
MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries
The human body is a miracle. But when it’s not working, it can be the stuff of nightmares. On this new series from master storyteller MrBallen, we’re sharing medical horror stories and diagnostic mysteries that are surgically calibrated to make your blood run cold.From bizarre, unheard-of diseases and miraculous recoveries to strange medical mishaps and unexplainable deaths — you’ll never hear the phrase “heart-stopping” in the same way again. MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between MrBallen and Wondery, the award-winning company behind Dr. Death.Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music, the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Or, you can listen episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Start your free trial in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or by visiting https://wondery.com/links/mrballens-medical-mysteries/ now.
Latest episodes

May 14, 2024 • 31min
Ep. 32 | Scourge of the South
A doctor in the early 1900s investigates the cause of the deadly disease palagra in the American South. Dr. Goldberger conducts risky experiments to uncover the link between diet and the disease, ultimately discovering a key dietary deficiency prevalent in poor households. His findings shed light on a historical medical mystery and the importance of nutrition for health.

May 7, 2024 • 24min
Ep. 31 | Jade’s Eye
A 9-year-old girl in Hawaii suddenly loses vision in one eye, and nobody knows why. And by the time she gets an answer, it might be too late to save her eye at all.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 30, 2024 • 38min
Ep. 30 | Look Closely/Burning From the Inside
“Look Closely”A teenage boy suddenly falls into critical condition while on vacation with his family in Orlando, Florida. When his doctors find out what’s wrong with him, they fear the worst – this disease is almost always fatal. In order to save him, they’ll have to act faster than they ever have before.“Burning From the Inside”After a young woman crushes her hand in a workplace accident, she begins experiencing debilitating pain throughout her entire body. Will she be able to endure it long enough for her doctors to save her?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 23, 2024 • 34min
Ep. 29 | It Came From the Basement
When a woman’s five-year-old son in Niagara Falls, New York, suddenly develops epilepsy, she becomes determined to figure out what made him sick. What she finds leads her to one of the biggest cover ups in American history.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 16, 2024 • 31min
Ep. 28 | Dead Tired
A mother in Fresno, California races her young son to the emergency room after he goes limp and his eyes roll back in his head. It turns out, the boy was poisoned. And the true culprit was something no one ever saw coming.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 9, 2024 • 27min
Ep. 27 | Deadly Cramp
A semi-pro tennis player nearly drowns in the pool when she suffers sudden, cramping pain in her midsection. Her doctors fear she has cancer, but then they realize that other people are showing the exact same symptoms.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 2, 2024 • 28min
Ep. 26 | The Birds
In the summer of 1999, a mysterious outbreak rages through New York City, paralyzing and even killing its victims. Doctors scramble for a solution, not realizing the answer is lying at their feet.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mar 26, 2024 • 25min
Ep. 25 | It Moves
A young woman working on a fishing vessel in Alaska begins experiencing a strange burning sensation in her eye. What she finds inside her eyelid makes her skin crawl.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mar 19, 2024 • 24min
Ep. 24 | Blood on Their Hands
In the summer of 1846, a young doctor is thrilled to join Austria’s prestigious Vienna General Hospital. But he soon discovers that new mothers in one of the hospital’s maternity wards are dying at a disturbing rate. He desperately seeks an answer for why it’s happening… and what he finds changes the field of medicine forever.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mar 12, 2024 • 34min
Ep. 23 | Gut Instinct/Into the Woods
“Gut Instinct”In the summer of 2021, a doctor celebrates his retirement with a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. But shortly after he gets back, he begins experiencing debilitating stomach pain. Desperate to figure out what’s wrong with him, he tries to diagnose himself. He suspects the answer is a horrible disease that people rarely survive. “Into the Woods”After a camping trip in the summer of 2009, a woman develops a gruesome rash that covers her body with painful welts and makes her mouth bleed. Multiple doctors can’t figure out what is wrong with her – because the answer is something few physicians would ever suspect.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.