White Coat, Black Art

What do 'Ask your doctor' ads actually accomplish?

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Companies are spending big bucks advertising weight-loss drugs like Rybelsus and Ozempic. But in Canada, "reminder ads" can give only the medication's name, not what it's for, telling people to ask their doctor for more. Special guest Terry O'Reilly, host of CBC's Under the Influence, says it can result in bad ads that turn people off, while pharmaceutical policy expert Barbara Mintzes says reminder ads can do more harm than good.

This school's for family docs only

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 00:10:00 EDT

A first-of-its-kind medical school, part of Queen's University in Ontario, is recruiting and training students with the sole intention of graduating family doctors. But can it prepare them for the daily realities of the job?

Healthcare at the food bank

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Every two weeks, tenants of a Toronto Community Housing high-rise benefit from an on-site food bank. It's run by an embedded healthcare team, to build trust and get people the help they desperately need.

Overheated: Behind the scenes

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 00:10:00 EDT

A behind-the-scenes chat about the making of the CBC collaboration "Overheated" where White Coat, Black Art, What on Earth, and Quirks and Quarks explore how heat is affecting our health, our communities and our ecosystems.

Hot as hell

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 15:40:00 EDT

How far would you go to test your body in extreme heat? Ironworker apprentice Britnee Miazek travels hundreds of kilometres to Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario for a gruelling experiment to see how her body deals with high temperatures. She wants to find out why she stopped getting her period while working in sweltering conditions on a coke oven. Researchers are hoping to find answers for Britnee, and understand more about the long-term health effects of working in an increasingly hot environment.

This episode is part of a CBC collaboration called "Overheated" where White Coat, Black Art, What on Earth, and Quirks and Quarks explore how heat is affecting our health, our cities and our ecosystems.

ENCORE: Taking on the anti-science movement

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Pediatrician and vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez warns the anti-vaccine movement has morphed into a dangerous anti-science force. In The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning, Hotez says failing to act now will threaten governments’ ability to fight serious infectious diseases.

ENCORE: Pregnant with epilepsy

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 00:10:00 EDT

The CBC’s Julianne Hazlewood takes us on a familiar journey that for her is filled with uncertainty and peril. Julianne is in the late stages of pregnancy. She also has epilepsy. For additional support, she joined a research program called The Lullaby Project. It paired her with a musician to help her write and record a song to soothe her baby, and her fears.

ENCORE: The impact of a damaged childhood

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Childhood neglect and abuse can lead to serious health problems in adults. Toronto psychiatrists Dr. Bob Maunder and Dr. Jon Hunter are calling for radical change to deal with this national epidemic in their new book, "Damaged: Childhood Trauma, Adult Illness, and the Need for a Health Care Revolution."

ENCORE: Preventing ovarian cancer

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Some doctors believe a minor gynecological procedure called an opportunistic salpingectomy can reduce dramatically the risk of ovarian cancer.

ENCORE: Orthotists and prosthetists are unsung heroes

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Scott Hedlund and David Broman design, build, fit and fix prosthetic appliances like artificial limbs. They talk about the challenges and joys of their jobs.

ENCORE: The trouble with wigs

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 00:10:00 EDT

When cancer patients receive chemotherapy, they often lose their hair, and that can wreak havoc on physical and mental health. Cairo Gregory was just 15 when she got ovarian cancer. Chemotherapy meant she lost her long curly hair just when she started to love it. She struggled to find a suitable wig through the hospital. She says the healthcare system must do more to help women deal with hair loss, especially young Black women like her.

ENCORE: The caregiver burden

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Esther Schreiber felt like the luckiest woman when she married her sweetheart Eddi. They enjoyed a busy life until he was diagnosed with young onset dementia a decade ago. Now he's almost completely non verbal. The caregiving demands are all-consuming but she draws inspiration and support from other spouses.

ENCORE: The Menopause Movement Part 2

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Primary care providers don’t always recognize menopause symptoms for what they are, focusing instead on whether they’re a sign of a more serious problem. Not all know that menopausal hormone therapy is a safe and effective treatment for many women. We explain why that’s the case, and the range of treatments that can help women.

ENCORE: Brain surgeon Dr. Henry Marsh reflects on getting cancer

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:10:00 EDT

When famed British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, he was forced to confront aging and his own mortality. Marsh reflects on both in his book, And, finally: Matters of Life and Death.

ENCORE: The Filipino nurse recruitment pipeline

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Canada’s nursing shortage is so dire that many provinces are stepping up efforts to recruit nurses from the Philippines. And as producer Stephanie Dubois discovered from Manila, that recruitment process is a well-oiled machine with a lot of players involved. From the Philippines government, to recruiters, to nursing schools, the message to nurses is clear: better opportunities only exist abroad.

Health-care lessons from an unprecedented fire season

Fri, 21 Jun 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Health-care workers are making sure they're ready for increasingly severe wildfire seasons. An EMS manager and hospital co-ordinator share how they evacuated high-needs patients from northern Alberta towns affected by wildfires in 2023. And how their best practices have already been tested this year.

Why a rural family doc called it quits

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Dr. Erin Sullivan worked a gruelling schedule as a family doc in rural Saskatchewan, struggling to balance ER shifts with a busy family practice–while lacking the system support she craved. She explains why she decided to retool her career when it had barely started.

White Coat, Black Art Book Talk

Fri, 31 May 2024 00:10:00 EDT

A single book can have the power to help us heal. A panel of celebrated physicians and nurses, along with members of the audience, weigh in on the books that inspired them at a live event recorded at Hamilton’s Central Library, hosted by Dr. Brian Goldman.

The kidney transplant waiting game

Thu, 23 May 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Judith Morrison needs a kidney. While she's on dialysis, her sister Catherine is putting out a public plea for a living donor. But the search has been hard. And if they do find a donor, the sisters say that person will have to go through a long and opaque testing process - one that experts say needs to be improved across Canada.

ENCORE: Alberta pharmacists filling primary health-care gap

Fri, 17 May 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Provinces are permitting pharmacists to prescribe for minor ailments, but in Alberta, pharmacists have been doing that and much more for 15 years. Because of their expanded powers, they’re filling gaps in health care. But it’s raising questions about the line between pharmacists and family doctors.

Prospering with Young-Onset Parkinson's

Fri, 10 May 2024 10:25:00 EDT

Sharon Chakkalackal was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s at 38. Now, two years later, Sharon’s life is transformed – but not for the worse. Her days are filled with self-care, including exercise and community involvement, to treat and slow her symptoms. Dr. Brian Goldman joins Sharon on her volunteer gardening shift to learn how she's gleaning good from the not-so-good.

The Unshakeable MD

Fri, 03 May 2024 10:30:00 EDT

At 28 years old, Dr. Soania Mathur was building her medical practice and expecting her first child. Then, she was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s Disease. She tried to ignore her diagnosis for a decade, but as the symptoms progressed, she had to close her practice. Now, the self-described "Unshakeable MD" uses her experience as both a patient and a doctor to advocate for especially young people living with Parkinson's, as up to 10% of patients are under 40.

The Family Doctor Recruiting Game

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 00:10:00 EDT

Attracting a family doctor to work in a community is challenging, with fewer physicians choosing family medicine. That's why Cheryl Gnyp, the recruiter for Castlegar, B.C., needs to stand out. She uses the board game Operation and specialized coffee as part of her 10-minute sales pitch to potential recruits at conferences. It can take years before a doctor starts working in the community, but she’s in it for the long haul.

BONUS: Can Earth Day be badass again? (via What On Earth)

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 14:08:00 EDT

The climate is changing. So are we. On What On Earth, you’ll explore a world of solutions with host Laura Lynch and our team of journalists. In 1970, 20 million people showed up to fight for the environment on the first Earth Day. More than five decades later, is it time for this much tamer global event to return to its radical roots?

OG organizer Denis Hayes recounts how – amidst other counterculture movements at the time – his team persuaded roughly one in ten Americans to take to the streets. As he approaches 80, Denis offers his singular piece of advice to the next generation of climate leaders. Then, environmental warriors Maria Blancas and Axcelle Campana share ideas on what a reinspired Earth Day could look like – including making it a public holiday.

More episodes of What On Earth are available at: https://link.chtbl.com/L2RFol4W

We love to hear from our listeners and regularly feature them on the show. Have a question or idea? Email Earth@cbc.ca

And if you’d like to learn more about the very special guest Dr. Goldman mentioned, please check out this classic episode of White Coat, Black Art.

The wisdom of the Gritty Nurses

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 11:10:00 EDT

Amie Archibald-Varley and Sara Fung are registered nurses who advocate for better healthcare on The Gritty Nurse podcast. Now they’ve published a book called The Wisdom of Nurses: Stories of Grit from the Front Lines. They join host Dr. Brian Goldman for a chat about why nurses make incredible leaders, and how healthcare can improve when we listen to nurses.

Newfoundland and Labrador goes all in on virtual caren

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 10:10:00 EDT

Newfoundland and Labrador leaders are ramping up virtual care for the thousands of residents without a family doctor. They’ve turned to private company Teladoc Health Canada to not only have doctors see patients virtually but also fill in on remote and rural ERs, for the next two years. But medical associations say it comes at the expense of recruiting and retaining healthcare workers long-term, and patients aren’t getting the care they need.

Preventing the next Belleville

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 14:40:00 EDT

A restaurant in Muskoka, Ontario is doing its best to respond if necessary, after the slate of poisonings with a more dangerous form of fentanyl in Belleville. A manager and employee have taken training to accompany their new naloxone kit. But the deputy chief paramedic says the best hope to save people may be to teach bystanders to do CPR and rescue breathing and not flee the scene.

ENCORE: Hospital at Home program delivers acute care at home

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 00:10:00 EDT

A unique medical team in the UK is able to treat hospitalized patients in their own homes. The team can make a diagnosis in the field, so they can offer treatment on the spot. The result? They're providing the same volume and complexity of care as a 20-bed ward, active 24/7. And it’s cheaper.

The rapper battling Stage 4 colon cancer

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 00:10:00 EDT

As a rapper, Bishop Brigante is no stranger to on-stage battles. Now, the 45-year-old is battling Stage 4 colon cancer, which he says was caught too late. Bishop wants Canadians to have easier access to colonoscopies and says advocacy has given him newfound purpose.

Manicures by med students

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 11:10:00 EDT

The burden of loneliness on seniors is real and well-documented. That’s why med students at McMaster University in Ontario are visiting a seniors’ home one Saturday a month… not with clipboards, but with emery boards. With manicures comes conversation – helping seniors feel less isolated, and helping med students “polish up” on their soft skills.

Navigating the cancer maze

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 11:40:00 EST

Receiving a cancer diagnosis and trying to weave through the health-care system can be confusing and frustrating. That’s where cancer patient navigators come in. They’re the person who takes your calls and listens when it seems like no one else will, and they’re the nurse who wants the best for their patients. They're not available to everyone in Canada — but both navigators and their patients think they should be.

Nursing as occupational hazard

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 00:10:00 EST

Manitoba nurse Jennifer Noone was assaulted outside her hospital’s staff entrance, leaving her with a concussion and PTSD. She took the unusual step of having her assailant charged with assault. Now, she’s advocating for better protection against violence in hospitals, which nurses' unions say is on the rise.

Fighting to provide gender-affirming care

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 00:10:00 EST

Dr. Kate Greenaway is devoted to providing gender-affirming care to the trans and nonbinary folks who desperately need it. But with ever-increasing wait times and a lack of funding, she’s done something she never thought she’d do: go private. And as this care falls increasingly under threat in Canada, Kit Sparrow explains how Dr. Greenaway’s clinic saved his life – even though he feels he should have never had to pay for it.

ENCORE: The secret to success at community health centres

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 00:10:00 EST

People with complex medical needs are welcome at Centretown Community Health Centre in Ottawa, one of about 120 CHCs across Canada. Teamwork by nurses, dietitians and others frees up family physicians to focus on patients, not paperwork.

The toll of cannabis-induced psychosis

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 11:40:00 EST

When Kalpit Sharma started smoking high-THC weed several times a day, he thought he was just “living his life” as a university student. But then, he started hearing voices. Researcher Dr. Daniel Myran shares the science behind stories like Kalpit’s – and why young men are particularly at risk for concerning mental health outcomes.

Women take on the fight for earlier breast cancer screening

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 00:10:00 EST

Women are advocating for regular breast cancer screening to begin at age 40, pushing back against the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care guidelines that recommend starting at age 50. They’re fighting for their voices to be heard, as the taskforce reviews its guidelines.

The high cost of sick notes

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 08:10:00 EST

Patients don't like waiting in a clinic or ER to get them, doctors hate writing them, and yet, some employers continue to demand sick notes for a minor illness like the flu or a cold. Now, some doctors and other health-care providers are pushing back. They say sick notes tie up an already overloaded system, arguing that more paid sick days are needed instead.

The fight for faster eating disorder treatment

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 08:10:00 EST

Twenty years after her daughter died, Winnipegger Elaine Stevenson is still fighting to get people better and faster treatment for eating disorders. Roughly a million Canadians have been diagnosed with an eating disorder, and as many as 15 percent will die because of it. Despite that, wait lists for treatment in Canada can be over a year, and it's not offered in every province.

What this woman wants you to know about power of attorney

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 00:10:00 EST

When Mary Jarratt's brother, Billy, had a debilitating stroke at 58, she was thrown into the role of Power of Attorney. She had to make tough decisions about his care, the care of his teenaged son and whether to sell the family home. She wants people to know what they’re getting into when they sign up to be a POA.

An Organ Donation Leads To An Unlikely Friendship

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 16:10:00 EST

Tara de Pratto donated part of her liver to a stranger, saving her life. The recipient was Farah Ali, and she and her family will never forget that act of kindness. In this second episode on living donors, we hear how Tara responded to a unique callout for a donor on social media, thanks to one woman’s passion for connecting donors with people in need. And how it led to a powerful bond between people whose paths might never have otherwise crossed.

ENCORE: The Sherbrooke Model of Long-term Care

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 00:10:00 EST

Sherbrooke Community Centre’s intergenerational program, iGen, is unique in Canada. The long-term-care home in Saskatoon doubles as a Grade Six classroom and is helping both kids and seniors.

The Gift of Life

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 16:10:00 EST

In this season of bearing gifts, it’s been said the highest form of giving is the anonymous kind. Heather Badenoch knows that very well. She donated part of her liver to a child she never met in Toronto. Now she uses her communications skills to recruit donors for people in need of an organ. In two weeks, we’ll have the story of one of the families she has helped.

Virtual Cancer Screening Service

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 00:10:00 EST

B.C. family physician Dr. Stuart Bax co-founded the virtual cancer screening service CanScreenBC.com to get people checked as early as possible so they don't end up getting a cancer diagnosis too late.

Dismantling Alberta Health Care

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 16:10:00 EST

The Alberta government is about to change health care like never before. It’s taking what’s been administered exclusively by Alberta Health Services and breaking it up into four independent parts: acute care, primary care, continuing care and mental health and addiction. Doctors and nurses, patients and experts are worried what this new healthcare system could look like for patient care. One health economist calls it a "train wreck."

Library on the Frontlines

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 00:10:00 EST

You wouldn’t expect to find an overdose response and prevention team at a library. But Edmonton’s flagship library is going next level to take care of some of its most vulnerable citizens. They also have a team of social workers and other programs because their community needs are growing.

A Canadian doctor in Afghanistan

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 16:40:00 EST

Dr. Maureen Mayhew didn't always want to practice medicine in Afghanistan. When Doctors Without Borders offered her a nine-month contract to work there in 2000, Mayhew initially turned it down, only accepting after careful consideration. That began an almost decade-long connection with the country, which Mayhew captures in her book, Hand on My Heart: A Canadian Doctor's Awakening in Afghanistan. Though her work there was challenging, it changed both her outlook on medicine and her relationship with herself.

ENCORE: A brain cancer patient went to Germany for treatment to extend her life

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 00:10:00 EST

30-year-old Aisha Uduman was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer and told her life expectancy was less than a year. But she and her family wanted more than the treatment plan her doctors could provide, so they sought out promising alternative treatments.

Ozempic: The good, the bad and the future

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 00:10:00 EST

To some, Ozempic and drugs like it are a weight loss silver bullet. But to others, they’re hyped medications with severe side effects. Dr. Daniel Drucker is a Canadian physician-scientist whose research helped pave the way for Ozempic. He wants more research, especially as ever more effective weight loss drugs are developed. But with the potential to also reduce major cardiovascular events, he’s hopeful we’re in a new era of medical therapy to treat obesity.

Former NHLer Trent McCleary on the night Dr. David Mulder saved his life

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 13:40:00 EDT

In this bonus podcast interview, Trent McCleary gives his perspective on the night when he came perilously close to dying on the ice. It may have been his most dramatic encounter with longtime Montreal Canadiens physician David Mulder, but it’s not the only one.

The Habs’ team doctor is a true hockey hero

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 13:35:00 EDT

As the Canadiens' physician since before the days of helmets and face guards, esteemed trauma surgeon Dr. David Mulder has not only witnessed hockey history unfold – he’s been part of it. And after a remarkable 60-year career, he’s retiring. Dr. Brian Goldman sits down with Dr. Mulder to hear about some of his greatest plays – from saving Trent McCleary’s life to discovering Saku Koivu’s cancer.

The early bird catches the derm

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 00:10:00 EDT

Wait times for dermatology appointments have patients lining up before dawn at a unique rapid-access clinic. Their conditions range from severe rashes to hair loss to potentially cancerous moles. Dermatologists say they’re taking on more referrals, many are nearing retirement, and there aren’t enough new graduates.

Aging out of pediatric care

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:40:00 EDT

For Jacob Trossman’s whole life, his mother Marcy White has had to fight for his medical care. Jacob has an ultra-rare degenerative disorder called PMD, and at 12 years old, he became a patient in the Complex Care Program at SickKids in Toronto. But now, at 21, Jacob has aged out. SickKids says their services can be adequately replaced by specialists in the adult care system. But Marcy White is fighting harder than ever to keep Jacob with his pediatric team.

The hotel that's now a hospital

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 11:10:00 EDT

Hamilton’s hospitals are trying out a novel solution to deal with its overcrowded hospitals: they’ve turned a former hotel into a “satellite health facility” for patients who no longer need acute care, but are too unwell to go home (like those waiting for home support or long-term care). Dr. Brian Goldman heads to the former Hamilton Crowne Plaza to “check out” its new life as an overflow hospital.

ENCORE: Prairie Harm Reduction

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 00:10:00 EDT

A safe consumption site in Saskatoon is making a huge difference in the lives of people hard hit by substance use. Saskatchewan has had more than 1,200 overdose deaths since 2020. It also has the highest rate of HIV in Canada. Nonetheless, Prairie Harm Reduction has been operating the safe consumption site for three years, without provincial funding.

Nova Scotia leans in to virtual health care

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 17:03:00 EDT

Nova Scotia is pursuing a radical solution to help with the primary care crisis: Virtual Care Nova Scotia. The province was the first in Canada to offer free virtual doctor visits to every resident without a family doctor. Dr. Brian Goldman visits the picturesque community of Martins Brook to meet some of the patients, nurses and doctors leading the charge for virtual care. Though it’s not a cure-all, they say it’s helping fill the gap in primary care.