It’s that time of year again—when colds, flu, bronchitis, sore throats and many sinus and ear infections start to surface at home, school and our workplaces. The tendency when someone gets sick these days is to presume they will need an antibiotic to get better. The facts are that taking antibiotics for colds and other…
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…
A healthy older woman is active and independent. By active, I mean being able to do the things you want like meeting your friends, going out, and working out. You don’t have any limitations based on physical issues. Being independent is a more cognitive aspect o f health. It means you are able to do…
EVEN IF YOU EXERCISE. How many hours a day do you sit? How many hours a day on average do you think most people sit? Would it surprise you to learn that most people sit between 7.7 hours a day with some studies finding up to 15 hours a day? That’s a lot of sitting! …
You’ve finally decided to get into shape, need more motivation or just want another ‘toy’ to add to your growing list of fitness gizmos. So you begin to check out fitness devices. I started on-line and then decided to go to one of the big box stores to take a closer look. There are now…
More Choices Available for Long Acting Birth Control Perhaps you may remember the IUD or the Copper T that was first introduced in the 1980’s. Now there’s a new birth control device called IUS or Intrauterine System. Like the IUD (Intrauterine Device) it’s placed in the uterus and made of soft flexible plastic in the…
Skin Cancer in Canada is on the rise While the rate of new cancer cases and death rates for many types of cancers are going down, Melanoma or –skin cancer- is on the rise. It is the most common cancer in Canada affecting one in five people today. A tan especially among young people is…
MIND diet study shows growing evidence that what you eat may affect your brain health A new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago shows a diet plan they developed — appropriately called the MIND diet — may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 53 percent. Even…
In today’s times, it’s astonishing to learn that a whopping 5 million Canadians do not have a family physician. It’s even more alarming when you learn that nine out of ten Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart disease or stroke (smoking, high alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol…
Research shows that people are living longer. Today a man who is currently 65 can expect to live another 17.4 years, a woman, 20.8 years*. Whether you are edging towards sixty-five or beyond or have parents that are aging, modifying risks will increase your chances of staying healthy and vital as you age. We know…