‘Your brain is not broken:’ ACEs screening draws pushback
disease prevention
Don’t let COVID-19 defer the diabetes care you need
Should biosimilar drugs be artificially promoted in Canada?
Rush to risky challenge trials is unethical
Forest Bathing and other ways to keep stress under control
Climate change is fuelling vegetarian and vegan diets in youth
Why antioxidants aren’t as healthy as you think
Antioxidants have been researched for 20 years – with lackluster results. Is it time for us to give up on the idea that they’re good for you?
If exercise is medicine, why don’t doctors talk to their patients about it?
Yoni
From Alzheimer’s to heart attacks, loneliness in seniors has serious health effects
Is organic food healthier?
Kids and concussions: The newest evidence on long-term impacts
There’s a better way to screen for cervical cancer
When it comes to cervical cancer, the attention is centred on the vaccine for Human Papillomaviruses (HPV). It’s an incredible development, and I am hopeful that one day the HPV vaccine could render cervical cancer a killer of the past. But there’s another innovation – called the HPV test – that could be harnessed immediately …
Thousands of Canadians have lead in their drinking water. Do you?
Ontario must rethink alcohol sales
Over the past five years, provincial legislative changes have made alcohol more accessible in Ontario. The structure of alcohol distribution has now become increasingly permissive due to the loosening of historical controls on a harmful substance. The trajectory of alcohol policy continues to become increasingly adverse to the health and well-being of Ontarians. Consider the …
‘An imperfect tool’: The controversy over whether BMI is the best measure of obesity
When Travis Saunders went for his regular physical a few years ago, a nurse calculated his Body Mass Index (BMI). At 24.5, it was at the high end of normal, and she told him to “watch his weight.” “I just kind of smiled and nodded,” he says. As an obesity researcher, Saunders knew that since …
Canada’s dirty air: how pollution is hurting our health
This summer, record numbers of forest fires in Western Canada made air pollution impossible to ignore. Eerie photos of the smoky skies of Vancouver made the news – then disappeared after the air cleared. But the threat remains. Air pollution contributes to asthma, COPD and cardiovascular disease. And high background levels are often more harmful than …
Is wisdom teeth removal really warranted?
In her 20s, Nancy Fornasiero’s dentist told her that her wisdom teeth should come out. They were impacted, which means they were stuck below the gums because they didn’t have enough room. She was warned that the teeth were more prone to decay and infection than other teeth, and that they should be removed before …
Mental illness shouldn’t mean a shortened life
Serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, have a profound impact on the lives of the people affected by them. About 1% of the Canadian population has schizophrenia and 1% suffers from bipolar disorder, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. People with major mental illnesses also have higher rates of other acute …
It’s not just about you – screw the flu!
The Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) recently won an arbitration against Sault Area Hospital striking down their ‘vaccinate-or-mask’ policy. The arbitrator Jim Hayes found the policy was unreasonable, and a “coercive” tool to force heath-care workers to get a flu shot. While this decision is only binding to Sault Area Hospital, many hospitals across Ontario will …