Latest news with #HealthCanada
New York Post
6 hours ago
- Health
- New York Post
Canadian woman, 96, puts ad in newspaper to find general practice doctor
A 96-year-old Canadian woman was so exasperated with the glacial pace of her nation's universal healthcare system — she posted a wanted ad in her local newspaper to find a primary care doctor. 'I am apparently somewhere in the 80,000's in the physician waiting list, and so time is increasingly of the essence,' retired fourth-grade teacher Dorothy Lamont 's wrote in her classified ad titled 'Seeking a Physician' in the May 23 edition of the Halifax Chronicle Herald in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. 3 Lamont, 96, put an ad in the newspaper as a last resort. Courtesy of Stewart Lamont 'I am 96 years old, of sound mind and body relative to my advanced age, and have been without a physician for nearly three years,' it reads. An estimated 6.5 million Canadians — more than 1 in 5 — lack access to a family doctor through the country's government funded health care system. They're left on a waiting list for when the next practitioner becomes available — sometimes waiting years. Lamont's last five physicians either retired or left the province — leaving her with a virtual MD, which she said doesn't cut it. 'We have never met,' her ad says about her current doctor. 'By definition we never will.' 'Frankly it would be helpful once or twice a year to see a doctor in person,' Lamont said, adding she didn't want to burden the health care system or her family. Her son, Stewart, convinced her to go the unconventional route after they exhausted all other options. 3 The ad 'Seeking a Physician' was placed in the classified section of the local paper. Courtesy of Stewart Lamont Lamont wound up in the hospital for a couple weeks last year with a bout of sciatica, and when she was sent home, she didn't have anyone to follow up with. 'It's a sad news story that, you know — does a 96-year-old woman really have to post an ad to draw publicity to herself to get a family physician?' her son lamented to The Post. 'This isn't to be political. … It was simply to draw awareness and see if this would produce a doctor,' he said. 'People have to be creative — challenging times require resourceful responses.' 3 Lamont found a doctor who will start seeing her next month at the Dartmouth Medical Centre. Courtesy of Stewart Lamont Their Yankee ingenuity has already paid off. 'Lo and behold, 48 hours later, we've had three or four options, and one is signed and delivered now,' said Stewart Lamont. 'I was left speechless,' he added. 'My mother is pleased.' The Great White North currently has around 46,000 family physicians, and a recent study by Health Canada found that another 23,000 would be needed for every Canadian to have a primary care doctor. One of the reasons for the doctor shortage is that many doctors leave for better paying jobs in the US.
Cision Canada
7 hours ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
A Smokeless Canada is Within Reach -- Let's Talk Facts Français
MONTREAL, May 31, 2025 /CNW/ - On World No Tobacco Day, Imperial Tobacco Canada (Imperial) is calling on government, health advocates, and all Canadians to embrace harm reduction as a key strategy to achieve a smokeless Canada in the next decade. Despite years of public health efforts, approximately 11 percent of Canadian adults continue to smoke cigarettes — a figure that has remained relatively unchanged in recent years and which underscores the need to reevaluate the existing tobacco control approach and champion harm reduction as a key strategy to decrease smoking rates in Canada more quickly. At Imperial, the goal is clear: to help adults quit smoking or switch to less harmful alternatives. Similar to Health Canada's and Canadian health groups' goal of a Smoke Free Canada, Imperial is focused on reducing smoking rates to below 5% by 2035. But to do that adult smokers need a world where harm reduction is understood and supported. "For years, nicotine has been misunderstood, largely because its use was predominantly through the act of cigarette smoking." said Frank Silva, President and CEO of Imperial. "We need people to understand that nicotine, while addictive, does not cause cancer and is not the cause of smoking related diseases. By offering adult smokers access to less harmful alternatives that deliver nicotine without combustion, we can, in fact, significantly reduce the health impact on the Canadian Society." To that end, and to demonstrate our seriousness about reducing smoking in Canada, Imperial became the first company, in 2023, to launch a Health Canada approved nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) product in the form of a nicotine pouch, called ZONNIC, to help smokers quit. A product that shortly after its introduction, was pulled from shelves by an unprecedented Ministerial Order and put behind the counter at pharmacies. "Restricting access to a Health Canada approved cessation tool contradicts the fundamental principle of harm reduction," said Silva. "ZONNIC was licensed by Health Canada following a three-year approval process and is now held to stricter standards than all other similar NRTs like gums and lozenges. The evidence shows that if you want to help smokers quit, make cessation alternatives available where cigarettes are sold. The discrimination of the Ministerial Order has now created two major public health issues. It has reduced the amount of time pharmacists have to provide front-line care for all Canadians. It has created another flourishing illegal nicotine market in Canada, where unregulated and unsafe products are available with zero regulatory oversight and underage prevention. Both seriously undermining public health progress. On this World No Tobacco Day, Imperial is committed to unmask the myths and the rhetoric by focusing on the irrefutable weight of evidence from leading health organizations around the world. "The only way we can truly help adults quit, is by embracing harm reduction and making approved products such as ZONNIC available where smokers buy their cigarettes." Silva concluded. Countries such as the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Japan, that have embraced this opportunity and implemented supportive policies are now recording the lowest smoking rates in their history. Imperial supports efforts to ensure that safer choices are available to those who need them. A smokeless Canada is possible, but only if we embrace the full range of solutions available. About Imperial Tobacco Canada Imperial Tobacco Canada is the leading tobacco and nicotine company in Canada, part of the global BAT group. Our mission at BAT is to create A Better Tomorrow™ by promoting a Smokeless World. We envision a future where smokeless products replace cigarettes, encouraging smokers to make a Switch to Better. Imperial is committed to advancing THR through transparency, innovation, and collaboration. One such initiative is Omni™, a platform developed by our parent company BAT, to support education and stakeholder engagement around THR. Omni™ serves as a dynamic resource for those working toward a smoke-free future.
CBC
11 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
How much does your gut health impact your overall health? A lot, doctors say
Social Sharing You may be hearing a lot about the gut microbiome these days — it's been mentioned everywhere from wellness podcasts to the grocery aisle. Doctors are tapping into it to try and treat some diseases differently. The gut microbiome is the community of all the bacteria and viruses in our intestines, including friendlier microbes that promote health as well as some foes that can cause illness. One evolving procedure is the fecal transplant, where a small sample of stool from the colon of a healthy person is given to a recipient for therapeutic purposes. Despite the ick factor, they have been used to treat potentially fatal, recurring bacterial infections for which antibiotics have been less effective. Now, doctors and researchers are looking to see whether fecal transplants can be used for other hard-to-treat illnesses. Avoiding scorched-earth regimen Health Canada approved fecal transplants for recurrent C. difficile infections in 2015. Impacting the colon, these infections lead to diarrhea and, if recurring, dehydration that can wreak havoc on the body. The goal with the transplant is to have the healthy bacteria outcompete the C. difficile and wipe out the stubborn infection. Overall, for recurrent C. difficile, fecal transplants were significantly more effective, greater than 85 per cent, compared with less than 50 per cent for antibiotics. Dr. Nikhil Pai, a pediatric gastroenterologist and associate clinical professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, said antibiotics can create a terrible cycle. "What ends up surviving after this scorched-earth antibiotic regimen are bacteria that cannot only make things worse, but can affect a lot of other things such as just general nutrition and metabolism," Pai said. In adults, a 2023 review of clinical trials published by the respected Cochrane Library concluded fecal transplants may also help control Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, two forms of inflammatory bowel disease that harm the gut when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks itself. WATCH | Debunking myths of fecal transplants: The power of poop: What fecal transplants can and cannot treat 6 years ago Duration 2:39 Bruce Vallance, a pediatrics professor at the University of British Columbia, said inflammatory bowel disease is essentially chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, possibly triggered by the bacteria living in our intestines. It can happen at any age, he said. "We're trying to figure out whether certain microbes are driving the disease and whether we could target those microbes, deplete them and hopefully remove them from the intestine so there's no longer any trigger for disease." Some researchers are also looking into using fecal transplants for teenage anorexia nervosa, known for its difficulty to treat and high death rate. Research suggests there is a gut-brain connection, and scientists are finding there is an association between anorexia and imbalances in the gut microbiome, which could influence a person's behaviour. Building slimy 'mini guts' Vallance and his team are also studying whether certain microbes that may drive Crohn's and colitis can get through a key mucus layer in the intestines. To that end, he's been working with doctors at BC Children's Hospital to take fecal samples and biopsies that offer a snapshot of what's going on in the human colon. Vallance builds "mini guts" — a 3D model of the intestines in the shape of a ball — to study how the microbes function. He's focusing on growing bacteria in the epithelium, or gut lining, which contains proteins with sugars on them that form a slimy coating. "It doesn't look nice and it doesn't sound nice, but that sticky coating is actually really important in terms of how we interact with our gut microbes," Vallance said. It's what creates the barrier against dangerous bacteria that can cause diseases like Crohn's and colitis. Another trial focuses on short bowel syndrome in children who have had parts of their small intestine surgically removed. It can cause an excessive build-up of bacteria, leading to abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea that's traditionally treated with antibiotics. There have been other unintentional benefits of the fecal transplant. Pai recalled, while at his other position at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, treating an autistic child who had recurrent C. difficile. "After their treatment, there were comments from the family that this child was also just showing some real improvements and changes in their behaviour as well as noted by their teachers in school," Pai said. "I don't think it's any surprise that other aspects of him also got better." Why we are what we eat Bringing back healthier bacteria also benefits the body as a whole, Pai said, which could be why the boy saw improvements in other areas. "The comment or the idea that we are what we eat is very true," Vallance said. What we eat and digest is also individualized, to that extent that everyone's poo is like a fingerprint — or poo print, he said. "Everybody has their own unique blueprint." When people eat a high-fibre diet full of vegetables, for instance, more fibre reaches the colon, where microbes ferment it and release beneficial factors such as butyrate, a short chain fatty acid. Vallance said butyrate can help signal our immune system what to do and when. But people with inflammatory bowel disease tend to have much less butyrate, a helpful regulator to prevent the immune system from overreacting, he said. Carrie Daniel MacDougall, an associate professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center's epidemiology department in Houston, specializes in nutrition and the microbiome, including the role of dietary fibre. Daniel MacDougall and her team showed that adding dietary fibre in the form of canned beans changed the gut microbiome of cancer patients within eight weeks and is thought to encourage beneficial gut bacteria to do their thing. Cancer prevention guidelines already emphasize increasing fibre with whole foods like beans, as well as fruits and vegetables. "A lot of what we're learning about the scientific mechanisms and the gut microbiome also has a huge impact on public health," Daniel MacDougall said. Gut health "has a lot of crossover with other diseases like heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease. "We're all learning from each other's research."
Winnipeg Free Press
13 hours ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Faith helps when it comes to coping with long COVID
Like many Canadians, I got COVID. Like most other people, it put me down for a couple of weeks before I recovered. But not everyone was so lucky. According to a 2023 Health Canada report, about 3.5 million Canadians reported longer term symptoms, with 58.2 per cent — 2.1 million people — continuing to have them. One of those people is Arnold Neufeldt-Fast, vice president academic and dean of seminary at Tyndale University in Toronto. Neufeldt-Fast got COVID in July, 2023 — his first time. Today, he is one of many people still struggling with long COVID symptoms such as extreme fatigue, brain fog, memory and concentration issues and pain. Any exertion, mental or physical, can incapacitate him for hours or even days. 'For some reason, the virus chose to wreak extra long havoc in my body and brain,' he said of the diagnosis, which came after three months of symptoms. Like many others with long COVID, Neufeldt-Fast — who is on long-term disability from the university — often reaches a point 'where I feel like I'm in a gloomy pit and see no way out, like a prison experience,' as he put it. So far, he said, his brain still works well most of the day. 'But brain inflammation happens so quickly. Talking, listening, thinking and looking at the same time does not work for more than 15 minutes for me — I get brain overload and I need a couch. It's all still so weird,' he said. He has had many medical appointments, done research and connected with other sufferers online. 'There are so many different ideas out there about what to do, and I've tried my share,' he said. 'But nothing seems to work. If there was a silver bullet for long COVID, I'd be the first to know.' While he is grateful for the research that is being done, it doesn't feel like much progress is being made. 'Research dollars are hard to find and the urgency to give this full attention is gone, unlike when COVID first appeared. It's like everyone has moved on,' he said. I asked Neufeldt-Fast how he is dealing with the condition from a faith perspective. 'I am so grateful that I am alive, even if I'm not well,' he said, adding he has been humbled by how many people — in his home congregation of Community Mennonite Church in Stouffville and beyond — have reached out. 'That is always a morale booster,' he said. 'They are also gifts from God.' He is also grateful for his wife, Sheri, who has been 'very supportive and patient with me. She has taken the lead on much that I might otherwise do.' But the losses have been real; there's so much he can't do, such as work. 'It is hard and humbling to see life go on, largely without me,' he said. One thing long COVID has done is made him more empathetic about people with disabilities. 'I now know that some folks out there like me may look more-or-less healthy on the outside, but are quite ill on the inside and limited in their capacities,' he said. He is also more alert to the cracks in the health care and other systems. Some Long COVID sufferers fall through those cracks and slip into poverty and homelessness, and even worse, he said. Although he continues to lean on his faith, 'I find it harder to pray than before. I wonder if that is common with many folks who have long term illness. I miss church. Even online or Zoom has real limits. The load on my brain is too much,' he said. He still believes in God, and that God is with him in all of this — that God also allows things like long COVID. 'But I haven't tried to dig down too deeply to explore the why. I'm not ready for that, and I am not convinced I will ever find an answer to that question,' he said. 'Some things are mysteries that we must carry with us. At the present, I'm OK with leaving it like that, though that might change.' At the same time, Neufeldt-Fast said he wants to be alert to 'God's activity or presence around me. I want to remain grateful for the little things and do not want to complain about what I cannot change.' Of the experience, he said that 'this is not the path that I would have chosen for myself and my family, or what I ever expected. But life is like that. It's the human condition. We are like dust. We come into being and go out of being. Perhaps, however, I am more alert than before to that spark of the eternal that is deep within me and in each of us, that spirit within that yearns for God and God's renewal of all things, including a sick body.' faith@ The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks! BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER John LonghurstFaith reporter John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg's faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Is Calgary's tap water safe again? Why a controversial mineral is making a splash again
After over a decade without fluoride in its drinking water, Calgary is set to reintroduce the mineral into its municipal supply beginning June 30, 2025. This follows a 2021 plebiscite in which 62 per cent of Calgarians voted in favour of resuming fluoridation to support better dental health outcomes. Calgary stopped fluoridating its water in 2011, citing aging equipment and concerns over cost. However, since then, health professionals have noted a rise in tooth decay, especially among children. Studies suggested that Calgary residents, particularly lower-income groups, were facing worsening dental health outcomes. In response to the growing evidence and public demand, city officials put the matter to a vote in 2021, resulting in a clear mandate to bring fluoride back. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Melhore a performance da sua frota [Clique] Sistema TMS embarcador Saiba Mais Undo How will it be implemented? After extensive retrofitting and construction, fluoride will be added at two upgraded water treatment plants, Glenmore and Bearspaw. The reintroduction project cost the city $28.1 million, and the anticipated annual maintenance cost is around $1 million. Live Events The city aims to maintain fluoride levels at 0.7 milligrams per litre, the standard recommended by Health Canada to prevent tooth decay. Given the natural fluctuations in fluoride content in the Bow and Elbow rivers, water quality will be closely monitored and adjusted accordingly. Broader health and regional impact Alberta Health Services , the Canadian Dental Association, and the World Health Organization endorse fluoridation as a safe, effective public health measure. It will also impact surrounding communities like Chestermere, which rely on Calgary's water supply. This decision aligns Calgary with other Alberta cities such as Edmonton, Lethbridge, and Red Deer, which have continued fluoridation without interruption. In contrast, two weeks ago, Florida became the second state in the US, after Utah, to ban fluoride in public drinking water. It stated that adding forced fluoride into the water supply is forced medication on people. Social media's support, skepticism, and satire The reintroduction has sparked a flurry of social media commentary, with reactions ranging from cautious approval to deep skepticism. Some residents welcomed the move, saying Calgary's water quality has long needed improvement. Others, however, expressed concern over perceived health risks. Several users referred to fluoride as a 'neurotoxin' and shared videos urging people to invest in home filtration systems. One user quipped, 'Time to invest in water filtration stocks in Alberta,' another warned of 'random poisoning' and advised switching to healthy water or filters with UV attachments. Conspiratorial tones also emerged, with claims about fluoride affecting the pineal gland and interacting with 5G frequencies. Still, a few commentators simply saw it as a practical decision overdue for a growing city. What comes next? City officials say residents won't notice any difference in taste or smell, but long-term oral health outcomes are expected to improve. As the system is phased in, regular updates will be provided through Calgary's official channels.
