Is Life Expectancy Heading Downward?

Have we reached the tipping point? An interesting article recently appeared in the prestigious Journal of American Medicine Association (JAMA) about life expectancy and death rates in the US. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the US (CDC) noted that death rates for the first nine months of 2015 increased significantly most notably…

Top Trends in Preventative Healthcare

Science and Technology Converge Part I As a passionate advocate of preventative healthcare and wellness, I am glad to see that there will be an increased focus on prevention, because many older people continue to have chronic diseases which overwhelm their daily activities and are not enjoying a good quality of life in their later…

PAP TESTS HELP ELIMINATE CERVICAL CANCER IN CANADA

Every year there are 400,000 Canadian women who receive news that their Pap test results are not normal. The voice of women physicians, The Federation of Medical Women of Canada (www.fmwc.ca) wants to change that. This month they are launching an awareness campaign aimed at physicians to urge their female patients to have a PAP…

Brain Drain and Menopause: Reality or Myth ?

Is there such a thing as Brain Drain and Menopause? Research shows that the female sex hormone, estrogen, plays a key role in brain function. Estrogen declines during menopause, but that doesn’t mean your brain function will decline along with it. Although estrogen produced by our bodies helps the brain function, there’s no clear clinical…

CAFFEINE-THE UPS AND DOWNS. HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

Millions of us rely on coffee to wake us up, keep us going and improve concentration and focus. But how much is too much and what is the difference between caffeine and coffee. Caffeine is a naturally occurring chemical found in more than 60 plants including coffee beans, tea leaves, kola nuts and as we…

Travel alerts internationally for polio and measles outbreaks this summer. Check your vaccinations before traveling

Travel alerts for polio worldwide & the resurgence of measles outbreaks in Canada, Europe and Africa, highlight the need for Canadians to get vaccinated before traveling to affected areas. Measles is a virus that can affect anyone and is highly contagious for individuals that have not previously had measles, or have not been vaccinated. As…

Probiotics –Healthy or Hype?

There’s a growing body of research that shows bacteria in our gut is related to many health problems, from common diarrhea and obesity to urinary infections and stress. There is also growing evidence that taking some probiotics- live microorganisms that have health benefits is not a fad and has real health benefits.  Several years ago,…

Flu Season is here!!!

                              Ontario has already documented a few cases of flu and the vaccine is HERE       Influenza vaccines authorized for use in Canada are safe and associated with minimal side effects and can be administered to anyone over 6months of age. *We know that between 10% and 20% of all Canadians will…