Lysa Leong is a Pharmacist, Medical Cannabis Educator, Diabetes Educator, Clinical Instructor with the University of British Columbia, and Primary Care Pharmacist at BioPro Biologics Pharmacy. She's created a podcast intended to discuss chronic diseases and the latest in evidence-based medicine.
Some People Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Might Actually Have a Different Type of Diabetes
Most people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, so in fact, have type 2 diabetes. But about 5-10% of them may actually have a different form of diabetes — Latent Autoimmune Diabetes Adults (LADA). LADA is similar to type 1 in that it’s an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks and gradually destroys the beta cells of the pancreas. In this episode, I explore how LADA is different and similar to other types of diabetes and why making a diagnosis is sometimes very challenging. I also discuss why, in my professional opinion, having a LADA diagnosis is helpful and when to suspect a LADA diagnosis.
20 Jul 2025
The Lipid Paradox and The Importance of Remission or Low Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis for Cardiovascular Health
What is the connection between lipids, Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)? They have a lot more similarities than you think. RA is associated with significant systemic inflammation and it is this inflammation that elevate's one's cardiovascular risk. In poorly managed RA, we often see a lower total cholesterol, LDL-C and HDL-C (compared to baseline) but this reduction is actually associated with an elevated CVD risk and is a phenomenon known as the Lipid Paradox. Early management of RA with the goal of low disease activity or remission can substantially lower one's risk of CVD. Listen to this episode to find out why
9 May 2023
The Cardiovascular Risk of Cannabis
A number of publications and reviews have documented the increased cardiovascular risk (like heart attacks, strokes, arrhythmias, etc.) associated with the use of cannabis. In this podcast, I explain what this risk is, how relevant it is depending on the form and type of cannabis used and the likely mechanism responsible for this risk.
30 Mar 2023
Using Cannabis to Manage Cancer Related Pain
Cancer pain is one of the most debilitating symptoms experienced by those with cancer and those who have survived cancer. This podcast reviews the evidence on using cannabis to manage cancer related pain and explores the benefits of using cannabis as an adjunct therapy to opioids (e.g. the potential for a synergistic effect leading to lower doses of opioids needed). I also discuss which combinations (high CBD, high THC or 1:1 THC:CBD) and what doses have been shown to be efficacious in clinical trials so far and the side effects to be expect from cannabis.
3 Sept 2022
Medical Cannabis Part 2 - What is the difference between THCA and THC?
THCA (tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) is less well studied than CBD and THC and is supposed to be non-intoxicating. In this podcast, I discuss how THCA is different from THC and how a bottle of THCA that didn't initially contain THC can eventually contain some THC. In vitro studies and studies in mice currently suggest that THCA may have anti-inflammatory, anti-nausea and neuroprotective effects but most products on the market and those being used for medical purposes are ones that contain CBD and THC, not THCA.
16 May 2022
An Introduction to Medical Cannabis - Part 1
This podcast is an introduction to medical cannabis. This is the first episode out of a series of episodes I will be doing on the topic of medical cannabis. In this podcast, I discuss my role as a pharmacist when it comes to initiating medical cannabis and selecting the appropriate dosage. I review some of the common misconceptions with cannabis/cannabinoid products and what are the different constituents of cannabis and what are some of the uses of CBD and THC. I also discuss the different forms of cannabis (medical cannabis, recreational cannabis and prescription cannabis products), why they are different and the evidence surrounding medical cannabis.
5 May 2022
SPECIAL EPISODE - What it was like to have a midwife team and an unplanned home birth
In honour of the International Day of the Midwife, this episode is about my experience with having a midwife team and an unplanned home birth. Whether you choose to have an OB, a maternity doctor or a midwife is a very personal choice and I hope to share some insight on what it was like to have a midwife team as my maternity care provider. I received amazing support and care from them during and after my pregnancy and during the labour/birthing process. I also talk about my experience with hypnobirthing and why lying on your back is not an optimal birthing position.
4 May 2022
About the recent cases of acute severe hepatitis of unknown origin affecting children around the world and what we can do to minimize the risk
This podcast is about the recent cases of acute severe hepatitis of unknown origin (idiopathic hepatitis) affecting children around the world. As of May 4th, 2022, there are at least 200 cases worldwide, mostly in the UK but some in other parts of Europe and in the US. I talk about what normally causes hepatitis - that is, hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E viruses and what are potential causes of the acute severe hepatitis we are seeing now in healthy children with no significant chronic conditions or co-morbidities. Most of the children also tested positive for adenovirus so it is thought that this virus may be playing some role. The COVID19 vaccine is not thought to be linked to these cases as most of the children affected were unvaccinated and/or too young to have gotten the vaccination.
29 Apr 2022
How to get better sleep, what is sleep architecture and why sleep aids shouldn't be used on a long-term basis
This episode is about how to get better sleep and some of the strategies as part of having good sleep hygiene to promote better quality sleep. I explain why daylight is so important to regulating our sleep-wake cycle and I discuss the basics of sleep architecture (organization of our sleep cycle) and how sleep aids can affect sleep architecture and why they shouldn't be used on a long-term basis if possible. I also highlight which sleep aids are least likely to affect sleep architecture and have a better side effect profile.
21 Apr 2022
Paxlovid - what you need to know about this new oral COVID 19 treatment
This episode is about Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) - the recently approved at-home oral COVID 19 treatment for those with mild to moderate symptoms and at risk of progression to severe COVID 19. In this episode, I discuss who would benefit from this medication, conditions where it should not be used or prescribed, examples of drug interactions, side effects of the medication and some of the data points from the original Pfizer trial that evaluated the use of this drug.
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Podcast Authority Score: 14 / 100
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