The Dose

When U.S. congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced she was freezing her eggs, she cited personal reasons, not medical ones. She's not the only one. Dr. Caitlin Dunne, a B.C. fertility specialist, says more than 2,000 egg retrieval cycles were attributed to egg freezing in 2025 — and many more people would likely do it, if the costs weren't so prohibitive.Curious about fertility treatments? Check out our previous episode on testosterone replacement therapy. 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 this link.

Actor Matthew Perry’s death in 2023 sparked public debate around ketamine, and a new docuseries is once again drawing attention to the drug. Dr. Monika Hooper, a psychiatrist who co-founded a licensed ketamine clinic in Saskatoon, says medically supervised ketamine infusions may help people with certain mental health conditions. But she says they can take time to have an effect, and come at a cost.Curious about emerging medical treatments? Check out our previous episode on psilocybin! 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 this link.

AI-assisted mammograms are already a thing. They use deep learning to help detect breast cancer and, in some cases, predict your risk of getting it. Given that breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in Canada, University of Alberta professor Amber Simpson says the tech behind AI-assisted mammograms is promising and a potential step forward.Want to learn more about AI and health care? Listen to our episode on what you should know about asking ChatGPT about health advice.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 this link.

Look out Canada, flu season is here early! As influenza cases rise across the country, experts warn it's still too soon to say how bad this season will be. Alberta infectious diseases specialist Dr. Lynora Saxinger joins the show to talk everything flu, COVID-19 and RSV. She says wash your hands, stay indoors if you've got the sniffles and get your vaccines as soon as they're available.Want to learn more about RSV? Listen to our previous episode on what you need to know about the RSV vaccine.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 this link.

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.

Finally, a social media "maxxing" trend that gets it right! Most people don't eat nearly enough fibre, according to dietitian and nutritionist Nishta Saxena. She says it's easy to increase your fibre intake and with benefits ranging from gut health to mood to your cardiovascular system, "it's better to have a fart attack than a heart attack."Looking to improve your nutrition? Check out our episode on whether it's OK to take protein supplements.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 this link.

An estimated 240 Canadians die from cancer every day. Now, a growing number of companies are offering cancer-detecting blood tests. Some claim they can detect signs of more than 50 types of cancer. Princess Margaret oncologist and researcher Dr. Raymond Kim says these liquid biopsies show promise, but there are good reasons to think twice before paying for one.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 this link.

Sports betting ads promise big payouts and quick cash. But new research shows gambling-related ER visits nearly doubled in Ontario after online betting expanded, raising concerns about a larger public health issue. Addiction researcher Andrew Kim says avoiding specific games can lower the risk of developing a gambling problem.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 this link.

More than 750,000 Canadians live with dementia, including Alzheimer’s. Many more, like host Dr. Brian Goldman, worry they could develop it. Now, U.K. researchers are testing whether the drug trontinemab could prevent Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear. Dr. Ramin Nilforooshan, a psychiatrist involved in the trials, explains what Alzheimer’s prevention could mean — and what you can do now.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 this link.

Social media is filled with people discussing their mental health symptoms, often encouraging others to consider getting a diagnostic label as well. Dr. Gail Beck, a child psychiatrist at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, says experts like her are seeing more young patients seeking a diagnosis, while others are asking about neurodivergence.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 this link.