#55 The Future of Medical Cannabis, Mindfulness and Distress Tolerance, The State of Care-giving in Ontario and the Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Welcome to this episode of The Tonic, terrestrially broadcast on November 24 2018 on AM740 and FM 96.7 in Toronto. Topics covered on the show track the lifestyle articles and themes published in Tonic Magazine. This week we discuss the future of medical cannabis with Shekhar Parmar, mindfulness and distress tolerance with Tracey Soghrati, the state of care-giving in Ontario with Christa Haanstra and the health benefits of dark chocolate with Ted Snider. We specifically discuss: The Future of Medical Cannabis How does the new legislation impact the medical cannabis market? Supply to the medical and recreational markets Procedure to access medical cannabis in Ontario Ailments qualifying potential medical cannabis patients Ailments that disqualify one from medical cannabis How do you start the process of accessing medical cannabis? Online consultations Online resources New products and delivery mechanisms Mindfulness and Distress Tolerance Tolerating the “not knowing” Distress tolerance Window of tolerance Anxious fantasy notice your feelings describe what you observe about your feelings letting go The State of Care-giving in Ontario Mandate of the Change Foundation The Role of Caregivers in the Health System What is a caregiver? Caregivers don’t self-identify Systemic issues in the health system precludes support for caregivers Why do caregivers struggle? What is the “caregiver experience”? Long term caregivers Intensive caregivers How do caregivers feel about care-giving? Where do caregivers go (and don’t go) for help? The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate dark chocolate flavanoids How dark? chocolate and heart health cholesterol, blood pressure, circulation How much chocolate should we eat? chocolate and diabetes chocolate and mood chocolate and brain health chocolate and weight loss/exercise