Podcast Summary: Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
Episode: One Ring To Rule Them All
Release Date: January 30, 2025

Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend continues its mission to forge genuine friendships as host Conan O’Brien engages with Raheel, a dedicated gastroenterology and hepatology fellow. This episode delves into Raheel’s intensive medical training, the nuances of his specialty, personal practices concerning fasting, and a heartfelt discussion about navigating a proposal when your fiancée’s parents are in the jewelry business.

Introducing Raheel: A Rising Medical Professional

The episode begins with Conan welcoming Raheel, who shares his background and current endeavors in the medical field.

[01:40]
Conan O’Brien: "Hey, Raheel. How are you?"
Raheel: "I'm doing amazing. So excited to meet you guys."

Raheel explains his journey through medical school and his specialization:

[01:59]
Raheel: "Yeah, so I'm currently in my fellowship. So I finished med school and I did my training. I'm still currently in my training and I'm doing gastroenterology and hepatology."

[02:10]
Conan O’Brien: "So GI. Oh, Lord. That's impressive. You're a gastroenterologist. And what was the other field too?"
Raheel: "And hepatology. So they go kind of hand in hand."

Conan humorously misinterprets hepatology, leading to a light-hearted exchange that sets the tone for the episode.

Deep Dive into Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Raheel elaborates on his rigorous training and the demands of his specialty.

[03:31]
Raheel: "Yeah. No. So I've done. So, you know, our med school is four years after our undergrad, and then we do three years of internal medicine, which is all, you know, patient facing hospital based, long days, long hours. And then GI hepatology is another three years after that. So I'm about halfway through right now. So it's been about four and a half, five years. This is a huge commitment."

[04:25]
Conan O’Brien: "I'm so impressed by the fact that you've spent years and years preparing, and I'm glad you have because I'm sure you're going to be very good at what you do. You're going to help save a lot of lives."

Raheel reflects on the continuous learning inherent in medicine:

[04:40]
Raheel: "That's the hope. I mean, even this many years in it, every day it feels like I'm still trying to figure out what's going on with everybody. So it's one of those things where learning never stops. You kind of keep going at it. New things, new experiences, new patient interactions. It all makes it worth it."

The Art and Challenges of Colonoscopies

A significant portion of the conversation centers on Raheel’s experiences performing colonoscopies and the use of Propofol, a sedative:

[05:21]
Conan O’Brien: "Can I just say. I hate to interrupt, but, Brielle, doesn't that kind of suck for the patient? If you're saying, like, yeah, you know, first year, you're just jamming a camera in there. You don't know what you're doing. It's banging up against stuff, and you just have to kind of force it isn't that. I mean, you don't want to be. I don't want to encounter you at that stage. Raheel, as a patient, is that fair to say you do?"

[06:05]
Raheel: "With propofol, it's that magic stuff that..."

[06:08]
Conan O’Brien: "You're right. Okay. So I. I wake up, and I don't know what's happened exactly."

Raheel discusses the technical skills required and the patient experience:

[07:02]
Conan O’Brien: "I would think the technology is going to improve to the point where you just swallow, like, a little pill or something, and it works its way through your system really quickly, and the pill comes out the other side and said, everything is fine. Colon."
Raheel: "They have one, do they? They have one of those for the small bowel, for, like, the small intestine. But the colon is just so wide and distended, it can't really take pictures of the whole thing. And thankfully, I hope it doesn't because then I'll be out of a job."

The humorous exchange highlights the complexities and future possibilities in medical technology.

Fasting: Tradition, Religion, and Health Perspectives

Raheel shares his personal practice of fasting, rooted in his Jain faith, and discusses its implications:

[09:18]
Conan O’Brien: "Do you fast ever?
Raheel: "I do, because that's a big thing now."

[10:00]
Conan O’Brien: "Can you tell me specifically what your religion is?"
Raheel: "Yeah, so my religion is called Jainism, so practitioners are called Jain. And so we have kind of. You know, there's similar things in other cultures. There's like Ramadan for, for people who follow Islam. There's like Lent and things like that. But in Jainism, we have this eight day, eight or ten day religious festival called Baryushan. And during that time we can do different days of fasting."

[11:19]
Conan O’Brien: "Do you think that that's okay to go eight days without any food other than water?"
Raheel: "I don't. This was all pre med school. Gotcha. This was like me in undergrad, me in med school. I don't think it's the healthiest. I don't think it's the healthiest thing to do. I do think it's a really interesting test of determination, interesting test of self will. And you can really push your body to the limit in ways that outside of thinking medical, but you can really see what your body is capable of in those eight days."

Conan humorously inquires about the physical toll and Raheel explains the gradual adaptation:

[12:03]
Raheel: "Yeah. No. You can live life as is. You know, one, the first time I did it, I was an undergrad. The second time I was in med school. And you live life as is. You know, the first couple of days are the hardest where you're, you know, like, it's lunchtime, your body's just so used to it. And then after like day one, day two, your body kind of adjusts to that feeling of, I'm not eating and so let me occupy myself with other stuff. And then the rest of the week, honestly, just kind of. You just don't feel that sensation of hunger as much you does."

Navigating a Proposal with Jeweler In-Laws

The centerpiece of the episode revolves around Raheel seeking advice on proposing with the added complexity of his fiancée’s parents being jewelers.

[19:54]
Raheel: "I do. And it's like a, you know, a life dilemma that I'd love to get some insight of yours. So I am planning on proposing to my girlfriend, and so, you know, I'm about to start the whole ring shopping thing, and her parents happen to be jewelers. And so I'd like to know how you would kind of navigate the clear conflict of interest when I have no negotiating power on my side?"

Conan and the team brainstorm humorous and creative strategies:

[21:25]
Conan O’Brien: "It's important for you that the ring you give your future wife have passed through your body."
Raheel: "Hear that symbolism of."
Conan O’Brien: "It's a symbol of your... it's a symbol of what you do, your profession, what you're giving your life to, but also you are willing to process this ring in every way that a human can process something."

They joke about unconventional methods to procure the ring, such as swallowing it and retrieving it:

[22:18]
Raheel: "Yeah, my current fellow salary, I don't think I can afford anything that's going to get stuck."
Conan O’Brien: "And you can also encase it in a prune or something. That's going to go through pretty quickly or I'm just telling."

Despite the humor, Conan eventually offers sincere advice:

[25:07]
Conan O’Brien: "Well, listen, in all seriousness, I think you buy the ring from them, are they gonna be able to keep their mouths shut? Because you do want it to be a surprise when you give her the ring."

Raheel appreciates the genuine insight amidst the comedic embellishments:

[25:44]
Raheel: "Thank you guys so much. It was so great meeting you guys."
Conan O’Brien: "All right. Take care, man. Thanks."

Conclusion: A Blend of Humor and Heartfelt Interaction

Throughout the episode, Conan masterfully blends humor with genuine curiosity, allowing Raheel to share his experiences and challenges openly. The interplay between comedic improvisation and sincere conversation offers listeners both laughs and meaningful insights into the life of a medical professional balancing personal milestones.

Notable Quotes:

• Conan O’Brien [03:31]: "You're going to help save a lot of lives."

• Raheel [04:40]: "Learning never stops. You kind of keep going at it. New things, new experiences, new patient interactions. It all makes it worth it."

• Conan O’Brien [11:19]: "Do you think that that's okay to go eight days without any food other than water?"

• Raheel [19:54]: "I am planning on proposing to my girlfriend... her parents happen to be jewelers."

• Conan O’Brien [25:07]: "I think you buy the ring from them... to keep it a surprise."

This episode exemplifies Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend's unique ability to intertwine humor with heartfelt conversations, providing listeners with both entertainment and genuine connections.