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Why don’t they just Leave?
I recently read an insightful article from the Toronto Star Attawapiskat: What don’t they just leave?. It really brings home why it’s not so easy to wave a magic wand and relocate nearly 2000 people. This is their land and home. To many other Canadians, it seems like a wasteland…but if you only know this … Continue reading
Is there such thing as a “good” death?
I read this article in the NYT awhile ago, but I am finally getting some time to post about it. In ill doctor, a surprise reflection of who picks assisted suicide It is a balanced argument on physician assisted suicide, straight from the viewpoint of a medical doctor. It’s not about a “slippery slope” and … Continue reading
Flatline
A team of heart surgeons give a man life, without a heartbeat. Pretty amazing. I hope they make this documentary longer. Flatline: A film of life without a heartbeat
Graveyard Shift
How apropos, posting this on my night shift. The cross has an inscription dating back to the 1850s. Moreover, the person who was lain to rest was born in 1799. I took this photo at a graveyard about 2 km from town. This ancestral land is on a different island from where town is located. … Continue reading
Whose Land is it Anyway?
I wish that more Canadians knew about the conditions and issues that Aboriginal Canadians face daily. There are still many misconceptions that exist today. And a very recent example getting some media attention is when Justin Bieber made that gaffe about being part Inuit and getting free gas. It’s this kind of ignorance that perpetuates … Continue reading
Defensive Medicine
I came across this article from the New York Times Op-Ed page, which really struck a chord with me. More Treatment, More Mistakes written by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Certainly many procedures, tests and prescriptions are based on legitimate need. But many are not. In a recent anonymous survey, orthopedic surgeons said 24 percent of the … Continue reading
How to Survive the North: Black Flies
From The Weather Network: Black fly larvae can be found in nearly every type of flowing water. Once adulthood is reached, the flies take to the woods or forested areas, which oftentimes takes a bite out of summer camping fun. If you live in Southern Canada, you’ll want to keep your insect repellent on hand … Continue reading
Though it might look good to eat…
Do you remember that PSA that had puppets singing: don’t you put it in your mouth? I feel that it should be played ad nauseam until it actually sticks. I’ve had two patients now who have come in after possibly ingesting grandma’s medication. Not sure how bitter tasting pills could pass as candy, but in … Continue reading
Requiescat In Pace
When a patient takes his/her last breath, it jolts you to rethink your own mortality. On the weekend, one of my long-term care patients passed away on my night shift. The team had known he was not doing well, and we progressed to palliative care pretty quickly. I was not expecting the worse because the … Continue reading
Dreaming of Call Bells 