Eat Move Think host Shaun Francis is the founder of True Patriot Love, one of Canada’s largest charities supporting serving military members, Veterans and their families. So the week of Remembrance Day, we join Shaun and True Patriot Love CEO Nick Booth as they explore the inspiring stories of three Canadian soldiers who overcame wellness challenges and transformed their lives.

As temperatures fall, darkness and cold can make wellness behaviours more difficult. We might skip workouts to avoid going out in the cold, in favour of cozying up to a good book or movie. More time indoors and less sunlight can contribute to mental health issues. And some of us find it more difficult to maintain a healthy diet. So how can we stay healthy and happy through the colder months? Host Shaun Francis (pictured above) leads a tip-filled discussion with Medcan experts Dr. Peter Nord, Dr. Andrew Miners and Joanna Stochla, RD.

Women’s wellness is under-discussed, under-researched and under-considered by the Canadian healthcare system—and Breast Cancer Awareness month is a great time to explore two key aspects of women’s health: Breast cancer and menopause. What are the implications of 422,000 missed mammograms in Ontario during the pandemic? Why do we know so little about menopause? What do you need to know about screenings and your health, and where can you access important resources? Bronwen Evans, Medcan’s chief growth officer, explores these topics and more with Dr. Vivien Brown, MD, (pictured above) accomplished speaker and author who specializes in women’s health and healthy aging.

We hear lots of talk about the importance of a healthy and diverse gut microbiome. So what foods should we be eating to maintain our gut health, and how does a healthy microbiome affect the rest of our body? What’s the science behind at-home microbiome testing products, and are they worth trying? How could microbial science help with early detection or treatment of conditions like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s? Medcan’s director of food and nutrition, Leslie Beck, RD, sits down with Dr. Brett Finlay, (pictured above) microbiologist and University of British Columbia professor, to find out.

Medcan is the official Health and Wellness provider for the National Ballet of Canada, which is about to launch its 2022-2023 season. So how does the ballet keep its dancers healthy and well during such a busy time? And what can other high-performing organizations learn from the holistic way that the National Ballet cares for dancer wellness? In the latest episode of Eat Move Think, Medcan’s chief growth officer and former member of the NBOC board of directors Bronwen Evans sits down with the ballet’s director of dancer wellness, Marla Pichler, as well as first soloist Spencer Hack (pictured above) and second soloist Hannah Galway.

Your perception of the things that happen in your life—both the successes and the failures—can have a big impact on your performance and wellness. So how do you handle setbacks? How can you find purpose in your leadership journey, and upgrade your inner narrator to tell the best, most successful stories possible? Here, Medcan CEO Shaun Francis talks with Christine Miners (above, right) and Rick Lash (above, left), leadership consultants and authors of the recently released book Once Upon A Leader. They explore the steps you can take that set you up for success and, in turn, for optimal wellness.

“I’m going to NAD for the rest of my life and I’m never gonna age,” Hailey Bieber tells her friend Kendall Jenner in the latest season of The Kardashians. New anti-aging technologies like NAD+ IV therapy and plasmapheresis are making waves in pop culture—but do they work? What does the latest research say? Medcan chief medical officer Dr. Peter Nord checks in with Dr. Eric Verdin (pictured above) of California’s Buck Institute for Research on Aging to separate the science from the snake oil—and to share tips on how we can all take steps to help us live longer, and healthier lives.

Are you dealing with chronic pain and need tips on how to manage it? Anyone who has experienced chronic pain knows how debilitating it can be. But why does chronic pain happen? How much of it is neurological, and what are the best ways to soothe it? And is it possible to cure chronic pain? Dr. Michael Wansbrough (pictured above) is the medical director of the pain management and recovery program at Medcan. Here, he and our Move host, Dr. Andrew Miners, explore why we feel chronic pain. They describe how reframing one’s attitude to pain can help mitigate symptoms, and they map out a pathway to long-term relief of chronic pain.

If you’re a dietitian, some questions come up all the time. Is diet soda bad for you? How much coffee is too much? How many eggs can I eat? Which supplements do I need to take? How many calories should I eat every day? Which foods should I never eat? In this episode, Eat host Leslie Beck (pictured above), Medcan’s director of food and nutrition, leads her dietitian colleagues Olivia Cupido and Terence Boateng through a discussion that provides easy to understand answers.

The debate has been going on for years: while some swear by the benefits of a stretching routine, others will say there is little to no point. What does the research say, and how much of a difference could a stretching routine make on our range of motion and physical health as we age? Can you use stretching to help heal an injury, or prevent future injuries? What sort of stretches should you be doing on a daily basis, if any? Here, Medcan’s Dr. Andrew Miners talks to physiotherapist and chiropractor Dr. Greg Lehman, (pictured above) a global expert on movement and flexibility. Learn what’s happening in your body when you stretch, how to know which stretches are right for you, and how to use stretching to improve your flexibility over time.

How can employers best prepare for higher rates of absenteeism or supply chain issues in the upcoming season? How to keep employees and their families safe and healthy? In this episode, pandemic planning experts Dr. Alain Sotto and Dr. Matthew Burnstein of Medcan’s Medical Advisory Services join program manager Mark Beairsto to share everything you need to know about what to expect this fall from COVID, how to prepare—and how investing in workplace wellness can maximize staff retention and engagement in the post-pandemic world.

“We’re the most connected, and the loneliest generation ever,” says Dr. Jack Muskat, Medcan’s clinical director of psychology, (pictured above) describing the paradox of apps like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook. Inspired by a recent study showing that a one-week break from social media led to significant improvements in well-being, Dr. Muskat leads Eat Move Think producer Jasmine Rach on a social media cleanse of her own. It also features context from the bestselling Johann Hari book on the cognitive effects of social media and technology, Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again.

Wearables like the Apple Watch, Fitbit, the WHOOP band and the Oura Ring help us track our exercise and lifestyle habits, collecting loads of data as we use them. So what’s happening with all that information, and how can wearable data help to promote optimal human wellness? Evidation is a Silicon Valley-based company that aggregates the data from wearables and enables its users to participate in groundbreaking research and health programs. In conversation with our Move host, Dr. Andrew Miners of Medcan, Evidation COO Leslie Wilberforce (pictured above) explores the ways wearable data can help us maintain healthy habits, and help us detect medical conditions earlier than ever before.

Adults tend to gain weight as they age — about one to two pounds a year, research shows. A recent study indicates that small changes to one’s diet and/or exercise routine can prevent that incremental accumulation. In this episode, our Eat host, Leslie Beck, interviews the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Robert Ross of Queen’s University (pictured above), a global expert on sustainable positive lifestyle change for weight loss and better health. He shares the study’s findings, and discusses tips on how to halt age-related weight gain.

When Walmart Canada’s executive vice president and chief operating officer first joined the company in August 2020, she introduced herself to her new 90,000 associates as a “recovering workaholic.” Since experiencing anxiety, postpartum depression and burnout in her 20s, Nabeela Ixtabalan (pictured above) has transformed the way she balances work and wellness—and is working to help Walmart Canada employees do the same. In this encore presentation of her conversation with Medcan CEO Shaun Francis, Nabeela discusses her self-care and employee wellness strategies.

A growing body of research suggests that your food choices can affect the long-term health of your brain. In fact, one study showed that those who scored in the top third in terms of adherence to the MIND diet were associated with being 7.5 years younger in brain age versus those who scored in the lower third. So how does the MIND diet work? Which foods are in the MIND diet—and what are some practical tips to help us to incorporate this eating pattern into our lives? Leslie Beck (pictured above) gets the answers from two of the researchers who helped develop the MIND diet: cognitive neurologist Dr. Neelum Aggarwal, and nutritionist Dr. Christy Tangney, both of Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center.

A growing body of research indicates the MIND diet can be so protective of the brain that one study showed those who most adhered to it had a brain age 7.5 years younger compared to those who least adhered to the diet. So how does the MIND diet work? Which foods are in the MIND diet—and what are some practical tips to help us to incorporate this eating pattern into our lives? In the second of our three-part series on Alzheimer’s, Leslie Beck (pictured above) gets the answers from two of the researchers who helped develop the MIND diet: cognitive neurologist Dr. Neelum Aggarwal, and nutritionist Dr. Christy Tangney, both of Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center.

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).

What exactly is energy? Is it a chemical to be measured, a feeling or even just a “vibe”? We know when we have it, and know even more when we don’t. How can we get more of it? At Columbia’s Picard Lab in New York, scientists study mitochondrial biology to understand our energy levels, how they can be affected by our psychological state, and how we can get more energy to get more things done every day. Here, lab director and professor of behavioural medicine Dr. Martin Picard (pictured above) and Medcan CEO Shaun Francis explore the biology behind energy, and provide us with tips on how we can get more of it.

“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.