Dear Listeners, On today’s episode we will be talking to Dr. Sasha High, an Internist and Obesity Medicine Physician, who has leveraged her extensive medical training and board certification in Obesity Medicine to lead the High Metabolic Clinic in Ontario. She’s also the creator of Best Weight, a prominent medical weight loss coaching program for w…

Dear Listeners, Tune in for an informative conversation with Dr. Benjamin Caplan, expert on #CannabisMedicine, founder of #CEDClinic and author of The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook. He shares his vast knowledge and experience on #CannabisScience. Listen to the Podcast Episode here! SPOTIFY: https://spoti.fi/3JUy5hi APPLE PODCASTS: https://apple…

Dear Listeners, Dr. Kevin Mailo is an emergency physician based out of Edmonton, Alberta. He is the founder of Physician Empowerment, an organisation dedicated to transforming the lives of Canadian physicians through education in finance, practice management, wellness, and leadership. During the podcast, we have a chance to talk about his vision ab…

Dear Listeners, In this episode we are talking with Dr. Megha Poddar about evidence based approach in treatment of Obesity. Dr. is an Endocrinologist and Obesity medicine specialist in Toronto, Ontario. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and an Assistant Professor (Adjunct) in the Department of Medicine at McMaster Univers…

Dear Listeners, In this episode we are talking to Dr. Puneet Seth about his predictions about advancements on AI in primary care in 2024. These advancements will impact administrative staff, patients, clinicians, medical students and the entire novel medical ecosystem. Dr. Seth is a medical doctor and technologist, recognized for pioneering digital…

Dear Listeners, On today’s podcast we talk to Marc-David Munk, a Canadian/American emergency physician and healthcare executive. Over the past decade, he has held leadership roles at various nontraditional healthcare delivery organizations in the US and abroad. He began his career as a professor of emergency medicine and as the medical director for…

On today’s podcast, we will be talking to Dr. Stephen Sharpe, a fellow family physician and the Medical Director of Aroga Health, one of the fastest growing Lifestyle Medicine Clinics in Canada. There is no longer any serious doubt that daily habits and actions profoundly affect health and quality of life. This concept is supported by literally tho…

Dear Listeners, On today’s podcast we talk to Dr. Luke Napier, the founder of Virtual Hallway. Virtual Hallway (virtualhallway.ca) is a platform that bridges the gap between primary care providers and specialists, making peer-to-peer phone call consultations swift and efficient via their innovative platform modelled after the traditional “hallway c…

Dear Listeners, In this episode of the primary medicine podcast, we will talk about the benefits of intermittent fasting and the alternative fasting mimicking diet with the CEO of L-Nutra, Dr. Joseph Antoun. Fasting is a popular dietary strategy that involves alternating periods of eating and fasting. It has been shown to have various positive effe…

Dear Listeners, Please join us for a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at organ transplants and what it’s like to work as a lung transplant physician confronted with critical decisions on a daily basis. Our guest is transplant consultant Dr. David Weill, who is the former Director of the Center for Advanced Lung Disease and the Lung Transplant Pr…

Dear Listeners, In today’s bonus episode we talk to Michael Dutra, the CEO of Michael Dutra Estate Planning and Insurance, about Disability Insurance. This is perhaps the most important insurance policy for professionals during their working careers. During our discussion, we will go over the basics and we will cover the policy itself as well as ke…

Dear Listeners, On today’s podcast, we will explore the latest developments and applications of generative artificial intelligence in the field of medicine. In this episode, we will talk to the Chief Medical Director of Innovation at TELUS Health, Dr. Puneet Seth. Dr Seth is a leader and a practitioner of generative AI in improving healthcare for b…

Dear Listeners, Welcome back to the Primary Medicine Podcast. In this episode, we will talk about sublingual immunotherapy, or SLIT, for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. SLIT is a form of allergy treatment that involves placing allergen extracts under the tongue to gradually desensitize the immune system. We will discuss how SLIT works, what are its b…

Dear Listeners, We are lucky to have Dr. Kevin back on the podcast. Micro and macroscopic hematurea are common incidental findings in primary care. They are often of a bening nature, but it is important to have a thorough method in investigating their differential so as not to miss rare but serious causes of bleeding in the urinary tract. Dr. Kevin…

Dear Listeners, Approximately 25% of all women diagnosed with breast cancer will require a mastectomy. Breast reconstruction is a currently underutilised (less than 50%) option for these patients that provides psychological, social, emotional, and functional improvements, including improved psychological health, self-esteem, sexuality, and body ima…

Dear Listeners, Every day, more than 600 people in Canada are diagnosed with cancer and more than 200 die from it. It is very likely that everyone of you has in one way or another had experience with it. It is thus important that both healthcare professionals and the general population are informed about this horrible disease. I am thus very honour…

Dear Listeners, Having healthcare led by people with a deep understanding of the nature and challenges of clinical work is a key component of a resilient healthcare system. Yet leadership is a challenging skill that is rarely, if ever, nurtured and encouraged in physicians. We are thus fortunate today to have Dr. Malcolm Ogborn (https://www.optimis…

Dear Listeners, We’re very excited to share that our national conference on wealth creation for physicians resumes this year! Physician Empowerment is returning to Toronto June 3 to 5 with Canada’s top MD voices in the field: https://www.physempowerment.ca/live Beyond attending in person, we’ve got a great livestream option and all registrants enjo…

Dear Listeners, We are lucky to have Dr. Vu Kiet Tran back on the podcast. Dr. Tran is an Emergency, Family Medicine, and Long-term Care physician with over 20 years of clinical experience in Canada. He has vast clinical knowledge in elderly care and is currently running a facility with over 200 residents. A 2020 survey from Better Aging Canada est…

Dear Listeners, For our latest podcast, I was fortunate enough to talk to Dr. Sam Gharbi. Dr. Gharbi is an Internal Medicine Doctor currently practising in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is an accomplished clinician, author, educator, and most importantly, an innovator and problem solver. He is also Co-Founder of the Arya EHR, a system that aims t…

Metacognition is the awareness and understanding of one’s own thought process Dear Listeners, Metacognition is the process of being aware of one’s own thinking, learning, and diagnostic processes and how they can shape our decisions when it comes to patient care. This self-awareness is very important in avoiding medical error yet it is rarely devel…

Dear Listeners, We are very fortunate to have Dr. Vu Kiet Tran back this month to talk about Ageism. Ageism is discriminating or stereotyping someone based on their age. It is very much prevalent in Western medical culture. It presents in insidious ways, such as the observed tendency for doctors to dismiss patients and pathologies in seniors due to…

Dear Listeners, We are very fortunate to have Dr. Vu Kiet Tran as a guest on our podcast this month. Dr. Tran is an emergency medicine doctor, a Life and Financial Coach to healthcare professionals, and the host of the excellent “How is my Financial Health, doc?” podcast. Dr. Tran talks about the importance of understanding that we as healthcare pr…

Dear Listeners, We are lucky to have Dr. Yatin Chada, host of the excellent beyond the MD podcast, join us for our latest episode. Dr. Chada is a radiologist who has practised in both Canada and the US. He is a devoted father and a lifelong learner. As host of beyond the MD podcast, Dr. Chada interviews experts on topics covering insurance, finance…

The bulb-like corms of C. autumnale contain colchicine, a useful drug for inflammatory conditions. Dear listeners, Colchicine has been used as an anti-inflammatory medication for centuries. The plant source of colchicine, the autumn crocus, was indeed used in Ancient Egypt as a treatment for rheumatism and swelling. Currently, colchicine is indicat…

Dear Listeners, This month, we are very excited to bring you a preview of our upcoming conference for Physician Empowerment. This year, our focus is on personal resilience and practice management. On today’s episode, Kevin shares a remarkably refreshing view on wellness within our profession. The event is being live-streamed from beautiful Banff, A…

Dear Listeners, We are very honoured to have Dr. John Crosby join us and share the wisdom he has gained during his lifetime as a Family Doctor in Canada. Dr. Crosby is an author, blogger, consultant, and mentor. He is a regular contributor to the Medical Post and a peer reviewer for the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Ontario. Most remarkably, …

Dear Listeners, It is estimated that about 40% of patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes will have diabetic kidney disease. The suggested progression of this disorder is glomerular hyperfiltration due to a high-pressure state caused by elevated blood sugar, proteinuria due to glomerular damage, and chronic renal failure to renal hypoperfusion. Rec…

Dear Listeners, An estimated 10% of school-aged children will have proteinuria. About 0.1% of them will have persistent hematuria requiring further investigation. Transient proteinuria can be caused by stress, exercise, cold exposure, dehydration, and orthostasis. Persistent proteinuria can be caused by Glomerular or Tubular Disease. Glomerular dis…

Dear Listeners, The C-Reactive Protein and the Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate are both lab tests used to measure inflammation in the body. They are usually elevated during infectious, inflammatory, and malignant diseases. The CRP is produced by the liver shortly after the offending process so it is a direct measure of inflammation. The ESR is based…

Dear Listeners, As a follow up to podcast 67, Eric Harvey, a 3rd year Mcgill medical student, is joining the Primary Medicine Podcast to go over the treatment approach for male hypogonadism. It is important to consider both benefits and risks of testosterone therapy, before initiating treatment. The clearest benefit is to men with abnormally low se…

In podcast 67, Dr. Dimitre will cover the diagnostic approach to late-onset hypogonadism also known as andropause. Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH), causes a gradual yearly decrease in testosterone levels of 1 to 2% in men over the age of 40. While this condition is commonly known as Andropause there is no cessation of hormone production. However, jus…

Dear Listeners, Constipation, or decrease in stool frequency and hardening in stool consistency, is a common issue in the elderly and can affect their quality of life significantly. Dr. Kevin has a 4 step approach to constipation in the elderly. Step one is making the diagnosis, remembering that constipation is a symptom with an underlying cause. S…

Betty Boop is having a horrid secondary headache! Dear Listeners, A headache is considered secondary when it is related to an underlying medical condition. About 10% of patients presenting with headache are suffering from a secondary cause. Dr. Kevin’s approach to secondary headaches is anatomical in nature. Moving from the outside in, he suggests …

Aphthous Ulcers, also known as canker sores, affect about 25% of the population. They are considered benign as long as they are small (less than 1 cm), self-limiting (resolve within 3-4 weeks), and not associated with any additional symptoms (such as fever). Consider the differential for mouth ulcers as being infectious or non-infectious. The most …

Endocrine Emergencies are rare but deadly conditions that can be hard to diagnose and manage. This can lead to long treatment delays and potentially life-threatening complications. In podcast 63, Dr Wahid and Dr. Dimitre will cover some of the most common emergencies relating to the thyroid (myxedema coma, thyroid storm, thyroiditis), adrenal gland…

Approximately 60% of women will experience a urinary tract infection if their lifetime. Up to twenty percent of them will experience multiple current episodes on a yearly basis. For the first time, the American Urological Association (AUA) has issued a guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of uncomplicated recurrent urinary tract infections (UT…

Clogged Arteries due to LDL deposits For podcast 61, Dr. Wahid makes a comeback to talk about Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) while Dr. Dimitre bemoans the weather in Ottawa yet again. Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a condition that affects about 1 in 500 Canadians and is an important cause of early cardiovascular death yet it is relative…

Dear Listeners, After a bit of an unplanned hiatus, we are back with podcast number 60 and with Dr Pabani, rural doc extraordinaire. Aspirin is having a really tough time lately with three studies taking the shine off its role in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. During the podcast, Dr. Dimitre and Dr. Wahid go over the ASCEND, ARRIVE, …

Dear Listeners, For our last podcast of the year, Dr. Dimitre talks about Marfan syndrome. It is an autosomal dominant disorder of the connective tissue that affects three major systems: cardiovascular, muskuloskeletal, and ocular. Most individuals who have Marfan’s are asymptomatic until complications arise. Most commonly they will have aortic dil…

Dr. Kevin is back for our 58th podcast to talk about his approach to diagnosing inconsolable infants. Unexplained irritability in the clinic setting needs to be assessed as an urgent medical presentation. Up to 5% of fussy children will have an organic cause to their distress. As Dr. Kevin explains, there are a lot of badnesses lurking in the abdom…

Dr. Dimitre is back with the 57th episode of the primary medicine podcast! Acquired long QTc syndrome is a disorder of the rhythm of the heart. It can lead to ventricular arrhythmias, such as Torsades de Pointe, and possibly ventricular fibrillation and death. It is caused by QTc prolonging medications which include antidepressants, antibiotics, an…

Dr. Wahid Pabani, rural doctor extraordinaire, is back for our 56th podcast to talk about Nocturnal Leg Cramps! OUCH! This very common and distressing condition has many causes from the mundane (such as muscle fatigue) to the serious (such as peripheral vascular disease, or Parkinson Disease). Thankfully, a focused history and physical exam can hel…

Dr. Kevin is back four our 55th podcast and he brought a surprise tiny guest. He will be talking about Intussusception. This is a life-threatening condition which mostly affects children below the age of three. It occurs when one part of the intestine slides into the adjacent part of the intestine. This causes bowel ischemia, obstruction, and possi…

After a short hiatus, Dr. Dimitre is back to talk about subclinical hypothyroidism. Sometimes referred to as mild thyroid failure, it is diagnosed when peripheral thyroid hormone (T3 and T4) levels are within the normal range, but thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is mildly elevated. It is common, occurring in 10% of the population, and carries a r…

Dr. Kevin is back for our 53rd podcast. This time we will be talking about Spondylolisthesis. Spondylolisthesis is anterior displacement of a vertebral body relative to the adjacent inferior vertebral body. It is a common condition of young athletes that can present with intermittent back pain. Diagnosis is based on imaging with lumbar X-Ray being …

For our latest podcast, Dr. Dimitre is itching to talk about itching! Pruritus is a challenging presentation for two reasons. Firstly, the differential is broad encompassing conditions both benign and malignant. Secondly, the patient is often suffering and looking for a quick solution to his problem. It is thus important to have a clear and efficie…

Its winter yet again in Canada. That means slippery ice, broken bones, and concussions! Rural Doc Extraordinaire Wahid is back to talk about concussions. It is a medical condition that has entered the entered the public consciousness with the recent NFL scandal and the aptly named Will Smith movie. It is most often caused by head trauma experienced…

Dr. Dimitre and Dr. Kevin are back after a short holiday break! Our 50th podcast and now more than 5000 listeners monthly! What better way to celebrate than by bringing in someone much cleverer than ourselves to talk… Introducing Dr. Ken Milne – founder of the outstanding Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine. Visit SGEMS here at http://thesgem.com/…

Episode 49 of our podcast showcases Dr. Kevin’s prowess with children as he presents his approach to syncope while taking care of his grouchy 12 mo! Syncope has many causes from the mundane to the deadly and requires a systematic detailed workup. Dr. Kevin takes the time to review the broad differential of this presentation. Not all syncope is vaso…