Staying #Up2Date 🚨

1:  From Mat to Medicine: Yoga Enhances Opioid Withdrawal Care

An RCT of 59 men with opioid use disorder found that adding yoga to standard buprenorphine treatment accelerated withdrawal stabilization — by 4.4× compared with usual care alone. Participants in the yoga group also showed improvements in heart rate variability, anxiety, sleep, and pain scores. Together, these findings suggest that movement- and breath-based interventions may support autonomic regulation during withdrawal, positioning yoga as a potential adjunct within evidence-based treatment rather than a substitute for pharmacotherapy.

2: Lipoprotein(a) Flags Long-Term Cardiovascular Risk in Healthy Women

In a cohort study of 27,748 initially healthy women followed for nearly 30 years, those with lipoprotein(a) levels >30 mg/dL had a higher risk of major cardiovascular events and coronary heart disease later in life — despite having no apparent disease at baseline. The signal held over decades, reinforcing lipoprotein(a) as a long-term risk marker and raising the question of whether earlier screening could open the door to earlier prevention.

3: Ibuprofen Still Wins for Kids with Acute Musculoskeletal Injuries

2 RCTs involving 699 children with acute limb injuries found that adding a single dose of oral acetaminophen or hydromorphone to ibuprofen did not significantly reduce pain scores at 60 minutes for patients presenting within 24 hours of injury. Hydromorphone, however, came with a cost — a fourfold increase in adverse events. For uncomplicated acute MSK pain in kids, ibuprofen alone remains the safest and most effective first-line option.

The Canadian Obesity Summit 2026

Obesity care happens across specialties. Our conversations should too.

There's no single pathway, specialty, or approach that can meet every need of every person living with obesity. Patients may move between primary care, mental health support, surgical care, pediatrics, and specialties over the course of their lives. When those conversations don’t connect, care can feel disjointed, even when everyone involved is trying to do the right thing.

What makes the difference is coordination — shared understanding, shared language, and continuity of care across settings.

The Canadian Obesity Summit brings together healthcare professionals, researchers, and leaders across specialties to explore how care can be better aligned. Through evidence, lived experience, and real-world insights, the Summit creates space for learning that reflects how care actually happens—across disciplines, not within silos. 

It’s not about having all the answers.
It’s about learning how to move forward together.

Join us in Montréal, March 25–29, 2026.

Be part of a national, multidisciplinary conversation shaping the future of obesity care in Canada.

Weight Loss On Lease 💉

The tiny print in GLP-1 contracts that nobody wants to read

What happened: A new study from the University of Oxford found people who stopped taking weight loss drugs like Ozempic regained most of the weight within just 2 years. 

Why it matters: This was no small trial. Researchers at the University of Oxford reviewed randomized trials and observational studies of more than 6,000 adults taking GLP-1s or other weight-loss medications, and compared them with about 3,000 people enrolled in behavioural weight-management programs. After stopping treatment, participants regained about 0.4 kg/month — roughly 4.5 kg in the first year. 

While some patients may be surprised by the findings, their doctors likely aren’t. One physician compared obesity treatment to hypertension: once the drugs start working, the underlying condition doesn’t just go away. GLP-1 drugs work largely by suppressing appetite. When the medication stops, that effect does too — and fast.

But: Hunger isn’t the only post-GLP-1 concern for patients. The analysis found a reversal in cardiovascular benefits, including improvements in heart disease and high cholesterol levels. Also diabetes control, which returned to pre-treatment levels in less than 2 years.

One researcher involved in the study said semaglutide was linked to greater weight loss when paired with support, like dieticians, who could help them cope with hunger pangs.

Bottom line: The research answers one question clearly: what happens after people stop GLP-1s. But it leaves many unanswered, too, like why weight returns so quickly and whether lower-dose treatments might help. For now, the information is observational, and the evidence is still evolving.

Hot Off The Press

1: 🧬 Scientists have “rejuvenated” human eggs in a lab advance that could boost IVF success rates, especially for older patients. Researchers found that injecting an age-declining protein into donated eggs cut the rate of chromosome defects (a prime cause of IVF failure and miscarriage) from 53% to 29% in early experiments. The technique doesn’t extend fertility past menopause, and it’s still early-stage. But if it holds up, more patients could succeed with fewer IVF cycles.

2: 🎀 Mattel has released its first Barbie on the autism spectrum, a move advocates say could help normalize neurodiversity for kids. The doll includes sensory-friendly details like a fidget toy, noise-reducing headphones, and visual cues meant to reflect some autistic experiences. Supporters say seeing these tools represented in an iconic toy can help children feel seen — and spark easier conversations about autism.

3: 🦠 A surprising flu experiment showed that even when healthy adults spent days indoors with people sick with influenza, none of them got infected. In a controlled study, low coughing rates and well-mixed indoor air meant virus particles didn’t build up to infectious levels, suggesting that simple steps like improving ventilation and reducing face-to-face exposure could sharply cut flu spread. Researchers say masks and air movement may be key tools this season, especially in crowded indoor settings.

4: 🤖 ChatGPT and Claude are officially scrubbing in. OpenAI and Anthropic both announced new health-focused tools this month, framing their chatbots as ways to explain lab results, summarize medical records, and help patients prepare for appointments. Experts warn the tools aren’t clinically validated and often fall outside health-privacy laws. The AI companies are stressing their bots aren’t meant to replace, but that won’t stop AI — and its questionable health tech gadgets — from entering exam rooms, whether clinicians invite it or not.

Notable Numbers 🔢

90%: the 5-year survival rate for cervical cancer when detected early. Access, however, remains limited to at-home HPV self-testing in most of Canada. Pap smears have <60% accuracy, while HPV testing exceeds 90%, and although the US will require private insurers to cover self-testing by 2027, most Canadian provinces still offer limited or no publicly covered access.

2,300: the number of residents in Kashechewan First Nation without reliable access to clean water after a treatment plant failure, prompting evacuation plans and a request for military assistance. About 500 vulnerable residents are being moved first, after sewage backups forced the community’s only clinic to relocate patients, staff, and medications.

15: the number of jobs on LinkedIn’s 2026 fastest-growing roles list in Canada, led by AI engineers and AI consultants — a sign that tech and infrastructure skills are surging in employer demand.

110: the age reached by some supercentenarians in Brazil, whose bodies appear to handle aging and illness in ways scientists are eager to understand.

Postcall Picks ✅

📋 Organize: your practice with WriteUpp, designed to reduce admin load while keeping documentation and compliance on track. Start with a 30-day free trial, then save 50% for a full year.

🍲 Make: this cozy, cheesy chicken tortilla soup — tender chicken, black beans, corn, and soft tortilla strips — for a comforting weeknight meal.

✈️ Save: on flights across Canada, the US, Mexico, and the Caribbean with Air Canada’s January deals. Book by Jan. 14 for lower fares and extra Aeroplan points on 2026 travel.

🎙️ Listen: to CIHI’s podcast on one way to ease Canada’s doctor shortage — letting physiotherapists be the first stop for muscle and joint issues, so patients get seen faster and family doctors aren’t swamped.

🌴 Visit: a tucked-away Caribbean island with high-end hotels, quiet beaches, and small towns worth wandering.

Taking the Pulse 🫀

One quick question…

Relax

First clue: Can be whipped or iced or applied to the skin

Need a rematch? We’ve got you covered. Check out our Crossword Archive to find every puzzle we’ve ever made, all in one place.

Think you crushed it? Challenge your physician friends to beat your time.

Meme of the Week

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