News and Media Archive - 2013
Recent Posts
Healthy Debate: Naturopaths and the creep of pseudoscience
Sadly, the creep of pseudoscience – as manifested in the provincial legitimization of unproven alternative approaches to health – continues. Ontario naturopaths are pushing hard to become a self-regulating profession, with expanded rights to prescribe drugs and order tests. Thankfully, the Ontario Medical Association is pushing back.
The science-approved diet method
It seems like every season is diet season. Slim down for the holidays! Get great abs for beikini season! New Year, new you!
Assisted suicide debate heats up in Canada - Video
Assisted suicide has been in the spotlight recently, after a dying Winnipeg woman went to Switzerland to make use of the country's assisted-suicide law.
Can you know too much about your genes? Jolie has turned a spotlight on testing, but it may have risks
Genetic testers have been flooded with inquiries since Tuesday, when Angelina Jolie published an op-ed in The New York Times about her preventative double mastectomy after a genetic test revealed the genetic mutation BRCA1, which sharply increases her chance of getting breast and ovarian cancer. The decision, the actor said, was difficult, but the right one to make if she wanted to drastically reduce her risk.
La nouvelle mission d'Hélène
Les greffés canadiens et ceux qui attendent toujours une greffe ont de nouvelles raisons d'espérer à la suite du lancement d'un programme de recherche national sur la transplantation, lundi. Parole d'Hélène Campbell.
Ottawa Hospital researcher to probe ways to increase organ donations
OTTAWA - An Ottawa researcher is heading up a team that will be part of a major national transplantation research program aimed at increasing donations.
Edmonton cardiologist oversees $23M national project to solve transplant problems
EDMONTON - An Edmonton-based cardiologist has been tapped to lead a new $23-million national project aimed at solving some of the biggest issues plaguing transplant patients in Canada. Increasing the availability of transplants, improving the viability of donated organs and enhancing the long-term survival of patients are among the major goals of the Canadian National Transplant Research Program headed up by Dr. Lori West.
Edmonton researcher at centre of new national program helping Canadian transplant patients
Experts from the University of Alberta are at the centre of a world first - a new national transplant research program that aims to help Canadians waiting for transplants and extend the lives of those who have already received one.
BC scientists to take part in national organ transplant research program
B.C. researchers are playing a key role in a new national organ transplant research program announced by the federal government on Monday, including developing technology designed to reduce organ rejection and the need to take immune-suppressing drugs.
Organ transplant program expected to boost success rate
Organ transplant rates in Canada will improve thanks to a new national research program based at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, says the lead scientist. "There are 4,500 Canadians waiting for transplants right now … and they face a 30 to 40 per cent risk of not ever getting a transplant," said Dr. Lori West, a clinician scientist at the University of Alberta. "Canada lags behind." West is leading the $24.9 million initiative, which will bring together dozens of medical researchers from across the country.
Hélène Campbell, health minister announce new organ transplant initiatives
OTTAWA - Organ donation activist Hélène Campbell is stepping up efforts to help people waiting for transplants. Campbell has launched the Give2Live Campaign, which aims to use online crowdfunding to raise money for families struggling to pay for housing and medical equipment as their loved ones await transplants.
Justices Consider Whether Patents on Genes are Valid
The Supreme Court is poised to take up the highly charged question of whether human genes can be patented. But another question could trump it: Has the field of genetics moved so far so fast that whatever the court decides, it has come too late to the issue?
Science, speculation and the spectre of genetics
(Edmonton) Concerned about whether your genes could be patented? Worried about being left in the dust by genetically mutated colleagues or classmates? Losing sleep over what your genes may tell you about your susceptibility to sickness? A University of Alberta professor is championing the call for less fear-based hype and more evidence-based policy on the issue of genetics.
Genes: To Test or Not to Test?
We are continually told we are living in the midst of a "genetic revolution." You hear this from politicians, leading scientists and the popular media. And there are innumerable new, direct-to-consumer companies trying to sell you a genetic test. The companies promise everything from improved mate selection to weight loss to a longer and healthier life.
Obesity Experts Call For Ban on Food Ads Targeted Kids
(Newsroom America) -- Researchers from the University of Alberta are leading a charge among Canada's obesity experts and calling on the federal government to ban food and beverage ads that target children.
How to fight obesity? Ban food and drink ads targeted at teens, experts say
Forget a ban on junk food advertising. To help combat rising obesity rates among children and adolescents, a group of Canadian researchers is proposing a ban on any food and beverage advertising aimed at those under 18.
Frustrated with your results at the gym? The answer is in your genes
We all know that life is unfair. Put a dozen people through identical exercise programs and some will thrive, most will make modest improvements and a few - perhaps two or three - won't see any gains at all. That's just the way it goes. Now we can quantify that unfairness, thanks to a new genetic test offered by a British company called XRGenomics.
The 50 Best Healthy Living and Fitness Tweeters in Canada
In a world of hashtags, retweets and the challenge of trying to keep your commentary under 140 characters, it's fair to say some people just do it better.
When science and creativity collide
They've both served as Canada Research Chair council members, co-edited two books together and grown up in the same house in Mystic, Connecticut, but you'd be hard pressed to find a pair of siblings with more contrasting viewpoints on science than artist/art professor Sean Caulfield and legal scholar Timothy Caulfield.
Wheat bellies for everyone - Podcast
Dr. William Davis, author of the runaway best-seller, Wheat Belly, argues that far from being a "healthy whole grain", wheat is a public health hazard. He is winning millions of followers, but the scientific community remains skeptical about the benefits of a wheat-free diet for people who do not have specific conditions such as celiac disease.
Homeopathy offers hope
Every now and then, someone in the media falsely claims that there is little or no evidence supporting the practice of homeopathy. They either cherry-pick their references - as Timothy Caulfield did in Tuesday's National Post - or lump homeopathy in with less well-established and non-standardized practices, such as "faith healing" or "energy healing," implying it has less significance than it does.
Don't legitimize the witch doctors
"By granting self-regulation, we're attesting, as elected representatives, to the public that we believe the practices that will be engaged in by professionals are safe and that they're effective and that they meet the highest possible standard"
Real life stories inspire health changes
(Edmonton) No time of year triggers healthy lifestyle changes quite like January, when gym membership sales spike, dieters slim down and smokers butt out. But the University of Alberta's Lisa Bélanger has some insight about what inspires people to make changes year-round-and stick to them.