Advertise on podcast: Morning Medical with Dr. Chow

When does concern about your health become an “obsessional worry”? Dr. Chi-Ming Chow examines Hollie Sharman’s severe health anxiety, which led to hospital visits four to five times a week despite normal tests. Learn the warning signs, including body checking and repeated symptom searches, plus strategies for challenging worst-case thinking, limiting reassurance-seeking and using grounding techniques.

Could a facial photograph help predict biological age and cancer survival? Dr. Chow examines a Lancet study that trained a model using 40 million photos, along with questions about privacy and clinical readiness. Also covered: recovery after surgery for localized lung adenocarcinoma, and Ontario’s deployment of 28 burn-care professionals after the deadly fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright.

Why is ADHD associated with a 71% higher overall risk of early death? Dr. He also considers an association between prescribed ADHD medication and a 25% lower risk of death. The findings do not establish cause-and effect, and the medication evidence came from only three studies.

Could fruit and sugary drinks be linked to teen mental health? Dr. Chi-Ming Chow reviews a three-year study of 6,537 Australian adolescents, plus an analysis that found a 71% higher all-cause mortality risk with ADHD. Also covered are the health and economic effects of paternal leave and concerns over nurse practitioner redeployments in Northern New Brunswick.

Could ultra-processed foods affect brain health? Dr. Chow examines a study of adults that found higher intake was associated with more body fat and greater odds of vascular brain injury, while noting it cannot establish causation. Also covered: the decline in hosting at home, weighted vest benefits and risks, and diversifying nursing training in Halifax.

We examine bemotrizinol, the first new sunscreen option in over 25 years, including its broad-spectrum protection, minimal skin absorption and unanswered environmental questions. Dr. Chow also covers recovery from lung cancer surgery, a study linking high ultra-processed food intake with brain changes in Canadian adults, and research on GLP-1 drugs beyond weight-loss.

Ontario is tightening safer supply prescribing: patients must take medications under professional supervision and receive opioid agonist therapy, raising concerns about access and the 12 percent who do not respond to that treatment. Dr. Chi-Ming Chow also examines a seven-day mouse-cell study of tadalafil and muscle repair, warnings about AI’s effects on healthcare workers, and Quebec’s early flu season, where free vaccines are limited to specific groups.

Could information overload be keeping your nervous system on constant alert? Dr. Chi-Ming Chow examines helicopter brain, its physical symptoms, and ways to interrupt patterns of stress and anxiety. Also covered: rising heart failure among adults under 65, with an estimated 56 million people affected worldwide in 2023, planned surgery for an early-stage lung nodule, climate liability, and colonoscopy follow-up.

Could trading your smartphone for a flip phone improve your time, focus and relationships? Dr. Chi-Ming Chow considers August Lamm’s experience and concerns about teens spending more than eight hours a day on screens. Plus, rising ground beef, chicken and produce prices, warnings about unapproved herpes treatments, gaps in vaping screening, patient safety, emerging therapies and advances in AI breast cancer screening.

In this episode, Dr. Chi-Ming Chow discusses concern about pneumonic plague in Russia and the need for international monitoring, then reviews the basics of plague, its symptoms, and response strategies. He also covers Nova Scotia’s opening of influenza and COVID-19 vaccine bookings, an England review raising concerns about over-diagnosis of ADHD and autism, and a Northern Ireland initiative encouraging conversations about grief and mental health. The episode closes with a discussion of women reclaiming anger, workplace stigma, and healthy coping.

In this episode, Dr. Chi-Ming Chow discusses a reported plague case in Russia and the public health response, then covers Saskatchewan’s opening of fall flu and COVID-19 vaccination bookings. He also reviews Canadian Light Source research on a COVID-19 protein that may help guide antiviral development, Ontario’s proposed tighter rules for safer supply prescribing, and the Alberta Medical Association’s ratification of a three-year pay agreement.

In this episode, Dr. Chi-Ming Chow discusses voice disorders as a possible early sign of dementia risk, then examines screen time addiction and its effects on children’s mental health and development, including links with depression and obesity. He also looks at the hype around BPC-157 peptides and the safety and regulatory concerns surrounding them. The episode closes with a practical look at a ten-minute exercise habit to help preserve muscle after 40, along with fall vaccine guidance for flu, COVID-19, and RSV.

In this episode, Dr. Chi-Ming Chow discusses how walking may support longevity, then looks at possible nail disorder risks with GLP-1 medications and the importance of monitoring nail health during treatment. He also reviews new weight loss therapies for type 2 diabetes, including clinical trial design, side effects, and next steps. The episode closes with a discussion of a petition calling for health supports for residential school survivors and a proposal to criminalize denialism.

In this episode, Dr. Chi-Ming Chow discusses concerns about GLP-1 drugs, rapid weight loss, and possible effects on brain health. He then looks at hospital cyberattacks and ransomware, along with the federal response. The episode also covers cardiovascular safety data for orforglipron in type 2 diabetes and compares robotic-assisted with traditional joint replacement surgery.

In this episode, Dr. Chi-Ming Chow discusses pesticide concerns in imported Driscoll’s berries and hidden habits that may affect student social anxiety. He then looks at how artificial intelligence could influence healthcare spending, Beijing Tong Ren Tang’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in Times Square, and Ontario health-care workers’ opposition to Toronto bike lane removals. The episode also covers a GreenShield report showing rising drug claims for GLP-1 and ADHD medications.