Climate change is fuelling vegetarian and vegan diets in youth
chronic disease management
Anna
Exercise isn’t just prevention, but treatment too
Pam
Promising depression treatment may soon be available in Ontario
Gaps in health care for the chronically ill
This is a story about Mr. D, a lovely 85-year-old gentleman who I cared for on our General Internal Medicine service. He suffered significant cognitive impairment due to both dementia and the deposition of protein in his brain caused by chronic inflammation (known as cerebral amyloidosis). He also had advance prostate cancer. As a consequence …
Medical marijuana: what doctors need to know about Canada’s new rules
Herbal marijuana is not an approved drug in Canada, but court rulings have required reasonable access to a legal source of marijuana when authorized by a physician. On April 1st, Canada’s current regulatory system for medical marijuana will be replaced entirely by a new set of rules. These new regulations will have important implications for …
Canadian diabetes strategies under fire as diabetes rates continue to rise
In the past six months, the Auditor Generals of both Canada and Ontario have turned their attention to problems with strategies designed to tackle one of Canada’s biggest health threats—the epidemic of diabetes. The government watchdogs have scrutinized the value that Canadians have received from the hundreds of millions of dollars expended on the Canadian …
Pulmonary embolism and chest pain
The Personal Health Navigator is available to all Canadian patients. Questions about your doctor, hospital or how to navigate the health care system can be sent to AskLisa@Sunnybrook.ca The Question: I was diagnosed with an unprovoked saddle pulmonary embolism at the end of January after three months of antibiotics, inhalers, a chest X ray and a CAT …
The most costly places in Canada for patients to have diabetes
The Personal Health Navigator is available to all Canadian patients. Questions about your doctor, hospital or how to navigate the health care system can be sent to AskLisa@Sunnybrook.ca The Question: What are the best and worst places to have diabetes in Canada, based on the cost of needles and other supplies? The Answer: This question came via twitter …
Alcohol and diabetes: a potentially dangerous mix
The Personal Health Navigator is available to all Canadian patients. Questions about your doctor, hospital or how to navigate the health care system can be sent to AskLisa@Sunnybrook.ca The Question: How does alcohol consumption affect diabetes? I work with street people who don’t always eat properly. Does it worsen their diabetes? The Answer: Intuitively, you would think that …
Changes called for as 1% of population accounts for 1/3 of health care spending
Ontario’s Health and Long-term Care Minister is calling for a change in how health care costs are scrutinized in light of research showing that a tiny proportion of the Ontario population accounts for a very large proportion of health care expenditures. “We need to shift our focus” away from line-by-line scrutiny of hospital, drug and …
Why patients need to be vigilant about blood clots
The Personal Health Navigator is available to all Canadian patients. Questions about your doctor, hospital or how to navigate the health care system can be sent to AskLisa@Sunnybrook.ca The Question: I take warfarin for atrial fibrillation. Every three weeks, I go to a clinic to get my blood checked and, if needed, my warfarin dose is adjusted. …
Home dialysis and the lengthy wait for a kidney transplant
The Personal Health Navigator is available to all Canadian patients. Questions about your doctor, hospital or how to navigate the health care system can be sent to AskLisa@Sunnybrook.ca The Question: I want to do dialysis at home but am worried. Is it safe? Is it possible? The Answer: This is the kind of question Alireza Zahirieh, head of …
Does evidence support expanding telehomecare in Ontario?
Telehomecare programs offer remote monitoring for people living with chronic diseases, linking patients to providers without requiring an in-person visit. Ontario is currently developing a number of large-scale telehomecare programs with the promise that they are patient centred, cost effective approaches to care. While there is great enthusiasm for telehomecare programs from patients, providers and …
Frequent flyers: aeroplan and health care
This year I did not achieve Elite status on Air Canada/Aeroplan. For the first time in a decade, I am without status on a major airline. No number to call, no priority service, no lounge. I will probably have to wait in line. As you probably know, Aeroplan has Prestige, Elite, and Super Elite levels …