murder mysteries. We're breaking down the toxicology, the undercover investigation, and the shocking discovery that turned an ordinary soft drink into a deadly weapon.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 2:25**
Welcome back to Throwback Thursday, where we’re digging into the 3SchemeQueens archives and revisiting some of our older conspiracy and mystery episodes that included medical discussions. This week, we’re going back to one of history’s most persistent conspiracy theories: Did Adolf Hitler really die in his Berlin bunker in 1945, or did he somehow escape to Argentina? Was Hitler even physically capable of pulling off an escape? By the end of the war, his health was reportedly deteriorating, he had a tremor, significant gastrointestinal problems, and was being given a truly impressive pharmaceutical cocktail by his personal physician. So while we talk submarines, secret Nazi escape routes, alleged sightings in South America, and all the usual conspiracy chaos, we’re also asking: What condition was Hitler actually in during the final months of his life? What drugs was he taking? And if he had made it out of Germany, would he have had access to the medications and medical care necessary to survive?

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 5:00**

In 1995, 18-year-old Christa Pike committed the brutal murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a crime that would put Pike on Tennessee’s death row for three decades. On September 30, 2026, the state attempted to carry out her sentence using lethal injection. Two doses of pentobarbital later, Pike was still alive, ultimately leaving the prison in an ambulance rather than a hearse.

But Christa Pike is far from the first condemned prisoner whose execution did not go according to plan. In this episode, we examine Pike’s case alongside some of the most infamous failed and botched executions in American history, and ask the question of how someone survives a procedure specifically designed to kill them. We’re talking failed IV access, lethal injection pharmacology, malfunctioning electric chairs, execution protocols, and the uncomfortable physiology behind what happens when an execution goes wrong.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 2:00**

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, and more than 60 years later, the JFK assassination remains one of the most debated mysteries in American history. In this Throwback Thursday episode, we dive into the assassination of JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald, the Warren Commission, the single-bullet theory, the Zapruder film, and some of the most enduring JFK conspiracy theories. With our healthcare backgrounds, we're also taking a closer look at the medical and forensic evidence surrounding JFK's death. What do we know about Kennedy's gunshot wounds? What happened at Parkland Hospital? What did the JFK autopsy reveal? And how have the medical evidence, autopsy photographs, X-rays, bullet trajectories, and chain of evidence contributed to decades of debate about the assassination?

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 2:50**

In 1994, Gloria Ramirez arrived at Riverside General Hospital in California critically ill. During her treatment, 23 healthcare workers suddenly developed symptoms including dizziness, nausea, difficulty breathing, muscle spasms, and fainting. Even stranger, some reported unusual odors and mysterious substances associated with Ramirez’s body. As more people became sick, the emergency department was evacuated and the case quickly became one of the most unusual medical mysteries in modern history.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 2:40**

Have you ever wondered if madness could be contagious? We usually think of pathogens and viruses spreading from person to person, but what about a delusion? This week, we are opening up the vault to bring you a re-release of one of the most mind-bending medical mysteries we've ever covered. We are diving back into the harrowing and truly bizarre case of the Eriksson twins.

Ursula and Sabina Eriksson were identical twins whose sudden, explosive shared psychosis on a busy British motorway left police, medics, and the public completely stunned. It is a textbook, yet terrifying, example of folie à deux, where a severe delusion fractures reality not just for one person, but for two closely bonded individuals.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 5:00**

In 1518, in the city of Strasbourg, something bizarre began happening. One woman reportedly started dancing in the street, and within days, dozens of other people had joined her. Soon, the dancing had spread through the city, with some people reportedly dancing for days on end. Some collapsed from exhaustion. Others may have died. So what was happening to these people? This week we’re talking about the Dancing Plague of 1518. We’re digging into what actually happened, what theories have been proposed, and whether modern medicine can help us make sense of an epidemic that left an entire city dancing.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 2:23**

Located just off the coast of Long Island, New York, Plum Island has been home to a government animal disease research facility for decades. Officially established to study infectious diseases affecting livestock, the island has also become the center of decades of speculation about biological warfare, government experiments, biological weapons research, and accidental releases of dangerous pathogens. This week, we're re-releasing one of our first episodes, in which we explore the documented history of Plum Island and examine the conspiracy theories that have made this mysterious island famous. One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Plum Island is it's alleged connection to Lyme disease. Lyme disease first emerged as a recognized illness in Lyme, Connecticut, just miles from Plum Island, leading to theories that government researchers may have experimented with Borrelia bacteria and ticks as biological weapons. Is Plum Island connected to Lyme disease, or is the geographic coincidence simply too tempting to ignore?

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 4:45**

There are some cases where the facts are so horrifying that we instinctively want the answer to be simple. Someone did something terrible, they knew what they were doing, and they should be held responsible. But what happens when the person accused of doing something unimaginable may also have been profoundly, catastrophically mentally ill? That is the question at the center of the Lindsay Clancy trial. In January of 2023, three siblings, five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson, and eight-month-old Callan were killed inside their home in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Their mother, Lindsay Clancy, survived an apparent suicide attempt and was ultimately charged with three counts of first-degree murder. Now, more than three years later, a jury is being asked to decide if Lindsay did it, and what was going in her mind at the time. Today we’re going to breakdown the possibilities. The first is the prosecution's version: Lindsay did it, she knew exactly what she was doing, and she is criminally responsible. The evidence, they argue, points to planning, decision-making, and deliberate actions before and after the children's deaths. The second is the defense's argument: Lindsay did it but she was experiencing a devastating psychiatric illness, including postpartum psychosis, and was not criminally responsible for her actions. Her attorneys have pointed to her deteriorating mental health, her psychiatric treatment, medications, and what they say was a failure to recognize just how seriously ill she had become. And then there is the third possibility being argued by armchair detectives following the case… What if Lindsay didn't do it at all? This week, we’ll look at the evidence that supports each possibility, the evidence that challenges each one, and what the law actually requires, because this isn't just a story about a mother accused of killing her children. It's a case about mental illness, postpartum psychosis, criminal responsibility, the limits of psychiatric medicine, and the justice system. So buckle up foil heads, because this one is complicated.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 5:05**

On a remote cluster of windswept islands off the coast of Scotland, three lighthouse keepers vanished without a trace. No bodies. No signs of a struggle. Just an abandoned lighthouse, a stopped clock, and a mystery that has haunted the sea for more than a century. This week, we’re heading to the Flannan Isles Lighthouse, where in December of 1900, keepers James Ducat, Thomas Marshall, and Donald MacArthur disappeared from the isolated island of Eilean Mòr. When the relief ship finally arrived after days of storms, something felt wrong immediately. The lighthouse was dark. The dock was empty. One set of oilskins remained hanging inside, suggesting one man had gone out into the storm without proper gear. The logbook entries described violent winds and terrified behavior… even though weather reports later suggested the seas had been calm.

So what really happened on the Flannan Isles? Was it a rogue wave powerful enough to sweep all three men into the Atlantic? A tragic accident compounded by brutal weather? Or did something stranger happen on that isolated rock in the North Atlantic? Over the years, theories have ranged from sea monsters and ghost ships to paranormal forces, secret espionage, and even the island’s supposed curse. This week, we’re diving into one of the most chilling unsolved disappearances in maritime history, the Flannan Isles Lighthouse Mystery.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

Between 1918 and 1920, the Spanish Flu killed 50 million people worldwide. This pandemic, arrived on the heels of WW1, and between the two events, nearly 5% of the world’s population was killed. But there was another pandemic occurring, one that is less well known and less frequently talked about, that remains a mystery to this day. In the winter of 1916 in Europe, people were seeking medical attention for general malaise. At first, it looked like a mild case of the flu with fever, headaches, and fatigue. Many would recover, but some would begin exhibiting tremors and many slowed down mentally and physically, until they were completely immobile despite being conscious and alive. The symptoms presented on a spectrum, but patients sometimes experienced lethargy or even obtundation, paralysis of eye muscles, rigid muscles, frozen posture, loss of speech, and sudden immobility. In some cases, the progression was overnight. In others, it took weeks to months.

Doctors called it Encephalitis Lethargica, but no one really understood it. Some patients slept for days. Others stayed awake, trapped inside bodies that no longer moved. Hundreds of thousands of people lost the ability to walk and talk, and then in 1928 new cases just stopped appearing. By then, however, there had been more than 1 million cases, and half of those had ended in death. Those that did survive, often developed a post-encephalitic Parkinsonism leaving them rigid, slow, and unable to move normally for the rest of their lives.

And then, just as mysteriously as it appeared… it vanished. So what was this disease? A viral epidemic? A post-war complication? Something we still don’t fully understand? This week, we’re diving into one of the most unsettling medical mysteries in modern history, Encephalitis Lethargica, also known as the Sleeping Sickness.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 5:35**

What if the brightest minds in science were being erased? Over the past few years, a quiet pattern has begun to emerge. Names that once lived in research papers, conference panels, and classified briefings are now showing up somewhere else entirely: missing persons reports, obituaries, and unanswered questions. Today we’re talking about nine scientists:
William McCasland.
Monica Reza.
Carl Grillmair.
Melissa Casias.
Anthony Chavez.
Frank Maiwald.
Micheal David Hicks.
Nuno Loureiro.
Jason Thomas.
Different fields. Different backgrounds. And yet their stories seem to echo each other. Some were working on advanced energy systems. Others on space observation, defense technologies, or experimental physics. All of them were operating at the edge of what we understand. Then, suddenly, they were gone. So today we’re discussing these cases and trying to decide if this is just a tragic series of coincidences or if there is something linking these cases together.

Note: After recording another scientist was added to the list of mysterious deaths and disappearances. Steven Garcia, 48, was a property custodian for the Kansas City National Security Campus, the facility that manufactures more than 80% of all the non-nuclear components used to build the military’s nuclear weapons. On August 28, 2025 he left his home on foot with a hand gun and no other personal belongings. He has not been seen since.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 5:25**

Alpine Divorce: Ending a relationship by murdering one’s significant other during a mountain trip and passing it off as an accident, or more specifically, abandoning a partner in a remote outdoor setting.

The phrase originates from an 1893 short story by Scottish-Canadian author Robert Barr, titled An Alpine Divorce. In the grim tale, an unhappy husband plots to kill his wife during a trip to the Swiss Alps, only for her to turn the tables on him, having already framed him for her murder before leaping herself. Several high profile cases over the last few years have led to a viral trend of social media users telling their own stories of “Alpine Divorce”. These tales of domestic abuse involve one partner endangering the other in the wilderness – with the victim either being left in a perilous situation, or merely abandoned without consideration for their safety and well-being. Today we’re going to discuss some of the most high profile cases.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 4:30**

In the late 1950s, a quiet family in the English town of Hexham experienced a tragedy that would forever change their lives, and eventually become one of the most famous alleged cases of reincarnation in modern history. In 1957, two young sisters, Joanna and Jacqueline Pollock, were killed in a car accident while walking to church with a friend. Their parents, devastated by the loss, tried to rebuild their lives while carrying unimaginable grief. But about a year later, something extraordinary happened. Their mother gave birth to twin girls: Jennifer and Gillian. Almost immediately, their father became convinced that the twins were somehow the rebirth of the daughters he had lost. As the girls grew older, they began displaying strange similarities to their deceased sisters, including shared personality traits, specific fears, and even what appeared to be memories of places and events they had never experienced. One twin was even born with birthmarks that closely resembled scars that Jacqueline had before her death. The story would go on to attract the attention of researchers studying reincarnation, including psychiatrist Ian Stevenson, who documented cases of children claiming memories of past lives around the world. But the Pollock Sisters case raises a difficult question: were these eerie similarities evidence of something beyond our understanding… or could they be explained by grief, suggestion, and coincidence?

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 6:40**

This week, we’re diving into one of the stranger corners of celebrity conspiracy theories: cloning. From Selena Gomez to Jim Carrey, some claim that these stars have been replaced by replicas engineered in secret labs to take over their lives, their fame, and even their art. Could Hollywood really be hiding a shadowy cloning program? Is it science run amok? A Hollywood PR nightmare? Or is this just another viral rumor blown out of proportion? Over the next hour, we’ll trace the origins of these theories, examine the so-called “evidence,” and separate fact from fiction in the wild world of celebrity clones.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA

Send us Fan Mail

**Discussion begins at 2:30**

We're jumping into part two of our deep dive into the Epstein Files. Last week, we unpacked the timeline, his suspicious death, pizzagate connections, and allegations of cannibalism. But this week, we’re pulling the lens back even further. How did Epstein actually build his fortune? Where did the money come from, and how did he leverage it into influence at the highest levels of politics, academia, business, and royalty? We’ll also examine who is currently facing charges or civil consequences in connection with the document releases and clarify what the files say about other high-profile names that appear in them. And finally, we’re diving into the viral rumors. From coded language theories to sensational claims circulating online, we’ll investigate what’s substantiated, what’s misinterpreted, and what has no evidence behind it. Join us as we follow the money, examine the fallout, and separate fact from fiction. Let’s get into it.

Support the show

Patreon

Theme song by INDA