MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries - Podcast Rankings and reviews

What can I say, I'm fan of everything Mr. Ballen. Great coverage, production and overall great host. Story telling is top notch. Even if I've heard a topic before, Ballen comes at it from a different perspective and it's just more interesting. So far, the two episodes discussed stories I've not heard before even if the topics were familiar.

I am already hooked! Can’t wait for the next episode. Fascinating cases, superbly researched, narration is top notch and your voice is perfect to listen to- fast paced, excellent inflection; I can listen to you ALL day!

Thank you for all the work you put into this.

I haven’t gotten this into a podcast since the great podcast boom of 2000-whatever-it-was, but this one is worth your time. It’s well researched, well told, and delivered in digestible portions for people with hectic schedules much like myself who just want something short, entertaining, and darkly educational to brighten their day. And unlike most true crime podcasts at this point, I haven’t heard these before — which means I’m making ridiculous faces at the gym as I listen in fascination, awe and horror. I can’t wait for the next episode!

There is so much trash in the podcast world, this fascinating and well produced series is a welcome addition. And it’s got my attention—- in fact, of the 40 or so pods I subscribe to this is in my top 3. I can’t wait fir the next episode to drop.

Great work, Wondery! 🤩

There are so many issues with the company “Better Help.” There have been too many reported patient issues with this brand to still be promoting them. Their counselors are not trained to diagnose anybody with anything, they offer generic advice and coping mechanisms if they offer anything at all. They thrive on a quantity over quality model of business and many people seeking actual mental health support and help never truly get their needs met, just their money taken. One of their marketing claims is that patients can switch counselors anytime they don’t feel they are adequately matched or aren’t getting their needs met, and they say this because that is exactly what patients do multiple times before giving up because they often dont find the kind of care, professionalism and specific treatment with their counselors to get their needs met and actually feel “better,” and they never will. It’s a waste of money and hope that prays on people’s desperation to seek much needed mental health treatment that they can afford, but it’s junk and ends up leaving people broke, and even more helpless.

It’s interesting that Mr. Ballen recently read an entirely new pitch sponsoring “Better Help” in the last couple of episodes I’ve listened to advertising the motivation for joining as “reigniting your sense of wonder and curiosity about the world like when you were a kid” (paraphrased, not quoted) as opposed to the older pitches specifically coming from a treatment for mental health standpoint. THIS IS PURPOSEFUL. Maybe not on John’s end, who knows what he’s being told, but definitely on his paid sponser “Better Help’s.” They know their model for mental health support is failing because it’s literally not helping people, but rather ripping them off and leaving them potentially in worse conditions mentally, so they now have to spin the advertising towards the new engaging angle of “reclaim your sense of childhood wonder” with “Better Help.”

It’s not going to work for that either because the company hires too many unqualified counselors who are assigned too many patients, and spend too little time with them to give any one patient the quality attention, guidance and care they may actually need.

PLEASE STOP TAKING PAID SPONSORSHIPS FROM THIS COMPANY AND PLEASE STOP PROMOTING IT TO YOUR LISTENERS. Let “Better Help” just fizzle out and fail by losing their customer base due to incompetency and low quality service, because they are not going to make anyone better, nor are they themselves going to get better. At least if they do crash and burn they won’t victimize an already vulnerable member of society any more and maybe those patients still paying for services they aren’t receiving will be free to find better resources to help them.

So far, this seems to just be synopses of medical mysteries researched and reported by other team, including one previously told in the first person on a separate podcast. It seems like they’re just moving the diagnosis to the last sentence, coming up with a click bait headline and not crediting the work they’re leaning on. As a lover of medical mysteries, I’m pretty disappointed.