Nieman: 25 years of both giving advice and learning himself

Toward the end of 1999, the Calgary Herald invited me to write a monthly column. Today, I look back, almost 25 years later, and remain amazed at the privilege it has been to contribute to the local newspaper

As an author, marathon runner and community-based pediatrician, writing puts me in the zone (those moments when we lose track of time because we are fully dialled in).

As we say goodbye to 2023, and ponder our future, I will use this month’s piece to look back a bit and identify patterns.

My criteria for mentioning various past topics is simple: how many readers decided to hunt me down and give me a piece of their mind, or posted what I wrote on social media?

At the very top, the matter of fluoride in the city’s water gets the gold medal for the most “hits”. I filed the piece from Mexico while on vacation there, and when I got back to Calgary there were lots of emails telling me how toxic fluoride is and how dare I talk about any benefits. Two years ago, Calgarians voted to have fluoride back. That has not happened yet.

The other surprise was an urgent call from my editor saying that she was contacted by Harvard, no less, and that my column must be retracted. I wrote about how the pain of caries (cavities) in early childhood may impact the brain development of a toddler. Harvard suggested that early childhood stressors, such as pain-induced-caries, is stretching it a bit. I called a reliable and trusted dentist, Dr. Lenny Smith, who told me the science backs my column up. The editor trusted me and we never apologized for what was written. Later, Harvard got on board. I must admit that was humbling and stressful all at once.

Nutrition remains a hot topic always. I once made the point that not all moms are able to breastfeed despite getting all the support in the world. I tried to make those moms feel less shame and guilt. The next week I got a call from the head of pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital, attacking me for promoting formula.

On a recent snowy afternoon, I dug into copies I have kept of all my columns since 1999. I saw these trends in terms of what “winds” readers up the most:

? Early brain development.

? Vaccines; especially the HPV vaccine which pitted a bishop against the medical community when it first came out.

? Any perceived or proven toxins such as mercury, lead, marijuana’s impact on the growing brain … and once again … fluoride in any form. (ADHD medications are often feared, but that is a topic for 2024).

? Burnout among teachers, doctors and social workers, even fatigued parents who are replaced by grandparents as primary caregivers.

? The cultural onslaught on children who get rushed through childhood because of early sex, incessant screen times and media, compounded by new technologies (such as AI).

? The need to find solutions to the fact self-harm is at an all-time high.

In that vein, when my son died by suicide on Jan 1, 2020, the editors at the Herald were supportive. That was the only month I failed to write. Later, when readers discovered why, they too were supportive. I learned that humans are inherently good; they just forget to be good when they suffer. I ended up writing a book on how good people sustained my family. That book, Sustained, has now been out for a few weeks on Amazon and thus far I am humbled by the feedback.

About two months ago, when I covered both the pluses and minuses of parenting a gifted child, I got an email from a former editor, Valerie Berenyi. Val made my writing better and started her e-mail by wondering if I still remembered her. Of course, and forever more I shall never forget any of the editors I was honoured to work with since 1999.

I am reminded of a book I keep in my study, Invisibles. The author, David Zweig, celebrates the unsung heroes of the workplace. One example is the ghostwriters who write books for many celebrities and get no credit. My many editors fall into that category

I thank the current editor, Michele Jarvie, herself a brave mother, for doing a great job editing what I am trying to share.

For anyone interested in digging around in the archives, the Herald’s online version allows access to most of the past pieces.

What about 2024? We shall see. Perhaps what Yogi Berra said rings true:? It is hard to make predictions –especially about the future.

Dr. Nieman, on Dec. 16, completed 14 years of running daily (5,113 consecutive days). He sees patients in Centre 70 Pediatrics and continues to maintain various streaks. www.drnieman.com