Initial phase of investigation into mysterious N.B. brain disease complete, province launches info line
Dr. Yves Leger, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health, speaks during a news conference in Fredericton on March 27, 2025. (Avery MacRae/CTV Atlantic)
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CBC
44 minutes ago
- CBC
Nova Scotia Health approaching goal of reduced surgical waitlist
The interim head of the provincial health authority says enough progress has been made to reduce the surgical backlog in Nova Scotia that she's not looking over her shoulder. In December of 2022, Karen Oldfield vowed before the legislature's health committee — first asking for a Bible to swear upon before crossing her heart in the absence of the Good Book — that the backlog would be reduced by 10,000 people by mid-2025. At the time, the list stood at about 22,000 people. Such a decrease would bring the province in line with national benchmarks for surgical waitlists. "I'm not going to hell," Oldfield joked with reporters Friday following an appearance on a panel at a Halifax Chamber of Commerce luncheon to discuss innovation in health care. "We are 1,500 surgeries away from what we would consider to be an appropriate [waitlist]. With any luck, we will hit that this year." Waitlist dropping year over year Statistics released by Nova Scotia Health show the province's waitlist as of April 1 of this year was 15,769 people. That's down from 17,369 people the same time the year before, and 19,917 people as of April 1, 2023. The procedures with the largest number of people waiting are cataract extraction (3,564), knee replacement (1,274) and hip replacement (783). Oldfield said the progress comes down to the health authority's ability to make a plan and stick to it. "There's no magic," she said. "It's focus and discipline to do it." Although the health authority announced in 2023 a premium for doctors willing to work outside traditional hours in order to cut into the backlog, Oldfield said the biggest factor in making progress has been getting staffing levels back to where they needed to be coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. "We did lose a lot of staff. Not just because of COVID, but people — they burn out, they age out, they retire. So we've been through a period of resurgence." Oldfield said she would like to see more surgeries happening during off-hours, but there needs to be a certain level of staffing to be able to make that work and take full advantage of available operating room time and equipment. "When we have assets, you want to use your assets," she said. "And when they sit idle, that's not a good thing. So we still have lots of time across the province that these could be used."
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
What eating foods like dark chocolate and berries did to a study group of more than 120,000 people
A new study reveals what drinking tea and eating dark chocolate and berries did for a group of more than 120,000 people. Article content Those foods, as well as fruits like grapes, apples, oranges, and beverages like red wine, all contain flavonoids, which are compounds found in many plant products. Flavonoids can 'help your body function more efficiently while protecting it against everyday toxins and stressors,' per Healthline. The study's authors said those who consumed a diverse range of foods containing flavonoids (such as berries, grapes and dark chocolate) 'could lower their risk of developing serious health conditions and have the potential to live longer,' in a news release. The study has been peer-reviewed. Article content Article content Article content In the study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Food, researchers observed 124,805 participants between the ages of 40 and 70 from the UK Biobank, a large-scale database with biomedical information. The participants were tracked for roughly 10 years and their dietary information was collected using a questionnaire asking them about the frequency in which they ate approximately 200 types of food and 30 beverages. Article content Article content Dr. Benjamin Parmenter, a research fellow at Edith Cowan University in Australia, was the study's first author and co-lead. He said consuming roughly 500 mg of flavonoids a day or more was linked to a 16 per cent lower risk of 'all-cause mortality' (meaning death from any cause). Article content It was also linked to a roughly 10 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and respiratory disease. Article content A study published in 2025 in peer-reviewed food science journal Foods said, as it pertains to human health, 'flavonoids are recognized for their ability to combat aging, mitigate inflammation, safeguard the nervous system, and promote overall well-being.' However, in another study published in 2022 in the Nutrition Journal, researchers 'observed an increased risk of prostate cancer by higher intake of total flavonoids.' In a study published in 2016 in the Journal of Nutritional Science, researchers called for further studies on flavonoids so their usefulness 'in the diet could be improved for better human health.' Article content Article content 'Over 30 different types of flavonoids are regularly consumed in the human diet. These are found in different types of everyday foods,' Parmenter told National Post over email. Article content Article content A few squares of dark chocolate could be roughly 25 mg of flavonoids. One apple is equal to roughly 100 mg of flavonoids, while one orange is roughly 60 mg. For tea drinkers, one cup of black tea is roughly 300 mg of flavonoids, while the same amount of green tea is roughly 150 mg. Article content 'We observed that consuming a higher quantity and wider diversity of dietary flavonoids, when consumed together, may represent the optimal approach for improving long-term health, compared with increasing either flavonoid quantity or diversity alone,' Parmenter said. Article content Those with the highest flavonoid diversity were more likely to be female, older, have a lower body mass index (BMI), be more physically active and have a higher education and were less likely to be current smokers, according to the study.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Halifax police warn about ‘dangerous drug' seized during traffic stop
Police in the Halifax area are warning the public about a 'dangerous drug combination' seized during a traffic stop in April. Halifax Regional Police officers pulled over a suspected impaired driver near Sea King Drive and Albro Lake Road around 3:30 a.m. on April 20. Police say they seized and searched the vehicle and found an 'unknown substance' inside. The substance, described as a grainy powder grey/green in colour, was sent to Health Canada for identification. This week, Health Canada confirmed metonitazene – a potent synthetic opioid – was detected in the substance, along with fentanyl, caffeine and dimethyl sulfone. 'This combination of drugs is dangerous and may put users more at risk of an overdose,' said Const. Martin Cromwell in a news release. 'Even handling these substances can be risky without taking proper precautions.' Police are reminding the public that Naloxone can reverse an opioid overdose. Naloxone kits are available free of charge through the Nova Scotia Health's Take Home Naloxone Program. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
