Lived Experience

Food and mental health: Happy gut, happy mind

The food we eat every day is the subject of an ongoing conversation between the bacteria in our gut and our immune cells. This conversation dictates whether we are taking one step closer to health or one step closer to disease.

Comparing health-care systems – a personal journey

During my professional career, my family and I lived in four different countries (including Canada). Each country has significant differences in the delivery of health care and how it is paid for. This is an essay about my experiences in each of those countries.

Addressing a blind spot in care for patients living with diabetes

The sudden decline in diabetes screening as a result of the pandemic has put a significant number of Ontarians in danger of vision loss. Unchecked, this problem is associated with a massive cost for the government and society. But this can be avoided with a proactive screening strategy.

Dear family doc: We’re all in this together

During these challenging times – just like during the height of the pandemic – we need every health-care provider doing his or her part. Ontario pharmacists are here to help.

OurCare survey highlights lack of access to primary care

A nation-wide survey on the state of primary care in Canada illuminates pressing issues facing our health system. Dr. Tara Kiran and a team of collaborators with the OurCare project have launched an online dashboard with the findings.

The good people that give me hope – my journey with Parkinson’s

Every day on this Parkinson’s journey, I am genuinely amazed at how supportive the community has been as a whole. I know my family and friends have got my back, but having a perfect stranger go above and beyond is humbling and comforting.

A 9-1-1 on health care in Ontario’s correctional facilities

Incarceration in Ontario’s correctional facilities is becoming more fatal. Deaths in custody have increased almost 50 per cent since 2020 despite a decreasing number of incarcerated people. Part of the solution could be the transfer of care from the Ministry of the Solicitor General to the Ministry of Health.

B.C.’s ‘necessary step forward’ in drug decriminalization

B.C. is Canada’s first jurisdiction to be granted a federal exemption to decriminalize personal drug possession up to 2.5 grams. Other provinces may soon follow suit.

The Treadmill

"Now the treadmill makes my steps uneven. One foot moves faster or slower than the other, and I stagger like a would-be dancer who wasn’t taught the choreography before the show."

Re-imagining global health care, person by person, mission by mission

Author and physician Jennifer Wilson reflects on the decision to offer her medical services in Northern Ghana and the writing of her book, Grant Us Tomorrow.

Book excerpt: ‘Oh God. What am I doing here?’

An excerpt from Jennifer Wilson's book, Grant Us Tomorrow.

Groundbreaking research into ME/CFS a pandemic ‘silver lining’

ME/CFS is a misunderstood complex chronic illness affecting more than 600,000 Canadians. For decades ME/CFS patients have been left without proper medical support. But now, with the wave of new post-viral illnesses from the COVID-19 pandemic, ME/CFS patients might finally see some answers.

‘Please don’t come back’: Using virtual care to prevent readmissions

In Canada, one in 11 patients is readmitted within 30 days of being discharged from hospital. But virtual care can help reduce readmissions, cut costs, and reduce pressures on the health-care system.

Plan on ‘aging in place’? Start early and be patient

Alcina Sung and the Togethering team are compiling resources that may better educate families, designers and developers on accessibility considerations and other resources to make aging at home a reality for as long as possible.

A low carbohydrate diet can treat diabetes better … and save us money

The key to the diabetes crisis is well within our reach. We can win the fight against diabetes by embracing a low-carbohydrate diet as the first-line medical nutrition treatment.

The Faces & Phases of COVID-19

The Faces/Phases Project is a portrait of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Through a series of data visualizations, we cover the first two years of the pandemic.

I saw first-hand how the nursing shortage is squeezing smaller centres

As the nursing shortage worsens, we must remain cautious about privatization further creeping into the Canadian health-care system, especially given its potential effects on smaller and rural centres.

Who is monitoring the gatekeepers? The Royal College an impenetrable fortress

Yes, I failed the Specialty Examination of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. But that does not preclude me from expressing what I consider to be wrong.

Youth with disabilities an untapped resource in labour shortfall

As we mark National Disability Employment Awareness Month, it’s time for a change. Governments need to step up and provide access to stable funding streams so young people with disabilities can access the support they need.

Ten health literacy principles cancer patients need to know

A medical oncologist describes ten health literacy principles to help cancer patients be informed participants in important treatment decisions.