Taking our own medicine

As Atlantic Canadians, we’re painfully aware of the family physician shortage.

We’ve seen emergency departments packed with anxious people with no family doctor to turn to, and we’ve known people with chronic illnesses whose health has worsened as they hunt frantically for a family physician.

From the family doctors we are lucky enough to attract and retain, we’ve heard stories of poor work/ life balance, low pay, the frustration of too many patients and not enough time, the heartbreak of seriously ill patients having to wait months to see specialists, including mental health professionals.

It’s an acknowledged crisis, with roughly 200,000 people living without a family doctor in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

We’ve also heard politicians say they’re working towards solutions: a greater emphasis on recruitment, incentives for medical students to enter family practice, fast-tracked processes for doctors from other countries, added seats in medical and nursing schools, more collaborative clinics.

It’s a complex problem with no quick fix, as one part of the region competes with another for the same medical professionals.

What can we do to help?

Well, we can start by looking after ourselves as best we can and improving our health by making good choices.

To be clear, there are many determinants of ill health that people have little or no control over: poverty, marginalization, the luck of the genetic draw, food insecurity. Injuries and accidents can leave people grappling with serious conditions that no amount of healthy living would prevent. But preventative measures could help keep some of us out of emergency departments and cut down on our doctors’ office visits.

It’s a touchy subject, since we’re fond of our East Coast food culture and traditions. Fish and chips, fried clam strips, salt meat, fries, hamburger meat and gravy, donairs, deep fried pepperoni, battered cod tongues and fish fried with pork scrunchions — suggest we cut back on some of those foods in favour of healthier alternatives and you might start a social media flame war.

But when you consider the facts, it’s clear we could be exercising more and eating better to be healthier and to lessen the pressure on the health-care system.

The Atlantic region is famous for scenic coasts and terrific seafood, but it also has a bad track record when it comes to health.

More than 40 per cent of Atlantic Canadians have pre-diabetes or diabetes, which can shorten lives by five to 15 years.

Atlantic provinces are among the top five provinces with the highest rates of cancer.

Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest rate of mortality from heart disease and stroke in the country.

The highest rates of obesity in Canada are in the Atlantic region.

The numbers are bleak, but they can be improved.

Some of us just need the will to change.