Inexorably, as the national health bill rises, the number of people able to afford health care diminishes, steadily and alarmingly. There are more than 37 million uninsured; untold more millions are underinsured, while we boast the most technologically advanced facilities in the world. Read more…
IT is not a totally radical idea that poverty, pollution and poor job prospects are at the root of many of society’s health problems. But the notion was given important new currency this week with the release of several reports by the Ontario Premier’s Council on Health Strategy that have been nearly four years in the making. Read more…
With a health care system that fails to cover one in seven persons but is nonetheless the world’s costliest, the stage may be set for major surgery on the way U.S. citizens receive and pay for medical treatment. Read more…
Look carefully. You have about 6,500 clubs to choose from, offering pools, weight rooms and other amenities. But watch out for crowds. Membership estimates range from 8 million to 12 million, says Peg Angsten, editor of American Fitness magazine, with some clubs counting as many as 50,000 members. A checklist: Read more…
These can all be symptoms of prolonged stress, and they are not confined to ousted presidents. They have been found in blue collar workers facing layoffs, in accountants as tax time nears, in bereaved spouses and other lonely people, in ethnic minorities, in the poor and in children. If you think you can get away from stress by fleeing the city and taking up the rustic life, forget it. Read more…
Iron deficiency is most prevalent in infants and women, but also affects men, according to Nutrition Canada reports. Pregnant women are particularly susceptible and as a result, their babies often are born with iron deficiencies. And unless their iron intakes are in creased, these babies could develop iron deficiency anemia. Read more…
IT’S a well-known fact that iron is essential to good health, but there are times in life when the human body must do without iron to protect itself, says a Montreal microbiologist. Whenever the body succumbs to a bacterial infection, such as tuberculosis or meningitis, it must take special measures to hide the iron in its system, says Dr. Elaine Letendre of the Armand- Frappier Institute at the University of Quebec, in Montreal. Read more…
The statement isn’t true, of course. Most people will tell you just the opposite: that running will make you sexier. And several of the many books devoted to running make similar claims. That was about all I knew when I started running. A friend who looked noticeably better than ever told me she’d been running – and that she felt healthier, more in control of her body, firmer, sexier. Read more…
Crown Public Health dietician Janelle Mackie urges older people to eat a variety of foods including:
* Three servings a day of vegetables, and two of fruit. These are low in fat and are a good source of carbohydrates (sugar and starch), fiber, vitamins, and minerals. In-season produce is best, but frozen and canned products are a good winter stand-by. Read more…
Health care reform can be as confusing to those of us on the “inside” as it is to private citizens seeking access to health services for an episodic illness or a chronic condition. The often-confused messages coming from health care regulators appear to encourage for-profit chains to purchase hospitals to control market share or market penetration. Equally, they seem to discourage not-for-profit hospitals from merging or collaborating to avoid duplication of needed services. Read more…