Antibiotics: Are they bad for you?

 "My family physician wants me to take another antibiotic for this cold that won’t go away, but I have read that antibiotics may damage my gut and may even make me put on weight,” a client asked me just the other day. “I’ve read conflicting reviews, and I know you’ve

Why Aren’t Governments and Medical Associations Doing More About Superbugs and Over-Prescribing?

 In 1928, a petri dish in Alexander Fleming’s lab was accidentally contaminated by a mold spore, leading to the discovery of penicillin and, in time, a revolution in medicine. Deadly infectious diseases like pneumonia, meningitis and tuberculosis could now be reliably treated.  Everything from childbirth, to transplant surgery, to chemotherapy

What Should be Covered by our Publicly Funded Healthcare System?

 Patients and doctors need to learn the difference between ‘need’ and ‘want.’ All across Canada provincial governments are grappling with ever growing healthcare demands in the face of shrinking resources.  Our enviable publicly funded health system is now well into a downward spiral of unenviable disrepair.  As patients are becoming

Pharmacare is for Kids Too

 Written by Avram Denburg and Steve Morgan You are the parent of a sick child. You have a limited budget and you must decide to buy the medicine the doctor prescribed for your child or provide food and shelter for your family instead. What do you do? Sadly this dilemma is one too

The Importance of Follow-Up Care After An Emergency Room Visit

 Why Too Many Canadians Are Falling Through The Cracks Television shows have popularized the theatrical entrance into the hospital emergency room: patients racing down hallways on gurneys with worried doctors and nurses running alongside--great drama. How most patients leave the emergency room isn’t quite as dramatic, but the facts tell

Most Medications Prescribed to Children Have Not Been Adequately Studied

 Canada is falling behind other countries on drug safety for children The development of new therapies has provided our health care system with enormous advances, such as insulin for diabetes, antibiotics for infections or chemotherapy for many cancers.  Yet these therapies may also cause potential harm, even death, so the