The Dose

It's the time of year when many people like to raise a glass. But Canada's new guidelines say more than two drinks a week can raise your risk of some very common types of cancer. Addiction medicine specialist physician and UBC professor of medicine Dr. Evan Wood tells us what we should know about how alcohol can affect our health. (Guidelines here: https://www.ccsa.ca/canadas-guidance-alcohol-and-...

The menstrual cycle can cause many physical, mental and emotional changes — from cramps and bloating to mood changes and more severe symptoms. Dr. Alison Shea, an obstetrician gynecologist and reproductive mental health specialist, shares information about the cycle and how people who menstruate can handle those shifts. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit: lnk.to/dose-transcripts. Transcript...

Nearly a quarter of Canadians have hearing loss — and many others may not be aware that they have it. Young people are increasingly at risk of hearing loss because of unsafe listening practices. Audiologist Emma LeBlanc talks about how to prevent and treat hearing loss. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit: lnk.to/dose-transcripts. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the nex...

Respiratory viruses are circulating in Canada, and hospitals are starting to fill up with young children and older adults. Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious diseases doctor and researcher at Dalhousie University, shares what you need to know, and tips for how to stay healthy. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit: lnk.to/dose-transcripts. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the...

It's that time of year when sunlight is hard to come by. If you're prone to seasonal depression or the winter blues, this can be a tough time of year. But there are ways to deal with, and maybe even prevent the symptoms. This week, we speak with Dr. Raymond Lam is a professor of psychiatry at UBC, and an expert and researcher in seasonal mood disorders. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit: l...

Regular Pap tests will soon be a thing of the past in Canada, as they get replaced by more effective HPV tests to screen for cervical cancer. And soon, there will also be the option in some provinces to do your own free HPV test at home. Obstetrician gynecologist Dr. Kim Alexander explains why the switch is happening and how the at-home test will work. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit: ln...

Antibiotics treat bacterial infections and save lives when used appropriately, but when they aren’t needed, they can cause adverse effects and other harms — including antibiotic resistance, a growing global health threat. Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, explains what conditions antibiotics do — and don’t — treat, why new ant...

Blood sugar levels can be affected by stress, sleep and a lack of exercise. But what role does food play when it comes to blood glucose? This week on The Dose, registered dietitian Anar Allidina talks about the role diet plays, how eating certain foods can help regulate your blood sugar and when to know it's time to see a doctor. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit: lnk.to/dose-transcripts....

Oral cold and cough medicine containing a popular decongestant was pulled from some U.S. pharmacy shelves this week. This comes after a panel of experts said phenylephrine is no better than a dummy pill at relieving congestion. But what actually works to treat cold symptoms? Family doctor and CBC Radio house doctor Dr. Peter Lin provides tips on how best to treat a cold or cough, and weighs in on...

It's RSV season and this year, seniors have the option to get a newly approved vaccine to protect against the respiratory virus. But the new vaccine comes at a cost to most seniors in Canada. Nurses and doctors are worried that cost will prohibit people from getting the RSV vaccine. This week on The Dose, we hear from Anne Summach, a nurse practitioner and assistant teaching professor in the Unive...

Some countries are moving towards stopping the next generation from ever legally being sold cigarettes. The British government recently proposed a ban on selling cigarettes to anyone currently 14 or younger, in hopes of creating the first "smoke free generation." New Zealand has passed a similar law. Michael Chaiton, senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, weighs...

We may know it’s important to take breaks at work, but sometimes when deadlines pile up, it feels impossible to find the time. Katharine Coons, national senior manager at the Canadian Mental Health Association, explains why that ten-minute break is so important — and how it can improve your mental health. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/the-dose-t...

Many of us aren't sleeping enough, and that can have a big impact on our physical and mental health. Dr. Michael Mak, staff psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, talks about how to know if you're getting enough sleep — and what you can do to improve your night's rest.

There are many factors that influence our mood, but one we may not think about is our diet. It turns out the emotions you feel have a lot to do with what’s happening in your gut, or your gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Mary Sco., a family doctor with a PhD in nutrition, breaks it down for us. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/the-dose-transcripts-listen...

We know that energy drinks are popular with teens and pre-teens. What are the health risks that come with these caffeinated, sugary drinks? Pediatrician and clinician scientist Dr. Olivier Drouin shares what you need to know. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/the-dose-transcripts-listen-1.6732281

With fall on the horizon and kids back in school, cases of COVID-19 are starting to tick up in some parts of the country, and there are new subvariants popping up too. So should you get another COVID booster shot now, or wait until the updated vaccines come out this fall? Infectious diseases physician and epidemiologist Dr. Allison McGeer shares what you need to know. For transcripts of this serie...

Noises like traffic, airplanes passing and construction don’t just harm our hearing. They can also have other long-term effects on our health. We speak to a researcher about those effects and why we need more awareness about the noise in our environment. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/the-dose-transcripts-listen-1.6732281

An estimated one in three women and one in five men in Canada will break a bone due to osteoporosis. So how can we prevent it and keep our bones healthy? Dr. Carrie Ye, a rheumatologist and medical director of the Multidisciplinary Bone Health Clinic in Edmonton, shares what you need to know. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/the-dose-transcripts-li...

Whether you’re taking a plunge into cold water or stepping into an icy shower, cold-water immersion has become more popular. But what do we actually know about its health effects? Stephen Cheung, professor of kinesiology at Brock University, breaks it down for us. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/the-dose-transcripts-listen-1.6732281

Heart disease is a leading cause of death for women in North America — and yet, it’s still sometimes thought of as a man’s disease. Cardiologist and women’s health expert Dr. Beth Abramson talks about the differences in heart disease between women and men and why women need to pay attention. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/the-dose-transcripts-lis...

Wildfire smoke is becoming a bigger source of air pollution for all Canadians. What’s in wildfire smoke that makes it bad for your health, and who is most at risk? Epidemiologist and public health researcher Sarah Henderson shares what you need to know. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/the-dose-transcripts-listen-1.6732281

Ticks are appearing earlier in the year in Canada and sticking around longer, thanks to climate change. And that means cases of Lyme disease are rising. Infectious diseases physician Dr. Isaac Bogoch walks us through what we need to know about Lyme disease and how to avoid and detect tick bites. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/the-dose-transcripts...

Researchers have been working on a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, for decades. This week, the first ever RSV vaccine was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We speak about that and other potential RSV treatments with Sabina Vohra-Miller, founder of the website Unambiguous Science. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/th...

Melanoma is the deadliest of all skin cancers, and rates of melanoma are growing in Canada. But melanoma is one of the most preventable cancers out there. Dermatologist Dr. Julia Carroll shares what you need to know. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/the-dose-transcripts-listen-1.6732281

For many of us, coffee is an essential part of our day. So what impact is it having on us, beyond just waking us up in the morning? To try to answer that question, we speak to Thomas Merritt, a geneticist and professor at Laurentian University in Sudbury. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/the-dose-transcripts-listen-1.6732281