Norovirus: a summer outbreak could lead to a winter crisis

Jul 24, 2018 16:06 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

Apparently there is a bug going around. Local and national press are reporting unusually high numbers of people suffering with diarrhoea and vomiting in Britain this summer. The reports suggest that this is a short-lived...

U.S. support of formula over breastfeeding is a race issue

Jul 24, 2018 15:58 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

When the United States threatened Ecuador with trade and aid restrictions if it did not withdraw a World Health Assembly breastfeeding promotion resolution that most people considered benign, if not banal, reactions ranged...

Debunking the myths about a Canadian pharmacare program

Jul 24, 2018 15:47 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

Recently in Canada, there has been increasing public discussion of universal public drug insurance, or pharmacare. The federal governments Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare is consulting with...

How culture influences children's development

Jul 20, 2018 07:58 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

From educational toys to governmental guidelines and detailed nursery progress reports, there are lots of resources available to help parents track and facilitate their childrens development. But while there are tricks we...

Probiotics and prebiotics – is it safe to use them to treat disease?

Jul 19, 2018 16:18 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

The link between gut microbes and health is now well established. As a result, researchers have been investigating the effects of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics on various diseases. Worryingly, though, they havent...

Health clubs using tanning beds to attract members despite cancer risks, new study shows

Jul 19, 2018 14:41 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

I drove past Planet Fitness on the way to my 10-year-olds gymnastics class and had to chuckle at their sign advertising free pizza as part of a new member promotion. I decided to use this as a teaching moment, explaining...

New treatment in the works for disfiguring skin disease, vitiligo

Jul 19, 2018 14:35 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

In many parts of the world there is great shame and stigma tied to vitiligo, an autoimmune disease of the skin that causes disfiguring white spots, which can appear anywhere on the body. In some societies, individuals with...