Healthy Debate

‘The war against dogs continues’: How 150 years of policy denied animal control to Indigenous communities - Healthy Debate Unequal access to pet care in rural and Indigenous communities has led to dogs being shot when they pose a risk to the public.

‘The war against dogs continues’: How 150 years of policy denied animal control to Indigenous communities

healthydebate.ca/2025/12/topi...

Professional self-regulation can still work if we run it in the public interest - Healthy Debate Self-regulation can work if we stop running quality assurance like licensing compliance and start running it like professional development in the public interest.

Professional self-regulation can still work if we run it in the public interest

healthydebate.ca/2025/12/topi...

Medical students call for prevention and cessation initiatives with tobacco settlement monies - Healthy Debate As medical students, we hope for a future where fewer of our patients suffer from preventable tobacco-related illness. A future within reach if we act now.

Medical students call for prevention and cessation initiatives with tobacco settlement monies

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

Apparently 1 in 6 people who get Botox experience adverse effects from the procedure?? Excellent (and troubling) new @healthydebate.bsky.social story by Miranda Schreiber

‘Things went horribly wrong’: Patient advocates spreading the word about dangers of Botox - Healthy Debate Little attention has been given to the fact that research indicates that one in six patients who are injected with Botox experiences adverse effects from the procedure.

‘Things went horribly wrong’: Patient advocates spreading the word about dangers of Botox

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

The software we deserve: Vibe coding the future of health technology - Healthy Debate Vibe coding represents a potentially transformative approach to health informatics.

The software we deserve: Vibe coding the future of health technology

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

We can’t afford to wait for health care any longer  - Healthy Debate Canada’s health-care system remains one of our greatest national ideals. But ideals don’t shorten waitlists.

We can’t afford to wait for health care any longer

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

Meeting patients where they are: Why medical training must include social media literacy - Healthy Debate Some medical schools are beginning to explore digital health communication, but comprehensive social media literacy training remains the exception rather than standard practice.

Should medical training include social media literacy? "This isn’t about forcing every physician onto social media; it’s about equipping those who choose to engage with the skills and support they need," writes Simron Sidhu in @healthydebate.bsky.social. bit.ly/4ptsBNk

Pharmacists are essential in bridging the gap between AI and patient-centered care - Healthy Debate In a world pushing toward data-driven systems and algorithms, pharmacists can safeguard the human element of care.

Pharmacists are essential in bridging the gap between AI and patient-centered care

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

Queering the curriculum: Sexual orientation and gender identity in Canadian comprehensive sexuality education - Healthy Debate Comprehensive sexual education plays a vital role in equipping young people with knowledge about their bodies, identities, rights and relationships.

Queering the curriculum: Sexual orientation and gender identity in Canadian comprehensive sexuality education

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

From Miami to Mississauga: The Golden Girls and Ontario’s $1.1B homecare plan - Healthy Debate Whether in the fictional world of The Golden Girls or the real-life province of Ontario, the tension between independence and formal care is real.

From Miami to Mississauga: The Golden Girls and Ontario’s $1.1B homecare plan

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

Needle phobic? Nasal spray flu vaccine allays fear but has limited access in Canada - Healthy Debate Canadians who avoid the flu shot because they fear needles have an alternative that won’t make them hold their breath until it’s over.

Needle phobic? Nasal spray flu vaccine allays fear but has limited access in Canada

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

Canadian student abroad questions Ontario’s exclusionary residency rule - Healthy Debate The goal should not be to exclude, but to bring home every capable doctor who calls Canada home.

Canadian student abroad questions Ontario’s exclusionary residency rule

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

Fail-first drug rules defy logic, deny timely access for people with rare diseases - Healthy Debate Despite the recent approval of targeted biologics that can significantly improve quality of life, Canadians living with Myasthenia Gravis continue to face unjust policy barriers.

"Requiring individuals to fail a drug that was never intended or approved for their condition contradicts the core principles of patient-centred care."

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

Canadian student abroad questions Ontario’s exclusionary residency rule - Healthy Debate The goal should not be to exclude, but to bring home every capable doctor who calls Canada home.

Canadian student abroad questions Ontario’s exclusionary residency rule

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

Canada needs a women’s health strategy: Lives depend on it - Healthy Debate The path forward to prioritizing women’s health and well-being must be laid by Canadians whose voices propel political, social and economic change around the world.

Canada needs a women’s health strategy: Lives depend on it

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

The words we use: Why inclusive language in health care is about safety - Healthy Debate Inclusive language is a living practice. Let’s treat it that way – with care, intention and the humility to keep learning.

The words we use: Why inclusive language in health care is about safety

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

Sleepless in Scrubs: The myth of the invincible doctor - Healthy Debate While trainees may joke about exhaustion, its impact is anything but humorous. Chronic fatigue in medical education is not just normalized but is also institutionalized.

Sleepless in Scrubs: The myth of the invincible doctor

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

A roadmap for change: Building the health workforce Canadians deserve - Healthy Debate A well-planned, integrated workforce can deliver access, improved outcomes and support our health professionals. It’s time to put the future in motion.

A roadmap for change: Building the health workforce Canadians deserve

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

Living with stage 4 lobular breast cancer: What I want you to know - Healthy Debate Lobular breast cancer is different. Vigilance matters. And stage 4 does not erase the possibility of hope or joy.

Living with stage 4 lobular breast cancer: What I want you to know

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

Code Black and Blue: Nurses launch campaign against violence in the workplace - Healthy Debate No one should be hurt at work, least of all those who care for others. It’s time to protect nurses and make safe staffing a priority.

Code Black and Blue: Nurses launch campaign against violence in the workplace
By Erin Ariss @ontarionurses.bsky.social

healthydebate.ca/2025/11/topi...

AI and the mental health crisis: Can chatbots fill the gap? - Healthy Debate Canadians are increasingly turning to AI chatbots, like ChatGPT, for mental health support. But is this type of technology truly up to the task?

AI and the mental health crisis: Can chatbots fill the gap? By @maddidellplain.bsky.social

healthydebate.ca/2025/10/topi...

The MCAS care crisis: Canada can’t afford to look away - Healthy Debate MCAS patients and taxpayers deserve better. The solutions exist. What’s missing is the political will to treat this like the crisis it already is.

The MCAS care crisis: Canada can’t afford to look away

healthydebate.ca/2025/10/topi...

Three tools clinicians use to debunk viral health myths - Healthy Debate Canadians face a steady stream of confident health claims; some partly right, others wrong and risky – and some potentially fatal.

Three tools clinicians use to debunk viral health myths

healthydebate.ca/2025/10/topi...

Caregiver calls for action to tackle cancer’s financial toxicity - Healthy Debate Everyone agrees lack of money shouldn’t be a barrier to life-saving cancer care. But when cancer metastasizes to bank accounts it can reduce the odds of survival.

Caregiver calls for action to tackle cancer’s financial toxicity

healthydebate.ca/2025/10/topi...

Barbie has an insulin pump and CGM too: Why representation in chronic illness education matters - Healthy Debate I never had a Barbie with dark hair, brown eyes and an insulin pump when I was growing up. But today’s girls can. And that is progress worth celebrating.

Barbie has an insulin pump and CGM too: Why representation in chronic illness education matters

healthydebate.ca/2025/10/topi...

Climate change fuelling the spread of tuberculosis - Healthy Debate With floods in Pakistan, cyclones in Madagascar and droughts in Somalia, it is crucial that we learn to recognize the critical links between climate change and disease.

Climate change fuelling the spread of tuberculosis

healthydebate.ca/2025/10/topi...

Using ‘integration’ to silence culturally specific care - Healthy Debate When culturally specific care is allowed to vanish under another name, we all lose a piece of the commons we rely on.

Using ‘integration’ to silence culturally specific care

healthydebate.ca/2025/10/topi...

A call to action for the health sector on planetary health and a wellbeing society - Healthy Debate We must achieve equitable health now and for future generations while living within planetary boundaries.

A call to action for the health sector on planetary health and a wellbeing society

healthydebate.ca/2025/10/topi...

One collective voice: Family doctors must speak up to protect our profession - Healthy Debate Canadian family medicine is standing on a knife’s edge. We, as family doctors, need to decide our future.

One collective voice: Family doctors must speak up to protect our profession

healthydebate.ca/2025/10/topi...