The DocTalks Podcast

Sexual assault is a crime of violence, one that often leaves victims in need of medical care and support to help them recover. How do you best support someone after a SA, or where do you go if you have been a victim? In this episode of the DocTalks Podcast, host Ian Gillespie and Dr. Susan McNair, a family physician and the medical director of the Regional Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Trea...

According to Brain Injury Canada approximately 200,000 Canadians suffer a concussion each year. While 80 per cent of people recover from a concussion, up to 20 percent can suffer from what’s known as persistent concussion symptoms. People are often told to rest after a concussion diagnosis and while rest is important, getting back to activity is as important for recovery. But how do you safely sta...

As we age some of us find our joints more tender and prone to injury than before. You may even wake up one morning with unexplained discomfort in major joints such as the shoulder. But how do you know what's caused the pain? Is it an injury, arthritis, overuse or did you just sleep in a strange position? On this episode of the Doc Talks Podcast, host Ian Gillespie gets answers to these questions f...

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health and well-being of billions of people across the world, especially frontline health care workers. In this episode of the DocTalks Podcast, host Ian Gillespie sits down with Dr. Don Richardson, a psychiatrist and the medical director of St. Joseph’s Health Care London’s Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Clinic at Parkwood Institute. Dr. Richardson i...

Navigating the health care system on behalf of a child with a lifelong condition like Spina Bifida or Cerebral Palsy can be daunting. St. Joseph's Health Care London's Transitional and Lifelong Care (TLC) Program is a resource for parents and individuals living with these conditions and more. On this episode of the DocTalks Podcast, host Ian Gillespie and TLC physician Dr. Caitlin Cassidy, a physi...

Did you know you can develop a food allergy at any age? More than 2.6 million Canadians, including 500,000 children, are living with food allergies and there are a lot of myths out there about their prevention, treatment and diagnosis. In this episode of the DocTalks Podcast, host Ian Gillespie learns more about the most common food allergy myths from Dr. Samira Jeimy an expert and allergist at St...

Could your snoring be a warning sign of a bigger health issue? Snoring is one of many signs of sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder in which a person’s breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night's sleep, you might have sleep apnea. So how do you know if you have sleep apnea and what are the treatment options available? On this episode of the...

Fecal transplants - otherwise known as poop in a pill - are now a routine treatment at St. Joseph's Health Care London for a life-threatening condition called Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) – the major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. This novel treatment is also showing promise in helping combat illnesses such as skin, renal and pancreatic cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis, non-alc...

According to the Canadian Continence Foundation more than 3.3 million Canadians experience at least one type of urinary incontinence. The severity of urinary incontinence can range from occasionally leaking urine when you cough or sneeze to having an urge to urinate that's so sudden and strong you don't get to a washroom in time. In this episode of the DocTalks Podcast, host Ian Gillespie and St....

The pituitary is a master gland that regulates the production of six different hormones in the body in a unique balance. Too much or too little of any hormone can have significant effects on your health. But how do you know if your pituitary gland is working properly? There are a range of symptoms and conditions that can be caused and effected by issues with the pituitary gland. In this episode of...

Geriatricians are doctors that specialize in providing medical care for older adults. They start by assessing the person to find out what medical conditions they may have. They also review their medications and care needs. They then make suggestions for care options and services in the community. There are many reasons someone should see a geriatrician such as a change in their ability to move aro...

Delirium is a serious condition that can cause mental confusion and reduce someone’s ability to be aware of their surroundings. Delirium occurs when signals in the brain are impaired. This impairment can be caused by a combination of factors and can affect someone in as little as a few hours. In this episode of the DocTalks Podcast, host Ian Gillespie learns from St. Joseph's Health Care London ge...

Can Type 2 diabetes go into remission? On this episode of the DocTalks Podcast, host Ian Gillespie asks St. Joseph's endocrinologist Dr. Tamara Spaic to share strategies people can use to prevent diabetes and even move into remission through use of medications and changes in lifestyle.    Want to learn more? Listen for free to the DocTalks Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. For more informati...

While erectile dysfunction can be caused by various medical and/or psychological conditions, it can be an early warning sign of vascular issues that can lead to heart attack or stroke. In this episode of the DocTalks Podcast, host Ian Gillespie and Dr. Jeffrey Campbell, a urologist at St. Joseph’s Hospital and expert in the diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction discuss what those treatme...

Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why you were there? Do you lose your keys or your cell phone or find yourself searching for a word in a conversation? Are you worried these are signs you may have dementia? While 40 per cent of us will experience some type of memory loss as we age, the World Health Organization says 5 to 8 per cent of people will develop dementia. According to the Alz...

On this episode of The DocTalks Podcast, host Ian Gillespie sits down with St. Joseph’s Health Care London urologist Dr. Stephen Pautler to discuss a topic that is difficult for most men to talk about - prostate cancer.  An associate professor of surgery and oncology at Western University, lead for Southwest Regional Surgical Oncology at Cancer Care Ontario and a Canadian pioneer in surgical robot...

Welcome to the DocTalks Podcast, a conversation on what’s new and relevant in the world of Canadian medicine and hospital health care. Join us for each episode, as we interview physicians, patients and caregivers to dive deep into what it’s like to treat and live with some of today’s most common health challenges. I’m your host Ian Gillespie, and I’m here to ask the questions that get to the answe...