Ban smoking in all vehicles carrying kids, doctors say
Canada's doctors are calling on governments to ban smoking in all vehicles carrying children. The resolution was put forward by Ottawa physician Atul Kapur, who said it was a long-overdue child-protection measure.

Top MD to wage war on waiting
Canada's top doctor says queues ''are not a necessary evil'' and Canadians should expect nothing less than the complete elimination of all waiting times. In his inaugural speech as head of the Canadian Medical Association, Brian Day set out a five-point, market-driven plan to eliminate waiting for health-care services, all the while vowing unequivocal support for universal health care.

American ex-pats critique our health care
Given the choice, which health-care regime would you pick: the free-market U.S. system with its swift but costly - and sometimes out-of-reach - state-of-the-art treatment? Or, the state-controlled Canadian system with ''free'' care, equitable access and rationing that creates waits?

Only doctors may prescribe, CMA resolves
Canada's doctors are bitterly denouncing the idea that pharmacists be allowed to prescribe drugs independently, saying such a practice places patients at risk.Independent prescribing by pharmacists, nurse-practitioners and midwives is already permitted, to varying degrees, in six provinces.

1 in 4 patients prescribed unproven drug mix
Patients with high blood pressure are increasingly being treated with powerful combinations of drugs.And according to a new Canadian study, one in four patients are being prescribed unproven - and probably ineffective - combinations by their doctors.

Clement plans 'plain truth' anti-drug campaign
Troubled by widespread and casual drug use, the federal government is planning a massive anti-drug campaign to provide young people with the ''plain truth'' about everything from pot to pills.

Doctors' orders: Expand medical coverage to long-term care
Canada's doctors are calling on the federal government to create new legislation to ensure that prescription drugs, home care and long-term care are publicly funded just like physician and hospital care.

Majority fear imported food unsafe, poll finds
An overwhelming majority of Canadians are worried about the safety of imported foods - fruits and vegetables in particular - because of lax environmental standards in other countries, according to a new poll.

You can learn heart help in a hurry
Here's some good news for people who would like to have the ability to save a life with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but feel they don't have time to acquire the skills.

Chronic care: It's time for smarter solutions
Between 1996 and 2006, health-care spending in Canada almost doubled, increasing to $148-billion from $75-billion. Virtually all of that increase was due to the treatment demands of people with chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression, cancer and arthritis.

Rethink prescribed oxygen, researchers say
Large numbers of people who are prescribed oxygen because they get short of breath when they are active do not benefit from the therapy, according to a groundbreaking Canadian study.

HPV vaccine prevents infection, doesn't cure it
The HPV vaccine prevents infection with human papillomavirus, but it doesn't provide any benefit to women who have already been exposed to the common, sexually transmitted infection, according to new research.

Losing sleep over 'natural' aides
Leslie Alexander was suffering from insomnia and, with a mere two to three hours of sleep nightly, her energy and productivity plummeted.But, as someone concerned about her health and well-being, the Vancouver-based folk singer was reluctant to take prescription sleeping pills, knowing they can be highly addictive.

Governments failing native children with severe medical problems, report says
Hundreds of aboriginal children with severe medical problems are being reluctantly surrendered to welfare authorities and moved to institutions in big cities because federal and provincial health authorities cannot agree on who should pay to care for them in their home communities.

How politics pushed the HPV vaccine
Not since the Salk vaccine was triumphantly unveiled in 1955 as the miracle drug that would end the scourge of polio has there been as much hoopla surrounding a vaccine as there is today about one that is being touted for having the potential to eradicate cervical cancer.

Post-workout milk boosts fat burn
Want to get the most from your workout? Then ditch the Gatorade and reach instead for a tall, cool glass of milk.That is the message emerging from a new Canadian study that found that exercisers who drink milk after a workout gain more muscle and lose more fat than those who consume sports drinks.

Does self-regulation work for the medical profession?
The failings of Jocelyne Genest, a family doctor and surgeon in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que., are eye-popping.According to testimony before a disciplinary panel of the College des medecins du Quebec, among other things, she...

Cannabis-based spray painkiller approved for cancer patients
Health Canada has approved a new cannabis-based painkiller to help alleviate the suffering of cancer patients.The drug, sold under the brand name Sativex, is administered by spraying it into the mouth. It is intended to be used by cancer patients suffering from neuropathic or nerve pain, which is excruciating and difficult to control.

Are diet foods making your kids fat?
Feeding children diet food and low-calorie drinks may, paradoxically, spur overeating and weight gain, a new Canadian study suggests.That's because humans, like most animals, are able to instinctively match calorie intake with the body's needs, and are conditioned to associate food tastes with calories ingested.

www.longwoods.com September 04, 2007

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