Health News

(Shuyee Lee/ CJAD) — A Drummondville skin cancer survivor says she can’t find a dermatologist to help immediately in her follow-up recovery, after five months of calls and research and an urgent prescription from her doctor.

Suzanne Roy had a cancerous lesion removed earlier this year. Her doctor told her to get check-ups  …

(CBC News) — Since Quebec ended its free in vitro fertilization program in 2015, the number of applications has decreased by about 60 per cent, according to reproductive health specialists.

According to doctors interviewed by Radio-Canada, scrapping the program has forced many couples to abandon the idea of having a biological   …

(Ana Sandoiu/ Medical News Today) — New results could change the face of Alzheimer’s treatment; the herpes simplex virus is found to play a vital role in the condition, and antiherpetic medication is shown to have a dramatic effect on dementia risk.

Last month, Medical News Today reported on a study that found “strong  …

(Marta Subat/ Infosurhoy) – Men working in offices commonly use neckties but findings of a new study suggest that wearing ties may actually hamper work performance and limit creativity.

In a new study published in the journal Neuroradiology on June 30, researchers found evidence suggesting that wearing the popular men’s  …

(Amanda MacMillan/ Health) — British doctors are warning about a sexually transmitted infection that could become the next hard-to-treat superbug, thanks to its increasing resistance to traditional antibiotics. They say that the infection, called Mycoplasma genitalium (also known as M. genitalium or simply MG), can   …

(Rachel Lau/ Global News) — Hema-Quebec is asking people with O- or O+ blood to donate.

“It’s basically the effect of the infamous heat wave last week,” explained Vanessa Jourdain , a spokesperson with Hema-Quebec. “We had less donors than usual and there was a peak in terms of demand.”

Jourdain adds the goal is usually  …

(Canadian Press) — A raised bit of concrete on a sidewalk. An icy patch on the road. A misstep on the stairs at home. All of these can lead to accidental falls — landing a person not only on the ground, but often also in hospital.

Unintentional falls are the most common form of injury across the country: every day last year,  …

(Kristina Sauerwein/ Futurity) — A new study links outdoor air pollution—even at levels deemed safe—to an increased risk of diabetes globally.

The findings raise the possibility that reducing pollution may lead to a drop in diabetes cases in heavily polluted countries such as India and less polluted ones such as the United  …

(Matt O’Connor/ Health Imaging) — Queen’s University Belfast researchers found the eye may be a critical indicator for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) along with a host of other neurodegenerative diseases.

Published in the Journal of Ophthalmic Research, the study showed peripheral retinal imaging, using ultra-wide  …

(Kashmira Gander/ Newsweek) — Aspirin could be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, a new study has suggested.

Currently, the cause of Alzheimer’s disease is unknown, and researchers are scrambling to find a way to prevent and treat the most common form of dementia.

The research hones in on how the body deals with amyloid   …

(Rebecca Ochs/ European Scientist) — Seeing the same doctor over time has been linked to a variety of benefits for patients, including improved care, communication and trust, but new research suggests that it could also save lives.

In what is said to be the first systematic review of how continuity of care is related to  …

(Web MD) — You could call fibromyalgia a copycat condition. Its main symptoms — widespread pain and fatigue — are a lot like those of other health problems. And there’s no test or scan that can diagnose fibromyalgia, so it can be hard for your doctor to nail down what’s causing your aches and pains.

If you think you could  …

(Rich Haridy/ New Atlas) — A robust study led by researchers at Linköping University has uncovered a molecular mechanism in the brain that is believed central to the development of alcohol addiction. The research potentially explains why some people are more prone to alcoholism than others and may even lead to a new drug therapy  …

(Sheryl Ubelacker/ Canadian Press) — Rates of Clostridium difficile, an often recurring bacterial infection of the colon that causes debilitating diarrhea, have fallen dramatically in hospitals across Canada since 2009, a study has found.

In a study published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, researchers  …

(Rebecca Ochs/ European Scientist) — Scientists have discovered why coffee seems to be good for the heart and said that caffeine intake equivalent to drinking four cups of coffee a day could lead to improved heart health.

Although previous research has linked coffee to lower risks for various diseases, including type 2 diabetes,  …

(Austin Frakt/ New York Times) —One of the lighter moments along my journey to receiving a sleep apnea diagnosis was learning that “heroic snoring” is a clinical term. It sounds more like an oddball super power — snores that can be clearly heard through walls. Many of us have such a snorer in our lives, and some endure the disruption  …

(Hannah Devlin/ The Guardian) — The presence of viruses in the brain has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease in research that challenges conventional theories about the onset of dementia.

The results, based on tests of brain tissue from nearly 1,000 people, found that two strains of herpes virus were far more abundant in the  …

(Thomson Reuters) – Married people may be less likely to develop cardiovascular disease or die from a heart attack or stroke than individuals who aren’t, a research review suggests.

Researchers examined data from 34 previous studies involving more than two million people. Overall, they found that adults who were divorced,  …

(Canadian Press) — Nearly 4,000 Canadians died from apparent opioid overdoses last year, with men the most likely victims and fentanyl the clear culprit, new government figures show.

The numbers released Tuesday came as the federal government announced plans to severely restrict the way drug companies market opioids to   …

(Maria Cohut/ Medical News Today) — Do sleep-wake preferences influence our risk of depression? A new study confirms that they do, and “morning people” are on the winning side.

People’s chronotypes — that is, their sleep and waking preferences — could affect their well-being, studies have shown.  …

(Denis Thompson/ HealthDay News) — Fast food and processed foods trigger deep-seated instincts in the human brain that likely promote overeating, a new study suggests.

These modern foods, high in both fat and carbohydrates, produce a higher “reward” signal than foods containing either mostly fat or mostly carbs,  …

(Laura Brehaut/ The Province) — They’re high in fibre, full of complex carbohydrates and 25 per cent protein. As a pantry staple, they’re inexpensive and versatile. And new research out of the University of Guelph has found yet another compelling reason to eat lentils: they can significantly lower blood sugar levels.  …

(Aine Fox/ The Independent) — Fifty-year-olds with slightly raised blood pressure are at an increased risk of getting dementia in later life, a new study has suggested.

Study participants had a greater risk even if they did not have other heart-related problems, the research published in the European Heart Journal said.

The  …

(Alice Park/ Time) — By now, most people are familiar with the factors that can increase the risk of having a heart attack: gaining too much weight, having high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels, smoking and not exercising enough.

In a study published Monday in the journal Circulation, researchers say they have documented  …

(Edgar Gärtner/ European Scientist) — If you are middle-aged and overweight, you can still be fit, if you ensure your do four hours of exercise daily and/or exercise regularly. This emerges from research carried out by Dr. Klodian Dhana at the Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam in a study of 5,300 subjects aged   …

(David Railton/ Medical News Today) — New data suggest that high salt consumption may prove fatal to certain gut bacteria, and that this could contribute to high blood pressure and diseases affecting the immune system.

Scientists are already aware of a link between high blood pressure and a diet high in salt.

High-salt diets  …

(Pamela Kaufman/ Everyday Health) — Recognizing the early signs of melanoma — and getting yourself to a doctor as soon as possible if you see anything suspicious — is vital.

That’s because the earlier the diagnosis, the better the prognosis. For melanoma treated early, before it has time to spread, the five-year survival  …

(CBC News) — In Canada, more women than men are dying as a result of a stroke and they’re living with more challenges as they recover, according to a report from the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

The 2018 Stroke Report was released Tuesday and shows women suffer from the effects of stroke “disproportionately”  …

(Gina Kolata/ New York Times) — In a small study, doctors used so-called fecal transplants to treat a serious gut infection in patients. The transplants, from healthy donors, were as effective as antibiotics.

The bacteria can take over a person’s intestines and be difficult to eradicate. The infection causes fever,  …

(Canadian Press) — Canadians born between 1945 and 1975 should be tested for the potentially liver-destroying virus hepatitis C, a new set of guidelines recommends.

More than 250,000 Canadians are believed to be infected with hepatitis C, but an estimated 40 to 70 per cent are unaware they harbour the blood-borne virus because  …

(Lindsey Theis/ Fox News) — Missy Elliot. Hanson. Wilson Phillips. This isn’t a Flashback Friday playlist — they’re CPR aides, and a catchy ’90s tune is now being added to the list — “Macarena.”

“Just having music out there to help as a memory aid is really important,”  …

(David Railton/ Medical News Today) — According to new data, a diet rich in plant-based foods and low in meat — without strictly following a vegetarian or vegan diet — may offer protection against obesity in middle-aged and older adults.

Experts already know that diets that emphasize plant-based over animal-based foods — such  …

(Jacqueline Howard, CNN)  — If you’re in your mid-40s and haven’t had your colon checked, it might be time.

The American Cancer Society’s newly updated guidelines for colon and rectal cancer screening recommend that adults at average risk get screened starting at age 45 instead of 50, as previously  …

(Mark Lieber/ CNN) — The Mediterranean diet is well-known for its positive effects on cardiovascular and metabolic health. But according to new data from the World Health Organization, childhood obesity rates in the Mediterranean region are among the highest in the world.

The new WHO report, presented Wednesday at the European  …

(Ana Sandoiu/ Medical News Today) — New research suggests that moving one’s legs is crucial for brain health. In fact, exercising leg muscles helps the brain to produce new neurons, the study suggests. The findings help researchers to better understand the progression of neurological and motor neuron diseases.  …

(Kathleen Doheny/ WebMD) — Could an egg a day keep heart disease away, despite warnings in the past that the cholesterol was bad for your heart? Chinese researchers suggest it might, after their study following more than 400,000 adults for about 9 years found an egg a day lowered the chance of heart disease and strokes.

“Among   …

(Amanda MacMillan/ Health.com) — When it comes to determining whether a person is overweight, body mass index (BMI) is the most widely used measure out there. But doctors admit that BMI—a ratio of weight to height—is far from perfect. Now, a new study suggests there may be a better way to estimate the risks of health problems  …

(Julie Revelant/ Everyday Health) — An aneurysm occurs when part of an artery’s wall weakens, causing it to bulge or widen. Aneurysms can occur due to poor diet, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, obesity, smoking, and using drugs that spike blood pressure, like cocaine.

Aneurysms are most commonly  …

(Sarah Boseley/ The Guardian) — One in eight people in the world will have type 2 diabetes by 2045 if obesity continues to climb at the present rate, according to a new study.

Last year, 14% of the global population was obese and 9% had type 2 diabetes. By 2045, 22% will be obese and 14% will be suffering from type 2 diabetes, estimates  …

(CBC News) — An increase in cases of Lyme disease in Canada could be the result of greater awareness and better testing, say experts who remind those heading out in risky areas to take precautions.

In 2009, the Public Health Agency of Canada recorded 144 cases of Lyme disease in the country. In 2016, there were 992 cases countrywide.  …

(Charlie Fidelman/ Montreal Gazette) — The provincial digital health portal giving Quebec patients access to their own data is set to launch Tuesday.

Carnet santé Québec will be available on computers, tablets and smartphones, Health Minister Gaétan Barrette announced Friday.

“The online service is a tool for the   …

(Stephanie Watson/ Web MD) — The U.S. FDA has approved the first in a new class of migraine drugs that aim to fight painful migraine headaches before they start.

Erenumab (Aimovig) is the first of four new migraine drugs in the pipeline that target calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a molecule that’s produced in   …

(Catharine Paddock/ Medical News Today) — After analyzing day and night patterns of activity and rest in more than 90,000 United Kingdom residents, researchers have found a strong link between disrupted sleep-wake cycles and higher risk of mood disorders, such as bipolar and depression, and poorer well-being.

The study,  …

(Kaleigh Fasanella/ Allure) — In a perfect world, testing for STIs would be as simple as taking an online quiz. You’d plug in your answers, hit submit, and boom: Seconds later, you’d have your outcome. More importantly, the results would be accurate. Unfortunately, in the case of certain sexually transmitted   …

(ABC News) — The World Health Organisation (WHO) wants industrially-produced trans fats — linked with 500,000 deaths worldwide each year — stripped out of the global food supply within five years.

Margarine, ghee, and hardened vegetable fats often contain industrially produced trans fats — and as they are also present  …

(Robert Preidt/ HealthDay News) — It’s smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol — and not taking illegal drugs — that pose the greatest risks to people’s health, a new international study contends.

Researchers found that alcohol and tobacco use combined cost more than a quarter of a billion disability-adjusted  …

(Bill Hathaway/ Yale News) — Soon after an individual’s initial infection with HIV, damage to brain volume and cortical thickness progressively worsens until anti-retroviral treatment is started, a new study shows.

“We knew HIV could cause neurological damage, but we did not know it happened so early in the infection,”  …

(Luke Dormehl/ Digital Trends) — Imagine a vaccine that can “turn off” peanut allergies, an allergic reaction which affects more than 3 million people in the United States alone. Thanks to research carried out at Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center at the University of Michigan, such a dream might become a reality.

Researchers  …

(Christina Stiehl/ Thrillist) — Not drinking on antibiotics is one of those common-sense health rules that’s a fact just because, like waiting 30 minutes after eating to swim, or peeing on a jellyfish sting to make it better.

It’s also a great excuse to use if you don’t feel like going out one night; most people  …

(Express Drives) — We’ve all at some point been confined within the limited space in a car or bus or airplane during a long haul journey. While this causes utter discomfort even at the thought of it, we’ve sadly got more bad news. According to a new study, sitting in a confined space for long hours may increase the risk of developing  …

(David Railton/ Medical News Today) — Two new studies report an increased risk of psychosis among smokers of not only marijuana, but tobacco, too.

The tobacco study has now been published in the journal Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, and the marijuana study — which was conducted by the same team — has now been published  …

(Ana Sandoiu/ Medical News Today) — Most of us know that without sleep, we are unable to create new memories. But is simply resting — without falling into the dreamy state — for only 10 minutes after learning something enough for us to memorize it in fine detail? Recent research suggests so.

Sleep and memory are loving  …

(Kelly Crowe/ CBC News) — It took three years of fighting for access to confidential drug information, but a Quebec bioethicist has punched a tiny hole in the iron wall of secrecy surrounding patented drug prices.

Two weeks ago, Jean-Christophe Bé lisle Pipon won a long battle to force the Quebec Health Ministry to tell him how  …

(Qing Lee/ Time) — We all know how good being in nature can make us feel. We have known it for centuries. The sounds of the forest, the scent of the trees, the sunlight playing through the leaves, the fresh, clean air — these things give us a sense of comfort. They ease our stress and worry, help us to relax and to think more clearly.  …

(Ana Sandoiu/ Medical News Today) — New research led by scientists at Leeds University in the United Kingdom suggests that a diet rich in legumes and fish may put off the natural onset of menopause, while foods rich in carbohydrates may accelerate it.

The age at which a person experiences their menopause can impact their health  …

(Maria Cohut/ Medical News Today) — People with Alzheimer’s have severe memory recall issues, and progressive damage to their brains means that other cognitive functions are also impaired. This may cause a state of anxiety and disorientation in many people, but listening to music can help, as new research suggests.  …

(Ian Westbrook/ BBC News) — In England, 1.5 to two million people are likely to be taking anticholinergics for depression, Parkinson’s and bladder problems. University of East Anglia researchers found more cases of dementia in patients prescribed larger quantities of particular anticholinergics.

But experts said  …

(Robert Preidt/ HealthDay News) — Regular exercise can reduce your risk of depression, no matter what your age or where you live, research suggests.

In a new study, an international team of researchers analyzed data from 49 studies that included nearly 267,000 people in North America, Europe and Oceania. The study participants  …

(Shannon Brosek/ Medical News Today) — Vaginal dryness is a common symptom experienced by women when they go through the menopause transition and possibly for many years after. However, vaginal dryness can happen at any age for several reasons.

Vaginal dryness is the result of decreased levels of estrogen. Estrogen is the   …

(Kat O’Connor/ SheMazing) — Ladies, it looks like you’ll have to wave goodbye to wine, gin and cocktails in the run-up to your period because a study has found that alcohol worsens the symptoms of PMS.

The authors of the study revealed that women who consumed alcohol in the week before their period experienced more  …

(Annabelle Olivier/ Global News) — A number of citizen groups from around the province met in Montreal Saturday to discuss ways to make midwifery care more accessible in Quebec.

Midwifery has been legal in the province for 20 years, but access to services is lagging according to Lorraine Fontaine, a coordinator for Coalition  …

(Natalie Rahhal/ Daily Mail) — It does not matter what your tampon is made of – it can still cause toxic shock, according to a new study.

Tampons have no exception to the recent trend in organic-everything, and many companies have cashed in on promises of a safer, more natural product.

The notion of using an tampon or a washable  …

(Laura Donnelly/ The London Telegraph) — Don’t take it easy after a heart attack – regular exercise halves the chance of early death, a study has found.

Researchers said patients should be prescribed activity to boost their survival chances, in the light of the findings.

Swedish researchers examined data on more than  …

(Dani-Elle Dubé/ Global News) — Strawberries and celery sure do sound like healthy choices to munch on – but are you confident they’re free of pesticides?

(Catharine Paddock/ Medical News Today) — Researchers in Canada have developed a vaginal implant that aims to protect women from becoming diagnosed with HIV.

In a paper now published in the Journal of Controlled Release, they report how they successfully tested the vaginal implant in laboratory animals.

HIV, which is the   …

(Alexa Tucker/ Men’s Health) — When you wake up in the morning, you probably don’t give much thought to what went on when you were conked out. It’s safe to assume that you were, you know, breathing, right?

Not necessarily. In fact, with a common condition called sleep apnea—which can affect up to seven percent  …

(Kristen Knutson and Malcolm von Schantz/ The Conversation) — Do you wake up bright eyed and bushy-tailed, greeting the sunrise with cheer and vigor? Or are you up late into the night and dread the sound of your alarm clock? We call this inherent tendency to prefer certain times of day your “chronotype” (chrono means time).  …

(CBC News) — EpiPen injectors used to treat life-threatening allergic reactions are currently running short, and EpiPen Jr. products may soon do the same, Health Canada said on Thursday.

Health Canada said Pfizer Canada had advised the agency of the short supplies.

The auto-injector is a handheld device that treats life-threatening  …

(Niraj Chokshi/ New York Times) — It’s no secret that men are overrepresented in certain technical disciplines. So is their self-confidence, a new study suggests.

The study, published this past week in the journal Advances in Physiology Education, found that male egos eclipse those of women among students asked to compare  …

(Health 24 Genetics) — First cousins who marry run twice the risk of having a child with genetic abnormalities, according to a previous Health24 article.

Now a new study suggests that children born to parents who are cousins have a significant risk for developing a mood disorder – such as depression or anxiety.

For adults whose parents  …

(Rafi Letzter/ Live Science) — Your brain keeps making new nerve cells, even as you get older.

That’s a big deal. For decades, researchers believed that aging brains stop making new cells. But recent research has offered strong evidence to the contrary, and a new paper published April 5 in the journal Cell Stem Cell tries  …

(Ana Sandoiu/ Medical News Today) — If Cambridge Analytica didn’t put you off Facebook forever, this might: a new study says that quitting the social media network can drastically lower your stress levels.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal — also known as the largest data leak in Facebook history — caused the social  …

(Thomson Reuters) — Elderly women who eat more vegetables may be less likely to develop hardening of the arteries, an Australian study suggests.

Researchers surveyed 954 women aged 70 and older. They also used ultrasound to assess the thickness of the walls of the carotid artery in the neck, and the extent of plaque accumulation. Thinner  …

(Sara Chodosh/ Popular Science) — You may have heard that coffee gives you cancer. Or that everything gives you cancer—if you live in California.

The reason: Proposition 65. It’s a California state law that requires businesses with 10 or more employees to provide reasonable warning about the use of any chemicals the state  …

(Sara Rimer/ BU Today) — It took you half an hour to find your keys this morning. You forgot the name of a longtime colleague at a meeting yesterday. You got lost driving to a friend’s house last week—it’s true that you were more focused on NPR than the road, but you’ve made that drive countless times and you should be able   …

(Tom Hale/ IFL Science) – Rubber ducks might look sweet and innocent, but beneath their glazed-over smile, they harbor a terrible secret. Despite spending half of their lives in a soapy bath, their insides are filthy and pretty damn gross.

New research by the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, ETH Zurich,  …

(Bellatory) – If your feel that your hair is dropping in handfuls and you feel that you are starting to look more like your balding uncle than curly-haired beauty or hunk, then read on and do something about it! First of all, calm down! If you are a woman, then bear in mind that 90 per cent of women’s hair loss is only temporary; it is probably  …

(HealthDay News) — Overuse of antibiotics is one of the main causes of the dangerous health threats posed by antibiotic resistance — when the drugs are no longer effective against the diseases they were designed to fight.

Yet new research finds that antibiotic use by people rose 39 percent worldwide between 2000 and 2015,  …

(Kathleen Harris/ CBC News) — A Liberal MP, backed by his party’s women’s caucus, is pushing for a legal change to allow surrogate mothers and sperm donors to be paid for their services.

Anthony Housefather, chair of the House of Commons justice committee, said Canada’s current law is out of step with modern  …

(Rana L.A. Awdish and Leonard L. Berry/ Harvard Business Review) — Modern medicine’s true healing potential depends on a resource that is being systematically depleted: the time and capacity to truly listen to patients, hear their stories, and learn not only what’s the matter with them but also what matters to them. Some  …

(Richard A Lovett/ Cosmos) — We may not think of our living rooms and offices as chemical factories, but reactions occurring within them can produce a dangerous array of toxic air pollutants, scientists say.

In some cases, these chemicals are formed by the same reactions that produce urban smog, says Sasho Gligorovski, a physicist  …

(Charlie Fidelman/ The Gazette) — Early detection. Faster, safer, better. Aggressive ovarian cancer is more often than not detected when it’s so advanced that survival is limited; there is no reliable screening test.

Now researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Centre and McGill University say they’ve developed   …

(Honor Whiteman/ Medical News Today) — You may have heard that breakfast is “the most important meal of the day,” and a new study helps to support this. It found that eating a big breakfast and reducing lunch and dinner size may be key for people looking to lose weight and improve their blood glucose levels.

Led by researchers  …

(Kristen Houser/ Futurism) — The platypus is, frankly, a weirdo. It’s one of the last surviving species of egg-laying mammals. It has venomous flippers. And that furry body combined with the duck bill? Looks like it belongs on evolution’s blooper reel.

And now another strange element of its biology is intriguing scientists:  …

(Tim Newman/ Medical News Today) — Using computer modeling, researchers have designed a new compound that may help to treat neuropathic pain. In animal trials, it produced immediate, long-lasting therapeutic effects.

(Agence France-Presse) — Being overweight or obese does pose a risk of heart disease, despite claims to the contrary, a study of nearly 300,000 British adults suggested Friday.

While it is generally accepted that being overweight increases a person’s disease risk, some researchers have recently suggested that carrying   …

(Alice Park/ Time) — Researchers know that a condition as complicated as Alzheimer’s can’t be traced to a single or simple cause. Genetic factors contribute to the degenerative brain disorder that robs people of their memory, and biological process related to aging play a role as well.

But in recent years, scientists have uncovered  …

(Graham Readfearn/ The Guardian) —The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced a review into the potential risks of plastic in drinking water after a new analysis of some of the world’s most popular bottled water brands found that more than 90% contained tiny pieces of plastic. A previous study also found high levels of microplastics  …

(Ana Sandoiu/ Medical News Today) — When you’re going through a tough time, some people seem to know almost instinctively what you need, while others, although well-intended, may not be able to offer the emotional support you’re hoping for. Is this because the ability to empathize is innate, or down to our  …

(Scott Douglas/ Slate) — Here’s the most important thing I learned while writing a book on running and mental health: In clinical studies, regular aerobic exercise is as effective as antidepressants in reducing symptoms of mild to moderate depression.

And that’s not just because moving might help you get into shape and  …

(Doug Criss and Carma Hassan/ CNN) — What would you do if you and your coworkers were getting raises totaling $700 million? If you’re like a group of doctors in Canada, you’d fight it.

Some general practitioners and medical specialists in Quebec have signed a petition saying they don’t want the hundreds of  …

(Genesa Greening/ HuffPost Canada) — Today is International Women’s Day, and as I consider the seismic shifts that have occurred of late in the realms of business, arts and politics, I’m buoyed by the belief that women’s voices are finally being heard, inequity is being called out and change is coming. Once  …

(Thomson Reuters) — Selfies — or self-photographs — can distort the face and make the nose look larger than it is, according to plastic surgeons who say they’ve seen an uptick in requests for cosmetic procedures from people who want to look better in selfies.

“Patients under age 40 take out their phones and tell  …

(Mo Costandi/ Scientific American) — People who are thinking about getting inked are often told, “a tattoo is for life.” Etched into the layer of skin just below the epidermis, they are notoriously difficult to remove. And the laser surgery method for doing so is costly, time-consuming and—often—has far from perfect  …

(Ana Sandoiu/ Medical News Today) — New research published in the journal Neuropsychologia reveals that bilingualism makes changes in brain structure that are linked with resilience against Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment.

More and more research has been pointing to bilingualism as a viable means  …

(Nicola Davis/ The Guardian) — Diabetes that begins in adulthood falls into five distinct categories, new research has revealed, with scientists suggesting it is time to ditch the idea that diabetes is largely split into two types.

Researchers say all of the newly classified subgroups are genetically distinct and have numerous  …

(Candice Odgers/ Nature) — Last year, I received a phone call from an angry father. He had just read in the newspaper about my research suggesting that some adolescents might benefit from time spent online. Once, he raged, his children had been fully engaged with family and church and had talked non-stop at meal times. Now, as   …

(Nicola Davis/ The Guardian) — A type of bacteria commonly found on human skin produces a substance that may help protect against skin cancer, researchers have revealed.

The scientists say the surprise discovery regarding a strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis highlights the importance of the community microbes found   …

(Susan Scutti/ CNN) — Varicose veins may be an early warning sign of potentially deadly blood clots, suggests a study published Tuesday in the journal JAMA.

Enlarged and gnarled varicose veins and deep venous thrombosis, a clot that forms in the deep veins of the body, are strongly associated, the Taiwanese researchers found.  …

(Sandee LaMotte/ CNN) — An analysis of 30 years of research finds no correlation between progestin-only birth control methods and depression, said Dr. Brett Worly, lead author of the new study and OB-GYN at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

“A lot of my patients want to know if their birth control will lead  …

(Lauran Neergaard/ Associated Press) WASHINGTON — It’s pretty extraordinary for people in their 80s and 90s to keep the same sharp memory as someone several decades younger, and now scientists are peeking into the brains of these “superagers” to uncover their secret.

The work is the flip side of the disappointing hunt for new  …

(Honor Whiteman/ Medical News Today) — Researchers from Colorado and Florida have found that a drug commonly used to control blood pressure could have another use: preventing and treating type 1 diabetes.

The new research — co-authored by Dr. Aaron Michels, an associate professor of medicine at the University of   …

(BBC News) — Regular exposure to cleaning products significantly affects lung function, research has suggested.

The study of 6,000 people by a team from Norway’s University of Bergen, found women appeared to be more badly affected than men.

They said cleaning chemicals were “unnecessary” and microfiber  …

(Thomson Reuters) — In the first year after being told by a doctor that they have acne, patients’ risk for a diagnosis of major depressive disorder spikes by more than 60 per cent compared to the general population, according to a new study.

Dermatologists and other doctors treating acne should keep an eye on patients’   …

(David Railton/ Medical News Today) — New research — which has now been published in the journal Epidemiology — finds that drinking one or more sugary drinks each day is linked to reduced fertility, for both men and women.

In the United States, infertility is experienced by around 15 percent of couples, with the annual  …

(Jacob Serebrin/ Montreal Gazette) — In an open letter published on Friday, the president of of the Quebec Medical Association said he’s now embarrassed to tell people he’s a doctor.

“Recently, I find myself, in taxis, at restaurants, no longer longer daring to say that I am a doctor. When asked the question, I hear my self  …

(Ana Sandoiu/ Medical News Today) — Understanding the neuroscience of drunken aggression might help to reduce alcohol-related crime. New research uses brain scans to investigate why people can become aggressive after they’ve had a few.

The new study was led by Thomas Denson, of the University of New South Wales  …

(Amanda MacMillan/ Time) — Chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—used frequently in fast-food wrappers and other products for their oil- and water-repellant properties—have been linked to hormone disruption, immune dysfunction, high cholesterol and even cancer. Now, a new study suggests that exposure   …

(CBC News) — Nearly one million Canadians spent less on necessities like food and heat to afford their prescriptions in 2016, according to a new study.

The paper, published Tuesday, found that 730,000 people skimped on food and another 238,000 spent less on heating their home — a total of 968,000 people.

“We knew lots of Canadians  …

(Amanda MacMillan/ Time) — People looking to lose weight might try all kinds of ways to eat fewer calories. Now, a study in BMJ Open sheds some light onto which of those strategies actually work: Based on data from nearly 60,000 people, three behaviors—eating slowly, cutting out after-dinner snacks and not eating within two  …

(ANI News) — WASHINGTON: Did you know dim light could make you dumber?

According to a new study, spending too much time in dimly lit rooms and offices may actually change the brain’s structure and hurt one’s ability to remember and learn.

The Michigan State University researchers studied the brains of Nile grass rats (which,  …

(Raquel Fletcher/ Global News) — Quebec’s health minister came under fire for the third day in a row during question period on Thursday, this time over a report in the French-language newspaper La Presse, which found that MRI and CT scan machines are widely underused in hospitals, despite long waiting lists.

The La Presse  …

(Zawn Villines/ Medical News Today) — Some people mistakenly believe that it is rare or impossible for sexually transmitted infections to be spread through oral sex.

However, it is possible to get a sexually transmitted infection (STI) from oral sex; in fact, some STIs, such as genital herpes and gonorrhea, are more   …

(Kelly Steele/ Windsor Star) — The University of Windsor has kicked off a program designed to get students struggling with mental health issues into a physical fitness routine.

“We certainly know all of the issues with students getting in to see counsellors, the wait time, the prevalence of mental health issues on university  …

(Maria Cohut/ Medical New Today) — Many of us take the steps to shed those extra pounds because we want to live a healthier life or fit into our favorite outfit again. But could our efforts actually bring health benefits to our loved ones, too?

Finally enrolling in that weight loss program or adopting a more balanced diet is something  …

(Bret Stetka/ Scientific American) — For the most part, clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease have been woefully disappointing—failed drug after failed drug. Even colossal drugmaker Pfizer announced earlier this month that it will stop pursuing treatments for the disorder out of scientific and financial frustration.  …

(Ferris Jabr/ Scientific American) — For dentists, a cavity is a conundrum—in order to save the tooth they must further damage it.

Currently, the primary way to treat a cavity is to   …

(BBC Radio 5 Live) — Comedian Amy Vreeke has based a show around her diagnosis of endometriosis, in a bid to challenge the taboos around the condition.

The 26-year-old from Manchester was only diagnosed after years of being wrongly told she had everything from IBS to an STI, and much more in between.

She only realised what she had after  …

(Bob Tedeschi/ STAT) — Every decade or so, the headlines reappear:

“Fashion designer Cynthia Rowley updates hospital wear for patients” (United Press International, June 1999)

“Diane von Furstenberg Redesigns the Hospital Gown” (GOOD, September 2010)

“The Hospital Gown Gets a Modest Redesign” (The New York Times,  …

(Stéphnie Marin/ Presse Canadienne) — Among plant-based milks, soy milk is the best nutritionally, according to a team of researchers at McGill University.

Faced with the ever-growing popularity of these plant-based dairy drinks, and in the face of increasingly diversified offering on grocery-store  …

(Leslie Beck/ Globe and Mail) — No doubt you’ve heard about the Mediterranean diet. It’s long been reported to be the optimal eating plan for preventing a wide range of diseases including heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

If you’re wondering, though, if trendy new   …

(Honor Whiteman/ Medical News Today) — Not a lover of Indian food? A new study might change your mind. Researchers have found that a compound in turmeric — the spice that gives curry its golden color — could help to improve the mood and memory of older adults.

Turmeric has been linked to a wealth of health benefits. Last year,  …

(Susan Scutti/ CNN) — This flu season is fierce and has already claimed the lives of at least 30 children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although it doesn’t count adult deaths, the CDC estimates that 8.2% of those for the week ending January 13 were due to pneumonia and   …

(Catharine Paddock PhD/ MedicalNewsToday) — Injury to mitochondria — tiny powerhouses inside cells that provide them with energy — triggers events that occur early in Alzheimer’s disease and may offer a promising target for treatment.

So concludes a new study published in the journal Alzheimer’s &  …

(Sarah Gibbens/ National Geographic) — A person, commuting to work on a packed bus, coughs. If they’re infected with the flu virus, these symptoms could be a recipe for disaster.

Imperceptible to the human eye, the flu virus is   …

(U.S. News & World Report) — We put together a panel of health experts every year to evaluate the most popular diets in the U.S.

This year, our experts assessed 40 diets, ranking them from lowest to highest in seven categories, including the best diets for weight loss, diabetes, and heart health. Here is their evaluation of the DASH  …

(MaryAnn de Pietro/ MedicalNewsToday) — When it comes to weight loss, there is no shortage of pills, drinks, and supplements claiming to help the weight fall off. But do weight loss pills help, and are they safe?

The best weight loss pills may contain one or more active ingredients intended to increase fat burning, decrease appetite,  …

(Maureen Salamon/ HealthDay) — Men who are avid cyclists needn’t worry that hours spent on the bike will translate into problems in the bedroom or bathroom, new research claims.

Reportedly the largest study of its kind involving bikers, swimmers and runners, the findings buck prior reports that cycling could harm sexual  …

(Wency Leung/ Globe and Mail) — Studies regularly overestimate the prevalence of depression, using inaccurate measures of the disorder, according to a new research paper. As a result, they may give doctors and policy makers a distorted picture of the actual demand for treatment and health-care resources, the authors warn.  …

(CBC News) — The third Monday of every January has long been crowned the saddest day of the year, but while the science behind the unflattering title has been scoffed at by experts, some say the day has unintended value.

“Blue Monday”  …

(U.S. News & World Report) — We put together a panel of health experts every year to evaluate the most popular diets in the U.S.

This year, our experts assessed 40 diets, ranking them from lowest to highest in seven categories, including the best diets for weight loss, diabetes, and heart health. Here is their evaluation of  …

(Nicole Ireland/ CBC News) — An outbreak of E. coli infections linked to romaine lettuce “appears to be over,” the Public Health Agency of Canada says.

“The risk to Canadians has returned to low and the Public Health Agency of Canada is no longer advising individuals in affected provinces to consider consuming  …

(Alice Park/ Time) — Working the night shift is linked to a number of health issues, from heart disease to obesity to sleep disorders—and even cancer. Now, in a new report, researchers in China have found that women who work the night shift have a 19% increased risk of developing cancer compared to women do not work at night.

The  …

(Honor Whiteman/ Medical News Today) — When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, eating better is at the top of our list. But which diet plan is the best? A panel of health experts — on behalf of U.S. News & World Report — reveal the top-rated diets for 2018.

It is estimated that around 45 million people in the   …

(Dana Dovey/ Newsweek)  — Lack of sleep may cause more than just dark circles under your eyes. New research found that people who sleep less than the recommended eight hours are also more likely to have repetitive negative thoughts, a finding that could explain the link between sleep and mental health.

Sleep-deprived individuals  …

(Norene Anderson/ Livestrong.com) — The most common contagious diseases are categorized as bacterial, viral, fungal and protozoan. Bacteria are tiny organisms that are pathogenic (cause infectious diseases) or beneficial (aid in digestion). Viral diseases originate from a virus, a sub-microscopic agent that requires  …

(Tatiana Boncompagni/ New York Times) — Twice a week, often between video calls or meetings, Andrew Lowenthal takes a break from work to open an app on his phone that helps him focus on his breathing.

The payoff? Better stress management, clearer thinking at work and — to Mr. Lowenthal’s surprise — more strength and power  …

(Susan Scutti/ CNN) — Children who eat fish once a week or more sleep better and score higher, on average, on IQ tests than children who never eat fish or do so less than once a week, according to study published last month in the journal Scientific Reports.

Studies have shown a connection between omega-3s — essential fatty  …

(Cody MacKay/ CBC News) — P.E.I.’s provincial veterinarian is urging people in the agriculture sector to learn more about some changes coming to antibiotic use in livestock.

Starting Dec. 1, 2018, hundreds of over-the-counter antibiotics will require a prescription from a veterinarian, something Dr. Carolyn Sanford  …

(Canadian Press) — Julie Payette has issued a decidedly informal request to Canadians in her first New Year’s message as governor general — “stay active.”

Gone are the regal trappings that served as a backdrop to end-of-year messages delivered by previous governors general.

Instead, Payette chose to deliver  …

(Ariana Eunjung Cha/ Washington Post) — One of the most contentious questions in nutrition science over the past decade has been whether older adults should be taking supplemental vitamin D and calcium. As the world’s population ages and broken bones and fractures become even more of a public health concern, with huge  …

(Jon Tattrie, CBC News) — Canadians affected by Huntington’s disease are cautiously celebrating a breakthrough trial of a drug that safely lowers levels of the harmful huntingtin protein.

Bev Heim-Myers, CEO of the Huntington Society of Canada, said trials in B.C., Germany and the U.K. showed the drug IONIS-HTTRx   …

(Jacqueline Howard/ CNN) — More pregnant women seem to be using pot — sometimes to ease the nausea of morning sickness or heightened anxiety — and a new study suggests that this slight rise in marijuana use is most pronounced among those younger in age.

The prevalence of marijuana use among a sample of moms-to-be in California  …

(Sally Abrahams/ BBC News) — For years, Mary Rose struggled to get off to sleep or to stay asleep, because she felt like she was being attacked by insects.

“Imagine having a swarm of bees buzzing inside the skin of your legs, biting you,” she says, describing the sensation that overwhelmed her.

“It’s  …

(Rachel Baxter/ IFL Science)  — Working out what’s wrong with someone can be a complex challenge for doctors. But what if they could diagnose a disease simply from a person’s smell? Well, a woman named Joy Milne has the superpower of sniffing out Parkinson’s disease, and it’s helping researchers develop the first-ever  …

(Caroline Fitzpatrick/ The Conversation) — Child obesity rates are skyrocketing globally. Young children spend the lion’s share of their time in school, consuming a large portion of their daily calories there and developing lifelong eating habits and food preferences with their peers.

Do the schools attended by children  …

(Honor Whiteman/ Medical News Today) — An ancient herbal extract known as ginkgo biloba might benefit cognitive functioning after stroke, a new study suggests, when used in combination with aspirin.

Scientists have discovered that a daily dose of ginkgo biloba extract and aspirin can improve memory and “command and  …

(Dr. Davidicus Wong/ Vancouver Courier) — Though children greet the holidays with gleeful anticipation, many grownups default to dread and loathing. It can be the unhealthiest and unhappiest time of the year, but it doesn’t have to be.

In this series of columns, I’ll share practical tips to care for ourselves during  …

(Melissa Davey/ The Guardian) — Will Attwood has been addicted to drugs for the past two decades, an affliction which has seen the 35-year-old jailed multiple times and reliant on support from  …

(Canadian Press) — The abortion pill will finally be available in Quebec, and paid for by the province’s health insurance plan, as of Dec. 15.

Health Minister Gaétan Barrette made the announcement on Wednesday at a news conference in the National Assembly.

Following discussions with the Collège des médecins as well as  …

(François Mariotti/ The Conversation) — Are vegetarian diets the key to healthy aging, or could they be a health risk? These questions are a source of confusion for the general public, and for many scientists too. Why? Nutrition is a complex discipline and it struggles to provide simple answers to issues as broad as the relationships  …

(Jamie Ducharme/ Time) — If you’ve ever noticed that men seem to whine about being sick far more than women do, you’re not alone. There’s even a word for the male tendency to exaggerate their suffering: “man flu.”

But are men really exaggerating, or might their experience of being sick actually feel worse than it does for women?  …

(James Gallagher/ BBC News) — The defect that causes the neurodegenerative disease Huntington’s has been corrected in patients for the first time, the BBC has learned. An experimental drug, injected into spinal fluid, safely lowered levels of toxic proteins in the brain.

The research team, at University College London,  …

(Tereza Pultarova/ Live Science) — After a stressful day, you may hope to find some solace in sleep. But a new study from the United Kingdom suggests that stressful experiences from your day can make their way into your dreams.

The findings, published Nov. 30 in the journal Motivation and Emotion, suggest that, even in your sleep,  …

(Angela Mulholland/ CTV News) — Canadian researchers say they may soon be able to easily identify adults who are on the path to Alzheimer’s disease, using a tool that works in a similar way to a pediatrician’s growth charts.

The tool, called the QuoCo (a play on the term “cognitive quotient”), allows doctors to test the  …

(Marilisa Racco/ Global News) — A new report commissioned by the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada and conducted by the Université de Montréal, has revealed that 48.3 per cent of Canadians’ daily caloric intake comes from ultra-processed foods. It also notes that children aged nine to 13 are the largest consumers  …

(Meera Senthilingam/ CNN) — Going for a long walk on polluted, traffic-laden streets in an attempt to get fit has negligible benefits on your health, a new study has found.

UK researchers explored the benefits of walking in people over the age of 60 and compared the impact on their health when they walked along polluted urban streets  …

(Dennis Thompson/ HealthDay) — From the hills of Hollywood to the halls of Congress, it’s now clear that sexual harassment in the workplace has long been a fact of life for working women.

But while the media highlights high-profile firings — NBC anchor Matt Lauer and NPR showman Garrison Keillor among the latest — little   …

(Charlie Fidelman/ Montreal Gazette) — Quebec is investing $35 million in mental health to launch the first public psychotherapy program, the provincial health department announced Sunday.

In Quebec, as in other provinces, psychotherapy services are not part of publicly insured health-care services although psychotherapy  …

(Maria Cohut/ Medical News Today) — Researchers at several institutions worldwide — including Imperial College London in the United Kingdom and the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Lyon, France — have recently established that cancers related to metabolic diseases,  …

(Karen Pallarito/ Health.com) — When your friend is depressed and retreating from life, how do you draw her out of her shell without nudging her into an uncomfortable situation?

It’s important to recognize that depression is extremely common and, like any illness, deserves your compassion. One in six people will experience depression  …

(Jane E. Brody/ New York Times) — Having recently endured more than a month of post-concussion fatigue, I can’t imagine how people with so-called chronic fatigue syndrome navigate through life with disabling fatigue that seemingly knows no end. Especially those who are erroneously told things like “It’s all in your  …

(David Cox/ The Guardian) — For many of us, the annual ritual of putting the clocks back for daylight saving time can be accompanied by a distinct feeling of winter blues as autumn well and truly beds in. This might be felt as a lack of energy, reduced enjoyment in activities and a need for more sleep than normal. But for around 6% of the UK   …

(CBC News) — Yukon is as a testing ground for some new types of labels on alcohol bottles, that warn of cancer risks associated with drinking, and encourage better habits.

Two new labels were unveiled at the Whitehorse Liquor Store on Wednesday. They’ll be affixed to all bottles and cans sold in the territory over the next  …

(Maham Abedi/ Global News) — It seems unconditional love from a fluffy, drooling canine is one key to a healthier life — as many people already expected.

A study of more than 3.4-million people revealed that having a dog in the house is linked to living a longer life. The research, published in Scientific Reports by Uppsala University  …

(Daniel Victor/ New York Times) — When Elle Fraser, a business operations assistant for the New Jersey Devils, came down with the flu just before Thanksgiving last year, she didn’t think about staying home from work.

The hockey team had home games on Wednesday and Friday that week, and she worried that her work would never get  …

(Jeanie Lerche Davis/ WebMD) — Creaky, achy joints. A twinge in the knee. A sharp shooting pain from the shoulder to the elbow. No big deal, right?

Wrong. All too often, we assume joint pain is a normal part of aging that we just have to learn to live with. Nothing could be further from the truth, say experts, pointing to a wealth of   …

(Jen Gunter/ New York Times) — There is a rash of men explaining vaginas to me.

That is what I have decided to name a collective of mansplainers. A murder of crows, a parliament of owls, a rash of mansplainers. In medicine a rash can be a mild annoyance that goes away and never returns. A rash can also portend a serious medical condition, even  …

(Mallory Locklear/ New Scientist) — Could a computer brain-training program be the first effective tool for preventing dementia? The results from a decade-long study of over a thousand people suggests it might be.

Approximately 47 million people have dementia worldwide, but there are no known interventions that can be used to reduce  …

(Christian Nordqvist/ MedicalNewsToday) — Prostate cancer affects the prostate gland, the gland that produces some of the fluid in semen and plays a role in urine control in men.

The prostate gland is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum.

In the United States (U.S.), it is the most common cancer in men, but it is   …

(Marilynn Marchione/ Associated Press) — New guidelines lower the threshold for high blood pressure, adding 30 million Americans to those who have the condition, which now plagues nearly half of U.S. adults.

High pressure, which for decades has been a top reading of at least 140 or a bottom one of 90, drops to 130 over 80 in advice announced  …

( Dr. Sanjay Gupta/ CNN) — It’s one of the holy grails of science: a cure for Alzheimer’s. Currently, there is no treatment to stop the disease, let alone slow its progression. And billionaire Bill Gates thinks he will change that.

“I believe there is a solution,” he told me without hesitation.

“Any  …

(Steven Reinberg/ HealthDay) — If your sleep is continually disrupted by a condition called sleep apnea, you might face a higher chance of developing Alzheimer’s down the road.

So claims a new study that has linked sleep apnea with an increase in the development of amyloid plaque in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s  …

(Judy Silverman and Maggie Fox/ NBC News)— Breast cancer can “smolder” and return even 20 years later unless patients keep taking drugs to suppress it, researchers reported Wednesday.

They were looking for evidence that at least some breast cancer  …

(Nicole Ireland/CBC News) — Hospitals still account for the biggest portion of heath-care spending in Canada but drugs are the fastest-growing expense, according to new data released Tuesday.

Total health spending is expected to reach $242 billion in Canada in  …

(Thomson Reuters/CBC News) — The World Health Organization urged farmers on Tuesday to stop using antibiotics to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals because the practice fuels dangerous drug-resistant superbug  …

(CBC News) — It’s that time of year again.

Quebec’s flu vaccine campaign kicked off last Wednesday, and provincial health authorities are stressing just how important getting the flu shot is to prevent getting sick,  …

(Roshini Nair/ CBC News) — Researchers believed the proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease were largely produced by brain tissue but new research from the University of British Columbia shows proteins produced elsewhere in the body may also contribute to the development of the degenerative disease.

Alzheimer’s,  …

(Life Sciences Medical News) — Heart attacks pose a greater threat to women than to men. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has determined that in the first year after a heart attack women are subject to a significantly higher mortality risk than men with similar case histories. The scientists are urging doctors  …

( Ana Sandoiu/ MedicalNewsToday) — A new study highlights the metabolic changes that occur in the brains of menopausal and perimenopausal women, suggesting that a loss of estrogen could make these women vulnerable to developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The study was carried out by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine  …

(Dr. Tammy Chang and Dr. Caroline Richardson, The Conversation) — There is a longstanding debate in the research community about the importance of fitness versus fatness in health. Are exercise and improving fitness more important than eating well and maintaining a healthy weight?

Some researchers argue fatness does not affect  …

(D.F. McCourt/ Maclean’s) — For women of menopausal age, there are good options to reduce the symptoms of menopause, but there is also a lot of conflicting information out there. Women have to be prepared to educate themselves and advocate for themselves if they want to get appropriate treatment.

About 20 per cent of women  …

(Nancy Brown/ HuffPost) — The story seems like fiction.

A 9-year-old boy in Latin America loses his mother to a stroke. His six older siblings raise him, providing the guidance and financial support to become the only member of their generation to attend college. Then he goes to medical school. Decades later, he’s known around  …

(IFL Science) — Until recently, diabetes came in two distinct varieties. However, a third major type exists, a fact that’s only come to light relatively recently – and it’s far more prevalent than people realized.

New research indicates that this means that plenty of people with the new Type 3c are being misdiagnosed  …

(Aaron Derfel/ Montreal Gazette) — The number of Quebec doctors who have opted out of medicare — billing patients directly for medical services — has jumped by nearly 50 per cent since Health Minister Gaétan Barrette implemented his sweeping reforms two years ago, the latest government figures suggest.

Although the   …

(CBC News) — The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital is launching a new specialized centre for autismresearch, thanks to a major donation from the Azrieli Foundation. The $16-million donation will allow the Neuro to open up new and innovative avenues of autism research until now funded, said the institute’s director,  …

(Meera Senthilingam/ CNN) — The number of obese children and adolescents rose to 124 million in 2016 — more than 10 times higher than the 11 million classified as obese 40 years ago, in 1975.

A further 213 million children and adolescents were overweight in 2016, finds a new study published October 10 in The Lancet. Looking  …

(BBC News) — French scientists say they may have found a potential cause of dyslexia which could be treatable, hidden in tiny cells in the human eye.

In a small study they found that most dyslexics had dominant round spots in both eyes – rather than in just one – leading to blurring and confusion.

UK experts said the   …

(Daphne Bramham/ Vancouver Sun) — Women face economic disadvantages throughout their lifetimes, but it is near the end of their lives that it is most acute.

Nowhere is that more evident than in Metro Vancouver, which has Canada’s highest percentage of people living in low-income households. The 2016 census data for the region  …

(Rachel Lau/ Global News) — Sleep can be an elusive concept that is often lost on Quebecers, according to a recent survey by Léger Marketing.

According to the study, conducted online from Dec. 5 to 8, 2016 with responses from 1,523 Canadians, one in four Quebecers don’t get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep a night  …

(CBC News) — Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may fidget, tap and swivel around in a chair much more than normally developing children because it helps them to learn complex material, psychologists  …

(Liz Wiener/ Wisewomen Canada) — How often do the words crazy, insane or psycho pop up in your everyday vocabulary?

Last week, Lisa and I had the opportunity to reflect on the language of mental illness when we participated in a panel discussion for Bell Let’s Talk. The topic was the evolution of mental health stigma in the media. Has  …

(CTV Montreal News) — The Health Minister’s ban on hospital accessory fees eight months ago has proved to be problematic for Quebecers seeking some basic health services. Earlier this year, Gaetan Barrette did away with the conventional option that previously allowed patients access to IUD’s and vaccinations in doctor’s  …

(Dr. Chris Barratt/ The Conversation) — Sperm count in men from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand declined by 50-60% between 1973 and 2011, according to a new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Surprisingly, the study, which analysed data on the sperm counts of 42,935 men, found no decline in sperm  …

(Dr. Michael Wheeler/ The Conversation) — In many aspects of life where we need to use our brain power, we also tend to sit down: at school, at work, sitting exams or concentrating on a crossword. In a new paper, we explore how prolonged sitting may affect the brain’s fuel supply and have a negative impact on brain health.

The brain is   …

(Danielle Kirsh/ Medical Design) — Engineers at the California Institute of Technology have turned a smartphone camera into an ultrasound to non-invasively give detailed information about someone’s heart health.

Ultrasound scans take 45 minutes using the machine. Using the Caltech-developed app, the procedure is   …

(Jessica Glenza/ The Guardian) — Cancers associated with being overweight or obese account for 40% of all diagnoses of the disease in the United States, an increasing share of all cancer diagnoses nationwide.

Although new cases of cancer have fallen since  …

(CBC News) — Most children and teens shouldn’t consume sports and energy drinks, and the products should no longer be marketed to them, the Canadian Paediatric Society says.

In a new position statement released Tuesday, the society said sports drinks  …

(Rachel Cooke/ The Guardian) — Matthew Walker has learned to dread the question “What do you do?” At parties, it signals the end of his evening; thereafter, his   …

(The Guardian/ Dr. Ranjana Srivastava) — The consultation is over and I stand to escort her out. Through the open door, I notice the waiting row of patients staring drearily at the television.  …

(CBC News) — Three out of four Canadians diagnosed with thyroid cancer don’t require the aggressive treatment they get, an overdiagnosis likely due to the increased use of ultrasound imaging, suggests a new study published   …

(CBC News) — Each step we take reduces the overall risk of premature death, a global study reaffirms.

Researchers estimate about one in 12 deaths worldwide would be prevented if everyone exercised at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.  …

(CBC News) — Doctors are prescribing anti-seizure and nerve pain medications for a common type of chronic low-back pain, a non-licensed use, despite a lack of studies supporting their effectiveness for that purpose, according to a new review.

The drugs, known as   …

(Healthline) — When there is pressure or pain in your head, it can be difficult to tell whether you are experiencing a typical headache or a migraine. Differentiating a migraine headache from a traditional headache, and vice versa, is important. It can mean faster relief through better treatments. It can also help prevent future headaches  …

(TCTMD) — Women who choose to take hormone therapy—whether estrogen alone or in combination with progestin—to curb menopausal symptoms have no higher or lower long-term risks of all-cause, cardiovascular, or cancer mortality than women who don’t take the drugs, according to long-term follow-up from the two Women’s Health  …

(CBC News) — Middle and high school students in Canada who tried an e-cigarette are twice as likely to be susceptible to smoking cigarettes, which researchers call concerning.

In a study published in the journal Preventive Medicine, public health investigators analyzed data from the most recent Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol  …

(Agence France-Presse) — Fewer children are dying before their fifth birthday and although humans are living longer than ever before, one in five deaths last year were linked to poor diet, researchers said Friday.

More than 1.6 million people in poor countries died in 2016 from diarrhoea caused by contaminated water and food, while  …

(The Guardian) — Regular use of bleach and other common disinfectants has been linked to a higher risk of developing fatal lung disease, researchers have found.

The use of disinfectants is linked to a higher risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to research looking at incidence of the disease  …

(Kelly Malone/CBC News) — The rate of mumps in Manitoba is more than 100 times higher than usual, according to numbers from Manitoba Health.

There have been 853 confirmed cases of mumps in the province from Sept. 1, 2016, to Aug. 31, 2017.

“Normally we would have maybe eight in a year,” said Dr. Richard Rusk, a provincial  …

(Dr. Brian Goldman/CBC Radio) — Governments have been accused of trying to spin the news to their political advantage. It turns out that some medical researchers may be tempted to do the same. A study just published in PLOS Biology has uncovered a heap of hype in medical science.

Spin is defined as research conclusions that distort the  …

(CBC News) — A Vancouver Island elementary school is attempting to do away with the lunchtime juice box, encouraging staff and students to go water-only during school hours.

Since classes began this week, Alexander Elementary in Duncan has been conducting an experiment to see if pop, juice and other sugary drinks could be eliminated.  …

(Roxanne Nelson, BSN, RN/Medscape) — Eating whole grains daily and ramping up activity levels can reduce the risk for colorectal/colon cancer, according to a new report from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).

On the flipside, consuming red meat and processed meat increases  …

(Daily Telegraph) — Fifty is the new sixty for ten per cent of middle-aged men whose poor lifestyle has left them with a heart that is a decade older than their actual age, Public Health England has warned.

In 2015 the National Health Service launched its Heart  …

(United Press International) — New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that vaccines in the world’s poorest countries  …

(James Hamblin/The Atlantic) — If you’ve ever been on the internet, you’ve noticed that some things are popular, and other things aren’t. The popular ones have something in common. It’s not quality, or importance, or accuracy, but novelty.

An example   …

(CTV News) — New U.S. research has found that using e-cigarettes can be effective in helping smokers quit, but success can depend on how much smokers use them.

Carried out by researchers from Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, the team used data from the national Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey  …