If you’re anything like us, you’ve been waiting for the sunny days of summer. Between all the plans and trips you might have in store, it can be easy to let your healthy habits and routines fall by the wayside. So how can you optimize your wellness while you’re away? Join fitness managers Anna Topali and Tyler Kerr as they and their fitness team leads to find out. They provide tips and tricks to help you turn your weekend trip from a wellness challenge to a healthy cross-training opportunity,...

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. Dr. Zelovitzky also has an unusual backstory that includes working on Bay Street before attending medical school while raising two young daughters. Here, she joins Director of Clinical Innovation Allison Hazell to talk about menopause...

Medcan is expanding. There’s a summer pop-up in Muskoka’s Port Carling, a new location in Collingwood is coming soon and the Oakville location has been open for 18 months. The design in each of these spaces feels less medical and more high-end hotel. Elements like natural light and organic materials promote a sense of optimal wellness in visitors, encouraging relaxation and comfort regardless of the reason for the visit. So can our listeners learn from Medcan’s interior design choices, the...

“Worst air quality in a lifetime for many,” read the Weather Network app for many North Americans recently. Residual smoke from the wildfires in northern Ontario and Quebec created serious air pollution, causing Environment Canada to recommend that we avoid strenuous activities and limit our time outside. 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...

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. That dull, throbbing pain could be caused by stress, poor diet, eye sight issues, or many other underlying conditions. 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 breaks down everything you need to know about...

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, an expert on stress, about how exactly stress affects our wellness—and why it’s so important to have healthy coping mechanisms when...

“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. He’s an Oxford-educated infectious diseases doctor, with a Ph.D. in molecular virology, as well as a BBC television personality. His latest book, an international bestseller, is Ultra-Processed People: Why We Can’t Stop Eating Food That Isn’t Food. He says that North...

In 2022, Medcan became the first wellness provider in the country to enter the age of truly personalized medicine by integrating whole genome sequencing into a comprehensive preventive health assessment — allowing clients access to the most advanced technology available to promote longevity and address potential future health concerns. Now, a year later, Medcan genetic counsellors look back and evaluate what they’ve learned. Who is getting their whole genome sequenced, and what impact has...

5.4 million Canadians are at high risk of experiencing or have been diagnosed with sleep apnea—and not all of them snore. Sleep apnea is the most common breathing-related sleep disorder, and spending the night in a hospital or clinic is an uncomfortable and inconvenient way to be diagnosed and get treatment.  Here, Dr. Chris Chan, clinical director of Medcan’s new Sleep Program, explains who is at highest risk for sleep apnea, and he introduces a simple and evidence-based device that could...

For years, scientific evidence has suggested that there could possibly be a link between exercise and cognitive function. A new study in Scientific Reports analyzed the genetic data of over 350,000 people to determine whether or not regular physical activity can really improve our brain health. So can working out really make us smarter? What type of exercise is best for our brains? Here, University of Geneva senior researcher and study lead author, Dr. Boris Cheval, joins Move host Dr....

Did you know that loneliness is associated with health risks as negative as smoking 15 cigarettes a day? When we think of a healthy lifestyle designed to promote longevity, we think of factors like diet, exercise or genetics. Rarely do we consider loneliness as a factor in determining how long we live. Yet according to loneliness expert Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University, “social connections have potent influences on health and...

Fitness trainers are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to health and wellness. Here, Medcan fitness managers Anna Topali and Tyler Kerr lead some of our top trainers as they discuss science-based answers to the questions that come up again and again. Do women get bulky if they lift heavy weights? Will my sleep quality suffer if I work out at night? Is it OK to workout on consecutive days? Can I do cardio and resistance training on the same day? Is fasted cardio better for fat-loss, or is it...

As the weather heats up, so does the talk about sunscreen. Reapply every 2 hours—or every 4 hours. Only use SPF 30 or higher…but maybe the SPF 15 in your moisturizer is okay. Here, Refine medical director Dr. Jonathan Levy clears up misconceptions about your skin and sunscreen. Learn why SPF 80 might not be as protective as you think, which UV rays your sunscreen is blocking, and how to know which brands will make you less likely to break out. Check out the episode webpage for links and...

Sleeping well is crucial for wellness. But for those of us who work at demanding jobs, it can be all too easy to sacrifice sleep. In fact, thanks also to streaming services and social media, society is as sleep deprived as we’ve ever been.  So in this episode, Medcan chief medical officer Dr. Peter Nord talks with sleep deprivation expert Dr. Ann E. Rogers of Georgia’s Emory University. The two discuss the reasons we’re not getting the slumber we need—and share tips and tricks to maintain...

What’s the best way to lose weight, and keep it off for good? Does your body prefer a low-fat or a low-carb diet? The body’s metabolism rate, genes, and microbiomes can all affect the way we lose or gain weight. The good news? The field of personalized nutrition will likely soon be able to give you a full list of which foods will help your body lose weight, and which will contribute to weight gain.  Medcan’s director of food and nutrition, Leslie Beck chats with Dr. Christopher Gardner, the...

Medcan trainers and doctors say that the single biggest change you can do for your wellness is to go from doing nothing, to doing something. For the non-smokers among us, the biggest change in your body happens when you go from a sedentary lifestyle to a simple fitness routine that you can gradually build on, and walking is one of the best ways to get that routine going. Here, Move host Dr. Andrew Miners chats with Dr. Ferreira, who recently started walking over 5km to work on a regular...

Can you breathe your way to a better mood and reduced anxiety? This week’s guest says it's possible! Medcan consulting psychologist Dr. Amanda Beaman chats with the medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University, Dr. David Spiegel, a physician. Dr. Spiegel's recent study with podcaster and neuroscientist Andrew Huberman revealed the mental well-being benefits of a kind of breathwork called cyclic sighing. Here, Dr. Spiegel explains how to perform cyclic...

Can certain foods cure pre-menstrual syndrome? Do soy products cause breast cancer? And can a healthy diet help you conceive, or improve the symptoms of menopause? In this episode of Eat Move Think, we explore the world of women's nutrition. Guided by Medcan’s director of clinical innovation, Allison Hazell, our Eat expert, Leslie Beck, RD, and registered dietitian Joanna Stochla clear up the biggest misconceptions around nutrition for women, and provide a suggestion for what you should be...

As we approach International Women’s Day, Eat Move Think begins a two-week look at wellness specifically for females. This week, Medcan senior medical advisor, and bestselling author of The New Woman’s Guide to Healthy Aging, Dr. Vivien Brown, provides an overview on all things preventive health, touching on everything from telomeres to stress, and the importance of self-education to promote brain health. If you’re a woman, it’s an inspiring—and empowering—way to focus on your own wellness....

Canada’s new alcohol guidelines took a radically different approach. Most health recommendations provide advice on safe amounts of the substance in question. But Canada’s 2023 Guidance on Alcohol and Health tells us there is no safe amount when it comes to drinking spirits, wine or beer. Sidestepping any suggestion for specific consumption levels, they instead inform Canadians about the risk we incur for an alcohol-caused death at given consumption levels per week. To learn about the...

Everyone from Peter Attia to the Global Cycling Network is talking about zone-based fitness training. It’s gaining popularity as a way to optimize your workouts and train like an endurance athlete, all while making sure you don’t work too hard. So we contacted a global expert to determine whether it’s worth the hype. What is Zone 2 training, and how can you do it effectively—no matter your fitness level? Dr. Stephen Seiler is a professor at Norway’s University of Agder, and for decades he’s...

Workforces increasingly expect their employers to support their health and wellbeing—which is why Medcan created the Workplace Health and Wellness Strategy Playbook. In the latest episode of our weekly podcast, Eat Move Think, join such MAS physicians as Dr. Peter Nord, Dr. Alain Sotto, Dr. Matthew Burnstein and Dr. Aisha Khatib as they share first-hand experiences of best practices for workplace wellness, to promote engagement and productivity among employees. Check out the episode webpage...

February is Heart Health month, and with the heartiest (ahem) of holidays coming up, in the form of Valentine’s Day, what better time to bring attention to how you can keep your heart healthy and strong? Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Canada, and is the first leading cause of premature death in women. Here, Medcan director of cardiology, Dr. Beth Abramson, joins Dr. Peter Nord to break down everything you need to know about heart disease, and the main risk factors that...

Mary Deacon has been pioneering efforts to improve Canada’s mental health for 25 years. She’s the founding president of the CAMH Foundation and the founding chair of Bell Let’s Talk, which she still leads today. She’s also worked with Medcan CEO and True Patriot Love chair Shaun Francis on a million-dollar fund to support military members, Veterans and their families. Here, the two friends discuss the past, present and future of mental health in this country, with a view to providing us with...

Our conversations about mental health have changed in the past few years. Things that were considered taboo or inappropriate to mention are now commonly discussed. And that’s great, because authentic conversations can help to reduce stigma. So when your coworker or close friend discloses that they’re having a tough time, how can you provide the response they need? What’s the best way to set boundaries? What do you do if you don’t have the time to talk? And how can you take care of yourself?...