As 2023 comes to a close, Eat Move Think is rounding up the health and wellness trends and updates that left lasting impressions on such Medcan experts as Shaun Francis, Dr. Peter Nord, Leslie Beck and Dr. Andrew Miners. How did their own personal wellness evolve? What innovations will they be watching next year? And what are the biggest takeaways that you can carry forward to optimize your own health in 2024?

Rates of colon cancer in Canada aren’t standard across the board. They’re dropping in populations over 50 years old, and rising in younger demographics. Dr. Jeff Axler, Medcan’s director of gastroenterology and endoscopy, has scoped over 40,000 colons throughout his career. Here, he chats with CMO Dr. Peter Nord about why Medcan’s colon cancer screening guidelines stand out from other recommendations in Canada, how you can learn about your unique risk, and why the preparation for your colonoscopy isn’t nearly as bad as you thought.

Many Canadians are packing their bags for their annual trip down south to spend the winter months somewhere tropical. Here, Medcan CMO Dr. Peter Nord (pictured above in Ireland with his son) is joined by clinical director of travel medicine, Dr. Aisha Khatib. Learn how you can deal with health issues effectively while abroad, (or even prevent them before you leave). Plus, get tips to zap your jet lag—whether you’re gone for the week or the whole winter.

Our host, Shaun Francis, recently spent time in Helena, Montana on an expedition with other business leaders and Veterans. Shaun is the founder of True Patriot Love, one of Canada’s largest charities that supports Canadian military members and their families and the organization behind the trip. Here, he joins fellow expeditioners: True Patriot CEO Nick Booth, True Patriot Love co-founder and former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Erin O’Toole, and Veteran Ryan Hawkyard.

When the temperature drops, we spend more time indoors and get less fresh air, increasing our risk of getting sick. Get tips and tricks from all of your favourite hosts (pictured: Dr. Peter Nord) to help you eat, move, and think your way to staving off the sniffles, avoiding those aches and pains, and getting back on your feet. Learn which common remedies work, which don’t, and which are essential for staying healthy.

Dr. Jennifer Zelovitzky (pictured above) is the clinical director of women’s health and vitality at Medcan, and she also leads the new perimenopause and menopause program. Here, she joins Marisa Ciarlitto to chat about the questions that she gets asked most, how she helped some of her clients get through common problems, and how you can get the most benefit out of your next appointment with your doctor.

Adult acne affects 5.6 million Canadians (and 75% of them are women!). September is Acne Awareness Month, so we’ve teamed up with Refine, Medcan’s dermatology clinic, for the ultimate guide to adult acne. Dermatologist Dr. Jennifer Tran (pictured above) breaks down the who, what, where, when and whys of acne, and how you can know what’s best for your skin.

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.

Whether you’re working on a deadline or enjoying time with friends, city noise is jarring to the ears and even worse for concentration. A growing body of scientific evidence also suggests that high noise levels can be harmful to your health, increasing risk of hypertension, stroke and heart attacks. Here, environmental studies researcher Dr. Tor Oiamo (pictured above) joins Medcan CEO Shaun Francis to explore the connection between noise and health.

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).

Research suggests that one in three Canadians is living with diabetes or prediabetes. So if your doctor tells you that you’re insulin resistant, what steps can you take? Here, Dr. Peter Nord is joined by Medcan endocrinologist Dr. Susan George (pictured above)—who was named to the Order of Canada in 2020—to break down how you can eat, move and think your way to improved insulin sensitivity—and maybe even reverse your diagnosis.

Last year, Medcan director of weight management Dr. David Macklin (pictured above) predicted the diabetes medication semaglutide would be a game changer for those seeking help to lose weight. So we invited back Dr. Macklin to get his perspective on the medication, now that it’s actually on the market and being used by hundreds of thousands of people across North America. Joined by Medcan CMO Dr. Peter Nord, Dr. Macklin explains semaglutide’s benefits, side effects and costs — and describes what’s different about Medcan’s approach to weight management in the semaglutide era.

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.

Eat Move Think is all about giving you new ways to become the healthiest version of yourself. So in this special summer episode, we’ve challenged some of Medcan’s most wellness-obsessed teammates to tell us all about the content that changed the way they make their healthy choices. Hear about the media and pop culture that has made a big impact on Medcanners’ lives, and you might just find your next best read, watch or listen along the way. (Pictured above: Medcan RD Neda Rezvany)

Dr. Jennifer Zelovitzky is the clinical director of women’s health and vitality at Medcan and leads the new perimenopause and menopause program. She’s a certified menopause practitioner and an advocate for the benefits of hormone replacement therapy. Here, she joins Director of Clinical Innovation Allison Hazell to talk about menopause misconceptions, the education gap that exists around women’s health—and how Medcan’s new program aims to empower women with knowledge.

Medcan is expanding. We’re opening a summer pop-up in the Muskoka region’s village of Port Carling, a new location in Collingwood is coming soon and the Oakville location has been around for 18 months. The design in each of these spaces feels less medical and more high-end hotel. Medcan CEO Shaun Francis interviews Oakville general manager Eric Giberson and HOK senior principal Laura Jones (pictured above) to learn about how listeners can learn from Medcan’s interior design choices to create wellness-promoting spaces of their own.

“Worst air quality in a lifetime for many,” read the Weather Network app for many North Americans recently. So how does wildfire smoke and air pollution affect our health, what can we do to protect ourselves, and are there ways to counteract health effects of wildfire smoke?

Here, the Eat Move Think team breaks down the air quality situation in Canada, with the help of Medcan respirologist and clinical director of sleep, Dr. Chris Chan, and wildfire smoke expert Dr. Stephanie Holm.

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.

“If you’re eating something that came wrapped in plastic and contains even one ingredient that wouldn’t be found in most household kitchens, it is most likely ultra-processed food,” writes today’s guest, Dr. Chris van Tulleken (pictured above). His latest book, an international bestseller, is Ultra-Processed People. He says that North Americans get 50-60% of their calories from ultra-processed food. So how is ultra-processed food affecting our bodies and our brains? How is it really bad for us, and how can you optimize your wellness in an ultra-processed world? Medcan director of food and nutrition Leslie Beck, RD, answers these questions and more in her conversation with Dr. Chris van Tulleken.