jjablkowski's blog

Many Canadians are reconsidering their dietary habits and choosing plant-based foods instead of animal products, for health, environmental, and ethical reasons. A national survey estimated that 850 000 Canadians already eat an entirely plant-based diet that contains no meat, fish, dairy, or eggs.[1] As more Canadians consider a shift in their diets, they may direct questions about plant-based eating to their physicians. Here are several key points concerning plant-based foods that all physicians should have at hand to discuss with their patients.

I always wonder what more could have been done for Ms Harry*. 

Ms Harry was an Indigenous Elder and a patient in my practice who was more focused on the community than on caring for her own health, especially as related to her diabetes. She died in her 50s from a myocardial infarction, unexpectedly and before we were ready for her to leave us.

Ms Harry’s premature death left me wondering—what if we managed her diabetes better? What could I, as her physician, have done differently?

The Ontario Brain Institute’s (OBI) epilepsy research program (EpLink) wants input from Canadians living with or caring for people with epilepsy or seizures to set the priorities for epilepsy research. This initiative aims to identify a list of Top 10 questions that people living with epilepsy, their family and friends, and health care professionals jointly agree are the most important for research to address.

1.    COVID-19 does not appear to cause birth defects but may increase pregnancy complications.

Unlike viruses such as rubella, chickenpox, or Zika virus, there is no evidence that COVID-19 causes birth defects. Because of the immunosuppression and increased respiratory demands of pregnancy, expectant mothers who become infected with COVID-19 must be closely monitored. COVID-19 in pregnancy can pose some increased risks to the baby, such as preterm birth and growth restriction. 

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” This is from legendary baseball player and advisor, Yogi Berra. Unlike him, I have never played baseball and never felt quite comfortable giving advice to my patients. Rather, I tried to be an assistant to them in their problem solving. I learned this perspective in my role as a family practitioner during the 1956–1966 era from my mentor, Dr Clarence McNeill, pioneer North Shore doctor and soft spoken, kind, and wise man of few words.