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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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Falls in the elderly
As our population ages, so too do conditions that can contribute to falls. What are the consequences of falls and what measures can you incorporate into your life or the lives of others that can reduce their risk of serious injury and disability? Dr. Anne Monahan, Medical Director of the Geriatric Days Hospital, Falls Clinic…
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Insights into nicotine addiction
During this past National Non-Smoking Week many people have called up radio talk shows to talk about their successes and failures when they tried to quit. It seems that in the United States at least, making the effort to quit has been made just a bit more difficult. The Harvard School of Public Health’s report…
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Mindless Eating
Why do we choose certain foods over others? Why do we overeat when most of the time it is not due to hunger? How does food advertising influence us and does it shape our lifestyle? How many decisions do we make each day with respect to food selection? The actual number may be much greater…
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New understanding behind the mechanism of diabetes
Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), the University of Calgary and The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine have found a new mechanism that is directly involved in the pathophysiology of diabetes. This new insight into the mechanism of diabetes has advanced possible new treatment strategies, with the potential as seen in animal trials…
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The social cost of addiction
Many of us have our own interpretation of addiction. We use the word to describe cravings or desires for many things other than drugs. Food, shopping, gambling, video games and sex are a few examples. Nevertheless, addictions destroy relationships, marriages and families. They can result in financial ruin and destroy one’s sense of self. Friends…
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Reversing vasectomy
Many men, after having a family decide on vasectomy as a means of contraception. The technique has changed over the years and has become less painful and traumatic with fewer post-operative complications. However men have been advised to consider vasectomy as an irreversible procedure and despite surgical reversal the success rates are poor. A new…
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