Welcome to this episode of The Tonic, terrestrially broadcast on February 17 and 18, 2024 on AM740 and FM 96.7 in Toronto. Topics covered on the show track the lifestyle articles and themes published in The Tonic Magazine. This week we’ll discuss how to live a long heart healthy life with clinical pharmacist Andy Donald, whether you can objectively measure happiness with author Dr. Alphonsus Aboyuwana MD, understanding the “whys” of depression with author Faust Ruggiero and dealing with the barriers to cervical cancer screening with researcher and professor Dr. Mandana Vahabi PhD

We specifically discuss:

How To Live a Long Heart Healthy Life

  • Why is it important to prioritize heart health?
  • High blood pressure
  • What constitutes high blood pressure?
  • How does diet impact heart health?
  • Examples of heart healthy foods
  • Aerobic exercise
  • 150 minutes of moderate activity per week
  • How do you get the exercise in?
  • Stress management
  • How can a clinical pharmacist help with heart health?

 

Can You Measure Happiness?

  • Is happiness subjective or objective?
  • Do people know if they’re happy?
  • “Hope/Hunger = Happiness”
  • How do you attach a numerical value to a concept like ‘hope’?
  • 5 Human assets
  • 5 Human hungers
  • Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

 

Understanding the “Whys” of Depression

  • What is clinical depression?
  • Chemical and/or hormonal imbalance
  • Are some people predisposed to clinical depression?
  • How can you tell if someone is clinically depressed?
  • The causes of depression
  • What happens physiologically when you’re depressed?
  • Can you test for depression?
  • Trial and error treatment
  • Physicians as gatekeepers
  • Leaning into antidepressants
  • Antidepressants: building tolerance

 

Overcoming the Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening

  • Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness week
  • What is cervical cancer?
  • Risk factors for cervical cancer?
  • HPV infections
  • Is HPV treatable?
  • Is Cervical cancer treatable?
  • Pap test – limitations
  • HPV screening and self sampling
  • Barriers to treatment/testing

 

To learn more about show sponsor, Pharma-Z powered by the Health Depot go here

To learn more about Andy Donald go here

To learn more about Dr. Alphonsus Aboyuwana go here

To learn more about Faust Ruggiero go here

To learn more about Dr. Mandana Vahabi PhD  go here.