Nov 25, 2017
The radical ex-hippie who infiltrated Ontario’s health-care establishment
Back in 1992, Ontarians hooked on heroin were stuck in a vortex of addiction. Effective treatment was scarce — at least in the province.
Even though methadone had been around since the 1960s to treat addiction and there was compelling evidence to show it relieved intense withdrawal symptoms, it was still viewed as controversial. The idea of replacing one opioid with another raised eyebrows.
Dr. Philip Berger, a Toronto family doctor with a long history of working with the most marginalized of patients, among them people struggling with addictions, was up on the latest literature.