Health & Wellness
 

Colour of Poverty http://www.colourofpoverty.ca/ Tue, 09/04/2007 - Poverty in Ontario is growing at an alarming rate. Racialized students face discrimination in schools. Poverty among racialized groups is growing. Poverty among racialized groups leads to greater risk of poor health. Racialized groups are more likely to be unemployed. Levels of crime and violence are closely linked to inequality and poverty. Poverty rates among newcomers have risen dramatically. Racialized groups face higher levels of housing insecurity and homelessness. Food insecurity is higher among racialized groups. The Colour of Poverty campaign has already developed a series of fact sheets and is aiming to build community capacity, develop a shared framework for action and make change happen. See http://www.colourofpoverty.ca/ On September 5, 2007 the Colour of Justice Network announced the launching of the Colour of Poverty Campaign - a province-wide community-based effort to help raise public awareness about the serious problem of poverty within the racialized communities of Ontario. With the Department of Canadian Heritage as a key sponsor, the Colour of Poverty Campaign partners have developed a series of ten ( 10 ) Fact Sheets addressing different aspects of racialized poverty and its negative impacts on education & learning, health & well-being, employment, income levels, justice and policing, immigration and settlement, housing and homelessness and food security in Ontario. “We call this the Colour of Poverty Campaign because today in Ontario, those who are poor are most likely to be people of colour. While there has been increasing awareness among the general public about the growing disparity between the rich and the poor, few people realize that poverty in this province impacts communities differently,” said Avvy Go, Clinic Director of Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic (MTCSEALC). “Racialized communities are experiencing a disproportionate level of poverty. In Toronto, they are three times more likely to be poor than others because of the barriers and challenges they face in the job market” explained Grace-Edward Galabuzi, a professor at Ryerson University and the author of Canada’s Economic Apartheid – The Social Exclusion of Racialized Groups in the New Century. In addition to the MTCSEALC, the project is a joint effort of several organizations and groups including : African Canadian Legal Clinic, Canadian Arab Federation, Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter, Hispanic Development Council, Karuna Community Services, Midaynta Community Services, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, and the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO).

Chiropractors Are 'A Waste Of Money http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200711120357.htm London (PTI): Having your back cracked by a chiropractor or physiotherapist to ease lower back pain is "a waste of time and money". International researchers have carried out a study and found that patients get better just as quickly if they simply stay active and take a mild painkiller instead of spending money on physiotherapy, the 'Daily Mail' reported here. "These results are important because both diclofenac and spinal manipulative therapy have potential risks and additional costs for patients," lead researcher Mark Hancock of the University of Sydney was quoted as saying. He added that if those with back pain could do without these treatments, then "GPs can manage patients confidently without exposing them to increased risks and costs associated with NSAIDs or spinal manipulative therapy". The findings, reported in 'The Lancet' journal, involved 240 patients with acute lower back pain who had been seen by their GPs. They were assigned to four treatment groups, only one of which received both diclofenac and genuine spinal manipulative therapy. Both techniques are available on the NHS in areas where primary care trusts have agreed to fund them. The other three groups were treated with diclofenac and "dummy" spinal manipulation; genuine spinal manipulation plus a placebo; or both a dummy drug and fake spinal manipulation. The results showed neither diclofenac nor spinal manipulative therapy significantly increased the speed of recovery. A total of 237 of the 240 patients recovered over the course of 12 weeks. Some 22 patients had possible adverse reactions to the treatments, including stomach disturbances, dizziness and heart palpitations.

Putting On Pounds 'Doubles Risk Of Prostate Cancer Death' http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200711121340.htm New York (PTI): It's a known fact that obesity is a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes. But, a new study has found a link between extra pounds and prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death among men. Researchers in the United States, who carried out the study, have found that obesity may more than double the odds of prostate cancer death among people who are diagnosed with the disease. "Overall, men who're moderately fat -- with a body mass index (the measure of obesity that takes into account weight and height) of between 25 and 30 -- are 1.5 times more likely to die from their cancer than those with a normal BMI of 25. "Obese men, those with a BMI higher than 30, were 1.6 times more likely to die from their disease," lead researcher Dr Jason Efstathiou of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston reported in the 'Cancer' medical journal. In fact, Dr Efstathiou and his fellow researchers came to the conclusion after studying 788 patients with advanced prostate cancer -- the form where the cancer has spread outside the prostate gland. The team compared the chances of survival of the 788 patients against their body mass index. Within five years of diagnosis, the prostate cancer death rate for men with a normal BMI -- 25 or under -- was found to be less than seven per cent against 13 per cent for men with a BMI over 25. The researchers took into account other reasons why the cancer is more deadly for fat men, such as their income, social background and general health but reported that "it's unclear whether losing weight after being diagnosed would alter the course of the disease".

Now, Check Out Your Dna Online http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2549057,prtpage-1.cms 18 Nov 2007 SMS NEWS The exploration of the human genome has long been relegated to elite scientists in research laboratories. But that is about to change. An infant industry is capitalizing on the plunging cost of genetic testing technology to offer any individual unprecedented - and unmediated - entree to their own DNA. For as little as $1,000 and a saliva sample, customers will be able to learn what is known so far about how the billions of bits in their biological code shape who they are. Three companies have already announced plans to market such services, one on Friday. One of the companies that plans to market personal DNA information, Navigenics, intends to provide a phone consultation with a genetic counselor along with the results. Its service would cost $2,500 and would initially provide data on 20 health conditions. DeCODE Genetics and 23andMe will offer referrals. Although what they can tell you is limited right now, all three companies are hoping that people will be drawn by the prospect of instant updates on what is expected to be a flood of new findings. Although personal DNA testing has been available for several years, it has focused on a few genes. DeCode, in contrast, tests more than 1m genetic variants. But the Icelandic company, which has a strong record of discovering disease-causing genes, will not have the field of large-scale genetic testing to itself. “People who buy the service will have the opportunity to look at their genome and compare it to the genomes of those who in the past have been shown to be at particular risk of certain diseases,” said Kari Stefansson, chief executive of DeCode Genetics. “It will also give people an opportunity to put their genome in context of what we know about the genetics of population history,” he added. “So people will be able to figure out where their ancestors came from.” Customers receive an analysis of their genome a few weeks after sending a cheek swab to the company. Stefansson said it was the first time that such a service had been available to the public. Critics have voiced concern, fearing that it would overemphasise the role of genes in common diseases. “Bad diet, smoking, poverty and pollution are all factors that are probably much more important,” GeneWatch UK director Helen Wallace told bbc.com . “So there is a real danger that people taking these tests will be misled about their health.” Dr Wallace explained, “We are not so concerned about people having information. “We are concerned about them having misinformation.” Craig Venter, the DNA sequencing pioneer who has analysed his whole genome in great detail, said he had found little useful information about his own health. But Stefansson said the company felt it had a duty to make the service available to people who wanted to use it. “We have participated in communicating those results through scientific papers and the (media). So we feel that we have a certain obligation to help the public to put it into context.”

Diabetes: The Silent Killer See Special Section in Toronto Star Diabetes is soaring because obesity is. But how to change North America's most entrenched lifestyles? Those who study the problem – whether they believe it's too late for the millions now at risk of diabetes or not — agree on this: The war on diabetes should have been launched years ago. http://www.thestar.com/SpecialSections/Diabetes/article/271862