(MIS)Treated

A 2021 study shows that women make up 75% of patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Canada "continues to have one of the highest rates of MS in the world".
In October 2026, actor Christina Applegate shared that she had been misdiagnosed with MS after being diagnosed with it in 2021. Why is that? A study from 2024 shows that the frequency of an MS misdiagnosis ranges from 5% to 41%. Why is it so hard to get diagnosed with MS?
We speak to Rebeckah Price a young Canadian woman with roots from Jamaica. After experiencing some vision loss for several months, and in the process of trying to get a diagnosis for MS, a doctor told Rebeckah that she looked "too strong" to have it. Rebeckah ended up traveling to the United States to get a definitive diagnosis.
Research Links:
What Can We Learn from Sex Differences in MS?: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8537319
Prevalence and incidence of MS in Canada and around the world: https://mscanada.ca/ms-research/latest-research/prevalence-and-incidence-of-ms-in-canada-and-around-the-world
Christina Applegate's Health Journey, From Early MS Symptoms to Learning She was Misdiagnosed: https://www.today.com/health/disease/christina-applegate-ms-misdiagnosis-health-journey-timeline-rcna604789
Misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13524585241274527
Diseases That Mimic MS: https://msfocus.org/Magazine/Magazine-Items/Posted/Diseases-That-Mimic-MS Embodiment of structural racism and multiple sclerosis risk and outcomes in the USA: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-025-01096-5
Unequal risk: Why MS is a growing problem in Black communities: https://artsci.washu.edu/ampersand/unequal-risk-why-ms-growing-problem-black-communities-theresa-gildner
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.
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Clara Hughes is the only athlete to win multiple medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. But what the world didn't know was that as a child, she started smoking in grade 3 and by 12 years-old, she was drinking and partying. Why?
In "Learning to Breathe: A Memoir" she writes about how pain had become a badge of honour, and how as a former elite athlete, she felt menopause as "an extra betrayal".
She also shares some childhood secrets that were uncovered after she spent two years in intense and - what some could - consider as unconventional - therapy.
We spoke to her in a conversation recorded in front of a live audience at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. Please listen with care.
Research Links:
Inside Olympian Clara Hughes's unexpected health crisis - and how it led her down an LSD rabbit hole: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/inside-olympian-clara-hughes-s-unexpected-health-crisis-and-how-it-led-her-down-an-lsd-rabbit-hole-edited/article_82c43a0b-3cbb-4a07-996b-c8ae16a955fc.html
Three Americans among seven to win medals at Winter and Summer Olympics: https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/three-americans-among-seven-win-medals-winter-and-summer-olympics
Clara Hughes is done being hot and bothered: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article-clara-hughes-learning-to-breathe-memoir-menopause
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.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When a story about one woman's search for care sparked a flood of messages, we began investigating Ontario's healthcare system and the possible obstacles facing people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), especially those with craniocervical instability (CCI).
For patients living with EDS, getting a diagnosis can take years. And when complex spinal conditions enter the picture, some patients and their families say they have been forced to look to the United States for help because they believe there is no surgeon in Canada able to provide the care they need. In this special episode of (Mis)Treated, we meet patients whose lives have been upended, families fighting for answers, and doctors who disagree about how these conditions should be treated.
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.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, 1 in 8 women in Canada will develop breast cancer during their lifetime and in 2010, Canadian Broadcaster Cynthia Mulligan announced her diagnosis.
In 2020, days before Christmas, she found out that she had Stage 4 breast cancer. We speak to her about why she chose to go public with her diagnosis, how she navigated treatment as a forward facing person and we reminisce about our friend and former colleague, Mark Dailey.
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.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Autoimmune disease is complicated. For one, there is no exact number of how many autoimmune conditions there are. We know that at least 80 of them exist and that globally, autoimmune impacts 1 in 10 people. While men also get autoimmune disease, women make up approximately 80% of patients. According to a 2021 study, women make up 75% of patients with MS. an autoimmune disease. And global cases of autoimmune disease are rising.
We speak to Dr. Gabor Maté who wrote more than 20 years ago about his observations on how autoimmune disease was impacting more women than men. We also speak to a neuroimmunologist on the connection of the Epstein-Barr virus and why women with some autoimmune diseases were once advised to not have children. Plus we talk to an epidemiologist who studies women's health on why autoimmune disease impacts women at such a staggering rate and we speak to a young woman with multiple sclerosis.
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.
Research Links:
Incidence, prevalence, and co-occurrence of autoimmune disorders over time and by age, sex, and socioeconomic status: a population-based cohort study of 22 million individuals in the UK: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00457-9/abstract
What Can We Learn from Sex Differences in MS?: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8537319/
Embodiment of structural racism and multiple sclerosis risk and outcomes in the USA: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-025-01096-5
How Is Céline Dion’s Health? What She’s Shared About Stiff Person Syndrome Battle: https://www.today.com/health/celine-dion-health-rcna98154
Celebrities and Medical Awareness—The Case of Celine Dion and Stiff-Person Syndrome: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9914970/
National study shows Indigenous patients with autoimmune liver disease face worse symptoms and outcomes: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/2023/02/national-study-indigenous-patients-autoimmune-liver-disease.html
Indigenous people more prone to rare autoimmune liver disease, often misdiagnosed: https://globalnews.ca/video/9353047/indigenous-people-more-prone-to-rare-autoimmune-liver-disease-often-misdiagnosed-research/
Meet Dr. Dalia Rotstein, the St. Michael’s neurologist dedicated to improving care for women during pregnancy: https://unityhealth.to/2026/03/meet-the-neurologist-dedicated-to-improving-care-for-women-during-pregnancy/
Researcher studying link between pregnancy complications and autoimmune diseases with prestigious fellowship: https://utsc.utoronto.ca/news-events/our-community/researcher-studying-link-between-pregnancy-complications-and-autoimmune-diseases
An MS Diagnosis Led This Top Yogi to Evolve Her Practice: https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/multiple-sclerosis/an-ms-diagnosis-led-this-top-yoga-instructor-to-evolve-her-practice
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.