Latest news with #Esmail
The Independent
5 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Expert warns these five things can make contraception less effective
Reports of pregnancies in women using weight-loss injections, including those using contraception, have prompted concern from the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA has received over 40 reports of pregnancies among women using weight-loss medications. Data shared with the PA news agency also reveals 26 pregnancy-related reports specifically for the Mounjaro jab. This has led to online discussions about so-called "Ozempic babies". The MHRA advises that Mounjaro may reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives in overweight individuals. Patients taking Mounjaro are recommended to use condoms, especially in the first four weeks of starting the medication and after any dose increase. The agency also stresses 'skinny jabs' such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda, Victoza, and Mounjaro should not be used during pregnancy, when trying to conceive, or while breastfeeding. In some cases, women are also advised to continue using contraception for up to two months between stopping the medicine and trying to get pregnant. This guidance around pregnancy is included in patient information leaflets given to people who are accessing the skinny jabs from regulated sellers like pharmacies. In light of this news, we got in touch with Dr Alisha Esmail, women's health GP at London Gynaecology, to find out what other factors may influence hormonal contraception's effectiveness… 1. Illness Vomiting within a few hours of taking a contraception pill can reduce its effectiveness, says Esmail. 'If you're sick – especially with vomiting or diarrhoea – soon after taking your pill, your body might not absorb it properly, which can lower the hormone levels needed for it to work properly,' she explains. 'Remember, this applies to the morning-after pill too, which is especially time-sensitive. 'If you've been unwell, it's a good idea to use back-up contraception and check in with a clinician – they can help work out if you need to take another dose or consider a different option.' 2. Weight Weight can also play a role in how well some hormonal contraceptives work. 'For instance, the patch and emergency contraception might be a little less effective if you have a higher Body Mass Index (BMI),' says Esmail. 'This is because your body may absorb and process the hormones differently, although for most people the difference is quite small. 'Because of this, doctors often recommend exploring other methods to ensure you get the most reliable protection. Safety is key – some combined hormonal options (those with both oestrogen and progesterone) may carry a slightly higher risk of side effects for people with higher BMI, so it's always a good idea to discuss your personal health and preferences with your clinician.' 3. Medication Some medications can lessen the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives, so it's important to talk to a clinician if you're unsure how your medication might affect them. 'Some medications like certain antibiotics (e.g. Rifampicin), anti-seizure drugs, HIV medications, and even herbal supplements like St. John's Wort can reduce the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives,' highlights Esmail. 'They may speed up how quickly hormones are digested in the liver, lowering your blood hormone levels and reducing its reliability. 'So, it's definitely worth letting your clinician know about any medications you're taking – whether they're prescribed or not.' 4. Inaccurate use Incorrect use is one of the main reasons why contraception can fail. 'Some of the most common slip-ups I hear about include forgetting pills, not taking them at the same time each day, starting a new pack late, or incorrect use of patches, rings, or injections,' says Esmail. 'With methods like the pill, consistency is key – even small drops in hormone levels can allow ovulation, increasing your risk of an unexpected pregnancy. 'If sticking to a routine is proving tricky, it's worth knowing there are plenty of longer-acting options that don't rely on daily habits – you've got choices.' The GP also points out that pill packs include a leaflet with a section on missed pill rules, which can be helpful when you're uncertain about what to do. She also reinforces the importance of timing when it comes to emergency contraception, such as Plan B. 'And when it comes to emergency contraception, timing really matters – the sooner it's taken after unprotected sex, the more effective it is,' says Esmail. 'Delays can reduce its chances of working, so don't wait to seek advice if you think you might need it.' 5. Heat The GP also recommends storing contraception pills at room temperature or cooler because if too hot the hormones within them could be changed/ deactivated. 'Storing your pills in a place that gets too hot – like a car on a sunny day – can affect how well they work,' says Esmail.
Cision Canada
06-05-2025
- Health
- Cision Canada
Fraser Institute News Release: Medical wait times cost Canadian patients almost $5.2 billion in lost wages last year
VANCOUVER, BC, May 6, 2025 /CNW/ - Long waits for surgery and medical treatment cost Canadians almost $5.2 billion in lost wages and productivity last year, finds a new study released by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. An estimated 1.5 million patients waited for medically necessary treatment last year, and each lost an estimated $3,364 (on average) due to lost wages and reduced productivity during working hours. "Waiting for medically necessary treatment remains a hallmark of the Canadian health-care system, and in addition to increased pain and suffering—and potentially worse medical outcomes—these long waits also cost Canadians time at work and with family and friends," said Nadeem Esmail, a senior fellow with the Fraser Institute. The study, The Private Cost of Public Queues for Medically Necessary Care, 2025, draws upon data from the Fraser Institute's annual Waiting Your Turn survey of Canadian physicians who, in 2024, reported the national median waiting time from specialist appointment to treatment was 15 weeks. Crucially, the $5.2 billion in lost wages is likely a conservative estimate because it doesn't account for the additional 15 week wait to see a specialist after receiving a referral from a general practitioner. Taken together, the total median wait time in Canada for medical treatment was 30 weeks in 2024. "As long as lengthy wait times define Canada's health-care system, patients will continue to pay a price in lost wages and reduced quality of life," said Esmail. Because wait times and incomes vary by province, so does the cost of waiting for health care. Residents of Prince Edward Island in 2024 faced the highest per-patient cost of waiting ($6,592), followed by New Brunswick ($6,210) and Quebec ($4,261). Average value of time lost during the work week in 2024 for patients waiting for medically necessary treatment (by province): Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter, Like us on Facebook About The Fraser Institute The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit SOURCE The Fraser Institute
Fox News
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
‘Battlestar Galactica' star says show's AI warnings more timely as sci-fi fantasies come to life
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — "Battlestar Galactica" star Tricia Helfer feels the show was a prescient warning about artificial intelligence when it debuted more than 20 years ago. "We did warn against AI while we were shooting it," Helfer told Fox News Digital at the Beverly Hills Film Festival this week. She continued, "It was 20 years ago, and I've recently re-watched it and went, 'Oh my gosh, it's even more relevant now.' So I think we just really need to be careful. It's a slippery slope between using it to our advantage and having it maybe be able to control us a little bit." "I think we're a little bit far off from the humanoid Cylons yet and humanoid robots, but I don't know, they're coming," Helfer added. "Battlestar Galactica" debuted on the SyFy channel in 2004, reimagined from the 1978 original series, and follows the battle between humans and Cylons, the humanoid sentient robots humans created that turned on them and launched a nuclear attack that nearly wiped out the entirety of humanity. Helfer played a Cylon in the series, named Number Six, who played a key role in the story as both antagonist and ally. Regarding AI, the Canadian-born actress said, "It's not going away, so I think it's something that we're going to have to embrace. But I think one of the things 'Battlestar Galactica' did was warn about it. And that's, I think, something that we need to make sure [is] that we have is regulations and an understanding of how quickly and how overwhelming this technology could become." WATCH: 'Battlestar Galactica' star says show's AI warnings more relevant than ever A "Battlestar Galactica" reboot was in the works at Peacock with Sam Esmail, the showrunner behind "Mr. Robot," but it has since been halted and shopped elsewhere, per Variety. In 2023, Esmail spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about how the new version's view of AI would be evolving from the original. "The world is changing way too fast for us. I mean, when we started working on it, I obviously was aware of AI, but now, four or five years later, it's in the public consciousness and now that's so influential in how we're going to tell the story," Esmail told the outlet. "The allegory piece is something that is crystallized in a different way, too. The focus is the same, which is the fear of tech and how it might take over, but this idea of just 'the robots are going to be our overlords' is a very facile and overly simplistic way of looking at it. Now that the audience is more sophisticated about the consequences, I think we have to match that with 'Battlestar.'" "It's a slippery slope between using it to our advantage and having it maybe be able to control us a little bit." While Helfer believes humanoid robots are still in the somewhat distant future, there are some attempts to create them in the present day. Suzanne Somers' widower, Alan Hamel, recently worked with an AI company called Hollo to create a "twin" of his late wife. "I am working with Hollo, an AI company to create Suzanne AI. It's very exciting to think about being able to interact with Suzanne's twin," Hamel told Fox News Digital in a statement last month. The robot replica of Somers trained on her film and TV appearances, as well as her books, to bring back the "essence" of the "Three's Company" star, according to CEO Rex Wong. When it came to the Suzanne AI, Wong said, "The robot, which we did in collaboration with Realbotix, is the first of many AI versions of Suzanne, but AI Suzanne can also be accessible via call, chat and text. AI Suzanne highlights how we can extend a person's legacy and bring it to the next generation, and one of the services we will be rolling out will be the ability to preserve one's legacy for future generations or bring back a loved one." Somers died in 2023 after a long battle with breast cancer. Hamel told the New York Post that the idea for the Somers AI-powered bot "absolutely did come from her" and that "She may have known her life was going to be shortened [after a lifelong battle with cancer]."
CBC
25-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
'Do the right thing': Pressure to avoid vote-splitting intensifies in Waterloo region
Social Sharing A second Green candidate in Waterloo region has endorsed their NDP rival, while a Liberal candidate says he won't step back from his campaign after his car was defaced at a debate Monday night. During the Kitchener-Conestoga debate hosted by the New Hamburg Board of Trade Monday night, Green candidate Brayden Wagenaar started the night criticizing the job done by Progressive Conservative candidate and incumbent Mike Harris Jr. and then offered his support to NDP candidate Jodi Szimanski. "We need a candidate that cares, and we need a candidate that's going to put in the time and energy and work to take care of you guys. And the only way that's going to happen in our current, not great democratic voting system, is to create a candidate that we can all get behind," he said. " And that's why tonight, I'm proud to say that I'm supporting Jodi as the candidate for this riding." It was the second local Green candidate to throw their support behind an NDP rival on Monday. Earlier that day, after a candidate panel on CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition, Green candidate Shefaza Esmail told CBC K-W reporter Karis Mapp she was telling her supporters to consider voting for NDP candidate and incumbent Catherine Fife. Esmail said she was concerned people splitting their votes between the other candidates could mean Progressive Conservative candidate Peter Turkington could win the riding, "and that is a real concern for me." "If you really like the Green movement, send me a message, tell me I'm doing great, tell me I can earn your vote for next time, but this time, vote Catherine Fife, vote NDP," Esmail said. Waterloo's Green candidate endorses NDP 1 day ago Duration 1:11 Following a panel discussion on CBC K-W's The Morning Edition, the Ontario Green Party's Waterloo candidate, Shefaza Esmail, shared that she wants voters within her riding to vote for the NDP incumbent Catherine Fife. Esmail said the decision is because of concerns about vote splitting, which could lead to a win for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario candidate, Peter Turkington. In an interview on CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning Tuesday, Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner said the endorsements by the two Green candidates were "news to me." "I have always said that when you elect Greens, I'm not their boss. The people of the riding are their boss. And if these two candidates decided that's what the people of their riding want ... I respect their decision. But I can guarantee you we are running strong candidates across this province," Schreiner said. Graffiti on Liberal candidate's car After the Kitchener-Conestoga debate in New Hamburg, Liberal candidate Joe Gowing returned to his car to find a message asking him to step down. Someone had written the results of the 2018 election on the window of his car with the words: "Step aside now. Do the right thing." Gowing, who ran for the Liberals in 2018, came in third in that race. He told CBC News he has no intention of stepping down. "The 2018 results, the Ontario Liberal Party lost around Ontario, so we cannot use the 2018. This is a different climate for an election," Gowing said. "I'm not gonna pursue it with police. I'm just gonna focus on my campaign, keep pushing, keep talking to people ... get as many votes as I can and show them that I am the person that should be elected," Gowing said. "My message is clear I show up. I'm not a one-issue candidate and I have support from all parts of the riding. I will not step aside." Strategic voting rarely works: Prof Andrea Perrella, a political science professor at Wilfrid Laurier University whose main research areas are political behaviour and participation, says asking candidates to step aside or candidates supporting rivals isn't new, although it's uncommon. "I don't know the context that is perfect for strategic voting because it requires a lot of voter engagement and most voters are not that engaged to calculate their votes in that precise detail," Perrella told CBC K-W's Craig Norris, host of The Morning Edition. He noted it can be particularly difficult to know how well candidates are doing on a local level. "Yes, there are polls that do sample voters in particular districts, but polling these days is a bit difficult and it's hard to tell whether the polls are accurate or not in terms of the local races," he said. "There's not a whole lot you can do if you want to be a strategic voter. That's why most people, the most comfortable choice is to ... vote for the party that they prefer. Sometimes they vote for their second choice if they know that their first choice does not have a chance." Perrella says rather than trying to vote strategically, people should focus more on learning about their candidates and doing their homework before casting a ballot. "I've always believed that voters should pay close attention to the candidates and to ask who's likely to function as an effective professional manager of the province as opposed to these other issues that come up in a campaign." he said.
CBC
24-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Green candidate in Waterloo endorses NDP, cites vote-splitting as a concern
Shefaza Esmail, the Green candidate in Waterloo, says she's endorsing NDP candidate and incumbent Catherine Fife in that riding. Esmail made the comment Monday morning following a candidate panel on CBC K-W's The Morning Edition with host Craig Norris. Esmail was answering a reporter's question about funding to universities and colleges when she offered the endorsement, saying she's concerned about vote splitting in the riding. "If you are inclined toward voting Green, I think that you should, but also consider this: You like the Green movement, that's amazing. If you're in Kitchener Centre, you should vote for [Green candidate] Aislinn Clancy because she has the best chance of winning, but when you're in Waterloo riding right now, there is a worry that by taking votes away from the NDP, the PC government might come back in Waterloo. And that is a real concern for me as well," she said. "If you really like the Green movement, send me a message, tell me I'm doing great, tell me I can earn your vote for next time, but this time, vote Catherine Fife, vote NDP." Esmail is running for the Green party for a second time. Fife has been MPP for the riding since 2012 when she won a byelection. There are eight people on the ballot in Waterloo: Suja Biber, New Blue. Shefaza Esmail, Green. Catherine Fife, NDP (incumbent). Peter House, Electoral Reform Party. Chris Martin, Ontario Party. Clayton Moore, Liberal. James Schulz, Libertarian. Peter Turkington, Progressive Conservatives. Esmail's not alone in throwing support behind a rival during this Ontario election campaign. Natasha Doyle-Merrick, the NDP candidate in the Toronto riding of Eglinton-Lawrence, pulled out of the election earlier this month and threw her support behind the Liberals. In that riding, Doyle-Merrick said it was a "clear two-party contest" between the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives.
