• Biofilms

    Original broadcast date: March 8, 2009 How do you know that the disinfectant that claims to kill over 99 per cent of bacteria actually does just that? What are the mechanisms of action that result in this effect? Today, we are going to learn about biofilms, what they are, what they do, how we are…

  • Elderly Drivers: When should they turn in the keys?

    Original broadcast date: March 1, 2009 How do older drivers know when to turn in their keys? What are some of the physical factors that contribute to this decision? This life-changing decision is a flashpoint for debate about the impact of health upon the 30 million elderly drivers in the US and three million in…

  • McHealth News Stories: What makes a good science story?

    Original broadcast date: March 1, 2009 What constitutes a good science story? That depends on what side of the fence you sit on. If you are in the news business, fear and sensationalism are all too commonly used to grab your audience’s attention. If you are a company extolling the virtues of a new treatment,…

  • IVF Trends: The impact of fertility treatments in older women

    Original broadcast date: February 22, 2009 Although there have been recent news headlines and reports of fertility treatments resulting in octuplets in California and twins for a 60 year old Calgarian woman, statistics indicate that the preponderance of treatments for infertility are directed at women in the under-35 age group. A recently released report by…

  • Preventing Weight Loss Scams: Weight loss centres need oversight and regulation

    Original broadcast date: February 22, 2009 You have heard the advertisements ad nauseum. Promises of shedding weight made easy and safely. There are testimonials about the efficacy of the various weight-loss approaches and how it can change your life. It is a multibillion-dollar industry that according to two physicians authoring this week’s Canadian Medical Association…

  • Report Card on Cancer in Canada 2008-2009

    Original broadcast date: February 15, 2009 What is the state of cancer care in Canada? What are we doing right and what needs more attention? The Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada (CACC) released its annual Report Card on Cancer in Canada on Feb 10, 2009. It is authored by oncologists and cancer patients across the…

  • Overcoming milk allergy

    Original broadcast date: February 15, 2009 It may seem counterintuitive to some who are protecting themselves or their children from allergic reactions to foods, but researchers at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in conjunction with Duke University have determined that giving children with milk allergies increasingly higher doses of milk over time may ease, and even…

  • Sleep disorder provides clues to risk of dementia and Parkinson's Disease

    Original broadcast date: February 8, 2009 A new McGill University study published on December 24, 2008 in the journal Neurology reports a relationship between people who suffer from a particular sleep disorder that causes them to kick or cry out during their sleep may be at greater risk of developing dementia or Parkinson’s disease. This…

  • Specialized ultrasound technology can image the inner ear

    Original broadcast date: February 8, 2009 For many people with inner ear problems, the ability to diagnose the anatomical changes due to damage or disease is problematic because of the resolution limitations of the imaging technology in use today. A new technology is in development at Dalhousie University in Halifax that circumvents these litigations using…