(MIS)Treated

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(MIS)Treated, a TVO podcast, explores how medicine has – and still is – failing women and speaks to the people looking to make a difference. Join host Nam Kiwanuka to hear real life stories and expert interviews on how the mistreatment and misdiagnosis of women affects us all.

6 HR AGO

Why did science ignore girls and women with ADHD?

Consider that while the symptoms of ADHD were first identified back in 1798, it wasn’t until the 1990s that science began to study how ADHD presents in girls and how it might be affecting them. Nam Kiwanuka speaks to writer Carla Ciccone, who became one of the growing numbers of women to be diagnosed with ADHD during the pandemic. She speaks to her about the challenges she felt in school as a young child and why she wrote the book “Nowhere Girl: Life as a Member of ADHD's Lost Generation”. Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org Research links How ADHD Shaped My Life Without Me Knowing It: https://www.elle.com/culture/books/a65994230/nowhere-girls-book-excerpt-women-adhd-2025 The “devastating” findings of a decades-long ADHD study: https://www.understood.org/en/podcasts/hyperfocus/the-devastating-findings-of-a-decades-long-adhd-study The history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3000907 Children with ADHD Avoid Failure and Punishment More Than Others, Study Says: https://www.additudemag.com/children-with-adhd-avoid-failure-punishment/?srsltid=AfmBOorSMFFUiJhgFMZ00QNIHdj4V63WDJfrC3o7jgSKOqkF604tYl-1 The History of ADHD: A Timeline: https://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/history#1902 Does ADHD Need a New Name?: https://www.additudemag.com/other-names-for-adhd-add/?srsltid=AfmBOoqhu7TMDAktkX9L6iyuBVwg7eoXjHvER_bZZ0MMixwlC7kF9Adr Miss. Diagnosis: A Systematic Review of ADHD in Adult Women: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10870547231161533#:~:text=There%20is%20also%20gender%20bias%20in%20the,participants%20being%20male%20and%20only%2019%25%20female What Lies Behind the Rise in ADHD Diagnoses?: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/brain-curiosities/202505/the-truth-about-the-adhd-epidemic ADHD in Women vs. Men: Does Gender Play a Role in Symptoms?: https://psychcentral.com/adhd/adhd-and-gender#prevalence Obstetric complications in mothers with ADHD: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/reproductive-health/articles/10.3389/frph.2022.1040824/full Screening for Adult ADHD in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine/article-abstract/19/9/1825/4584482?redirectedFrom=PDF Life expectancy and years of life lost for adults with diagnosed ADHD in the UK: matched cohort study: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/life-expectancy-and-years-of-life-lost-for-adults-with-diagnosed-adhd-in-the-uk-matched-cohort-study/30B8B109DF2BB33CC51F72FD1C953739 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

34 min
20 JAN

The haunting legacy of gynaecology

Much of gynaecology was built on surgical experiments conducted on enslaved African women. These procedures were done by Doctor James Marion Sims, who has been called the "father of modern gynaecology". His legacy lives on today with the Sims position, the speculum and the surgical technique to treat vaginal fistula. So how to reconcile that history with what happened to those young women, with the advances in gynaecology? Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org Research links: "Father of Modern Gynaecology" J. Marion Sims: https://www.history.com/articles/the-father-of-modern-gynecology-performed-shocking-experiments-on-slaves https://www.npr.org/2016/02/16/466942135/remembering-anarcha-lucy-and-betsey-the-mothers-of-modern-gynecology https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/cancer-detectives-brief-history-speculum/ https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/02/17/historian-uncovers-gynecologys-brutal-roots-in-slavery/#:~:text=James%20Marion%20Sims%2C%20who%20was,same%20capacity%20as%20white%20men https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/03/how-lucy-betsey-and-anarcha-became-foremothers-of-gynecology/ Operating on poor Irish women: https://ugapress.manifoldapp.org/read/medical-bondage/section/403f560a-7f2d-4def-8bdf-a5767588b78b https://www.healthinnowest.net/news/join-the-movement-to-rename-the-sims-speculum/ First record of use of anesthesia: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26828088/#:~:text=Abstract,labor%20and%20recovery%20from%20surgery. The pain these women suffered: https://drjengunter.com/2017/09/08/dr-sims-built-a-lab-and-experimented-on-enslaved-women-take-down-his-statues Documentary on Anarcha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjLL-fEj0fw https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11682838/ https://www.ogmagazine.org.au/23/4-23/lucys-legacy-why-sims-speculum-needs-a-different-name https://www.npr.org/2018/04/22/604789513/controversial-statue-of-19th-century-gynecologist-removed-from-central-park https://archives.icahn.mssm.edu/disappearing-hospitals-where-did-they-go-womans-hospital See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

35 min
SEASON 1 TRAILER

(MIS)Treated returns January 20th

Join Nam Kiwanuka January 20th on (MIS)Treated to hear real life stories and expert interviews on how the mistreatment and misdiagnosis of women affects us all. Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 min
09/12/2025

Why are 70% of Alzheimer's patients women?

Is it genetics or age that causes more women to have Alzheimer's? It's more complicated than that. Studies show that of every three patients with Alzheimer's, two are women even after accounting for longevity. Researchers are now only learning the importance of hormones in brain health and it's part of the reason why there's a push behind studying the ways brain health impacts women's health. To find out more about hormones and the role they play during menopause, Nam Kiwanuka speaks with professor M. Natasha Rajah who leads the Brain Health Equity in Aging and Memory lab at Toronto Metropolitan University. Research links ‘This is a big deal’: Health Canada approves 1st drug to slow Alzheimer’s disease: https://globalnews.ca/news/11500367/health-canada-approves-alzheimers-treatment As the U.S. ages, dementia is on the rise. Here are ways to reduce your risk: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/11/22/nx-s1-5050956/health-brain-dementia-sleep-diet-alzheimers Depression in women: Understanding the gender gap: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression/art-20047725 Doctors looking into hormone therapy as a way to ward off dementia in women: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/estrogen-dementia-prevention-hormone-replacement-women-perimenopause-rcna245664 Hysterectomy may be linked to brain function: https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2018/hysterectomy-may-be-linked-to-brain-function Men and women have opposite genetic changes in depression: https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/men-and-women-have-opposite-genetic-changes-in-depression Hormone replacement therapy will no longer carry a warning label, FDA says: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/womens-health/hormone-replacement-therapy-no-warning-label-fda-rcna243008 Migraine remains second among the world's causes of disability, and first among young women: findings from GBD2019: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33267788/ More than half of women in Canada are caregivers: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/2649-more-half-women-canada-are-caregivers Shingles vaccine may slow progression of dementia, new study suggests: https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/02/health/shingles-vaccine-dementia-progression-study-wellness Dementia prevention, intervention, and care 2024: https://www.thelancet.com/commissions-do/dementia-prevention-intervention-and-care The Rise of Anxiety Among Women: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/multicultural-mental-health/202502/the-rise-of-anxiety-among-women Why are so many women suffering from “long Covid” symptoms?: https://www.womenshealthnetwork.com/immune-health/are-you-a-covid-long-hauler/ Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

42 min
02/12/2025

Why EDS is more than "just loose joints"

In July 2023, Sydney Gesualdi was rear-ended at a red light. She was told by her doctors that she had whiplash and tissue damage, but instead of getting better - she got worse. Her mobility began to suffer, her motor skills disappeared, and she felt like she was forgetting how to breathe and swallow. This began her years long journey through Ontario's medical system as she tried to receive a diagnosis for Craniocervical Instability and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Nam Kiwanuka speaks with Sydney about her experiences of being forgotten in the medical system and her hope to receive funding from the government for a surgery she says is her right. Research links EDS Foundation: https://edscanada.org/ ‘We live in constant fear’: the reality of life with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/05/we-live-in-constant-fear-the-reality-of-life-with-ehlers-danlos-syndromes Billie Eilish Has Hypermobility — Here's What That Is: https://www.shape.com/billie-eilish-hypermobility-7091708 Desperate to walk again, this 25-year-old Ontario woman is ready to pay $40K for U.S. spinal assessment: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/ontario-woman-seeking-spine-care-1.7512862 Millions have the same ‘bendy body’ disease as my daughter. Why isn’t the medical profession paying more attention?: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/24/health/hypermobile-ehlers-danlos-syndrome-health-hnk-spc-dst-intl Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: More than “just loose joints”: https://acaciahealth.ca/blog/ehlers-danlos-syndrome-more-than-just-loose-joints The GoodHope Ehlers Danlos Syndrome Clinic: development and implementation of the first interdisciplinary program for multi-system issues in connective tissue disorders at the Toronto General Hospital: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13023-021-01962-7 Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

38 min
25/11/2025

Is FemTech the answer to women's health?

Femtech focuses on technological innovation within the women's health space. Innovations can include everything from a new version of the speculum to a bra that can track heart health. But innovators face hurdles in a market where funders still find the word "vagina" a challenge. To find out more, Nam Kiwanuka speaks with journalist Marina Gerner about her book "The Vagina Business", which looks at Femtech's market opportunity and the pitfalls. Research links The Vagina Business: https://www.marinagerner.com/about The dawn of the FemTech revolution: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/the-dawn-of-the-femtech-revolution Researchers redesign vaginal speculum to ease fear and pain: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/researchers-redesign-vaginal-speculum-to-ease-fear-and-pain MIT Develops 'Smart Bra' for Early Breast Cancer Detection: A New Frontier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3uqmexASIY The ‘huge disadvantage’ women behind femtech phenomenon face: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/oct/08/the-huge-disadvantage-women-behind-femtech-phenomenon-face Women in tech statistics: The hard truths of an uphill battle: https://www.cio.com/article/201905/women-in-tech-statistics-the-hard-truths-of-an-uphill-battle A subsection of tech is set to be worth $1 trillion. But taboos are holding it back: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/12/a-subsection-of-tech-is-set-to-be-worth-1-trillion-but-taboos-are-holding-it-back.html Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 min
25/11/2025

The Report: Women's health and its connection to the economy

Did you know that women in Canada spend 24% more time in ill health compared to men? That's just one of the findings from The McKinsey Health Institute's report "Closing the women's health gap: Canada's $37 billion opportunity." Nam Kiwanuka speaks with one of the report's authors Marie-Renée B-Lajoie, a former ER doctor, about how addressing the gaps in women's health would benefit the economy and lead to better health outcomes for women. Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

20 min
18/11/2025

What's it like to live with endometriosis?

According to the World Health Organization, it can take 4 to 12 years to be diagnosed with endometriosis. In Canada, it's 5 years, and in the U.K., 9 years. We speak to Evelyn Scott, who is from the U.K., about her experience with endometriosis. It took 15 years for her to receive a diagnosis, and she tells us what's it like to live with a condition that doesn't have a cure and how doctors repeatedly dismissed her symptoms. Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. The Government of Ontario's Mental Health Support Resources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support Follow TVO on social: https://www.youtube.com/theagenda https://www.instagram.com/mistreatedtvo Join our newsletter: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters Visit the TVO Today website for current affairs journalism, documentaries and podcasts: https://www.tvo.org Research links Endometriosis: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis Endometriosis: three reasons care still hasn’t improved: https://theconversation.com/endometriosis-three-reasons-care-still-hasnt-improved-157457 Pathways to Diagnosis: https://endometriosisnetwork.com/paths-to-diagnosis Women in UK waiting almost nine years for endometriosis diagnosis, study finds: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/04/women-in-uk-waiting-almost-nine-years-for-endometriosis-diagnosis-study-finds 1 in 10 Women Have Endometriosis. Why Don’t Their Doctors Believe Them?: https://www.vice.com/en/article/1-in-10-women-have-endometriosis-why-dont-their-doctors-believe-them Why hasn’t endometriosis care improved?: https://www.independent.co.uk/health_and_wellbeing/endometriosis-awareness-week-2022-nhs-b2026658.html See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

37 min

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Nam Kiwanuka

Host

(MIS)Treated, a TVO podcast, explores how medicine has – and still is – failing women and speaks to the people looking to make a difference. Join host Nam Kiwanuka to hear real life stories and expert interviews on how the mistreatment and misdiagnosis of women affects us all.