7 benefits of being healthy

 Many people talk about the risks associated with being unhealthy rather than the benefits of being healthy. Being unhealthy, as we know, can cause a variety of nutrition and obesity-related health diseases. Chronic unhealthy habits result in 700,000 deaths in the US each year. How come there's less talk about

Should federal employees be allowed to use CBD gummies

 The Farm Bill of 2018 was supposed to clear up everything. Industrial hemp and its derivatives, notably CBD, became legal as a result of the bill. Companies immediately went to work getting more products on the market to meet the new demand, and consumers started buying them faster than manufacturers

Reflections from the Other Side of Reason – Emergence

 Since 2013, recognized author and community leader for mental health, David Gibson, has battled the inner world of PTSD to find some measure of hope within. He uses his writing to explore how his journey as a survivor has enabled him to come to terms with PTSD and the new reality

Provinces must act to prevent another OxyContin debacle

 By Vanessa Gruben and Louise Bélanger-Hardy This past week, 10 provincial governments have accepted a class-action settlement with Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin.  The settlement concerns the misleading claims Purdue Pharma allegedly made to physicians about the addictive nature of the drug. These claims may have contributed to Canada’s

Cancer Survivor Finds Strength Through Yoga

 Photos by Melanie Shields Photography and Joel Bedford Most of us are aware that the ancient East Indian practice of Yoga has spread like wildfire internationally over the past ten years. Yes, most of us are aware that it physically, mentally and spiritually benefits us. But for Alan Viau, a

Double Check the Diagnosis

 The other day I dropped by a café where I crossed paths with an old acquaintance.  As we talked, she told me her business partner had died of cancer only a year earlier.  Saddened for her, I asked her some details of his illness.  He had complained of back pain

Why Aren’t Governments and Medical Associations Doing More About Superbugs and Over-Prescribing?

 In 1928, a petri dish in Alexander Fleming’s lab was accidentally contaminated by a mold spore, leading to the discovery of penicillin and, in time, a revolution in medicine. Deadly infectious diseases like pneumonia, meningitis and tuberculosis could now be reliably treated.  Everything from childbirth, to transplant surgery, to chemotherapy

Pharmacare is for Kids Too

 Written by Avram Denburg and Steve Morgan You are the parent of a sick child. You have a limited budget and you must decide to buy the medicine the doctor prescribed for your child or provide food and shelter for your family instead. What do you do? Sadly this dilemma is one too

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

Shave for a Cure

 During cancer treatment, patients often tend to lose their hair. A common way people show their support to family, friends and others going through treatment is by shaving their heads. It binds people together in an effort to show their love and care. On Wednesday, April 8, from 4 p.m.

Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Profile: Sandra Schmirler

 2015 marks the Year of Sport and the 60th anniversary of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. In recognition of these important milestones, OLM will be featuring Honoured Members of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in a weekly profile piece. Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame aims to share the stories 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 things every Canadian should know about obesity

 By Carolyn Shimmin There has been a dramatic increase in the number of Canadians living with obesity over the past few decades and it is often cited as a risk factor for other chronic health conditions including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer. This means

Heartburn: is medication your right option?

 Paul is a policy analyst working for the Government of Canada in Ottawa. With recent cut backs in his department his work load has been significantly higher over the last two years. About six months ago he began to notice what he described as heartburn. At first it was mild

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

Learning How to Die – Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

 In his latest thoughtful, moving book Being Mortal: Medicine And What Matters in the End the doctor and writer Atul Gawande tells the achingly sad story of Sara. In the prime of life and while pregnant with her first child, Sara was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Doctors induced labour

Naturopathic and Conventional Medicine Team Up to Fight Cancer

 The Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre (OICC) and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) have been given a $3.85 million research grant to look into the effects of naturopathic medicine combined with conventional medicine. The two Ottawa-based institutions will be researching the effectiveness of different types of medicines used in conjunction with one

Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame Profile: Kathy Shields

 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

A New Paradigm for Cancer Prevention

 There have been several advances in the treatment of cancer over the last 20 years. We have new targeted oncology drugs with fewer side effects and improved technology allowing for more sensitive and earlier detection. Evolving research guides oncologists not only when to use chemotherapy, but more importantly, when not

Is it Time to Allow Assisted Suicide?

 Most Canadians do not have access to comprehensive palliative care This week, the Supreme Court of Canada has been hearing an appeal by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association that could grant terminally ill Canadians the right to assisted suicide. With this impending ruling and the passing of Bill 52 in

The Art of Russell Noganosh

 “Finding himself through art and using it to heal” Russell Noganosh set off for Plains Indian Cultural Survival School in his early twenties—but the skills he learned didn’t come from his studies. Noganosh’s life lessons came from friendship and art. Noganosh enrolled in school after fleeing from a foster home

Support Lung Cancer Canada with an Evening of Hope

 My friend and colleague, Philip Clarke, a seemingly healthy and vibrant individual, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer on November 12, 2012. Fourteen months later, on February 7, 2014, at the age of 48, Philip lost his battle.  The diagnosis was a shock to Philip, and to his family, friends and colleagues. But the shock soon turned

The Fifth Floor

 While mistakes happen and human error affects every institution, there is absolutely no excuse for routine neglect for the most vulnerable in society, wherever it may occur. However, it is all the more reprehensible when it happens in a hospital, an institution that exists solely for the care of others.

Living Well Cancer Care and Prevention Show Recap

 The first annual Living Well Cancer Care and Prevention Show hosted by the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre this past Sunday, September 21, can only be described as a complete success. The show, which took place at Ottawa’s RA Centre on Riverside Drive, brought together the most insightful voices in the health

Cosmetic catastrophe: Toxins in your makeup bag

 I’m sorry to say it, but some of your favourite cosmetic products may contain toxic chemicals that are harmful for your health. Each and every day we go through our makeup routine, our bodies absorb thousands of chemicals lurking in our go-to products. When you think about it, that’s a