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Lacrosse, Sports

Redbirds lacrosse plays third annual Legacy Game, reflect on Indigenous roots

by Zain Ahmed on

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Lacrosse is a sport rooted in Indigenous history and tradition, and it has maintained a significant place in Canada’s cultural tapestry since its inception. With its roots intertwined in Indigenous communities, lacrosse has long served as a unifying sport, fostering a sense of belonging and shared identity. At McGill, this spirit of unity is honoured through an annual Legacy Game played on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and hosted by the McGill Redbirds lacrosse team. 

The origins of lacrosse can be traced back thousands of years to Indigenous communities across North America; it was played first by the Haudenosaunee. Players participated in the game, often referred to as “The Creator’s Game” or “The Medicine Game,” for spiritual reasons beyond just the physical thrill of sport; they used it as a way to settle disputes and train warriors. The Haudenosaunee believed that the lacrosse stick, a symbol of the sport, had healing properties and used it in ceremonies and rituals.

In the 17th century, French settlers and missionaries witnessed the game and began playing it with modified rules. The 1994 National Sports of Canada Act established lacrosse as one of the county’s national games, along with ice hockey. The legacy and ongoing effects of colonialism—including residential schools and forced assimilation—has had a profound impact on Indigenous peoples and their relationship to their culture and traditions. Lacrosse, however, has emerged as a powerful tool for reconciliation and resistance. 

In the buildup to the third Legacy Game held at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Midfielder John Miraglia, U2 Arts, of the Redbirds lacrosse team sat down with The Tribune to discuss the depth of lacrosse as a cultural and spiritual sport and the importance of Truth and Reconciliation Day. 

“Celebrating Truth and Reconciliation Day is important to me because it reminds me how much bigger the game of lacrosse is than any individual player or team,” Miraglia said. “It’s part of a culture and helps us spark real conversations about Truth and Reconciliation.”  

Indigenous lacrosse players and teams have played a crucial role in raising awareness of issues impacting Indigenous communities and in promoting cultural pride. They have used the sport as a platform to share their stories, challenge stereotypes, and inspire younger generations. Non-Indigenous players must build these relationships by taking a more powerful role in raising awareness and promoting equity within the sport, on and off the field. 

Mirgalia spoke on the energy in the locker room leading up to this year’s match. 

“The Legacy Game first started in my first year at McGill, and every year there is an atmosphere around the game of importance, pride, and excitement,” he said. “We know the varsity lacrosse game is not the same as the traditional lacrosse game, but we hope to honour the sport by playing as a team and for the entire community surrounding the Legacy Game.”

Mirgalia underscored the initiative from Attacker Isaiah Cree in the establishment of the Legacy Games. 

“I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about Isaiah Cree when talking about this game,” he said. “He really took the initiative to get the game started back in 2022 and set an amazing example of educating our team and honouring the origins of our sport. He scored a hat trick in that first Legacy Game, and I will always remember that as a really special moment.”

Following Truth and Reconciliation Day, it is important to recognize the role that lacrosse has played in fostering reconciliation while also acknowledging the road ahead toward a truly inclusive and equitable society. With the role of lacrosse in developing a nation’s spirit, Canadians have a duty to uphold the integrity of Indigenous peoples, their sport, and their cultures beyond designated days of commemoration. By understanding the history and cultural significance of lacrosse, non-Indigenous Canadians can deepen their respect for Indigenous traditions and work towards a brighter future for all Canadians.

The Redbirds (7–0–0) won against the Carleton Ravens (3–4–0) on Sept. 30 in the Legacy Game with a score of (8-4).

Student Life

Budgeting tips for McGill students

by Simona Culotta & Jeanne Le Roux on

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Montreal is a unique and vibrant city filled with countless activities, events, and festivals occurring all year round. The city also contains an abundance of aesthetically pleasing cafés and restaurants, with exciting ambiances and delicious food. It is tempting, when surrounded by energetic city life, to go out and take advantage of the fun every weekend. However, the city’s charms come at the cost of both money and time, making budgeting difficult. 

In particular, students who are transitioning from campus residence to an apartment face significant lifestyle adjustments. Acknowledging the challenges of this transition, we gathered student insights on making the switch, as well as how they budget their money and manage time while handling academic responsibilities.

Nicholas Coffin, U2 Arts, shared how his busy class schedule limits his ability to grocery shop, cook, and clean up. As a result, he says that he often opts for takeout, “less so for the food itself but more so for the convenience of it because I generally don’t have a lot of time to do much of anything due to how busy I am.” 

Meal prepping offers another option, saving both time and money. Though it requires some effort upfront, preparing meals for the week can ultimately save a lot of time. Focusing your cooking time into one afternoon minimizes the number of trips you need to make to the grocery store. Furthermore, the planning involved in meal prep allows you to buy food in bulk, which is more cost-effective than purchasing smaller quantities. 

While cooking at home may be more budget-friendly, it cuts into valuable study hours. By being aware of your workload and keeping up with all your assignments you can not only save time but also easily prepare ahead of time for the expenses you are going to make. 

Similarly, constraints due to students’ academic workload often lead them to spend money on convenience services or quick meals, allowing them to focus on their studies without losing precious time. Ultimately, while choosing between time and money may offer temporary relief, learning how to balance both effectively is a vital life skill that will serve students well beyond their academic years.

Francesca Fogelberg, U3 Arts, stated that she was “working a bit part-time while doing school” and that she “worked during the summer to make sure that [she] can afford to do some fun stuff.” Likewise, Madison Bass, U1 Science, explained how limiting her day-to-day expenses to essential things such as grocery shopping allowed her to save money for other activities such as going out. 

For students facing similar challenges, one approach to stretching their budget for social activities is taking advantage of affordable options on campus. For instance, the General Store in the Engineering Building offers one-dollar coffee and cheap sandwiches. For Bass, taking advantage of her oneCard money has been an important strategy in her budget management. Your oneCard money is a valuable way to save money on campus since many places such as Mezze and the Soupe Cafe offer meals that you can buy with it. You can also use your OneCard to purchase school manuals at Le James, making it a versatile tool for managing both your meal budget and academic expenses—offering a convenient way to save while navigating student life!

One effective way to improve money management is by using a banking app, which offers detailed data and insights into spending habits. By tracking patterns and identifying peak spending periods, students can develop better strategies to manage and control our expenses. However, it can also be easier and clearer to use Google Sheets to track and monitor your spending habits. Another way to be more aware of expenses is to separate your savings and chequing accounts. By weekly transferring your money from your savings into your chequing account, you can control the money you spend and make sure you stick to your budget. Don’t forget to reward yourself from time to time though!

McGill, News

Litigator and alumna Lex Gill discusses change, justice, and the law at AMPL teach-in

by Fabienne de Cartier, Eliza Lee on

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The Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) held a teach-in at Chancellor Day Hall on Sept. 25, featuring a talk by McGill Law alumna and lawyer Lex Gill. Gill’s talk, which focused on law and justice, was given in solidarity with AMPL’s efforts to protect their existence as a union and form a collective agreement with McGill amidst the university’s ongoing de-certification efforts. The event was one of several teach-ins the union has organized since it began striking intermittently on April 24. 

Richard Janda, AMPL’s secretary, noted that the union has been holding teach-ins so students and professors can continue to learn in the absence of classes.

“We still care about teaching and we still care about turning even this experience into something people can learn from,” Janda said. “So when Lex offered to do a teach-in, we thought this would be inspirational for our students, but frankly, for us as well.”

According to Janda, McGill told arbitrator Maître Jean Allard that the fall Law term could be lost if a settlement isn’t reached by Oct. 1. Janda noted that the union does not “think that’s necessarily true,” but believes there will likely be a settlement from the university.

“The only way we’re going to save the semester is [if] the university talks to us now, and we see things that are moving in that direction. So that too is giving us a little bit of hope, not yet joy, but a little bit of hope, for sure,” Janda said. 

Throughout the talk, Gill explored how her career as a litigator has shaped her view of the law and the ways it relates to justice. She explored the tension between using the structures of the law to support an argument, while recognizing the systemic flaws within them and the barriers they pose to achieving justice. For example, Gill noted that the law is an inherently conservative institution because it is built upon precedent, making change difficult. Furthermore, Gill argued that the law should be viewed as a practical tool rather than the starting point for change—change comes not only from the courtroom but from protests, art, and more. 

Gill is a course lecturer and has taught classes in the Faculty of Law since 2020, but is not part of AMPL. Brette Thomson, 4L,  took a class Gill taught earlier in her degree. Thomson told The Tribune that Gill’s lectures have been formative to her legal education and have pushed her to think about social justice outside of the legal framework.

“We’re all part of a community […] We’re all part of this movement to make McGill a more equitable and union-friendly place,” Thomson said. “I think that a lot of students think of themselves as customers of the university. And Lex would always encourage us not to think like that [and to instead] think of us as part of this broader project of justice, of unionization.”

Chris Irwin, 4L, echoed Thomson’s sentiment, noting that teach-ins help law students think beyond the legal arguments and understand what’s at stake for the law professors. Irwin also highlighted that the teach-ins are proof of AMPL’s efforts to teach and show up for students outside of the classroom.

“I just think these events where we get to directly hear from the union and where people can be exposed to what they’re fighting for are incredibly important,” Irwin said. “It’s not just some abstract fight that the profs are in or that they don’t care about students […] If you come out, it’s very clear that they’re still here to teach us […] even while they’re on strike.”

During the question-and-answer period after her talk, Gill underlined her support for AMPL. While acknowledging that some students may feel upset that their studies have not begun as normal this semester, Gill emphasized her belief that the law professors would win the judicial review McGill filed against them. 

“There’s no doubt in my mind your professors are going to win,” Gill said. “They have excellent counsel. They’re radically organized [….] [And] they’re in an institution that is not equipped for the kind of persistence they’re bringing. So I’m not worried, and I’m not worried for any of you [law students].”

McGill Recommendations, Student Life

Spicing up college cooking

by Tamiyana Roemer on

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After a taxing day of conquering marathon lectures and navigating dense readings, you return to your apartment with a quiet sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, the relief of your homecoming is short-lived. Student life has yet another trial in store for you: Dinner. For many university students, the never-ending to-do list turns cooking into a tiresome obligation. But what if preparing meals could be a fun and rewarding part of your routine, rather than a chore? Here’s how to transform your next cooking experience into an activity you might actually look forward to.

Cook seasonally

Cooking seasonally can inspire you to connect with the rhythms of the year. As the seasons change, so do the ingredients, inviting you to experiment with fresh produce. Spring’s vibrant greens, summer’s juicy fruits, autumn’s hearty root vegetables, and winter’s cozy flavours each offer a unique culinary experience, turning your kitchen into a celebration of the natural world’s cycles. Seasonal cooking encourages creativity and mindfulness, making each meal an opportunity to savour the distinct tastes and textures that define each time of year. The McGill Farmers’ Market is a great place to discover what’s in season. From July to October, you can find it on Rue McTavish every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you have time to take a longer trip, make sure to check out Jean-Talon Market and Mac Market on the Macdonald Campus. 

Pick up a cookbook

The internet is overflowing with recipes, which can lead to decision fatigue. Cookbooks simplify the decision-making process through their curated selections, and further narrow the scope of choices through their organization by theme, cuisine, or meal type. Unlike the isolated TikTok recipe on your feed, cookbooks walk you through a broader culinary journey, which allows you to choose recipes that complement each other. Since cookbooks typically have a central theme, you’ll also find that they not only expand your repertoire of cooking techniques and methods but reinforce them to the point of proficiency. As you start to build confidence in the kitchen, you may even find that the newfound ease allows for some joy in the process.

Set the mood

Your cooking experience doesn’t have to feel like a scene straight out of The Bear. After all, you’re not a fictional chef spiraling into the frenzied rhythm of a professional kitchen. Cooking can be a chance to relax and escape the chaos of student life. Light a candle, play some music, and embrace the potential for food prep to be a comforting ritual. Of course, your schedule may not allow for this luxury every night, which is where meal prepping comes in. One session in the kitchen can yield multiple meals to enjoy throughout the hectic week, and this way, you can preserve cooking as a comfort rather than a draining daily labour. 

Serve with style

A nicely plated dish can elevate the cooking process into a true labor of love. While looks aren’t everything, presenting your meal with care can help you admire your hard work with pride. Arrange your food neatly, add a garnish, or even curate a small collection of thrifted tableware to enhance your experience. This way, sitting down to enjoy your creation can feel like a celebration of your efforts.

Food for the soul

Montreal may have an incredible food scene, but restaurants are not the only place where food brings people together. Inviting someone to cook with you allows your kitchen to transform into a site of strengthened relationships and fond memories. Collaborating on a shared goal naturally fosters communication and support, with easy conversations making their way into the kitchen cacophony of chopping, stirring, and boiling. A shared culinary endeavor can create a delicious meal and a deepened bond, leaving both your body and mind nourished.

Commentary, Opinion

Keep Calm! Carry On Providing Students with Mental Health Resources

by Olivia Wallace on

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As the haze of summer subsides and the anticipation of cold, isolating midterms and finals ensue, maintaining and nurturing one’s mental health becomes both harder and ever more critical. On Sept. 6, McGill informed the student body via email that the popular student services once provided through the Students’ Society at McGill University (SSMU)—Calm, an app designed to improve mental health through guided meditation, and Udemy, which gives users access to thousands of online recreational courses—will no longer be accessible to students. To effectively deal with stress—an inevitable aspect of McGill’s rigorous academic environment—students can benefit from the incorporation of regular mindfulness practices, like those offered by apps such as Calm, into their daily routines, making mental health a priority rather than an afterthought. The benefits of these resources cannot be overstated.

Student Support used to provide access to Calm at McGill, but SSMU announced that it would no longer be continuing its professional relationship with Student Support due to “continuing legal and privacy concerns.” As of Sept. 26, SSMU announced that they have re-secured pre-existing contracts with support services Grammarly and Udemy directly, rather than through a third-party organization. Efforts to finalise a contract with Calm remain stalled. SSMU encourages students to suggest alternative platforms via [email protected].

These resources should be readily accessible if students are being charged for them and contracts are in place. It’s crucial to recognize that mental health support, such as access to mindfulness apps and educational platforms, plays a vital role in students’ overall well-being, affecting not just their stress levels but also their academic performance, sleep, and social lives. Given this, the removal of access to these resources raises questions as to why the responsibility for providing these essential services has fallen on the student union rather than McGill’s administration, which has an obligation to ensure the health and success of its students. The demand for easily attainable mental health services at McGill is high, as evidenced by student feedback shared on digital platforms, with students noting that their sleep has never been better than when using Calm. 

In the future, these services could easily become the foundation for a broader and much-needed improvement in mental health support for the McGill student body. By establishing accessible and reliable mental health resources, the administration would not only address current deficiencies but also set a precedent for how academic institutions can actively prioritise student well-being. This could pave the way for more comprehensive mental health frameworks, fostering an ongoing dialogue about mental health on campus and ensuring that future students benefit from a more supportive environment. However, to ensure successful implementation, our university must guarantee consistency, not only the existence of these services but also the comprehensive use of them. To achieve this, students must act by asserting the value of these services. Increased information on these resources and how to effectively use them put forward by the administration is also critical in spreading awareness and assuring students that these services are for them. While students can appreciate the efforts of SSMU to offer these services, there still lingers an ever-present and legitimate question of dependability. The integration of mindfulness into student’s schedules is difficult without reliable resources at their disposal. Not only does the prevailing uncertainty surrounding these crucial mental health services limit access for students who rely on or wish to use them, but the added barriers of accessibility and potential financial costs actively discourage students from integrating mental health care into their routines. McGill should offer these services to its students, not our student union. The university should not only provide these resources but promote and maintain them for the benefit of the McGill community. 

Arts & Entertainment, Books

Reading your way through the campus-novel canon

by Charlotte Hayes on

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As much as I love Montreal summers for their longer days, warmer weather, and seemingly endless stream of festivals, I spent most of my June and July longing for the fall months to come. This summer, to balance out the endless monotony of an office job, I took on a personal project—reading my way through the great campus novels. As one would expect, campus novels take place on a university or college campus; they’re typically set in the fall, often involve secret societies or some grand mystery, and can always be counted on to deliver drama at the highest level. So, to help you get in the autumnal mood, here are my top three recommendations for campus novels to read this fall. 

‘The Art of Fielding’ by Chad Harbach

As the baseball season comes to a close, The Art of Fielding makes the perfect early-fall read for sports fans and gossipy liberal arts colleges alike. The book follows Henry, a prodigious shortstop for the Westish Harpooners, a fictional Midwestern college team. Henry is a star—his entire team expects him to go pro, but just as his career seems to be taking off, he messes up a routine throw. The disastrous fallout irrevocably changes the lives of five people on campus.

Through switching character perspectives each chapter, author Chad Harbach masterfully balances ‘inside-baseball’ jargon with a gripping college narrative. Addressing a range of topics from performance anxiety and addiction to the melodrama of varsity athletics, The Art of Fielding is a thrilling read, regardless of your affinity for baseball.

‘The Idiot’ by Elif Batuman

Author Elif Batuman’s debut novel, The Idiot, tells the story of Harvard freshman Selin as she embarks on a journey of self-invention. As she goes about her first year, she, on a whim, signs up for a beginner Russian class and meets Ivan, a charming mathematics graduate student from Hungary. Despite limited conversation, they start an increasingly cryptic email exchange, with Ivan using, nearly exclusively, metaphors from their readings. Her growing infatuation and desire to spend the summer abroad drive her to teach English in the Hungarian countryside, hoping to understand Ivan and his background better.

The Idiot unfolds over the course of an academic year, with the first two-thirds following Selin through her fall and winter semesters and the final section focusing on her summer. By grounding much of the novel on Harvard’s campus, the book vividly captures the bitter awkwardness of being a freshman and the rapid changes experienced from month to month. Batuman’s writing immerses readers in Selin’s discomfort, rarely diverting to side plots; she compels us to confront Selin’s anxiety, thrills, and heartbreak directly. The journey of her growth and the ultimately unfinished nature of her personality make this novel a compelling read.

‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt

As the most widely-read book on this list, Donna Tartt’s The Secret History// has cemented itself as an autumnal classic, with an experience that’s only heightened by being read on a university campus. The story is set (unsurprisingly) at a small, elite liberal arts college in Vermont and tracks an insular group of six Classics students under the influence of the menacingly charismatic Professor Julian Morrow. As his hedonistic lectures turn the group’s morality askew, they end up murdering one of their own. Now don’t worry, this isn’t really a spoiler—the story starts with confessional narration from protagonist Richard just days after the murder before flashing back to the beginning of his time at college to explain just how he might have become complicit in the death of another student.

Starting as a fairly standard murder (without the) mystery, throughout its nearly 600 pages, the novel descends into utter stomach-churning madness, never truly satisfyingly resolving anything yet leaving the reader wanting more. Its dark fascination with academia combined with the setting of a Vermont fall and winter makes this the perfect book to accompany your first semester.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

PJ Harvey embodies all that she creates

by Annabella Lawlor on

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Content warning: Mentions of sexual assault

Echoing bass drums underscore the whirring guitars howling from the speakers. Every note engulfs the concert hall, transforming its industrial architecture into a mystical unknown of looming trees contorted over muddy paths, mutating its narrow aisles into a shadowy trail, flanked by a curling mist. The wind becomes a voice of whispers, disheveling all that crosses its dusky path. Lambs bleat on the distant stage; birds coo from seeming nothingness. Down the sonic path, there appears a forest of possibility: A narrative of adolescent discovery; a contemplation of God’s existence on Earth’s barren landscape; a harkening back to England’s past. This is the auditory landscape of PJ Harvey’s I Inside the Old Year Dying.

On Saturday, Sept. 21, PJ Harvey electrified audiences with her first Montreal show in seven years. The tour is in support of her 2023 record, I Inside the Old Year Dying, a concept album inspired by her epic poem, “Orlam,” from the previous year. On stage, Harvey assumed the moniker Ira-Abel, a nine-year-old girl traversing into the Gore Woods, the fictional landscape setting for both the album and the poem. “Orlam” presents the woods as a narrative metaphor for Ira-Abel’s sexual assault and the subsequent world she imagines for herself in understanding the social implications of this experience. Harvey played the album in its totality, emphasizing the symbiotic nature of these songs. She embodied the burdening emotion of the young girl with her exaggerated stage presence, contorting her arms to musical beats into shields for what lies ahead, both mentally and physically.

Even in their most understated performances, such as the album’s title track, the band’s compatibility captured the essence of the physical land with seeming ease. Harvey played alongside her collaborator of 30 years, John Parish, whose whooshing guitar accompaniments coursed through the space like comets. The steady drums, sombre violin, and moody keyboard provided space for Harvey’s whistling vocals and spatial deformations to expand across the stage. Her lyrics, performed in the almost-lost Dorset dialect, warble through the still audience: “I laugh in the leaves and merge to meesh, just a charm in the woak with the chalky children of evermore.” With words taken directly from her poem of the same title, she provides the English translation beside the original in the book, which reads, “I laugh in the leaves and merge into moss, just a song in the oak with the chalky children of evermore.” Somehow, the meaning of the Dorset language is not lost to many ears, for Harvey fervently embodies the significance of every spoken word. The physicality of her performance was evidently symbolic of Ira-Abel’s girlhood as an object not to be lost but to be strewn into the nature of surrounding life.

With the climax of the album, Harvey’s performance was only half-done. She embodied each era with a passionate fashion of movement and vocal choice. She wielded her guitar as if a sword on early tracks like “Man-Size” and “Dress,” contrasting this vitriolic resentment with personifications of the ethereal “Angelene” and the lovelorn narrator of “Send His Love To Me.” Harvey’s effervescent delivery of these older tracks ignited the energy of the hall into that of nostalgia and elation. Crowds stood, chanting every word, just as they had done 30 years prior.

The whole night, PJ Harvey shapeshifted into figments of her songs, transporting the audience into unknown territory with each lyric. Her power as a storyteller lies in her embodiment of all that she produces; the music flows within her, extracting itself with every movement and note cast down from the stage. Harvey’s talent as a songwriter and performer is evident, for the language of her music bounds into phantasmal realities similar to no other.

PJ Harvey’s music can be found on all music platforms.

Science & Technology

The science behind Ozempic’s triumph

by Daniel Pyo on

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On Sept. 23, McGill’s Office for Science and Society (OSS) organized the Annual Trottier Public Science Symposium, aiming to increase understanding of Ozempic and its deeper implications. Moderated by Joe Schwarz, professor in chemistry and Director of OSS, the event featured two experts in the field. 

Research leading to discoveries of GLP-1 and Ozempic

Patricia Brubaker, professor in University of Toronto’s Department of Physiology and Medicine, began by discussing the promising role of glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1)—a hormone that helps stabilize blood sugar levels following meal consumption—in diabetes management and weight reduction. 

Initially discovered in 1987, GLP-1 not only prevents the release of glucagon, which raises blood sugar levels, but also slows stomach emptying and reduces appetite, contributing to weight loss.

“Ozempic isn’t GLP-1 itself; it is a synthetic analogue of the naturally occurring hormone that acts to agonize the effects of GLP-1 inside our bodies,” Brubaker noted. 

Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists have proved effective in managing Type II diabetes, a chronic condition that affects insulin regulation and metabolism, by improving insulin secretion within the body.  

Unlike other medications for diabetes, Ozempic stays in the body for a longer period, with a half-life of about one week. This means that if an individual takes roughly two milligrams of the drug on Monday, there will still be about one milligram remaining in their body the following Monday. Once its biological mechanisms are activated, it facilitates weekly dosing, making it easier to take consistently than a daily medication. 

Brubaker is cautious about the potential side effects, which require careful monitoring and titration—a process to make sure that people adjust to the drug gradually—of dosages. 

“There have been emergency cases of people overdosing themselves with multiple injections in a day to drastically lose weight, but keep in mind this is lethal,” Brubaker explained.  

Therefore, self-injection of Ozempic can be dangerous for those aiming to lose large amounts of weight very quickly, or those aiming to immediately suppress their appetite. Taking necessary health precautions is crucial to preventing hormonal imbalance. 

Do dietary supplements truly match their claims?

The second speaker of the night was Peter Cohen, associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His advocacy in the medical field has led to the banning of multiple drugs and warnings for inaccurate drug advertisements. 

In contrast to Health Canada’s stringent regulations on dietary supplements and pills, the sale of supplements and vitamins is permitted by default in the States until the FDA takes action to ban or restrict them. This lack of this oversight has led to drug abuse and the spread of misinformation about dietary supplements, often propagated via social media.

“Because of social media these days, it’s very easy for people to believe a testimony after taking supplements that will suggest to audiences that the drug in fact magically works,” Cohen said in his talk. 

Cohen highlighted that numerous patients have unknowingly consumed supplements that have been detrimental to their health, causing allergies or temporary health issues that resolve after they stop taking the supplement. 

Physicians play a crucial role in reporting adverse effects to the FDA, but the reliance on manual reporting means individuals can obtain specific supplements without strict prescriptions. While the FDA has no other means of tracking supplement safety, it is their duty to remove any harmful substances. 

“We see a crisis happening with Ozempic as well. It is still a relatively newly-discovered drug, and it could be a supplement for those who are suffering from obesity with serious health implications, not for casual use,” Cohen said. 

The symposium emphasized the vital role of credible science communication in ensuring that modern medicine’s benefits are not overshadowed by misuse. It concluded with a call for greater awareness and responsibility from both the scientific community and the public. 

While drugs like Ozempic show promise, they are not quick fixes and require careful consideration. In a time when misinformation prevails, events like this are crucial for navigating the future of medication use in our society.

Science & Technology

How are Canadians who have legally used psilocybin faring?

by Ella Paulin on

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While psilocybin, the active psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, is illegal for both medical and recreational purposes in most countries, studies are increasingly pointing to its potential uses in psychotherapy, especially for relieving anxiety and depression in patients who have terminal illnesses. Canada, alongside Australia, is currently one of only two countries in the world allowing psilocybin prescription through what is known as “compassionate access” for patients without other effective treatment options.

Although Canada has allowed psilocybin use in limited therapeutic contexts since 2020, there is a lack of research on how psychedelic experiences have affected real-world patients. According to Sara de la Salle, a postdoctoral fellow in McGill’s Department of Psychiatry and first author of a recent study following eight real-world patients after their psychedelic experiences, there is even a lack of data on how many patients have accessed psilocybin. 

“I’m sure Health Canada knows how many they’ve approved, but there’s no public information on this process,” de la Salle said in an interview with The Tribune. “What prompted [our study] was just to have any type of information on what these people were going through, because there’s nothing. There’s no reports.”

Her research aims to address this lack of information through a voluntary survey completed by patients who received psilocybin through legal means between 2020 and 2022. 

The day after participants’ psilocybin treatment session, researchers looked at factors like how safe they felt during the session, what side effects—nausea, vomiting, etc.—they experienced, and how meaningful they perceived the session to be. In addition, they used two assessments that are common in psychedelic research: The Mystical Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ) and the Emotional Breakthrough Inventory (EBI). 

“Those two are very prominent measures in psychedelic studies, but usually not so much in more traditional treatments for depression,” de la Salle said. “They’re trying to capture things that are difficult for people to describe, like transcendence of time and space, or ineffability.”

Of the five participants who filled out this portion of the survey, one considered it to be the most meaningful experience of their life, and two said it was the most spiritually significant experience of their life. The average MEQ score was 64.3—for perspective, the threshold for having a ‘complete mystical experience’ is a score of 60 on all sections of the questionnaire—and the average EBI score was 63.4 out of 100. 

In addition to this data, eight participants filled out the survey two weeks after their treatment session. This part of the study compared patients’ self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, pain, and overall well-being to their pre-treatment levels.  

“We wanted to mimic what is being looked at in clinical trials to see: Are the benefits the same? Because we don’t really know what is going on with people who are getting special access,” de la Salle explained. “And we did, in fact, see very similar benefits.” 


A majority of participants noticed some improvement in their symptoms of depression, spiritual well-being, and relationships with family and friends. On the other hand, six patients reported no effect on their pain levels, and four patients found no effect on their fear of death. Additionally, one of the eight patients experienced generally worsening mental health after the session. 


Interestingly, the study also asked participants to predict how they thought the intervention would impact them. While the actual results were generally positive, they underperformed compared to the predictions, indicating that it may be worthwhile to temper patients’ expectations of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. 

While the study is limited by its small sample size and lack of in-person contact with patients, de la Salle believes it is an important addition to real-world psilocybin research in Canada. 

“It was a good step in the right direction. There are more attempts to collect information, but really we just wanted to send the message that [psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy] can be beneficial, but we don’t have any information,” de la Salle said. “And since Health Canada grants these approvals, it would be very easy for them to have some way of collecting information.”

Science & Technology

McGill research explores how an arthrogryposis diagnosis affects families

by K. Coco Zhang on

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In Canada, over 30,000 children with disabilities are being cared for at home. Caregiving for children with disabilities requires providing support in various activities of daily life, such as bathing, dressing, managing finances, shopping, and providing transportation. 

While care can be rewarding, caregivers are at higher risk of experiencing negative health effects, including mental health issues such as depression. Rare diseases such as arthrogryposis—a condition in which multiple joints are unable to fully or partially extend or bend—pose additional challenges for caregivers due to the complexity of the disease. 

“Arthrogryposis is a congenital condition that affects joints from birth. It is different from conditions like joint stiffness and muscle weakness, which can develop over time,” Rose Elekanachi, PhD candidate in McGill’s School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, said in an interview with The Tribune.

Arthrogryposis commonly affects the wrists, hands, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. In severe cases, this condition may also affect the jaw and spine. Causes of arthrogryposis are variable and may include genetic, parental, and environmental factors, as well as fetal anomalies—unusual conditions in a baby’s development during pregnancy.

The experience of providing care for arthrogryposis remains largely understudied. In a recent paper, Elekanachi and her team explored the lived experience of caregivers of children with arthrogryposis, emphasizing the financial and societal challenges caregivers encounter.

“The term ‘caregivers’ is used to refer to both paid caregivers and parents,” Elekanachi noted.

Through her research, Elekanachi aims to raise awareness of arthrogryposis among healthcare professionals and caregivers, and guide local policymakers in improving service provisions to meet the unique needs of caregivers of children with this condition.

The initial financial burden for families is considerable due to the need for numerous diagnostic tests and consultations.

“Immediately after childbirth, caregivers have to go to several healthcare professionals to receive a reliable diagnosis because this condition was very rare and [little known] a couple of years ago, and these expenses come at a significant out-of-pocket cost,” Elekanachi said.

Furthermore, the cost of caring for children with arthrogryposis varies depending on the child’s specific needs.

“For example, the child may need a walking aid, arm splints, ramps for stairs, or adjustments for beds, and things like that. Depending on the location of the affected joint, the level of financial commitment is different,” Elekanachi explained.

According to Elekanachi, the caregiving experience is complex, as this condition often requires multiple types of care, including rehabilitation, speech therapy, and orthopedics—surgeries treating conditions of the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerve structures.

Elekanachi also discusses the societal challenges surrounding the condition, including accessibility issues in public spaces, and highlights the need to allow people with arthrogryposis to speak up for their unique needs and advocate for themselves.

“We still have a society that may not be completely accessible to children with disabilities, such as classrooms, metro stations, and bus stops. Sometimes, the school may not have adequate equipment or accommodations for these students,” Elekanachi said.

In addition, the study highlighted a correlation between the caregiver’s health and that of the child. The multiple challenges caregivers face can increase their risk of poor health, reducing their ability to care for their child, which has been associated with increased hospitalizations.

“Going forward, future studies need to shift focus from the condition itself to [include] the secondary piece that affects the condition, such as caregiver experiences,” Elekanachi stated. “Healthcare professionals and researchers need to understand caregiving experiences across conditions and share comprehensive resources with caregivers.”

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