PARENTING and (PERI)MENOPAUSE – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome to our first episode!

We are Dr. Alison Yeung and Dr. Julie Maidment, two family physicians with a passion for helping our patients. In this episode, we discuss why we've decided to make a podcast about the intersection between parenting and the menopause transition.

Future episodes will focus on interviewing experts about various parenting topics (particularly as it relates to parenting in the digital age), and menopause transition topics (think: sleep, weight, mental health, treatment options!).

If you enjoy our content, please help support us by following our podcast!

Instagram @thesmartphoneeffectmd

Parenting Resources created by Dr. Alison Yeung can be found at https://linktr.ee/thesmartphoneeffectmd

Please note the information shared on this podcast is for general education only and shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider.

Dr. Sasha High is a Board-Certified Internist and Obesity Medicine Physician with over a decade of experience in metabolic healthcare. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa and completed her medical degree and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Since 2012, Dr. High has specialized in obesity medicine, with a focus on a compassionate, evidence-based approach to long-term weight management and metabolic health. She is the Founder of the High Metabolic Clinic, a multidisciplinary weight management practice serving patients across Ontario. Her clinical expertise lies in helping individuals overcome emotional and binge eating through emotional regulation strategies and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) tools that support mindset transformation and sustainable lifestyle change.

In this episode we discuss rates of obesity and its evolution over the past century, as well as its implications on health outcomes. We discuss why weight becomes more difficult to manage when the storm of perimenopause hits women, and evidence-based strategies to help. We also dive into medical obesity treatments, namely GLP-1 agonists, and their risks and benefits. You'll leave this episode with a wealth of information and empowerment!

Find doctor High on Instagram @sashahighmd, learn more about her coaching program here, and Ontario patients can be referred to the High Metabolic Clinic here.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Parenting and Perimenopause Podcast
• 05:31 Evolution of Food Culture and Sedentary Lifestyle
• 11:05 Health Concerns and Risks Associated with Obesity
• 19:23 Counseling Points for Weight Management
• 26:37 GLP-1 Medications for Obesity Treatment
• 32:20 Exploring GLP-1 Receptors in Different Disease States
• 38:10 Treatment Continuation and Dose Adjustments
• 56:26 Cautionary Note on Unregulated GLP-1 Receptor Treatments

Alison and Julie sit down to give listeners a brief overview of perimenopause- definitions, diagnosis, and treatment. We hope to bring some clarity and simplicity to a quickly changing field of medicine. In future episodes we will dive deeper into some of the subject matter we briefly discuss today!

Then we flip to asking the question- will social media age bans help to protect our kids? What do these bans really entail, and where may they fall short? We hope to draw some attention to this question in Canada specifically, where our government has been mostly silent on the topic. Update: Jan 21st article from Globe & Mail here titled, "Federal officials draft plans to ban social media for children under 14"

If you enjoy our content, please help support us by following our podcast and giving us a review!

Email us at: pandppodcastmds@gmail.com

Find Dr. Yeung on Instagram @thesmartphoneeffectmd

Parenting Resources created by Dr. Alison Yeung can be found at https://linktr.ee/thesmartphoneeffectmd

Please note the information shared on this podcast is for general education only and shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider.

Alison and Julie chat with Mike McLeod from GrowNowADHD. We discuss the complexities of parenting children with ADHD, emphasizing the importance of understanding executive functioning, the impact of social media, and the need for appropriate consequences rather than punishments. Mike introduces the concept of a 'brain coach' to help children self-regulate and highlights the outdated DSM criteria for ADHD diagnosis. The discussion also covers the effects of screen time on ADHD behaviours and the phenomenon of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) as a social media trend. Mike offers practical advice for parents to navigate these challenges and foster their children's development.

Mike's new books are titled The Executive Function Playbook and Workbook and can be found on his website.

Dr. Yeung's appearance on Mike's podcast, The ADHD Parenting Podcast, can be found here on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

If you enjoy our content, please help support us by following our podcast and giving us a review!

Email us at: pandppodcastmds@gmail.com

Find Dr. Yeung on Instagram @thesmartphoneeffectmd

Parenting Resources created by Dr. Alison Yeung can be found at https://linktr.ee/thesmartphoneeffectmd

Please note the information shared on this podcast is for general education only and shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider.

Jared Cooney Horvath (PhD, MEd) is a neuroscientist, educator, and best-selling author who specializes in human learning and brain development. He is the creator of The Learning Blueprint, an international award-winning program helping educators and students understand how learning actually works.

Jared has conducted research and taught at Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Melbourne, and has worked with more than 1,000 schools around the world. He is the author of six books, has published over fifty research articles, and his work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Economist, Harvard Business Review, and ABC’s Catalyst.

In this episode, Alison and Julie sit down with teacher-turned-neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath to discuss:

• Learning trends since Ed Tech has become a major staple in the classroom
• 3 Intractable problems with Ed-Tech (attention, empathy and transfer)
• Why educators are really leaving the classroom
• Why we are placing unrealistic expectations on the backs of children
• The common misconceptions/arguments Ed Tech uses to justify their products
• Ways that parents and educators can push back on the current norm

Find more of Jared's work:

www.lmeglobal.com.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/jaredcooney

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-cooney-horvath-phd-med-730704b2/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jared.cooney.horvath/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lmeglobal.net

If you enjoy our content, please help support us by following our podcast and giving us a review!

Email us at: pandppodcastmds@gmail.com

Find Dr. Yeung on Instagram @thesmartphoneeffectmd

Parenting Resources created by Dr. Alison Yeung can be found at https://linktr.ee/thesmartphoneeffectmd

Please note the information shared on this podcast is for general education only and shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider.

A recent conversation with a patient revealed a rising trend: people are turning to online, unregulated, unapproved peptides for weight loss, often without understanding the risks involved.

While approved medications like Wegovy and Zepbound exist for obesity management, sidestepping medical oversight for experimental drugs that lack sufficient research is increasing in popularity due to cost, accessibility and social media hype.

Using these peptides can lead to serious health issues—dehydration, kidney problems, and more. It’s crucial to weigh the desire for quick results against potential long-term consequences.

If you enjoy our content, please help support us by following our podcast and giving us a review!

Email us at: pandppodcastmds@gmail.com

Find Dr. Yeung on Instagram @thesmartphoneeffectmd

Parenting Resources created by Dr. Alison Yeung can be found at https://linktr.ee/thesmartphoneeffectmd

Please note the information shared on this podcast is for general education only and shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider.

On today's episode, we are talking all about sleep in the menopause transition!

Whether it's due to stress, substances, screens, or natural fluctuations in hormones, sleep can be very hard to come by during these years.

Alison and Julie sit down with Dr. Alison Shea to try to help you improve this most important factor in our overall health.

Dr. Alison Shea is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at McMaster University.  Prior to medical school at the University of Ottawa, she completed a Masters and a PhD in Neuroscience & Behavioral Science where she studied the association of hormones and neurotransmitters with women's mental health through the lifespan. 

She then completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology,  followed by a clinical fellowship in Menopause and Reproductive Mental Health at the University of Toronto. She is certified menopause practitioner through the Menopause Society (formerly NAMS North American Menopause Society) and is also the chair of the Examination Committee for the Menopause Society.  Dr Shea is also a board member for the Canadian menopause society. 

You can find Dr. Shea on Instagram @hormone.md.hamilton or on her website.

If you enjoy our content, please help support us by following our podcast and giving us a review!

Email us at: pandppodcastmds@gmail.com

Find Dr. Yeung on Instagram @thesmartphoneeffectmd

Parenting Resources created by Dr. Alison Yeung can be found at https://linktr.ee/thesmartphoneeffectmd

Please note the information shared on this podcast is for general education only and shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider.

Let's face it- raising kids in this tech saturated world is HARD. As if there aren't enough things to worry about, parents find themselves constantly worrying about the impact devices are having on their children, the content they're seeing online, all while trying to manage their own digital distraction.

Today we sat down with two staff psychiatrists from Toronto, ON. Dr. Karline Treurnicht Naylor (Mount Sinai Hospital) and Dr. Elia Abi-Jaoude (Sick Kids Hospital) co-authored two articles about the impact digital media is having on mental health.

This article published in the CMAJ analyzed available research and discussed the impact smartphones and social media may be having on youth.

This article argues that in the era of split attention, there is more than one type of ADHD.

We sit down and discuss the changes we've all seen in our practices over the past decade, what the evidence shows, and practical tips for parents to use in their own home. We discuss the diagnostic challenges that have emerged due to the digital era. And importantly, we discuss the nuance. There are no easy answers here, and we're all navigating it together.

If you enjoy our content, please help support us by following our podcast and leaving a review! And if you found this episode useful, please share with a friend.

Find Dr. Yeung on Instagram @thesmartphoneeffectmd

Parenting Resources created by Dr. Alison Yeung can be found at https://linktr.ee/thesmartphoneeffectmd

Please note the information shared on this podcast is for general education only and shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider.

This is a mini-episode taken from my conversation with Mike Farwell on Newstalk 570. This is an important topics for Canadians right now, as the Liberal party is exploring how to best keep kids safe online. There is a push for social media and AI chatbot age minimums, as well as regulation around design features that lead to compulsive or risky use.

If you enjoy our content, please help support us by following our podcast and giving us a review!

Email us at: pandppodcastmds@gmail.com

Find Dr. Yeung on Instagram @thesmartphoneeffectmd

Parenting Resources created by Dr. Alison Yeung can be found at https://linktr.ee/thesmartphoneeffectmd

Please note the information shared on this podcast is for general education only and shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider.

In today's episode, we sit down with Lauren Colenso-Semple to discuss the practical questions women have about fitness, weight loss, and muscle:

How do we achieve muscle building when we are short on time?

How much protein do we need?

How does the menopause transition impact weight loss and the ability to gain muscle?

Should we train differently at different times in our cycles?

And much more!

Lauren Colenso-Semple is a researcher and science communicator with expertise in female physiology and exercise. She holds a Ph.D. in Integrative Physiology from McMaster University and a Master’s in Exercise Science from the University of South Florida. Through her research, teaching, public speaking, and online platforms, Dr. Lauren is known for making complex topics accessible—and for calling out the myths that hold women back from reaching their full potential. She is also a seasoned fitness professional with extensive hands-on coaching experience and a co-owner of the MASS Research Review, where she helps bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical fitness strategies. 

Today's episode is brought to you by Cozy Earth. Use code PARENTPAUSE for 20% site wide, and from May 28th to June 1st get an EXTRA 10% off. That's 30% site wide. And if you see a post-purchase survey, mention that you heard about Cozy Earth right here on the Parenting & Perimenopause podcast.

If you enjoy our content, please help support us by following our podcast and giving us a review!

Email us at: pandppodcastmds@gmail.com

Find Dr. Yeung on Instagram @thesmartphoneeffectmd

Parenting Resources created by Dr. Alison Yeung can be found at https://linktr.ee/thesmartphoneeffectmd

Please note the information shared on this podcast is for general education only and shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. Always consult your own healthcare provider.