Discussions

Cancer groundshot: Access to proven treatments must parallel development of new therapies
Annually, billions of dollars are spent on ambitious “cancer moonshot” programs. These programs focus on the discovery of new drugs and technologies aimed at solving the cancer burden.
Addressing childhood anxiety as early as kindergarten could reduce its harmful impacts
With colleagues, we undertook a population-wide study of kindergarten-age children attending public schools across Canada between 2004 and 2015. To our knowledge, this study provided the first Canada-wide snapshot of anxiety symptoms among children as they enter school.

Why stress-related illness is so hard to diagnose, and how a patient-centred playful approach can help

Allostatic load makes people vulnerable to various types of cardiac, gastrointestinal, endocrinological, immunological, neurological, metabolic and psychiatric problems.
Fish tales from the other side of the pond

You can liberate the fish, but as Dr. Gary Kinney explains, you can’t ensure they’ll survive the battle.
Facing the end of life cannot be easy

Dr. Noorali Bharwani reflects on why dying with dignity is the best way to go.
From Latin poetry to sham surgery: A history of placebos

Technically speaking, we have been using placebos for thousands of years. Ancient medicines and rituals practiced by earlier humans were often (at best) medically inert. The Ebers Papyrus (1500 B.C.) listed hundreds of prescriptions used in ancient Egypt, with modern study finding the vast majority to be “medically worthless.” Whether intentional or not, these were placebo interventions.
This pain is not age-related! Why won't anyone listen?

After too many years of chronic pain, a proper diagnosis gives elite athlete Dr. Janet Green her life back.
The CURE for the summer of 2022: Guaranteed!

After a winter that seemed like forever, full of COVID, divisive politics and other woes, Dr. Ted Jablonski has a somewhat unusual summer prescription for getting back to feeling a little more normal.
POLL: Have you ever witnessed or had to treat victims of gun violence?

In the wake of a tragic mass shooting that killed several school children in Texas, doctors around the world have been discussing how often they’ve seen—and treated—wounds and trauma from gun and other types of violence.
The good goodbye

Last month I closed my practice in the big city because my husband and I bought a house on an island. It was a challenging three-month transition process, yet I had some valuable insights about how doctors can say goodbye to their patients.