CMAJ Podcasts

Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) make up a significant portion of referrals to neurology, maybe as high as 30%. However, misconceptions regarding these disorders remain across medicine, and patients are frequently dismissed as “faking it.”FND are neuropsychiatric conditions in which patients experience neurologic symptoms due to a “functional” disruption of brain networks rather than a “structural” disorder of the nervous system. On this episode, Drs Bigham and Omole speak with Peter Gill, a patient with FND. Mr. Gill describes his seven-year journey to diagnosis and his recent success with various approaches to therapy.Next, Drs Bigham and Omole speak with Dr. Matthew Burke, a cognitive neurologist at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto and an expert in FND. They discuss the current understanding of the disorder, diagnostic criteria and therapeutic options.Links:Neurosymptoms.orgFunctional neurologic disorder associated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccinationCMAJComments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

When contemplating issues of diversity and inclusion, medicine needs to consider menopause. A commentary in CMAJ argues that discussion about and, where needed, accommodation of menopause is a necessary step toward providing women physicians with a supportive and comfortable work environment.On this episode, Drs. Bigham and Omole speak with the lead author of the commentary “Hot Flash: Experiencing menopause in medicine.” Dr. Marie Christakis is an OB-GYN at St Michael’s hospital in Toronto. She has completed a fellowship in Menopause and Mature Women’s Health at Mount Sinai Hospital.They discuss why there has been little discussion on the effect, and potential burden, of menopause on mature- or potentially peak-career women physicians. And they explore what needs to be done to better support physicians through menopause.Drs. Bigham and Omole also speak with Dr. Kim Wynd, an anesthesiologist who practices in Peterborough Ontario, about her experiences during menopause. Dr. Wynd began having symptoms of perimenopause in her early 40s at a time when her practice was thriving. Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

This is an encore presentation of our most popular episode of the past year. Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a disorder that can profoundly affect patients' quality of life. Its main characteristic is tachycardia on standing without a drop in blood pressure. Patients complain of lightheadedness and palpitations when upright, which sometimes leads to syncope. This can cause substantial functional disability, which may be economically devastating.Despite these serious consequences for patients, diagnosis can be delayed up to 6 years.In this episode, Dr. Satish Raj, author of the recent CMAJ narrative review article Diagnosis and management of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome talks to our hosts about difficulties in making the diagnosis of POTS, its complex range of comorbidities, how patients are typically affected by the syndrome and treatment options.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

The short answer to this question, according to a new guideline published in CMAJ, is “No.”In this special episode, CMAJ editor in chief, Dr. Kirsten Patrick, talks to Dr. Eddy Lang, lead author of the guideline entitled Recommendation on instrument-based screening for depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period produced by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. They discuss why there’s not enough evidence to support a recommendation to screen routinely, why that doesn’t mean that depression in pregnancy and the postpartum period is not important to diagnose, and in what circumstances use of a screening instrument might be helpful.Blair and Jola will be back next episode.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

In an effort to reduce the high burden of injury in Canadian youth ice hockey, most associations have restricted bodychecking nationally among leagues for younger players (age 11–12 yr), as well as in certain nonelite divisions of play in older age categories (age 13–17 yr.) This has been shown to be associated with reduced rates of injury, including concussion. However, despite the evidence, some argue that gaining earlier bodychecking experience may protect young players from injuries, including concussions, later on when they progress to play in leagues where bodychecking is allowed.A study published in the CMAJ entitled Bodychecking experience and rates of injury among ice hockey players aged 15–17 years found the opposite, however. Players with more experience in bodychecking had a greater incidence of concussion.On today’s episode, Drs. Omole and Bigham speak with two authors of the study. Paul Eliason is a postdoctoral fellow in the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre at the University of Calgary and Carolyn Emery is a physiotherapist and epidemiologist at the University of Calgary.They discuss the new study’s findings and their implications for policy in youth hockey. They also explore how hockey compares to other contact and non-contact sports and discuss how to keep kids both active and safe in sport.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Drug shortages are a persistent problem in Canada and around the world. They interfere with patients’ ability to consistently take medication to manage chronic diseases. And they disrupt urgent care as critical drugs like epinephrine and propofol face shortages. The COVID-19 pandemic led to concerns that the pandemic would exacerbate existing issues with drug shortages in Canada. Canadian policy-makers responded with several important measures in March 2020 in an attempt to ensure a steady supply of medication.On this episode, Mina Tadrous discusses the impact of those measures as well as the ongoing challenges to Canada’s supply of pharmaceuticals. Mina Tadrous is coauthor of the paper, “COVID-19 in the prevalence of drug shortages in Canada,” published in CMAJ. He's an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. Drs. Bigham and Omole also speak with Andrew MacIsaac about the role Canadian manufacturing can play in easing the problem of drug shortages. Andrew Maclsaac is the CEO of Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation, or API. API is partnered with University of Alberta to create the Canadian Critical Drug Initiative. One of its goals is to make Canada less vulnerable to drug shortages. Links:COVID-19 in the prevalence of drug shortages in CanadaCanadian Critical Drug InitiativeApplied Pharmaceutical InnovationCMAJComments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

The author of a new study in CMAJ says the risk of suicidality among transgender youth, “is really a crisis.”  Mila Kingsbury and her co-authors found that trans and non-binary teens were as much as 7 times more likely than cishet peers to have thought about or tried suicide. More than half of the trans 15-17 year olds in a nationally-representative Canadian survey said they’d thought about suicide, and about 40% had attempted suicide in their lifetime.The research entitled Suicidality among sexual minority and transgender adolescents drew its data from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, a carefully-conducted cross-sectional survey. The researchers used a sub-sample of 6800 15-17 year olds.  On this episode,  Drs. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole discuss the implications of the study’s findings with one author, Mila Kingsbury. They then speak with Dr. Tyler Black, medical director of the pediatric psychiatric emergency inpatient unit at British Columbia Children's Hospital. He discusses the research on transgender teens in the broader context of what’s known about suicide risk amongst adolescents in Canada.This episode focuses extensively on the issue of suicide.If you are in crisis:Call 911 or go to the nearest hospital.Call the Canada Suicide Prevention Service (available 24/7) at 1-833-456-4566. For residents of Quebec, call 1 866 APPELLE (1-866-277-3553).Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

People who use drugs are at elevated risk of death due to the toxic illicit drug supply. Providing easy access to a supply of safe, clean substances may reduce overdose deaths, decrease harms associated with substance use, and improve users’ trust in addiction care. Safer Alternatives for Emergency Response (SAFER) is a low-barrier, flexible safe supply program that provides several replacement options for people who use illicit drugs, including fentanyl, and is integrated with other healthcare and social services. In this episode, Drs. Omole and Bigham speak with two physicians who work with the SAFER initiative. Dr. Sukhpreet Klaire is the lead author of the article in CMAJ entitled Low-Barrier, Flexible Safe Supply to Prevent Overdose. He is an addiction medicine specialist working in Vancouver. Dr. Melanie van Soeren is a family physician and addiction medicine specialist in Vancouver.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Drowning accounts for hundreds of deaths in Canada every year. A study published in CMAJ examines how pre-existing medical conditions contribute to drowning deaths. Drs Mojola Omole and Blair Bigham speak with the study’s lead author Dr. Cody Boone about what the study’s findings mean for physicians and patients.They then speak with Audrey Giles, a professor of human kinetics at the University of Ottawa, about the high rates of drownings experienced by Northern Indigenous communities in Canada. Professor Giles has spent decades working with people in Northern regions to adapt and customize water safety programs so that they meet communities’ specific cultural and practical needs. She discusses issues from cold water drowning to cultural safety. Links:The link between medical conditions and fatal drownings in Canada: a 10-year cross-sectional analysisDecades of water safety training culturally “irrelevant” to First Nation peopleCMAJComments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

In this episode, Dr. Kaveh Shonjania argues that despite the billions of dollars spent on clinical and quality improvement research, most of the interventions that are studied are shown not to work and those that do work produce only marginal benefits for some patients.Dr. Shojania is the Vice Chair of Quality and Innovation for the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto and past Editor-in-Chief of BMJ Quality and Safety. He joins Drs. Blair Bigham and Mojola Omole to discuss a study published in CMAJ recently, entitled Inappropriate Use of Clinical Practices in Canada: A Systematic Review, in which the authors sifted through 174 studies to identify ineffective clinical practices that are either overused, effective practices that are underused, or other practices that are just misused..  Dr. Shojania wrote a short commentary related to the study, entitled What problems in health care quality should we target as the world burns around us? In which he called for health research resources to be shifted more towards research on the social determinants of health, for a greater return on investment.  Drs. Bigham, Omole and Shojaniadiscuss how this might actually work in practice.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions