Chronic Illness

Feeling blue? It’s not just you. Canadians live in a ‘winter depression hotspot’

Seasonal affective disorder or – the appropriately acronymic SAD –  will impact an estimated 15 per cent of Canadians during their lifetime.

‘How would the average Canadian know to ask?’ Men left in the dark on minimally invasive prostate cancer treatments

For many men, prostate cancer is not just a question of survival. It is a question of how they will live afterward. When the system fails to offer a full picture of the options available, it limits not only their choices but their long-term well-being.

No, women aren’t supposed to hurt: Misconceptions about reproductive health have serious consequences

If Canada is committed to gender equity and universal health coverage, then we must address the fact that young women’s pain too often goes unheard, not because they are silent, but because the world taught them to be.

The painful struggle: Transitioning to adult medical care with a rare condition

The difference between a safe, supported transition and a dangerous one often comes down to whether the system is a partner in your care – or leaves you to navigate it alone.

‘Children are kids first and sick second’: School adapts for terminally ill child

When a child’s promise of a future is abruptly shattered by a terminal illness, the child and its family have to decide whether to continue with school.

Medical students call for prevention and cessation initiatives with tobacco settlement monies

As medical students, we hope for a future where fewer of our patients suffer from preventable tobacco-related illness. A future within reach if we act now.

From Miami to Mississauga: The Golden Girls and Ontario’s $1.1B homecare plan

Whether in the fictional world of The Golden Girls or the real-life province of Ontario, the tension between independence and formal care is real.

Fail-first drug rules defy logic, deny timely access for people with rare diseases

Despite the recent approval of targeted biologics that can significantly improve quality of life, Canadians living with Myasthenia Gravis continue to face unjust policy barriers.

The MCAS care crisis: Canada can’t afford to look away

MCAS patients and taxpayers deserve better. The solutions exist. What’s missing is the political will to treat this like the crisis it already is.

Three tools clinicians use to debunk viral health myths

Canadians face a steady stream of confident health claims; some partly right, others wrong and risky – and some potentially fatal. Health care experts share some best practices to combat myths in clinic.

Caregiver calls for action to tackle cancer’s financial toxicity

Everyone agrees lack of money shouldn’t be a barrier to life-saving cancer care. But when cancer metastasizes to bank accounts it can reduce the odds of survival.

Barbie has an insulin pump and CGM too: Why representation in chronic illness education matters

I never had a Barbie with dark hair, brown eyes and an insulin pump when I was growing up. But today’s girls can. And that is progress worth celebrating.

Knit one, purl two on the way to mental health

Addressing rising mental health rates will undoubtedly require a range of different tools, both pharmacological and non-pharmaceutical.

Beyond pink and teal: Patient advocacy is not a morality play

Patient advocacy at its best is not about purity. It’s about presence. It’s about showing up, with all our raw, unpolished language and stories, to demand dignity for people whose lives are already heavy with suffering.

Was my wife’s hospital care an anomaly or the new normal in Ontario?

I had hoped my wife would get timely and dignified care like I'd received in the past. She did not. Was her care an anomaly or is it the way of the future? I don't know but I sure as hell hope it is not the future.

Expanding access to disability supports: the case for impact investing

Thanks to limited access to interventions and income thresholds that fail to account for the cost of caregiving, families with children with neurodevelopmental disabilities are often left to pay out-of-pocket for services.

Black mistrust is logical and rational: What public health policymakers must learn from Black communities

Black communities are not hesitant just for the sake of it. They are hesitant because of memory. They need structural change built from trust, not just crisis.

Obesity and food insecurity in Canada: Two sides of the same coin

Addressing food insecurity and obesity together requires a multi-layered, long-term strategy.

The forgotten patients of brain health: Why Functional Neurological Disorder needs a clinical home

Patients with FND are not puzzles to be passed around. They are Ontarians living with genuine and debilitating symptoms; many of whom have been ignored, invalidated and left to navigate recovery alone.

Patient Perspectives: Telling our stories is critical to improving care

As a physician, nothing will tell you more than simply asking someone how their illness impacts their lives and listening closely to their answers.