Cancer-fighting chemicals found in broccoli
Daily Mail Health Section
Excerpts
Compounds isolated from broccoli could provide a new weapon against bladder cancer, new research has shown.
A previous study found that eating the green vegetable could help protect people from the disease.Men who ate two or more half-cup servings of broccoli were 44 per cent less likely to suffer the disease than those eating fewer than one serving a week.

Now the same team of scientists has identified the chemicals in broccoli that are thought to inhibit bladder cancer.
Professor Steven Schwartz, from Ohio State University in Columbus, USA, who help conduct the study, said: "We're starting to look at which compounds in broccoli could inhibit or decrease the growth of cancerous cells.

"Knowing that could help us create functional foods that benefit health beyond providing just basic nutrition."
A total of 11,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year in the UK, and just over 3,000 people die from the disease.
The American researchers isolated compounds called glucosinolates from broccoli sprouts.
During chopping, chewing and digestion, these chemicals are transformed into nutritional powerhouses called isothiocyanates.

The scientists suspected that these played a role in inhibiting bladder cancer.
In at least three laboratory experiments, they were proved right. Isothiocyanates slowed the growth of bladder cancer cells, and had the greatest impact on the most aggressive cancers.

Ontario Closer to Regulating Traditional Chinese Medicine
Health Minister Releases Public Consultation Report
TORONTO, July 29 /CNW/
Ontario has moved closer to regulating traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and acupuncture with the release of a public consultation report, Health and Long-Term Care Minister George
Smitherman announced today.

The consultation report was written by Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Research and Innovation, Tony Wong, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Mike Colle, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health Promotion, Peter Fonseca and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, Richard Patten.

"We have promised to regulate traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and hope to introduce legislation by the end of the year," Smitherman said. "The work done by Tony Wong and his colleagues is going to be invaluable in helping us decide how best to proceed."

The report contains 10 recommendations on the regulation of TCM and acupuncture including:

Healthy community begins at home
Brampton Guardian HEATHER ENNIS, Staff Writer
07/27/05 00:00:00
Building a healthy community doesn't start in a doctor's office, according Peel region's newly minted medical officer of health.

"I believe the factors that determine people's health lie very much outside of the health care system," said Dr. Hanif Kassam, who officially took the reins of Canada's second largest health unit July 4. He comes to Peel from York Region, where he most recently served as the associate medical officer of health.

Though he's still settling in, the 37-year-old Vaughan resident said he already feels at home here."The first two weeks have been par excellence," said Kassam, praising Peel public health staff for their organization and dedication.

Kassam was satisfied with his place in York when regional management came knocking, he said, but Kassam is looking forward to the challenges he is going to face here in Peel.
When it comes to finding his place in the region's bureaucracy, Peel's new top doc plans to make public health concerns everybody's business. From social services to planning to transportation to public utilities, good public health planning can not exist without help from other regional departments, said Kassam.

"People know what is good for them. What we have to do is create an enabling environment," he said.

Born in Tanzania, Kassam moved with his family to Canada when he was six years old. He grew up on a poultry farm in Waterdown, where parents still live.

"Family is very important to me," he said. Though he hasn't had much time to put his own personal stamp in his Brampton office, a five by seven photo of his six-year-old daughter holds a place of prominence on his otherwise non-descript desk. Kassam is a single dad, and he puts his daughter ahead of everything else in his life.
"My daughter and I do almost everything together," he said.

McGuinty Government Enhancing Quality of Life for Seniors
Ensuring New Research And Best Practices Used In Caring For Seniors
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/media/news_releases/archives/nr_05/nr_080205.html
TORONTO -The McGuinty government is improving quality of life for seniors by making sure the best research on seniors' care is available for use across Ontario, Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman announced today.

"Every day we are learning more about the best ways of caring for our oldest and most vulnerable members of society," Smitherman said. "Today we are introducing two ways of taking this new knowledge and applying it in long-term care homes and seniors' homes for the benefit of seniors and those who care for them."
The government is investing a total of $2.7 million to :

• Build a Seniors' Health Research Transfer Network that will support putting health research into practice with all health care providers who work in geriatric care and involve front-line providers in setting research priorities.
• Hire eight regional co-ordinators to implement Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) Best Practice Guidelines - such as treating diabetes and preventing falls - in long-term care homes.