Welcome to this episode of The Tonic, terrestrially broadcast on June 28 and 29, 2025 on AM740 and FM 96.7 in Toronto. Topics covered on the show track the lifestyle articles and themes published in The Tonic Newsletter and on the Tonic Website. We’ll  discuss how to bring new drugs to market with pharmaceutical marketing executive Arima Ventin, the importance of taking your baseline blood work with naturopath Dr. Kate Hunter ND, body based practices for nervous system resets with holistic nutritionist Heather Lillico and how to solve chronic homelessness with psychologist and researcher Dr. Nick Kerman PhD.

We specifically discuss:

How To Bring New Drugs To Market

• The process
• Time and cost
• The medication approval system in Canada
• What drives the time lag?
• Approval and reimbursement
• What is the information that the regulator uses to make their decision?
• What the response to Covid shows
• What does “reimbursement” entail?
• Is the timing right to fix the system?
• Life-science ecosystem
• AbbVie + University Toronto (Mississauga Campus) = SpinUp

 

The Importance of Baseline Blood Work

• What is a baseline blood work?
• The context for baseline blood work
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Iron and Vitamin B12
• Thyroid panel
• Fasting Blood Glucose
• The cost

 

Body Based Practices for Nervous System Resets

• The nervous system and anxiety
• Chronic anxiety
• Overthinking
• The physical manifestation of anxiety
• Somatic practices and the vagus nerve
• Breath work
• First steps
• Resilience

 

Solving Chronic Homelessness

• What is Housing First?
• What is chronic homelessness?
• The factors that drive homelessness
• The role of federal policy
• Recommendations from Housing First
• What is “affordable housing” in this context?
• Is location relevant to the conversation?
• Data collection and decision making
• Universal income
• The correlation between homelessness and mental illness

 

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To learn more about Arima Ventin go here

To learn more about Dr. Kate Hunter ND go here

To learn more about Heather Lillico go here

To learn more about Dr. Nick Kerman PhD go here