While Jerry dozes on his couch, his television shows a science fiction B movie, Flaming Globes of Sigmund. Later that night he awakens briefly and scrawls a joke for his stand-up comedy act. The following day, he is unable to read what he wrote down. While Jerry has lunch with George and Elaine at Monk's Café, hoping they can interpret his note, George becomes alarmed by pains in his chest and thinks he is having a heart attack; they have him transported to a hospital. The doctor informs him that he needs a tonsillectomy. George had his tonsils removed when he was younger, but now they have grown back. Kramer, being paranoid about surgery, recommends a holistic healer as an alternative. Jerry warns George that the healer who Kramer is recommending spent time in prison. George takes Kramer's advice, because of the large difference in price. Elaine becomes attracted to George's doctor, and she goes on a date with him. She becomes disgusted, however, when he delivers a hands-on lesson on the anatomy of the tongue, and dumps him. George, Kramer, and Jerry meet Tor Eckman, the holistic healer. Eckman performs a number of hand gestures to identify George's ailment, which he concludes has nothing to do with his tonsils, but with his "imbalance with nature". He then concocts a tea containing cramp bark, cleavers, and couch grass that would cure him, also prescribing that George stop using hot water entirely. However, upon drinking the tea, George suffers from an allergic reaction turning his skin purple and has to be transported to the hospital again. On the way, the EMT and the driver get into an altercation over a missing Chuckle. They stop the ambulance to fight outside. The driver beats the EMT bloody and leaves him in the street. While arguing with Jerry and Kramer over this, he takes his eyes off the road, causing a crash. George and Jerry are put in neck braces and George has the tonsillectomy, leaving him unable to speak. Elaine visits briefly to give George some ice cream. Jerry notices the same B movie on the hospital television and realizes that he wrote down its title, then remarks that it isn't funny at all.