Preferred Payment Methods in Canada vs. The Rest of The World

 In Canada, only one out of three transactions will be completed with cash, which is mostly used for small-value purchases, such as a cup of coffee. As paying with cash declines at a steady rate, Canadians become more prone to using contactless payment technology and alternative methods. Just like the

Gorgeous Glasses for Vision and Adorable Dogs

 Photo credit: Patrice Alsteen  On September 24th the Merivale Optometric Centre is hosting the ultimate win-win event. During their second annual ladies night, they’re offering exclusive discounts on all glasses & sunglasses, and each sale will raise money for cute, and incredibly important, Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind. Aside

Is Waiting Longer for New Prescription Drug Approvals Necessarily a Bad Thing?

 Why Canada’s ‘slow and low’ approach to new pharmaceuticals may be the prudent approach. The newest report from Canada’s brand name drug makers on access to new drugs has one key message: compared to other countries, Canada goes slow and low.  New drugs are slower to be covered by our

The Gluten Free Diet: Why it Might Not be Helping You

 I have lost count of the number of clients at Ottawa Holistic Wellness that I have advised to go on a gluten free diet because I determined it would help their symptoms. For the vast majority, it was a positive experience. Their long-term chronic symptoms disappeared. For the minority, the

When is it Okay for Doctors to Let Someone Die?

 By Dr. Charles J. Wright The long overdue public, medical, legal and political debate on end-of-life care is now well underway in Canada. Medical journals and the general press are commenting regularly on the subject, the Canadian Medical Association is changing its ethics guidelines, Quebec has decriminalized assisted dying and

How Canada Fails People with Mental Illnesses

 Canada Needs Improved Access to Mental Healthcare Services In any developed country, politicians and clinicians are struggling to improve quality of care while reducing costs of healthcare systems. To remedy this, groups of doctors across North America--including here in Canada--have banded together to create lists of medical procedures or tests

Five challenges for bending the health care cost curve in Canada

 By Greg Marchildon and Livio Di Matteo Why health reform remains a challenge Canadian economists received a pleasant surprise this year: expenditure growth on public healthcare in Canada finally appears to be slowing down. However, it is unclear if this slowdown is the result of explicit success in sustainably bending the cost-curve

How Healthcare is Rationed Differently in Canada and the United States

 No country can afford to give every citizen every healthcare services. By Trudy Lieberman As an American journalist sitting in a Toronto coffee bar, I began chatting--as I often do in another country--with people about their healthcare system. One employee taking people's orders was about to go off duty and

New Hospital Funding Model is a Leap of Faith

 Activity-based funding may discharge patients from hospital ‘quicker but sicker’ Most Canadians probably don’t realize that health care in Canada is quietly undergoing a major transformation in funding that could significantly impact patients.  Three provinces—Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia—are implementing a new funding model for hospitals and other provinces are

Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Profile: Elizabeth Manley

 In honour of the recent Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame 2014 Induction Celebrations presented by Canadian Tire on October 22, OLM will be featuring inductees—recent and historic—in a weekly Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Profile piece. Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame aims to share the stories and achievements of Honoured

Nordstrom Pre-Gala Celebration

 Photo courtesy of John Smith You could feel the excitement at the pre-gala party held at LAGO Bar for the soon-to-be-opened Nordstrom store at the Rideau Centre. It was a night of celebration and recognition of the two charities that will benefit from the gala scheduled for Wednesday, March 4th.

Why I Decided to Get the Flu Vaccine for Myself and my Children

 New flu vaccine options for children and those afraid of needles It’s time again for the familiar “Get the shot, not the flu” campaign. It comes every October and we are reminded into the spring that it still isn’t too late to get the flu vaccine for those who haven’t

Those Pesky Wisdom Teeth

 By: Dr. Samuel Kucey, DDS, FRCD(C), Dip. ABOMS In North America, it is a rite of passage to be considered for removal of wisdom teeth, particularly in the orthodontic population. The first appearance of wisdom teeth occurs in the early teens and is complete in the late teens. Sometimes the jaw

Just How Many Servings of Fruits and Vegetables Should We Eat a Day?

 Digesting the evidence Many organizations cook up recommendations for the number of fruit and vegetable servings you should eat every day.  Well known examples include Canada’s Food Guide which says you need roughly seven to 10 servings, the American Heart Association which recommends eight to 10 and the Harvard School of