Why A Company Health and Wellness Plan is Good for Employees and Your Bottom Line

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…

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…

Menopause: Hot tips and a new technology can help keep hot flashes at bay

Any menopausal woman will tell you that hot flashes seem to come out of nowhere, usually when they are least expected, accompanied by an embarrassing outbreak of  ‘the sweats’ which can leave you drenched in sweat, flushed, and feeling uncomfortable.Hot flashes develop when your brain reacts to changing hormone levels in your body, which happens…

Going Gluten–Free: Passing Fad or The Real Deal.

The demand for gluten-free products is exploding as more and more products are popping up on grocery shelves offering gluten-free alternatives. It seems food labels today proclaim everything is gluten-free –even vegetables! And according to a recent survey – a third of Americans are trying to go gluten-free. So what is gluten? And what does…

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…

Heart Disease in Women: Different Than in Men

Understanding the symptoms Although heart disease is often thought of as a problem for men, more women than men die of heart disease each year. One challenge is that some heart disease symptoms in women may be different from those in men. Fortunately, women can take steps to understand their unique symptoms of heart disease…

Pharmacogenomics: Determining the most effective drug for your genetic makeup.

Genetic Testing & Drugs Each person is unique and so is his or her response to certain medications.  Since the mapping of the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, a new area of study and research has opened up called, Pharmacogenomics, the technology that analyses how genetic makeup affects an individual’s response to drugs—will…

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,…

Understanding cholestrol-the good, the bad, and the guidelines

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in Canada, which makes prevention of heart disease so important. Some risk factors for heart disease unfortunately cannot be changed, including your genes, gender and ethnicity. There are many other factors, however, that you can control. These are called modifiable risk factors, and include high blood…