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Latest Episodes
Menopause costs the Canadian economy $3.5 billion a year. Many women suffer through their symptoms in silence in the workplace, with fears of being criticized, isolated or even terminated. Here, we feature our recent webinar, Leading Through Menopause: Strategies for Success. Joined by Janet Ko, President of the Menopause Foundation, and Salima Valji, CEO of Unleash Forward, Inc., Clinical Director of Menopause and Perimenopause, Dr. Jennifer Zelovitzky, covers critical topics on menopause awareness and support in the workplace.
As women age, physical and hormonal changes lead to new nutritional and wellness needs. So in episode 201 of Eat Move Think, Dr. Jennifer Zelovitzky (pictured above) and Leslie Beck, RD, team up to guide you through women’s health by the decade. Learn what’s happening inside and outside your body during each decade of adulthood from your 30s onward—and how simple lifestyle and diet choices can help you move through your life with vitality and confidence.
As the Clinical Director of Medcan’s Menopause and Perimenopause Program, Dr. Jennifer Zelovitzky is working to change these statistics. In Part One of our Women’s Health Special Series, she’s joined by her former client, Norma Pasquale (pictured above). After having faced debilitating perimenopause symptoms, Norma’s life changed after treating her symptoms with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Hear her story, and learn how you can advocate for your health and get the best care and resources for your unique needs.
Dr. Dana Sinclair, (pictured above) the author of Dialed In: Do Your Best When it Matters Most, is a performance psychologist. She’s worked with high-performers of all kinds (from the Toronto Raptors to Jamie Lee Curtis) to help them reach their potential. Here, Mind Station Team Lead Jennifer Baldachin interviews Dr. Sinclair about the best strategies to overcome fear, transform your self-talk, and dial into a performance mindset that lets you access your best self, no matter the circumstances.
Irritable bowel syndrome is one of the world’s most common gastrointestinal disorders, and Canada’s rates are some of the highest. It’s difficult to diagnose, impossible to cure, and can be tough to talk about—but not for today’s guest.
Kate Scarlata, RD, (pictured above) is an expert in IBS and the low FODMAP diet. Here, she joins Leslie Beck, Medcan’s Clinical Director of Food and Nutrition, to give you a comprehensive guide to the many facets of IBS, and how to get the best results using the low FODMAP diet.
A recent report showed that Canada’s national life expectancy dropped for the third year in a row. —now sitting at an average of 81.3 years. Why are experts calling this decline a historical change? And how can you make tweaks in your routine to help you increase your lifespan and your healthspan?
Here, Dr. Peter Nord is joined by Dr. Doug Manuel, MD, (pictured above) director of the Big Life Lab at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and expert in preventive medicine.
The team at Sunnybrook’s Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program is making impressive progress with the help of their lab-grown organoids.
Here, Dr. Peter Nord explores how these advances could change the way we treat Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and how your lifestyle choices might affect whether or not you actually develop a cognitive disease. He’s joined by renowned neurologist Dr. Sandra Black, (pictured above) who leads the Dr. Sandra Black Centre For Brain Resilience and Recovery, and Director of Sunnybrook’s Biological Sciences Platform. Dr. JoAnne McLaurin.
Rucking, or wearing a weighted “rucksack” while walking or jogging, started as a training technique to prepare soldiers to carry their gear long distances. Lately, civilians are praising its health benefits too—the hashtag #rucking currently has 23 million views on TikTok. Here, get the rundown on rucking and whether it’s right for you, with Move Host Dr. Andrew Miners and BackFitPro CSO Dr. Stuart McGill, the world’s leading back pain expert (pictured above).
Whether you’re an introvert, an extrovert, or somewhere in between—there is robust research showing that your health is directly related to your relationships with the people around you. Learn how your peers can shape who you are, why it’s tougher than ever to connect, and how you can prioritize your social life to help increase health and lifespan. Join Mind Station Team Lead Jennifer Baldachin as she chats with Genwell Project CEO Pete Bombaci, social epidemiologist Dr. Kiffer Card, and The Peer Effect authors Syed Ali and Margaret Chin.
EAT episodes: Diet and nutrition (all)
As women age, physical and hormonal changes lead to new nutritional and wellness needs. So in episode 201 of Eat Move Think, Dr. Jennifer Zelovitzky (pictured above) and Leslie Beck, RD, team up to guide you through women’s health by the decade. Learn what’s happening inside and outside your body during each decade of adulthood from your 30s onward—and how simple lifestyle and diet choices can help you move through your life with vitality and confidence.
It’s an exciting time for the fields of nutrition and neurology. This year, two large studies determined that taking a daily multivitamin could improve memory and cognition in older adults. So can supplements actually improve your brain health? How else can food choices affect cognitive function? Here, our Eat host, Leslie Beck, RD, is joined by Toronto Memory Program medical director Dr. Sharon Cohen (pictured above) to provide a comprehensive guide to multivitamins and cognition.
Gastrointestinal health complaints form a large proportion of the reasons people visit their doctors—even though few people like to talk about what’s going on down there. So our Eat host, Leslie Beck, suggested a guide to all the gut, microbiome and digestive tract questions our listeners might otherwise not be comfortable asking. Here, Beck is joined by Medcan gastroenterologist Dr. Bharat Markandey (pictured above).
Intermittent fasting is one of the most popular fitness and nutrition trends out there right now—not only as an effective weight loss technique, but as a way to manage chronic disease risk and lower blood pressure. So what risks come with IF, and what should you know before giving it a try? In this encore presentation, Eat host Leslie Beck joins IF expert Dr. Krista Varady (pictured above) to break down the various types of IF, and how to do it safely and effectively for your body.
MOVE episodes: Fitness & strength (all)
Rucking, or wearing a weighted “rucksack” while walking or jogging, started as a training technique to prepare soldiers to carry their gear long distances. Lately, civilians are praising its health benefits too—the hashtag #rucking currently has 23 million views on TikTok. Here, get the rundown on rucking and whether it’s right for you, with Move Host Dr. Andrew Miners and BackFitPro CSO Dr. Stuart McGill, the world’s leading back pain expert (pictured above).
Perhaps your doctor mentioned it to you: consider adding strength training to your weekly routine. And here’s the thing: Strength training gets even more important as we get older. So in this episode, Dr. Andrew Miners, Medcan’s director of sports medicine and fitness, and McMaster kinesiology professor Dr. Stuart Phillips (pictured above) provide a guide to optimal strength training for everyone.
Something about exercising in nature just makes you feel good. And in fact, a new study suggests that working out in fresh air provides a special boost to your cognitive abilities – one that you won’t get if you exercise indoors. So how does exercising outside really affect your body? Here, Medcan CEO Shaun Francis sits down with the study’s lead authors, Dr. Olav Krigolson and Katherine Boere (pictured above) of the University of Victoria, to understand what’s up.
Between all the plans and trips you might have in store this summer, it can be easy to let your healthy habits and routines fall by the wayside. So how can you optimize your wellness while you’re away? Join fitness managers Anna Topali and Tyler Kerr and their fitness team leads to find out. They provide tips and tricks to help you turn your weekend trip from a wellness challenge to a healthy cross-training opportunity, and come back to the city feeling as great as you did when you left. (Left to right: Medcan trainers Erol Ivanov, Stephanie Tzemis & Kurt Morrison.)
THINK episodes: Mental health (all)
Dr. Dana Sinclair, (pictured above) the author of Dialed In: Do Your Best When it Matters Most, is a performance psychologist. She’s worked with high-performers of all kinds (from the Toronto Raptors to Jamie Lee Curtis) to help them reach their potential. Here, Mind Station Team Lead Jennifer Baldachin interviews Dr. Sinclair about the best strategies to overcome fear, transform your self-talk, and dial into a performance mindset that lets you access your best self, no matter the circumstances.
We’ve all had a headache that stopped our day in its tracks. To mark Migraine Awareness Month, we’re devoting an episode to the causes and cures for all sorts of headaches. So how can you know what is causing your headache? What is the best way to get rid of it, and how can you avoid them in the long run? Here, Dr. Peter Nord (pictured above) breaks down everything you need to know about getting rid of headaches, with the help of Medcan physiatrist, Dr. Marcus Jansen, and Medcan optometrist, Dr. Suneet Dhadwar.
When you experience stress, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. So what exactly does the “stress hormone” do? Why is there an instinct to freeze in stressful situations, and what lifestyle changes could improve our ability to handle stress? Here, Medcan CEO Shaun Francis talks to the director of the UHN Krembil Research Institute, Dr. Jaideep Bains, (pictured above) an expert on stress, about how exactly stress affects our wellness—and why it’s so important to have healthy coping mechanisms when dealing with difficult situations. He also shares what he does to get through stressful times.
Can you breathe your way to a better mood and reduced anxiety? This week’s guest says it's possible! Medcan consulting psychologist Dr. Amanda Beaman chats with the medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University, Dr. David Spiegel, a physician. Dr. Spiegel’s recent study with podcaster and neuroscientist Andrew Huberman revealed the mental well-being benefits of a kind of breathwork called cyclic sighing.
Meet our host Shaun Francis
Chair & CEO of Medcan, bestselling author, and inspiring health and wellness leader.
In Canada, prostate cancer makes up 22% of all cancer diagnoses in men. However unlike many cancers, prostate cancer is a condition that you can live and even thrive with. Here, Dr. Peter Nord and Dr. Rajiv Singal (pictured above) hear from two Medcan clients who were diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer here at Medcan. Hear about their experiences, how you can prevent prostate cancer, and why a diagnosis does not have to hold you back from living a long and happy life.