Apr 2024
16 Apr
Five initial thoughts on the Cass Review
U.K. pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass just released a systematic review, finding there to be ‘a lack of high-quality research’ that puberty blockers can help young people with gender dysphoria.
Mar 2024
26 Mar
My 10 takeaways as a (former) med student advisor
CaRMS season is upon us again and I find myself reflecting on my days as a med student and as a mentor at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine.
19 Mar
When to call up a colleague rather than calling them out
One of my patients—a trans man—told me he left urgent care because of how embarrassing an interaction with the doctor there became. Luckily, his subsequent trip to the ER and laparoscopic appendectomy went well.
Feb 2024
15 Feb
Loneliness is killing us
Loneliness is now compared to smoking 15 cigarettes a day in terms of its impact on mortality.
06 Feb
What we actually need to do to care for trans youth properly in Alberta and beyond
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith took it upon herslef to prescribe new rules for the complex world of caring for transgender and gender diverse youth in Alberta. The trouble is, she’s not a doctor.
Jan 2024
31 Jan
Myths we doctors tell ourselves
These bits of well-worn, so-called wisdom are notions I just can't bring myself to believe.
19 Jan
Dr. I.M. Canuck—the perfect Canadian MD?
Dr. Ted Jablonski constructs a 'super' Canadian doctors from the skills each province exemplifies most strongly.
05 Jan
The ‘more or less’ model of not-New-Year’s resolutions for busy MDs
Patients ask us for advice. They demand ‘medical clearance’ to embark on elaborate plans of self-flagellation. They tell us what they are going to do, whether we agree or not.
Dec 2023
20 Dec
If Santa made a clinic visit...
Speculating on the potential health woes of this North Pole legend.
08 Dec
The bookends of a medical career
Reflecting: A doctor’s journey from initiation to culmination
04 Dec
The war between NP and FP?
Our premier in Alberta loves to throw out (crazy) ideas and watch the response—many of them considered highly contentious, polarizing, and their legitimate implementation improbable. But she puts them out there nonetheless and gets tongues wagging.
Nov 2023
22 Nov
Connections: A medical art and specialty
The New York Times has a new puzzle that I, like many, am obsessed with—and it's exactly like being an MD.
07 Nov
Breaking bad: When a prescription drug goes wrong
My patient looks at me like I am an insolent child. ‘They’ve been banned, they’re dangerous.’
Oct 2023
05 Oct
Dispelling the persistent and perpetual myths of the petulant prostate
I am not sure what the male equivalent of Pandora’s box is, but I plan to kick it wide open!
Sep 2023
20 Sep
Challenges of the worst— and ‘best’ patients
MD-patient relationships: a cautionary tale of the bell-shaped curve.
08 Sep
What can we learn? The push and pull of sex in cancer survivors
Let's look at what we can learn from two very different patient cases.
Aug 2023
25 Aug
The medical management of trans youth in Canada, 2023
In June, the Pediatric Society of Canada published “An affirming approach to caring for transgender and gender-diverse youth.” Now we finally have a position paper to discuss.
18 Aug
Eponymous tattoos—inking some historical fiction
While the naming of eponymous diseases has become controversial and mostly fallen out of favour, tattoos have had an exponential resurgence in popularity. So, why not marry the two?
09 Aug
Sometimes we all need an Elsa
You can call it failure to thrive if you like, but amid the swirling, constant negativity, we need people who can remind us how and why we should thrive in the first place.
July 2023
28 Jul
Can a folk festival inform the practice of medicine? 3 simple thoughts
A muddy, smokey and fun music festival is all very well, but what can such an experience teach us about our profession?
06 Jul
Prescribing sex hormones: A pragmatic primer for 2023
What family docs should know about tackling these prescriptions for patients with menopause, testosterone deficiency and more.
June 2023
16 Jun
Pride Month movie recommendations for Canadian MDs
As a straight, cis physician, I've spent a lot of time learning how to better care for my LGBTQ+ patients. And learning more about queer culture overall is part of that—so here are a few film recommendations I've learned from over the years.
May 2023
16 May
Woke MD?
I'm glad to know that I am not the only one confused as to the real versus implied meaning of this controversial word and all the pent-up emotion swirling around it.
09 May
The end of the ‘old clinician’ era?
Every medical school has one. The name that everyone knows. The smiling face that is always just around the corner.
01 May
The Alberta advantage
A number of unmatched residency spots are in Alberta. But how can that be when we have it all? Wanna brush up on your fracture or STI management? We have the Calgary Stampede. Love managing sunburn and heat stroke?
Apr 2023
17 Apr
When we present medical facts to patients, why don’t they listen?
A climate scientist might have a few answers for us.
06 Apr
Unmatched: The perils of primary care in 2023
The highest number of unmatched family medicine slots. Let’s break it down.
Mar 2023
31 Mar
Which ‘animal’ are you? A comedic look at medical specialists
We know there is a certain personality type to most medical specialists. All the clichés from non-verbal pathologist to best selling author and forensic psychiatrist, or fastidious neurologist to rock-star orthopedic surgeon.
16 Mar
Elective surgery—referrals refused WTF!
Wait Time Frustration: It's a serious problem. Let's talk about a real case from Calgary I came across recently.
Feb 2023
28 Feb
A romp through exercise prescriptions for MDs
While the classic 10,000 steps recommendation is a made-up marketing ploy with no science, our patients (and we MDs) obviously still need to exercise. But for how long?
17 Feb
Speaking out against violence towards the LGBTQ+ community
Hate against members of this community isn't something we simply read about in the paper. It's happening in our own backyards.
10 Feb
The Super Bowl is this Sunday: Let's talk CTE
Researchers have been working on better understanding the impact of chronic traumatic encephalopathy—but the money-making machine of professional football doesn't seem to care.
02 Feb
How do you deal with a toxic patient who is racist, misogynist and full of hatred?
Efforts to commemorate Bobby Hull—a true innovator in the game of hockey but undeniably a toxic person—got me thinking about how physicians can best handle patients with hateful views that can even spill over into violence.
Jan 2023
20 Jan
My best (and worst) PRE-MED part-time jobs
I learned more about myself working part-time jobs than I ever did going to school.
04 Jan
My ONLY New Year’s resolution
It’s the New Year and patients will invariably quiz you about what resolutions they should make to be healthier and happier.
Dec 2022
20 Dec
QUIZ: What's your specialty?
Here are 20 (hilarious) questions about medical specialities. Some answers are rather facile, others a bit more challenging and obscure. If they were all straightforward everyone would get them all right. And that’s no fun!
Nov 2022
27 Nov
Was bigger always better?
I recently stumbled upon a research paper: “Depictions of penises in historical paintings reflect changing perceptions of the ideal penis size” I love to write fiction, but honestly, it would be hard to make this stuff up.
15 Nov
Does in-person CME have a future?
The in-person registration for this year's Family Medicine Forum didn't come close to pre-pandemic participation levels. Is in-person CME going to be able to evolve with the times?
03 Nov
Pain and suffering or happiness and bliss: Can you choose?
I have known many patients over the years with very significant chronic illnesses and disabilities who seem quite oblivious to them.
Oct 2022
06 Oct
Just an MD giving thanks
It's not difficult for physicians to have a bad attitude about the challenges we face as practitioners today. But I'm looking to maintain my glass-half-full energy.
02 Oct
The art of the chart: 10 tips that help me never chart at home
I am a very busy physician who is fully booked on clinic days. My last patient is booked at 4:45 p.m. and I rarely leave after 5:30 p.m. I leave with all my charting done.
Sep 2022
05 Sep
Is alcohol the new cigarette?
New research designed to update Canada’s drinking guideline has discovered that there are no health benefits, only dangers from alcohol. Well that’s a sobering statement!
Aug 2022
29 Aug
Your dream MD vanity plate
Dr. Ted Jablonski has three vanity plates of his own, and has many suggestions for different specialties of MD who might want to add a little humour to their daily commute.
07 Aug
What's the perfect MD age and profile?
I was a mere 27 years old when I started in private practice. This sounds like a bygone era.
July 2022
25 Jul
What’s so wrong with e-bikes?
For the traditional cycling enthusiast, the proliferation of e-bikes may induce a roll of the eyes. But, Dr.
18 Jul
My personal tale of a traumatic ER visit
When a doctor is a patient, they aren't some special class of patient.
07 Jul
My chat with Dr. Well-Thee: Hot financial tips for docs in 2022
I have a financially savvy physician friend and mentor with whom I recently had the chance to char about building and maintaining wealth as a doctor.
June 2022
21 Jun
The joy of running
I only found out that I had exercise asthma when I was in medical school and my athletic career suddenly made perfect sense.
07 Jun
Suicidality among sexual minority and transgender adolescents—is this important?
In a rare moment of both current and Canadian-specific research, a recent CMAJ article just came out on the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts of transgender and nonbinary adolescents. And it has Dr.
May 2022
28 May
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.
17 May
How Wordle saved my life, one letter at a time
I recently discovered WORD DOC—essentially a wordle in which the word to be guessed must be somehow medical.
Apr 2022
04 Apr
PEACE and LOVE: The principles of rehabilitation
In the sports medicine and physiotherapy world, a soft tissue injury used to be treated with the principle of RICE. But what about mnemonics PEACE and LOVE?
Mar 2022
15 Mar
The 'perfect' clinic day
I can easily imaging my perfect day overall, but for me personally, what would my perfect clinic day look like?
09 Mar
Banning Russian artists? Who is the real target?
I have medical colleagues with Russian passports. They are living and working in Canada for a reason. They are not happy with what is going on in Russia.
01 Mar
Prohibitively unenforceable: Were Canada's COVID restrictions a repeat of its history with alcohol prohibition?
The more I read about the past, the more I’m starting to see a pattern. And as we, yet again, exit some of these restrictions in much of the country, I’m reminded of prohibition’s clamorous rise and fall.
Feb 2022
16 Feb
Medical extortion? Breaking down the barriers
A large part of my medical practice involves men’s sexual health. There is a small grouping of men who come in with an agenda and are rigid in their expectations of what I should do for them.
14 Feb
Really tough patients: Drowning in the 4-Cs of hell
“Difficult patients,” present with a wide variety of traits that test us to the core of our professional and personal limits. We know who these patients are. They invariably bring out a sudden sympathetic response when we see them on our day sheet.
06 Feb
A gold medal for controversy?
The Olympics are meant to be a time for setting aside our differences, but there's rarely a year where controversy doesn't muddle the waters, no matter where or when they take place.
Jan 2022
30 Jan
My personal 'freedom convoy'
It seems difficult to have a conversation with someone who can’t stop honking their horn or screaming with a placard. And here we remain as medical professionals doing the best we possibly can to hold it all together day to day to day.
23 Jan
My top 10 medical truths
The list was harder to come up with than expected. Many “truths” I thought about were relative and easily challenged. Half-truths at best. So here’s my list of the closest thing to medical truth that I could come up with.
12 Jan
Patients say the funniest things and this pandemic has brought out the best!
COVID is nothing to joke about, but these are dark times, so here's some of the best dark humour my patients (and a few colleagues) have come up with lately.
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