The Dose

Canada's Bill C-34 aims to restrict social media access for people under the age of 16. Supporters say it could help reduce rising rates of depression, anxiety and social isolation. But Dr. Shimi Kang, a psychiatrist and clinical associate professor at UBC, says the proposed restrictions need more clarity, noting that social media can also help marginalized young people find support. For transcrip...

Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected in Toronto and Vancouver for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but what does that mean for public health? Dr. Michelle Murti, medical officer of health for Toronto Public Health, says her team has planned for everything from infectious diseases to heat to food safety, and will be ready when the games kick off. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit: lnk.to/...

An Ebola outbreak coursing through the Democratic Republic of Congo has experts worried it might rival the worst outbreak in history. Dr. Joanne Liu was president of Doctors Without Borders during that deadly 2014 outbreak in West Africa. As countries like Canada suspend travel from Congo, Liu says border closures don't help mitigate the spread of disease -- only treating Ebola can.  For transcrip...

As ticks and tick-borne diseases rise across Canada due to warmer weather, experts are warning about two invasive species: the lone star and Asian longhorned ticks. Entomologist Jade Savage, creator and director of the eTick monitoring platform , says there are few records of these ticks in Canada, but that authorities are watching the spread closely. For our episode on anaplasmosis, an emerging t...

From seasonal allergies to infections, red eyes can have many causes. University of Calgary ophthalmologist Dr. Helen Chung talks about what’s behind eye redness, when drops can help, and when it’s time to see a doctor. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit: lnk.to/dose-transcripts. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. For more episodes of this podcast, click...

Toronto and Hamilton are experiencing outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease, a serious type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. Infectious diseases physician Dr. Isaac Bogoch says it spreads through natural, as well as artificial water systems, like cooling towers, hot tubs, and plumbing, so it's important that buildings are up to code. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit: lnk.to/dose-t...

Three people have died after a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, and several others are seriously ill. While hantaviruses are typically carried by rodents and rarely infect humans, health officials are investigating the cases. Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Zain Chagla explains what you need to know about hantavirus and how to avoid infection.  ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 12,347 liste...

Psychedelics are a hot topic, and a drug called ibogaine is receiving attention after a recent shoutout from U.S. President Donald Trump. University of Calgary psychedelics researcher Leah Mayo explains what ibogaine is, and why limited high-quality research has her hesitant to recommend it. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit:  lnk.to/dose-transcripts . Transcripts of each episode will be m...

Erectile dysfunction is commonly thought of as a sexual health issue, but experts say the condition can reveal a lot about men's health. Dr. Dean Elterman, a urologist at the University Health Network in Toronto, says ED can be connected to a host of other health problems including diabetes and heart disease. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit:  lnk.to/dose-transcripts . Transcripts of each...

Some private clinics in Canada are offering whole-body MRIs that can run thousands of dollars. They claim these scans can detect a range of issues, and can find cancers in the early stages. Dr. Iain Kirkpatrick, the head of radiology at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, explains what a whole-body MRI can - and can’t - tell you about your health. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 12,347 listeners this week....

Young female athletes are considerably more likely to tear their anterior cruciate ligaments, or ACLs, than young men. Dr. Marie-Lyne Nault is an orthopedic surgeon and researcher specializing in pediatric sports medicine in Montreal. She explains why the risk is higher, and how women and teens can significantly reduce the risk of a tear. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit:  lnk.to/dose-tra...

Meningococcal disease is a rare but potentially lethal bacterial infection. Two young people died in a recent outbreak in the U.K. Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch explains what you need to know about this disease and how to protect yourself. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit: lnk.to/dose-transcripts . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. F...

Psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, shows promise for treating depression and other mental health conditions. Dr. Joshua Rosenblat, a psychiatrist and researcher at the Krembil Brain Institute at UHN, explains the latest research and its potential for future treatments—though it's still illegal in Canada. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 12,347 listeners this week. [Claim your free resources...

Wellness influencers on social media are touting injectable peptides as a new wonder drug, claiming compounds like BPC-157 can improve muscle strength, boost recovery times and even increase longevity. But University of Alberta health misinformation expert Tim Caulfield says the evidence doesn’t support the hype, and warns people against injecting unregulated substances. For transcripts of The Dos...

A recent survey found roughly three million Canadians are taking GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro. The drugs can reduce appetite and cravings, and could also affect the body’s fat and muscle stores. Jennifer Brown, director of program innovation at Obesity Canada and a registered dietitian, says people on GLP-1 drugs may need to be more intentional about what they eat — from protein and...

Researchers in Canada and around the world are exploring ways stem cells could help treat conditions like diabetes, Parkinson's and heart disease, but the hype sometimes outpaces the science. Neurosurgeon and researcher Dr. Sheila Singh of McMaster University and King’s College London explains what stem cells can—and can’t—do, including why they’re no miracle cure for aging. For transcripts of The...

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in Canada, and a growing number of never-smokers are getting diagnosed. Dr. Nicole Ezer, director of McGill University Health Centre's lung cancer screening centre, explains why this is happening and how workplace and environmental exposures may be contributing. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit:  lnk.to/dose-transcripts . Transcripts of each episode wil...

The One Meal a Day Diet, or OMAD, is a more extreme version of intermittent fasting that's been gaining in popularity. Its proponents say it can help people lose weight by eating a day’s worth of calories in a single meal. Family doctor and nutrition expert Dr. Mary Sco says there's little research suggesting that OMAD is more effective than other intermittent fasting diets. For transcripts of The...

Heat therapy is an age-old remedy that’s been growing in popularity. Whether it’s hot springs, hot tubs, saunas, or steam rooms, there are plenty of claims about how heat therapy can improve your health — but what does the research say? Brock University kinesiology professor Stephen Cheung explains how heat therapy can boost cardiovascular health and may even support mental well-being. Want to lea...

With more than 30 symptoms of menopause, it can be difficult to decide which treatments work best. Menopause specialist ob-gyn Dr. Kelsey Mills explains why hormone therapy is the gold standard, how new non-hormonal treatments are expanding options, and why symptom-based care—not hormone testing or “quick fixes”—is what really works. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit: lnk.to/dose-transcrip...

For decades, dietary guidelines have recommended low-fat milk to lower the risk of heart disease. But the U.S. recently updated its guidance, saying whole milk can be part of a healthy diet, while Canada still emphasizes lower-fat options. Registered dietitian Caroline Richard explains there's little difference in health outcomes—and that decades of public health messages about fat and sugar have...

For years, doctors have recommended taking Aspirin every day to help prevent heart attacks and stroke. Cardiologist Dr. Sonia Anand says that advice is still correct, but it only applies to certain patients. She cautions against taking too much Aspirin, because acetylsalicylic acid can increase the risk of bleeding in the stomach and brain. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit:  lnk.to/dose-t...

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its childhood vaccination schedule, cutting back the number of immunizations from 17 to 11. Infectious-diseases specialist Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh says Canada’s schedule hasn’t changed, but she worries the U.S. move could create confusion and fuel vaccine hesitancy here. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit:  lnk.to/dose-transcr...

Scromiting is a term popping up on social media that combines screaming and vomiting. It refers to cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, a painful condition that can affect long-term cannabis users. Dr. Kirk Magee, an emergency physician at the QE2 Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, says he’s seeing more patients with the condition — and that stopping cannabis use is the only effective treatment. For...

If you're dragging yourself into the office every day, you might be tired — or you might be experiencing burnout. Michael Leiter, professor emeritus of psychology at Acadia University and co-author of The Burnout Challenge, explains that burnout isn’t a personal failing, but a signal of deeper organizational issues. He shares how to recognize the signs and what you can do if you think you're affec...