Health & Wellness

Ontario Government Launches Campaign to Encourage Ontarians To Get Screened for Colorectal Cancer Home Screening Kit Available in April TORONTO, March 14 /CNW/ - When caught early through regular screening, there is a 90 per cent chance colorectal cancer can be cured. That's the message behind a new public awareness campaign called ColonCancerCheck that will educate Ontarians about the importance of early screening and detection of colorectal cancer. Starting in April, Ontarians age 50 and over will be able to get a take-home colorectal cancer screening kit, called a Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT), from their health care provider. People who have an increased risk of colorectal cancer because of a family history of the disease and those who have a positive home-screening test will receive a colonoscopy. The ColonCancerCheck public awareness campaign consists of: A cutting edge television advertising campaign featuring computer generated see-through characters in animation, to be broadcast in 22 languages across the province FOBT kits available to all Ontarians from their health care provider ColonCancerCheck.ca, a new website with information on colorectal cancer, risk factors and prevention Education for health care providers on the importance of screening their patients Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Ontario. Today, just one in five Ontarians age 50 and over are screened. QUOTES "This is a very serious issue," said George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Ontario's Health and Long-Term Care Minister Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (http://www.health.gov.on.ca/). "Colorectal cancer is the second deadliest form of cancer and knowing about the importance of screening early and regularly can make the difference between life and death." "Ontario has one of the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the world, but it doesn't need to be that way," says Terry Sullivan, President and CEO, Cancer Care Ontario Cancer Care Ontario (http://cancercare.on.ca/index.htm ). "By making colorectal screening part of people's health care routine, many more Ontarians will not have to suffer through advanced colorectal cancer." QUICK FACTS On average, about 3,250 Ontarians die from colorectal cancer each year and about 7,800 are newly diagnosed with the disease each year. Regular screening has been shown to decrease the number of people who die from colorectal cancer by at least 16 per cent. The ColonCancerCheck program is a five year $193.5 million program that was launched in January 2007. The take-home colorectal cancer screening kit is called the Fecal Occult Blood Test. It detects trace amounts of blood in the stool. Ontarians can obtain a take-home colorectal cancer screening kit from their health care provider or by contacting the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's INFOline. LEARN MORE People can also visit Colon Cancer Check (http://www.coloncancercheck.ca/) or call 1-866-410-5853 for information on how they can be screened or where to get kits.

Falls in Seniors - A Growing Concern http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2008/18/c4704.html?view=print Self-Help Program Aims To Keep Seniors On Their Feet TORONTO, March 18 /CNW/ - One in every three Canadians over 65 are just a step away from falling, and that slip, trip or stumble often has serious and costly consequences. Older Canadians are nine times more likely to suffer an injury from a fall leading to hospitalization and even death. That is why the Canadian Chiropractic Association (CCA) and its provincial member associations are launching Best Foot Forward, a public education program aimed at preventing falls in seniors. The program follows a Public Health Agency of Canada report detailing the debilitating and even deadly consequences of seniors' falls. "Falling among older Canadians is a serious public health concern," says CCA President, Dr. Richard Gehrke, DC. "More than 90 per cent of all hip fractures in seniors are caused by a fall, and one-fifth of those seniors will die within a year of the fracture." "We want to keep older Canadians on their feet and enjoying their independence as long as possible," says Dr. Gehrke. "A fall is far more likely to mean surgery, lengthy rehabilitation and restricted activities for an older Canadian than for a younger one. It's a domino effect that can lead to isolation and inactivity. That's something we want to help prevent." "Best Foot Forward offers practical advice on many aspects of prevention that most older Canadians can do easily," says Dr. Brian Gleberzon, DC, who acted as a consultant on the national Report on Seniors' Falls in Canada and who helped develop the program. "Preventing a fall can be as simple as changing your footwear, taking off your reading glasses before walking to the next room or removing slippery scatter mats." A self-assessment quiz and illustrated prevention tip sheets covering household hazards, health risks, strength and balance, and safety-conscious behaviour can be obtained at no charge from the CCA or downloaded from the Association website at www.ccachiro.org . Prevention presentations to groups can also be arranged by calling the Canadian Chiropractic Association at 416-585-7902 or 1-877-222-9303. "Best Foot Forward marshals the expertise of the chiropractic profession to bring practical prevention advice to older Canadians across the country," says Dr. Gehrke. "Chiropractors are experts in muscle, bone and joint health, and grassroots practitioners are in an excellent position to bring the prevention message to their communities." "The message we want to get across is - don't let a fall get you down. Slips, trips and stumbles are preventable," concludes Dr. Gleberzon.

Green fuel may increase asthma rates http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/ March 24th, 2008 - 6:18 pm ICT by admin - London, Mar 24 (ANI): Green fuels used in school buses may increase asthma rates, warn experts. American experts believe that the bio fuels made from corn, sugar cane and rapeseed can cause more damage to quality of air than normal fuels. They found that when diesel was mixed with bio-fuels to power school buses it released 80 per cent more dangerous particles into the air that can lead to asthma. Poor air quality can have a major effect on our health and risks making life worse for people with respiratory conditions like asthma and emphysema, the Mirror quoted local government green group LACORS, as saying. However, the councils have written to ministers seeking suggestions and asking about any links between bio-fuel and air quality. The Government claims the fuels reduce pollution by 50 to 60 per cent. (ANI)

Tackling Obesity Needs Action By Terri Coles http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080321/hl_nm/obesity_dc_2&printer=1 Excerpts: Biological factors like genetics or diet play a key role. Genetics help to determine where we gain weight, said Dr. Jean-Pierre Despres, a professor at Universite Laval in Quebec. North America is facing an epidemic of diabetes due to increases in obesity rates, Poor sleep is another factor that may affect the body's ability to control appetite, For someone who discovers that his or her waist is too large, and wants to lose weight to reduce the measurement, the solution would seem to be easy: eat less and move more. TORONTO (Reuters) -- There is little debate that obesity presents a public health issue in North America -- obesity rates have more than doubled over a generation in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the causes of obesity -- and therefore, the solutions -- are not as obvious, according to research presented this week at a media workshop run by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The problem of obesity cannot be reduced simply to genetics, the researchers said, and it also cannot be blamed solely on our environments or learned behaviors. Media coverage, they advised, should highlight that the obesity epidemic is the result of a variety of factors, and that change requires a comprehensive approach that tackles the problem from all sides. "Obesity's not rocket science," said Dr. Diane Finegood, director of CIHR's Institute for Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes. "It's a lot more complex." Biological factors like genetics or diet play a key role. Genetics help to determine where we gain weight, said Dr. Jean-Pierre Despres, a professor at Universite Laval in Quebec. And where our genes tell our body to store fat -- whether we're an apple shape that stores it on our stomachs or a pear shape that stores it on our hips -- is an important factor for determining our cardiovascular risk, he said. Research done by Despres and others has shown that excess fat around the stomach -- visceral fat -- carries a higher risk for both diabetes and cardiovascular disease, no matter what a person's body mass index is; as a result, Despres advocates for the importance of waist circumference as a vital health measurement to be used in conjunction with more traditional indicators of cardiovascular risk like blood pressure and blood cholesterol measurement. Despres described an international study he was involved with, where 6400 doctors in 63 countries were showN how to properly measure waist circumference in their patients. In looking at the waist measurements and health status of 170,000 patients, the researchers found higher rates of diabetes in those with the highest waist measurements, whether or not their body mass index classified them as overweight or obese. "This is really making the point that private care physicians, when they are told and shown how to measure waist circumference, are not measuring noise," he said. For someone who discovers that his or her waist is too large, and wants to lose weight to reduce the measurement, the solution would seem to be easy: eat less and move more. "Obesity is the outcome of a positive energy balance," said Dr. Angelo Trembley, a professor at Universite Laval. But research done by Trembley and others has shown that it may not be that simple. A variety of biological factors that wouldn't automatically occur to us may also be contributing to the dramatic rise in obesity rates, he said. There is evidence suggesting that micronutrients -- vitamins and minerals found in food -- may affect fat loss or gain, Trembley said. For example, a study led by Trembley found that female subjects in a placebo group couldn't achieve significant weight loss, despite following a carefully restricted diet, while those who took a calcium supplement showed better weight loss results. It's possible that as with glucose, the brain can recognize low levels of micronutrients like calcium, Trembley said, and regulates appetite control in order to correct them. "We cannot exclude the possibility at this time that some individuals might gain some weight due to deficiencies in some vitamins and minerals," he said. Poor sleep is another factor that may affect the body's ability to control appetite, Trembley said. A lack of sleep can increase ghrelin and decrease leptin, two hormones, which results in increased hunger and appetite. The Quebec Family Study showed that short-sleepers were more likely to be heavier, he said, with more body fat and a larger waist circumference. "We are maybe not making optimal life choices," Trembley concluded. "Modernity is providing a new way of living that is providing a positive energy balance." Data collected by Dr. Gillian Booth, and other researchers working with her at Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital, illustrated that it is not just our individual lifestyle choices that are contributing to obesity, but our environments, our cultures and our political landscapes as well. North America is facing an epidemic of diabetes due to increases in obesity rates, Booth said, and her report on diabetes in Toronto for the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences showed that diabetes rates in the city of Toronto were highest in areas of the city found to be less friendly to healthy choices -- fewer sidewalks and bike paths, less access to fresh fruits and vegetables, fewer parks and recreational spaces, and fewer family physicians taking new patients. Diabetes rates also showed strong correlations to ethnicity -- many non-white ethnic groups have higher diabetes rates than Caucasians -- and economics -- there were higher diabetes rates in areas with lower average incomes. "It may be that the availability of resources and where you live may be much more important for socially disadvantaged groups," Booth said, "who are already at a higher risk for diabetes." If we know that genetics play a role, and lifestyle plays a role, and environment plays a role, how do we fight the obesity epidemic? By attacking it from all sides, said Dr. Kim Raine, a researcher at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. We know that toxic environments that promote obesity don't occur suddenly but develop over time, Raine said, and that there needs to be social action at multiple levels in order to promote healthy weight loss. "We do have power in collective efforts." For changes to make a difference in people's behavior, and then in their health, they must be comprehensive, addressing the physical, economic, sociocultural and political environment people live in, Raine said -- comparable to the public health campaign against tobacco use. For example, research done at the University of Alberta found that the city of Edmonton had 61 supermarkets, but 761 fast food outlets, many of which were concentrated in poorer neighborhoods. There were 2.7 times the number of fast food restaurants in poorer neighborhoods than in middle-class or high-income neighborhoods, Raine said, and a similar ratio has been found in research done in the United States and Australia. A promotional campaign encouraging people to eat fresh fruits and vegetables will have a limited effect if people cannot easily find those items near their homes. Effective interventions do not have to be excessively expensive, Raine pointed out. The Children's Lifestyle and School Performance Study, a project of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, found that children in schools with a nutrition program that included parents, teachers and their community -- at a cost of only $100 per child annually -- had obesity rates less than half those of children in schools without the program. But children in schools with a more basic nutrition program didn't show results much better than those in schools with no program at all. The difference illustrates why single moves like removing pop machines from schools are a good first step, she said, but not a total solution. "It's the comprehensive nature of the intervention that seems to make the difference," Raine said, "not just little one-offs." Which research should you believe? Stretching out does not prevent soreness after exercise Studies show that stretching before or after exercise has little or no effect on muscle soreness between half a day and three days later, a team of Cochrane Researchers has found. "The data were remarkably consistent," says lead researcher Robert Herbert from the University of Sydney, Australia. "The available evidence suggests that stretching before or after exercise does not prevent muscle soreness in young healthy adults." The researchers do, however, believe that there is a need to see whether stretching can have an effect on people in the community who have reduced levels of flexibility. CIHR is a partner in the Canadian Cochrane Network and Centre.