Eat Move Think

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 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. Check out the episode webpage for links and more info.

The latest research has shown that the MIND diet—a cross between the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet— may stave off the onset of Alzheimer’s. There’s more research in the works, and it could make for even more progress in our understanding of the ways our diet can affect, repair and improve our brains.  In the final of our three-part series on Alzheimer’s, Leslie Beck continues her conversation with 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. Make sure to check out the first part of their conversation to learn about how the MIND diet was developed and which brain-healthy food groups it includes. Check out the episode webpage for links and more info.

A growing body of research suggests that your food choices can affect the long-term health of your brain to the extent that certain diets, such as something called the MIND diet, may significantly reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. In fact, 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 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. Check out the episode webpage for links and more info.

Research into therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia is progressing, and one day soon we may reach a point where those at high risk for cognitive impairment may be able to delay onset for so long that they never experience symptoms. How does Alzheimer’s really affect the brain, and how are doctors getting better at diagnosing it? Are there things we can do every day to reduce our risk? To learn about the latest in prevention, diagnosis and treatment, Medcan senior medical consultant Dr. Lorne Greenspan and clinical director of genetics Jessica Gu check in with a global expert on the disease, Dr. Sharon Cohen of Toronto Memory Program, to hear about the state of the art in Alzheimer’s. Check out the episode webpage for links and more info.

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 and Medcan CEO Shaun Francis explore the biology behind energy, and provide us with tips on how we can get more of it. Check out the episode webpage for links and more info.  

“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, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Hepatobiliary Cancer Lab. Check out the episode webpage for links and more info.

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's 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. Check out the episode webpage for links and more info.

In our last episode, How To Practise Mindfulness, Medcan psychologists Dr. Amanda Beaman (pictured above) and Dr. Jack Muskat put mindfulness under the microscope and explored its many benefits. Here, try it out yourself with a 10-minute guided mindfulness meditation with Dr. Amanda Beaman. Download this episode for easy listening while on a walk, your commute to work, or to otherwise incorporate into your self-care routine.

Many of us are spending more time on screens. The constant buzz and beeps of phone notifications, increasing work demands—does anyone else feel like the pace of contemporary living is harming attention spans and creating more of a need to engage in mindfulness and meditation practices? Here, Medcan clinical psychologists Dr. Jack Muskat and Dr. Amanda Beaman explore the practice of mindfulness. What is it? How does one do it? And can it help to relieve anxiety and increase our focus? Check out the episode webpage for links and more info.

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, 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. Check out the episode webpage for links and more info.