Health

Dr. Alika Lafontaine practices anesthesia in Grande Prairie, Alberta. (Marni Kagan/CMA)

Canadian Medical Association nominates first Indigenous president-elect

Dr. Alika Lafontaine has Anishinaabe, Cree, Metis and Pacific Islander ancestry

 

Armstrong’s Miriam Hoekstra (centre), formerly of Lumby, is a mother of three kids in dire need of new kidneys. Both of hers are working at less than 10 per cent. She is hoping for a live donor. (File photo)

Okanagan woman seeking kidney donor

Armstrong’s Miriam Hoekstra, 37, mom of three, formerly of Lumby, is in dire need of a transplant

 

Prince Edward Island’s provincial flag flies on a flag pole in Ottawa, Friday July 3, 2020. A lozenge plant in Prince Edward Island has laid off 30 workers, citing an “almost non-existent” cold and cough season amid COVID-19 restrictions. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

‘Almost non-existent’ cold and cough season: P.E.I. lozenge plant lays off 30 workers

The apparent drop in winter colds across the country seems to have weakened demand for medicine and natural remedies

 

When people talk about Blue Monday, they really mean Seasonal Affective Disorder, according to CMHA Kelowna. (Pixabay)

CMHA Kelowna offers tips for managing winter blues during COVID-19

CMHA says it’s important to take care of mental well-being during these times

When people talk about Blue Monday, they really mean Seasonal Affective Disorder, according to CMHA Kelowna. (Pixabay)
Interior Health president and CEO Susan Brown. (Contributed)

COLUMN: Overcoming unimaginable odds in health care

Interior Health CEO Susan Brown reflects on 2020, expresses hope for 2021

  • Jan 14, 2021
Interior Health president and CEO Susan Brown. (Contributed)
Avery Brohman, Executive Director of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. Lia Crowe photograph

Tea with Avery Brohman

Executive Director of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation talks about healthcare and philanthropy

  • Jan 8, 2021
Avery Brohman, Executive Director of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. Lia Crowe photograph
Aging gracefully. Lia Crowe photograph

Aging Gracefully

Be Proactive In Preparing Your Mind and Body

  • Jan 1, 2021
Aging gracefully. Lia Crowe photograph
Arlene and Bill Fish stand with Bill’s ‘sister,’ Pat Haddad, who donated a kidney to Bill in January 2011. Both donor and donee are doing well, 10 years later. (Martha Wickett-Salmon Arm Observer)

Flash of insight leads to the saving of Shuswap man’s life

Pair urges more people to consider becoming a kidney donor

Arlene and Bill Fish stand with Bill’s ‘sister,’ Pat Haddad, who donated a kidney to Bill in January 2011. Both donor and donee are doing well, 10 years later. (Martha Wickett-Salmon Arm Observer)
People walk through the snow in the village of Blue Mountain Ski Resort in The Blue Mountains, Ont., on the first day of a provincial lockdown amid a 12-day trend of over 2,000 daily COVID-19 cases, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Ontario confirms two cases of COVID-19 variant first discovered in UK

First time the more contagious strain detected in Canada

People walk through the snow in the village of Blue Mountain Ski Resort in The Blue Mountains, Ont., on the first day of a provincial lockdown amid a 12-day trend of over 2,000 daily COVID-19 cases, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
A GoFundMe campaign has been created for Averi Armitage, 12, who was diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening medical condition known as aplastic anemia. (GoFundMe)

Relief fund started for Okanagan girl battling rare medical condition

A GoFundMe campaign has been created for Averi Morey, 12, diagnosed with aplastic anemia

A GoFundMe campaign has been created for Averi Armitage, 12, who was diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening medical condition known as aplastic anemia. (GoFundMe)
Ten-month-old Aidan Deschamps poses for a photo with his parents Amanda Sully and Adam Deschamps in this undated handout photo. Ten-month-old Aidan Deschamps was the first baby in Canada to be diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy through Ontario’s newborn screening program. The test was added to the program six days before he was born. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Children’s Hospital Eastern Ontario *MANDATORY CREDIT*

First newborn tested for spinal muscular atrophy in Canada hits new milestones

‘If Aidan had been born any earlier or anywhere else our story would be quite different’

Ten-month-old Aidan Deschamps poses for a photo with his parents Amanda Sully and Adam Deschamps in this undated handout photo. Ten-month-old Aidan Deschamps was the first baby in Canada to be diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy through Ontario’s newborn screening program. The test was added to the program six days before he was born. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Children’s Hospital Eastern Ontario *MANDATORY CREDIT*
A Loblaws store is seen Monday, March 9, 2015 in Montreal.Loblaw Companies Ltd. is expanding the launch of its mobile health and wellness app, a digital tool the company says will provide free access to health-care resources and support. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Loblaw expands launch of PC Health app, offering access to nurses, dietitians

The app comes amid an expansion of digital health technologies

A Loblaws store is seen Monday, March 9, 2015 in Montreal.Loblaw Companies Ltd. is expanding the launch of its mobile health and wellness app, a digital tool the company says will provide free access to health-care resources and support. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
(Pxfuel)

46% of Canadians’ daily calories come from ‘ultra-processed’ food: Stats Can

Ultra-processed refers to foods that are ‘mainly formulations of industrial ingredients’

(Pxfuel)
Charmaine Scherck with her fiancee, Jason. Friends of the Vernon mortgage broker have started a GoFundMe after a spinal cord stroke left her paralyzed from the chest down Sept. 17, 2020. (Contributed)

Funds raised for Vernon woman who awoke mysteriously paralyzed

Friends are rallying support for Charmaine Scherck, who suffered a spinal cord stroke on Sept. 17

Charmaine Scherck with her fiancee, Jason. Friends of the Vernon mortgage broker have started a GoFundMe after a spinal cord stroke left her paralyzed from the chest down Sept. 17, 2020. (Contributed)
Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid skates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Calgary Flames in Edmonton, Alta., on Friday December 27, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid tests positive for COVID-19

Superstar self-quarantining at home, experiencing mild symptoms

Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid skates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Calgary Flames in Edmonton, Alta., on Friday December 27, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Judie Shape, right, who has tested positive for the new coronavirus, but isn’t showing symptoms, smiles as she visits through the window and on the phone with her daughter Lori Spencer, left, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash., near Seattle. In-person visits are not allowed at the nursing home, which is at the center of the outbreak of the new coronavirus in the United States. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Lessons from a pandemic: How to design a nursing home that’s safe and love-filled

A look at how one care home is battling the pandemic with the social needs of the elderly in their care

Judie Shape, right, who has tested positive for the new coronavirus, but isn’t showing symptoms, smiles as she visits through the window and on the phone with her daughter Lori Spencer, left, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash., near Seattle. In-person visits are not allowed at the nursing home, which is at the center of the outbreak of the new coronavirus in the United States. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Keyboard on computer (Pixabay.com)

2 Telus Health medical service providers pay ransom after 60K client files accessed

Test results, consultation reports and prescription information was recovered after a ransom was paid

Keyboard on computer (Pixabay.com)
Health care workers watch a procession of first responders drive past Royal Columbian Hospital with lights and sirens activated in a show of support for staff treating those affected by COVID-19, in New Westminster, B.C., on Thursday, April 16, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. nurses report rise in depression, anxiety, exhaustion due to pandemic

A new UBC study looks into how the COVID-19 response has impacted frontline nurses

Health care workers watch a procession of first responders drive past Royal Columbian Hospital with lights and sirens activated in a show of support for staff treating those affected by COVID-19, in New Westminster, B.C., on Thursday, April 16, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
In this April 23, 2014 file photo, a man smokes an electronic cigarette in Chicago. A new Canadian survey finds that young people have been vaping less frequently since learning about the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Nam Y. Huh

Young Canadians have curtailed vaping during pandemic, survey finds

The survey funded by Heart & Stroke also found the decrease in vaping frequency is most notable in British Columbia and Ontario

In this April 23, 2014 file photo, a man smokes an electronic cigarette in Chicago. A new Canadian survey finds that young people have been vaping less frequently since learning about the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Nam Y. Huh
Free Alzheimer Society of BC webinars help local residents and caregivers living with dementia. (Alzheimer Society of BC Photo)

Alzheimer Society of B.C. offers free webinars for those affected by dementia

The weekly webinars running through September will cover timely topics such as COVID-19 stress.

Free Alzheimer Society of BC webinars help local residents and caregivers living with dementia. (Alzheimer Society of BC Photo)