Primary Care

Muscle-building supplements are hugely popular with Canadian boys and young men: That’s a problem

The portrayal of muscular male bodies is a new but increasingly common phenomenon driving demand for potentially harmful muscle-building supplements. Young people in particular are at risk.

Safeguarding our children: Vaccination’s crucial role in navigating the coming school year

As we embark on the new school year, the lessons we have learned from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic serve as our compass, guiding us toward effective strategies while helping us discern the ones that fall short.

The iDOCTOR will see you now

Patients without a family doctor can see a doctor virtually through artificial intelligence or non-family doctors apps run by private, for-profit corporations. But iDOCTOR will be of limited value to a system already stretched thin.

Is bothsidesism killing us? (And why scientific consensus matters)

Our information ecosystem has become a massive false-balance machine. We need a more accurate representation of science and to correct misrepresentations wherever they emerge.

Lives are at stake: Why is injury prevention an underfunded public health concern?

If we are truly invested in improving the health and wellness of Canadians, we must dedicate more public health resources to preventing injury instead of responding to it after the fact.

We have the tools to prevent ovarian cancer. Why aren’t we using them?

About 20 per cent of the ovarian cancer cases in Canada diagnosed each year are in people who carry a mutation and are most likely preventable. Genetic testing can become more accessible. Why are we waiting? 

From diabetes medication to weight-loss wonder drug: Ozempic’s popularity raises big questions

Ozempic has raised a lot of questions. We asked a panel of experts what are the most important factors to consider when prescribing Ozempic for weight loss.

Breast-milk donor models are flawed: A path forward to meet demand

The three main institutions vying for breast-milk donations have demonstrated an unwillingness to collaborate with one another. As demand for donor milk increases, the downstream effects are going to be felt most by parents and their infants.

If public health is not there to protect the vulnerable, then why bother?

Documents reveal that though the risks could not have been stated more clearly, in 2022 the Ford government ignored the evidence and lifted public health measures. This should worry all Ontarians.

Long-term care in Ontario in need of an overhaul

Money alone won’t fix the long-term care crisis in Ontario. While it is true that increased funding is part of the solution, the reality is that a paradigm shift is essential.

Toward a healthier pregnancy: Overcoming barriers to prenatal exercise

By participating in evidence-based prenatal physical activity, pregnant people can increase the likelihood of positive health outcomes for themselves and their babies.

Postpartum depression isn’t the biggest issue for mothers. Postpartum anxiety is

Postpartum anxiety is more than three times more prevalent than postpartum depression yet we hear about it far less often.

Sometimes the truth is unbearable

The health-care system is failing Canadians with lethal consequences. Policymakers need to make urgent changes now to address delays in access to care.

The case for a pan-Canadian licensure model

Canada’s workforce remains in crisis. With hospital overcrowding and staff shortages putting EDs at risk, pan-Canadian licensure is a crucial part of any plan to help ease the pressure.

Ontario’s rural towns in danger of losing access to health care as family doctors near retirement

Aging family doctors in Ontario’s smaller towns present a significant challenge to health-care access. The disproportionate distribution of doctors over age 65 in rural Ontario raises concerns about future shortages as these practitioners approach retirement age.

Lessons from Marathon: How to rebuild a broken local health-care system

What happens when small health-care systems in rural communities begin to unravel? What does it take to rebuild them when they reach a breaking point? We can look to the experience of the community of Marathon in 1996 for a glimpse of the challenge. 

Loneliness and hunger ache: Community group teaches medical students a valuable lesson

Loneliness and hunger were two major ravages of the pandemic. We need to link medical education with social determinants of health in order to bridge gaps in care.

Finding your energy envelope: Long COVID patients urged to ‘pace’ themselves back to health

For many long COVID patients, returning to activity can cause debilitating "crashes." But symptom management techniques like pacing can offer relief and may even help some patients slowly recover.

The real cost of not adopting universal pharmacare is Canadian lives

Pharmacare has not yet been implemented and the pandemic – and the supply and confidence agreement – only further entrenched Big Pharma’s power in Ottawa. But patients need access to life-saving medications.

The placebo effect: Rarely dramatic, but surprisingly consistent and adjustable