The Doc Talk Podcast

Episode Overview In this season finale, Dr. Shaz and Dr. Sheila answer your most pressing questions about GLP-1 medications and peptides from safety and side effects to menopause, mental health, and the exciting frontier of emerging research. Whether you're brand new to the Ozempic conversation or already on a GLP-1 and hitting a plateau, this episode covers it all. We Cover: GLP-1 Basics Wha...

In this episode, we’re tackling a question that feels increasingly common and increasingly urgent: If you don’t have a family doctor and you’re getting your health advice online, how do you know who to trust? With nearly nine in ten Canadians turning to the internet for health information, this isn’t surprising. Access to care is limited for many, and people are looking for answers wherever they c...

In this special episode, we take a deeper look at the Season 2 finale of The Pitt . Rather than a full recap, we focus on the major medical storyline and the bigger themes the episode tries to tackle, including what it gets right, what it doesn’t, and what it reflects about real-life medicine. We break down the case of preeclampsia progressing to eclampsia, discuss the realities of neonatal resusc...

HPV is common. Cancer is not inevitable.  In this episode, we break down Human Papillomavirus (HPV), what it actually means if your test is positive, and how vaccination and screening can prevent most HPV-related cancers. About 75–80% of sexually active people will be exposed to HPV at some point. Most infections clear on their own. But certain high-risk strains can persist and increase cancer ris...

Feeding kids has become one of the most overwhelming parts of parenting. In this episode, we cut through the noise on starting solids, picky eating, supplements, and the growing confusion around sugar and ultra-processed foods.  We’re joined by Registered Dietitian Nita Sharda ( Happy Healthy Eaters ) to break down what the evidence actually says and how to apply it in real life. What we cover : B...

For International Women’s Day , we’re tackling a difficult but important question: are women’s symptoms being dismissed in healthcare? Research shows that women experience higher rates of missed and delayed diagnoses for several major conditions. Women under 55 are more likely than men to be misdiagnosed during a heart attack. Endometriosis takes an average of 7–10 years to diagnose. And women acc...

Travel is exciting. Getting sick on vacation is not. In this episode, we walk through what Canadians should think about before heading out of the country, and even within it. From vaccines and malaria prevention to travel insurance, food and water safety and emergency planning, this is your practical guide to staying safe while you explore. We focus on what actually matters, where to find reliable...

In light of Heart Month, The Doc Talk Podcast is dropping a special re-release of our episode on heart health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in Canada. In this episode of The Doc Talk Podcast , we dive into what heart disease can look like in women, how it’s too often overlooked, and what you can do to protect yourself and those you love. We kick off with a listener questio...

Perimenopause can feel confusing, frustrating, and at times overwhelming and most of us aren’t taught what to expect.  We usually start with a listener question, but this time, it’s Dr. Shaz asking Dr. Sheila all the real-world questions about perimenopause. The ones patients bring to clinic every day. The ones many are Googling at 2 a.m.  From symptoms to lifestyle shifts to medication options an...

Blood clots are common, often preventable, and still widely misunderstood. In this episode, Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe and Dr. Shazma Mithani unpack what people actually need to know about deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), conditions we see every day in clinic and the ER. We talk through real-world risk factors, symptoms that should never be ignored, and why clots don’t always p...

In this episode of The Doc Talk Podcast , we break down how the Canadian health care system is actually structured and how to navigate it safely when access is limited,  from the perspectives of an emergency room doc and family doctor. With more Canadians living without a family doctor and emergency departments under increasing strain, this episode offers practical, honest guidance on where to go...

This is our last episode breaking down the Pitt and we’re closing this chapter with an episode we’re really proud of. As always, we watch through two clinical lenses as Dr. Shaz as an emergency physician giving us the actual behind the scene truths. We dig into the emergency medicine moments that stood out, the intense cases, the new characters, and yes… Dr. Robbie’s no-helmet choices. What felt r...

The exercise and wellness space is louder than ever and often full of confident, conflicting advice. In this episode, we sit down with exercise physiologist and researcher Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple to cut through the noise using a simple framework: Keep, Skip, or Caution. Together, we tackle some of the most common questions and trends people are confused about right now, especially in midlife. We...

As cold and flu season ramps up, coughs and breathing concerns are one of the most common reasons people seek medical care. In this episode, Dr. Shazma Mithani and Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe break down how to think about coughs during respiratory season, when antibiotics are helpful, and how to manage symptoms safely while your body recovers. In this episode, we discuss: Why most coughs during cold a...

We’ve reached the end of Season 1 of The Pitt — and what a shift it’s been. In this finale episode, we’re joined by Dr. Jacob Lentz, one of the medical advisors for The Pitt , who took time while filming Season 2 to share a behind-the-scenes look at how the show brings emergency medicine to life with such realism, care, and emotional depth. As we close out season 1's recap episodes, we want t...

The holidays look cozy online, but in clinics and emergency rooms, this time of year can be really hard if you're sick or injured. In this episode, we break down what actually spikes over the holidays: GI flare-ups, slips and falls, viral illnesses, alcohol-related issues, and the mental load that quietly pushes people to the brink. We talk through what’s common, what’s preventable, when to s...

In this recap, we dive into The Pitt’s intense two-hour mass-casualty arc,  episodes that capture the overwhelming pace, emotional weight, and coordinated chaos of real emergency medicine. We break down what mass casualty incidents look like inside a hospital, how ten-second triage works, why ABCs matter more than anything in crisis, and what the show gets right (and wrong) about resource strain,...

The holidays are around the corner, and for many people, that means more conversations about drinking. In this episode, Shazma and Sheila answer a listener question, explore what the newest evidence says about alcohol, and reflect on how it shows up in real life, especially in midlife, perimenopause, and sleep.  We break it all down with clarity and zero judgment. This is a practical, compassionat...

Before we jump into the details of episodes 10 and 11, we're joined by the brilliant OB-GYN and medical educator Dr. Fran @pagingdrfran, to discuss the intense delivery case, a chaotic shoulder dystocia and postpartum hemorrhage that had all of our heart rates spiking. She breaks down what was accurate, what wasn’t, and shares important insight into equity in maternal care for Black women in...

In this special episode, we're tackling a skin condition that affects 1 in 5 Canadian children : eczema. From the very first patch to long-term management, we’re breaking it all down with one of Canada’s leading pediatric dermatologists. We explore why eczema happens, what flare-ups really mean, what role genetics and the environment play, and whether kids can grow out of it. Plus, we answer...

We dive into two of The Pitt’s most emotionally charged hours exploring grief, moral distress, and the impossible pace of emergency medicine. A special conversation on advocacy and authenticity with Fiona Dourif , the powerhouse actor behind Dr. Cassie McKay . We talk about channeling intensity on-screen, filming authentic medical scenes, and what The Pitt gets right about the chaos and compassion...

In this episode, Dr. Shazma Mithani and Dr. Sheila Wijayasinghe tackle one of the scariest moments for parents — when a child has a seizure during a fever. They break down what febrile seizures are, why they happen, what to do in the moment, and when to seek medical care. What We Cover: What febrile seizures are and how they differ from epilepsy Why they happen — and why it’s the rapid rise in tem...

These two powerful episodes of The Pitt take us into the heart of moral distress in medicine, from abortion care and teen consent to burnout, privatization, and the emotional cost of caring deeply in a strained system. We break down the ethical dilemmas, procedural details, and the moments of humanity that keep healthcare real.  We break down the key themes, our favourite cases and discuss what&ap...

Fever is one of the most common reasons parents bring their children to the ER and family medicine clinic. We break down what every parent should know about fevers in kids: when to worry, when to relax, and how to keep your child comfortable at home. We cover what counts as a fever, why fevers happen, why kids get them more often than adults, and when it’s time to see a doctor. They also bust some...

In this double recap, we deep dive into The Pitt Episodes 4 and 5, two back-to-back hours in the ER that capture everything from humour to heartbreak. We discuss the powerful storylines like end-of-life care and caregiver burnout, high-stakes emergencies like status epilepticus and post-tonsillectomy bleeds, and moments of levity that keep the team going, including Whittaker’s never-ending scrub c...