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Safety of medication use during pregnancy
What do we know about the safety and efficacy of medications when they are used during pregnancy and breastfeeding? What measures do we have in place today and are improvements needed? A new Alliance of health professionals, academia, patients, health care policy experts and industry individuals has been formed to address these issues The Canadian…
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What is pharmacogenomics?
What is pharmacogenomics? What research is taking place in pharmacogenomics right now? What role will it play in patient care as we try to live longer, even following cancer, diabetes, heart & stroke? Pharmacogenomics is an emerging science that integrates the patient’s genomic data so as to personalize treatment and thereby improve the effectiveness and…
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New Canada Food Guide a bust
The new Canada Food Guide was released this week with great fanfare. Various food advocacy groups have sent me their press releases expressing their favourable opinion about the guide. What does the science have to say about these recommendations? Is there a consensus about what constitutes an evidence-based food guide? Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, Medical Director…
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The Misguided War Against Medicines
What proportion of our health care costs does each sector of our health care system consume and what are their growth rates? This answer to question is germane to governments facing serious health care budgetary constraints. There is an argument put forward that hospitals and prescription medication costs are the principle contributors to a system…
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Report Card on Cancer in Canada 2007
What is the state of cancer care in Canada? What are we doing right and what needs more attention? This week, The Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada (CACC) released its annual Report Card on Cancer in Canada 2007. Authored by oncologists and cancer patients across the country, highlights inadequacies, ills and disconnects within the system,…
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New smoking cessation aid
The options for people who want to quit smoking increased by one this week with the introduction of a new treatment approved by Health Canada. Varenicline tartrate (Champix) is a new class of medications specifically designed to compete with nicotine’s affect on the brain. What are the indications for its use? What is its efficacy?…
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Teen cancer survival rates dismal when compared to those for youngsters and older adults with the disease
McMaster University pediatric cancer specialist Dr. Ronald Barr says the teen gap in cancer care has been overlooked for far too long. Statistics show that gains in survival rates for teenagers and young adults (age 15 – 29) with cancer are dismal when compared to those for youngsters and older adults with the disease. Barr…
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Human papilloma virus vaccination recommendations
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended this week that all Canadian girls and women aged 9 to 26 should be routinely vaccinated to protect them against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause of cervical cancer. The vaccine is only the second anti-cancer vaccine developed, the other being the Hepatitis B vaccine. What…
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Antiobiotics not effective for acute bronchitis
There is no evidence antibiotics help the vast majority of patients with acute bronchitis, and doctors should stop routinely prescribing them. Acute bronchitis, an inflammation of the main airways to the lungs marked by an irritating cough, is one of the most common conditions treated by primary-care doctors, occurring in about 5 percent of adults…
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