A cough is one of the most common reasons patients seek primary care medical attention. However, when a cough persists for weeks or months, it transitions from a temporary annoyance to a debilitating clinical issue. Chronic cough—defined as a cough lasting eight weeks or longer—affects approximately 16% of Canadian adults between the ages of 45 and 85. Beyond the physical discomfort, it frequently causes profound social, emotional, and psychological impairment, disrupting sleep, work, and overall quality of life.

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When 37-year-old Katie Hulan developed a persistent cough, she thought it might be asthma. Her doctor prescribed inhalers, but they didn’t work. Within weeks, Katie was in the ER and received a diagnosis that shocked her: stage 4 lung cancer.

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Every night, millions of people stop breathing without realizing it—not once, but sometimes hundreds of times. This is the hallmark of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a condition caused by the collapse of soft tissues in the throat during sleep. The most common treatment? A mask, a steady hum, and the whisper of pressurized air from a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine.

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Diabetes fasting risk varies by medication type, insulin use, prior hypoglycemia, kidney function, and overall control. This is not safely managed through guesswork.

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High blood pressure remains one of the most common—and preventable—risk factors for serious health problems, including heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, and even dementia. Nearly 1 in 2 adults in North America have high blood pressure (≥130/80 mm Hg), and many don’t even know it.
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In the world of preventative medicine, we often view vaccines through a single lens: preventing a specific illness. We encourage our older patients to get the shingles (herpes zoster) vaccine to avoid the debilitating pain and potential long-term nerve damage (postherpetic neuralgia) associated with the virus. However, emerging research suggests that the benefits of this vaccine may extend deep into our cellular biology.

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For years, one of the most common criticisms of GLP-1 weight-loss medications such as Ozempic®, Wegovy®, Mounjaro®, and Zepbound® has been the belief that once patients stop these medications, all the lost weight inevitably comes back.

While weight regain does occur for some patients, new real-world data suggest that this outcome is not universal—and that durable weight loss may be achievable for many patients with proper medical support.

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Frigid Arctic air will be sweeping into the Ottawa region on Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24. Dress warmly, in layers, covering any exposed skin before going outside and seek shelter indoors from the cold.

Residents can find an interactive map of places to warm up online and are encouraged to monitor the weather by downloading the WeatherCAN app.

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A new 2025 report from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) confirms what many healthcare providers across Ontario have been observing firsthand: while fewer Canadians may be drinking overall, those who do consume alcohol are doing so more frequently and in riskier ways than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

At Orleans Family Health Clinic (OFHC), we see how these patterns intersect with mental health, chronic disease, medication use, and family wellbeing. The findings highlight why primary care access, continuity, and early intervention matter more than ever.

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