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David Martin sits on a bench in a Toronto park. He was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 46.

More adults are taking medication for ADHD. Physicians say trend is a double-edged sword

News/Health | Tue, 03 Oct 2023 04:00:00 EDT

New B.C. data suggests the rate of ADHD medication use among adults has gone up dramatically. Multiple experts say it's a trend that could be improving the lives of many Canadians — though some warn it’s a double-edged sword, since these drugs can come with health risks and the potential for dependence. read more

X-rays of two breasts. The one on the right has more white in the image which is obscuring a tumour that also appears white.

Advocates want more cancer screening for those in N.S. with dense breasts

News/Canada/Nova Scotia | Wed, 04 Oct 2023 12:46:05 EDT

Advocates say they’d like to see more cancer screening in the province for women with dense breasts, but a Nova Scotia doctor says there isn’t enough evidence yet to support additional screening. read more

A man with glasses and wearing a blue jacket, shirt and tie, speaks in front of Nova Scotia's provincial flags.

COVID-19 levels in N.S. remain low as respiratory-illness season approaches, Strang says

News/Canada/Nova Scotia | Tue, 03 Oct 2023 09:34:01 EDT

Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health gave an update Tuesday morning on respiratory illnesses and the rollout of influenza and COVID-19 subvariant vaccines this fall. read more

Two hands holding a syringe and a container.

WHO backs new malaria vaccine that's cheaper, more available, but won't replace other measures

News/Health | Mon, 02 Oct 2023 13:01:40 EDT

Research suggests the new three-dose vaccine, called R21/Matrix-M, is more than 75 per cent effective and protection is maintained for at least another year with a booster. It's cheaper and more available than the current vaccine, but won't replace other measures, experts say. read more

A bespectacled woman wearing dark clothing and a man in a tie and lab coat are shown via a projected image.

Scientists who spurred development of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines win Nobel medicine prize

News/Health | Mon, 02 Oct 2023 06:09:00 EDT

Scientists Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries that enabled the development of effective vaccines against COVID-19, the award-giving body said on Monday. read more

Is it ethical for dietitian influencers to take money for posts? Not everyone agrees

News/Health | Mon, 02 Oct 2023 04:00:00 EDT

Some registered dietitians in Canada have taken up the influencer business model of sponsored content and paid partnerships with brands and industry groups. It's something experts say can lead to the perception of a conflict of interest that undermines public trust in the profession. read more

Two women stand smiling beside each other.

Canada stopped checking kids' spines years ago. Why experts say screening should come back

News/Health | Sun, 01 Oct 2023 04:00:00 EDT

Canada no longer has regular childhood screening for scoliosis, and other forms or prevention aren't getting the money and attention that surgery does. Some doctors and others want to change that, and let children avoid a long wait for invasive surgery. read more

A young person's hands are shown rifling through a snack bin filled with ziplocks of cheerios, oranges and tubes of yogurt.

Canada is the only G7 country without a national school food program. Advocates say it's time

News/Canada | Mon, 02 Oct 2023 04:00:00 EDT

Canada is the only country in the G7 that doesn't have a national school food program. Researchers say that as high inflation affects food prices, more children need access to these programs — but community groups say they need stable funding from the federal government to keep everyone fed. read more

Sylvia Jones stands in front of podium at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Ontario government expands list of conditions pharmacists can treat

News/Canada/Toronto | Sun, 01 Oct 2023 09:32:35 EDT

At a news conference Sunday, Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the province has added six more common ailments to the list of conditions pharmacists can diagnose and treat, effective immediately, bringing the total to 19. read more

Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron virus particles replicating inside an infected cell.

Researchers are still untangling the risks of catching COVID over and over

News/Health | Sat, 30 Sep 2023 04:00:00 EDT

In many ways, it feels like we tamed SARS-CoV-2 into submission. Yet this virus continues to circulate year-round, causing repeat infections, with few official measures still in place to curb its spread. Scientists warn the long-term toll on individuals' health remains somewhat uncertain. read more

Two people sitting at a dining table. Woman on the right types on a tablet computer.

140,000 Nova Scotians are waiting for a family doctor. Can virtual care help?

Radio/White Coat/ Black Art | Sat, 30 Sep 2023 04:00:00 EDT

Virtual Care Nova Scotia offers unattached patients access to doctors and nurse practitioners via app or website. Those patients can also be referred to a network of in-person clinics across the province when a video or phone call isn't adequate. read more

A shot of Comirnaty, the new Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination booster for COVID-19, on Fri. Sept. 15, 2023.

Health Canada approves updated Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19

News/Health | Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:05:10 EDT

Health Canada has given the green light to Pfizer's updated vaccine to protect people aged six months and older from COVID-19. read more

A baseball pitcher wearing a light blue Toronto Blue Jays uniform is seen mid-throw.

Want to sleep like Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi? Here's what one expert suggests

Radio/White Coat/ Black Art | Sun, 01 Oct 2023 04:00:00 EDT

Kikuchi recently took himself out of a game when he didn't get his usual 13 hours of sleep. But fear not — chances are you don't need the same sleep as an elite athlete. read more

Two women, one wearing a bright purple t-shirt and the other a white shirt with a purple flowery skirt, sit on a window ledge.

3 years after Joyce Echaquan's death, loved ones reflect on what's changed — and what hasn't

News/Canada/Montreal | Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:27:11 EDT

Though improvements have been made by the Lanaudière health board, Atikamekw community members say there is more work to do as the pain of Joyce Echaquan's death is still fresh and mistrust remains. read more

A woman reading a book to a smiling toddler.

Stopping high doses of domperidone, drug used for breastfeeding, can cause withdrawal, Health Canada warns

News/Canada | Thu, 28 Sep 2023 04:00:14 EDT

A Health Canada review has found there is a risk of psychiatric withdrawal effects when women taking high doses of the drug domperidone to stimulate breast milk production suddenly stop taking it. read more

Close up of a hand holding a positive rapid test, with two lines.

Rapid tests are less accessible even as COVID wave ramps up across Canada, doctors say

News/Health | Thu, 28 Sep 2023 04:00:00 EDT

Some people are having a hard time finding rapid tests in rural and urban communities across Canada. Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases this fall, doctors say accessible availability of tests and better communication from public health officials is key to keeping virus spread low. read more

A smiling Indigenous woman with glasses and long dark hair sits at a desk with her hands clasped in front of her.

Nurse says she won't rest until Indigenous patients 'actually feel safe' seeking health care

News/Canada/British Columbia | Thu, 28 Sep 2023 07:00:00 EDT

Tania Dick is the director for cultural safety and humility and clinical practice for the B.C. Ministry of Health, but she says the last 18 years of her career have shown her how much work is needed to eliminate anti-Indigenous racism from the nursing profession. read more

Alberta's premier is seen answering questions at a podium.

Meatloaf likely source of Calgary daycare E. coli outbreak as shared kitchen charged

News/Canada/Calgary | Wed, 27 Sep 2023 10:21:58 EDT

The City of Calgary said Wednesday it has laid charges against a shared kitchen — used by several daycares experiencing an E. coli outbreak — for operating without the proper licence. read more

An Indigenous woman with long brown hair wears a pink flowered tank top and stands in the sunshine on a front lawn.

Haida elder in 'extreme' appendicitis pain was allegedly released from B.C. hospital without treatment

News/Canada/British Columbia | Wed, 27 Sep 2023 07:00:00 EDT

Penny Kerrigan was flown to Terrace, B.C., because of severe stomach pain. She was allegedly discharged with just regular Tylenol for the discomfort and without a diagnosis of her appendicitis, something she ascribes to anti-Indigenous bias. read more

Canada relies on Filipino nurses to fill chronic nursing shortage across country

| Tue, 26 Sep 2023 15:23:00 EDT

Since the 1960s, Canada has relied heavily on the Philippines for its nurses. CBC News producer Stephanie Dubois spent weeks in the Philippines in June to learn more about the people involved in recruiting Filipino nurses for Canada and how they do it. We also wanted to know why nurses feel compelled to leave. read more

Butt out: U.K. proposes banning cigarettes for young people

Health/World/cigarette ban | Wed, 04 Oct 2023 16:24:50 +0000

If passed into law, the smoking age would rise by one year every year, potentially phasing out smoking among young people by 2040. read more

Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded for work on coloured lights

Health/Science/World | Wed, 04 Oct 2023 11:56:37 +0000

Three scientists based in the U.S. won the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for their work on quantum dots - whose applications include electronics and medical imaging. read more

RSV vaccine for older Canadians comes at a cost. Why experts are worried

Canada/Health/Arexvy | Wed, 04 Oct 2023 10:00:26 +0000

There are numerous types of RSV vaccines that are currently being developed, one of which is approved by Health Canada (approved as a single dose). read more

U.S. announces indictments, sanctions against Chinese fentanyl supply chain producers

Canada/Crime/Health | Tue, 03 Oct 2023 23:46:01 +0000

The moves come one day before senior administration officials are set to visit Mexico for meetings expected to involve discussion of the drug threat. read more

N.S. top doctor urges people to get vaccinated against respiratory illnesses this fall

Canada/Health/COVID | Tue, 03 Oct 2023 12:28:21 +0000

Nova Scotia’s top doctor is imploring people to get vaccinated to protect themselves and others from respiratory illnesses this fall. read more

Eating disorder rates jumped ‘significantly’ among adolescents amid COVID: study

Canada/Health/Anorexia nervosa | Tue, 03 Oct 2023 04:01:22 +0000

Eating disorders requiring hospital care increased 'significantly' among children and teenagers in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research. read more

WHO approves 2nd malaria vaccine. Why experts say its not enough

Health/World/Malaria | Mon, 02 Oct 2023 15:19:45 +0000

In 2021, WHO endorsed the first malaria vaccine in what it described as a 'historic' effort to end the devastating toll the mosquito-transmitted disease has on Africa. read more

Nobel Prize in medicine awarded to 2 scientists for COVID vaccine discoveries

Health/Science/World | Mon, 02 Oct 2023 11:34:16 +0000

Hungarian scientist Katalin Kariko and U.S. colleague Drew Weissman made mRNA molecule discoveries together that paved the way for COVID-19 vaccines. read more

‘Critically important’: B.C. needs safe places to inhale drugs, coroner says

Health/Politics/BC Coroner | Sun, 01 Oct 2023 22:59:20 +0000

Nearly two-thirds of the overdose deaths in British Columbia this year came after smoking illicit drugs. read more

Student violence on teachers is a growing concern. What can be done?

Canada/Education/Health | Sat, 30 Sep 2023 12:00:54 +0000

With mounting concerns over cases of violence and abuse, union leaders and teachers say there are multiple issues that need to be addressed. read more