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.

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.

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.

Genetic technology isn’t just for scientists anymore. We give genetic tests as gifts to our friends, our family, even our pets. Yet few people really understand what it is that a genetic counsellor does, or how clinical genetic testing works. Here, director of clinical innovation Allison Hazell (pictured above), clinical director of genetics Jessica Gu, and genetic counsellor Justin Lorentz answer the questions they get asked most.

Research into therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia is progressing, and one day soon, those who are diagnosed early enough may be able to delay onset of the disease for so long that they never experience symptoms. So what’s happening at the forefront of Alzheimer’s research? What are the latest therapies, and how are doctors getting better at diagnosing it? What can we all do to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s? Medcan senior medical consultant Dr. Lorne Greenspan checks in with clinical director of genetics Jessica Gu and Dr. Sharon Cohen of the Toronto Memory Program, a global expert on the disease (pictured above).

“Liquid biopsy” is a form of cancer screening that detects biomarkers in the blood with a simple draw. Research indicates that it could help to detect disease months or even years before other, more expensive and more invasive forms of screening, helping to save lives. So how exactly does it work? Is it better at detecting some cancers compared to others? And how can it help oncologists treat already diagnosed cases? Medcan’s director of clinical innovation, Allison Hazell, investigates with the help of Dr. Lewis Roberts (pictured above), director of the Mayo Clinic’s Hepatobiliary Cancer Lab.

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 15 to 35. Experts recommend that men start to perform testicular self-exams in their teen years. Some middle aged men have never performed a self-exam in their life. To raise awareness during Men’s Health month, our Dr. Peter Nord checks in with Medcan’s director of urology and Michael Garron hospital chief of surgery Dr. Rajiv Singal (pictured above). He shares the latest in testicular and prostate cancer treatment and prevention, and discusses a new therapy for enlarged prostates that uses steam for a minimally invasive way to treat a common problem for aging men.

Summer is all about days in the park, meals in the backyard and weekends at the cottage. For more than 25 percent of Canadians, summer is also about red, itchy eyes and nasal congestion. Too often, seasonal allergies put dents in our summer plans—and over-the-counter medications don’t always help with symptoms. Dr. Anne Ellis (pictured above), professor of medicine and chair of the division of allergy and immunology at Queen’s University, is director of the Environmental Exposure Unit, an internationally recognized facility where she leads allergy research trials. Here, Dr. Ellis and Medcan CMO Dr. Peter Nord tell you everything you need to know about why you have allergies, why allergy season is getting worse and what you can do about it.

Cannabis has been legal in Canada for almost four years now. Eat Move Think’s very first episode explored cannabis and wellness and featured Dr. Mark Ware, the chief medical officer of Canopy Growth. Here, we get an update from Dr. Ware. Can cannabis change how we treat anxiety or chronic pains? Who is using it more, and what are they using it for? Dr. Mark Ware sits down with Medcan MD Dr. Lorne Greenspan to chat about new developments, and explore the ways cannabis and wellness intersect.

Health Canada recently approved a new weight loss drug, semaglutide, also known as “Ozempic” or “Wegovy.” Experts refer to it as a “game changer” for its ability to curtail appetite and spur weight loss. In this episode, Medcan’s director of weight management, Dr. David Macklin (pictured above), a co-author of Canada’s national guidelines for obesity treatment, provides host Shaun Francis with a semaglutide explainer. “We’re in a super exciting stage in my field of medicine,” Dr. Macklin says.

The ultimate way to achieve a personalized wellness prescription is to base it on one’s unique genetic code—to have every one of your DNA base pairs mapped, in a process known as whole genome sequencing, and then using that information to create precisely the right strategy for you. With its Genomic Health Assessment powered by whole genome sequencing, Medcan is pioneering the most precise form of precision medicine available. Here, Director of Clinical Innovation Allison Hazell (pictured above) explores the implications with host Shaun Francis.

As you get older, your chances of getting sick and developing diseases get higher. But what if aging itself is the condition we should be treating? Dr. Nir Barzilai is the founding director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the world’s leading expert on metformin. Here, he joins host Shaun Francis to discuss the potential of metformin to fight aging, and his new trial that could change the way we view and treat old age.

Former insomniac and ABC News anchor Diane Macedo’s new book, The Sleep Fix, includes practical, proven and surprising solutions for insomnia. In episode 97, Macedo joins Medcan’s Dr. Aisha Khatib.

Eat Move Think experts nutritionist Leslie Beck (eat), our host Shaun Francis (move), psychologist Dr. Jack Muskat (think) and Dr. Peter Nord (medicine) discuss the year that was, make their picks for the wellness trend that dominated the last 12 months, and speculate about what’s to come in 2022.

During the pandemic we’ve been using more disinfectant and hand sanitizer than ever. Such products kill germs. But the hygiene hypothesis argues that, to function properly, the human immune system requires a diverse microbiome of germs. Has the pandemic messed up the microbiome? Microbiologist Brett Finlay joins Dr. Peter Nord to investigate.