Latest from Kas Roussy
Napping has been redeemed by health experts, but don't overdo it
Margaret Thatcher, Leonardo da Vinci, even Winston Churchill indulged in napping. It's good for the ticker, and for the mind. Now napping is becoming a popular feature in universities and businesses, but too much of a good thing could also be risky.
Pharmacists want to prescribe medication for more minor ailments
If you live in Ontario and come down with pink eye or a skin rash, you may soon be able to go straight to your local pharmacist for help. The Ontario Pharmacists Association will recommend to the province that its members be allowed to prescribe and renew medication for minor ailments.
'Opioidphobia' stigmatizes chronic pain sufferers, expert says
Almost 13,000 people died in 2018, the vast majority from illicit fentanyl use. However, medicinal dependency on opioids has also been a problem for a long time. Many doctors have prescribed them for patients who suffer from chronic pain — an affliction that affects one in five Canadians. Doctors have started to reduce the pills, but it may leave some sufferers feeling stigmatized and in pain.
Family doctors key to spotting alcohol abuse, researchers say
More than one million Canadians suffer from alcohol use disorder in any given year. But most never get the professional help they need, according to researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.
Hip and sober: the mocktail generation
Campaigns such as Dry January and Sober October promote abstinence from alcohol. The movement is gaining traction with young adults with campaigns such as Mindful Drinking and Sober Curious.
Deer meat from contaminated Quebec farm released for human consumption
Canadians are being warned about the spread of a deadly animal disease that might have the potential to infect humans. This week a letter signed by a group of scientists and researchers called on the federal government to come up with stricter measures to contain the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease.
Surgeon transforms amputees' mobility by melding bone and metal
An Iraqi-born doctor who is now an orthopedic surgeon in Australia has revolutionized prosthetics for amputees. It's called osseointegration, a surgical procedure where a titanium rod-like implant is inserted directly into the bone of a patient's residual limb, then connected to a state-of-the-art prosthetis.
An end to #TAMPONGATE. Period.
An outcry over the banning of feminine hygiene products created a hashtag of its own. #tampongate erupted on social media, after it was revealed that the Medical Council of Canada required medical trainees and residents to declare any menstrual hygiene products before going in for their exams.
Second Opinion
Health advocates fundraise to build a home for patients seeking medically assisted deaths
Medically-assisted dying advocates are hoping to open the first of its kind home for patients seeking help in dying. MAIDHOUSE would provide an option for patients when their home or hospitals are not an option.
An often-overlooked risk, the science of slips and falls can be life-saving
Falls are one of the leading causes of injury in Canada, costing the health-care system more than $2 billion in 2017. And the often-overlooked risk can also be deadly, especially for seniors. But there's increasing research and intervention aimed at preventing the next fall from happening.