Health

Richard Anderson holds a photo of himself and his brother Bruce as children. In 2021, Bruce died of a suspected overdose while in a drug treatment centre in Kelowna, B.C. (Michelle Mac Donald)This First Person column is written by Richard Anderson, who lives in Silver Creek, B.C. For more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ.I received the phone call early one morning and knew right away that it would not be an enjoyable conversation. My dad and I would talk on a certain day at a certain time, and this was not that day. We said good mornings, then my dad told me that my younger brother, Bruce, had passed away. All I remember is breaking down crying like I have never cried in my entire life. I pulled myself together long enough to ask my dad what happened, and he told me my ...

Are you one of the millions of Canadians without a family doctor? Here’s how candidates from each of the federal parties say they’ll help if elected on April 28. Source link

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to phase out some food dyes.While some of that effort predated the second Trump administration — like banning red dye No. 3 from foods in January — U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Tuesday a list of eight artificial dyes to be eliminated from food and medications by the end of 2026.Kennedy, who has long criticized artificial food dyes, called them "poisonous compounds."Some of his views, including on vaccines and autism, promote ideas that have been widely debunked and criticized as harmful.This is a bit more nuanced though. Here is a fact check.Are artificial food dyes harmful?At the Tuesday announcement, Kennedy and FDA commissioner Marty Makary said there's a possible link between consumption of the d...

Can autistic people hold down jobs, pay taxes or find love?Many do — but the question we should be asking, according to waves of advocates, allies and autistic people voicing their concerns online, is why are we defining a person's worth at all?Reaction from the autism community has been swift and damning after U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s press conference last week. In discussing the CDC's new report that autism numbers increased in 2022, Kennedy called autism an "epidemic" and claimed it "destroys families.""These are kids who will never pay taxes. They'll never hold a job. They'll never play baseball. They'll never write a poem. They'll never go out on a date," he told reporters.Kennedy's comments come as the autism community is already grapplin...

Adelynn Campbell's last plane trip ended with a panic attack that she got through largely with the help of a kind flight attendant.That was last year — before 67 people were killed in January when an American Airlines jet collided with a helicopter over Washington, D.C., in the deadliest U.S. air disaster in almost a quarter-century.Now, Campbell is even more hesitant to book a flight."It's definitely spiked my concern about getting on a plane, and it's making the whole situation a little more stressful than it used to be," said Campbell, 30, who manages a coffee shop in San Diego.Being at least a little nervous about flying is understandable. As Mel Brooks once said: "If God wanted us to fly, He would have given us tickets." But for some people, it causes deep anxiety that could require p...

RCMP say a 15-year-old has died of a suspected drug overdose in Campbell River, B.C., believed to involve the prescription opioid hydromorphone and cough medicine.Const. Maury Tyre with the Campbell River RCMP says in a statement that it's important for youth and parents to understand the risks posed by both prescription and non-prescription medications.The statement says an investigation into the teen's medical emergency led police to believe it was caused by a combination of Dilaudid, a brand name of hydromorphone, and non-prescription cough medicine.Dilaudid, a medication that provides those addicted to opioids a safe supply of the drug, sits on a counter in Wellness Pharmacy Abbott in Vancouver on July 25, 2023. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)Dilaudid is available as a prescription medication...

Stephen Penashue's office at the Mary May Healing Centre in Sheshatshiu is barely larger than a supply closet, but the 31-year-old support worker takes pride in the fact he has an outsize impact from within those four walls. Looking down from a portrait hanging on his wall is his grandmother — the woman who rescued him from the system when he was an orphaned teen. These days, she's looking down proudly."I'm stable. I'm OK. I'm able to be here, be a community member, and be a leader in my own way," Stephen tells us as the cameras roll. We came to Sheshatshiu to shoot scenes for a documentary about the massive influx of cocaine changing the province's drug trade. What we found were stories like Stephen's — people with firsthand experience battling addictions, working tirelessly to pull other...

By all accounts, 48-year-old Lynette Buhler was the picture of health. The single mother dedicated her life to her children and the elderly patients she cared for in her job at a nursing home. "She touched everybody's life that she met. She was kind, always," said Brandy Fatteicher, Buhler's 24-year-old daughter.But in late February, Buhler, who lived in Qu'Appelle — about 57 kilometres east of Regina — picked up a flu bug and was sick enough she had to miss her final two shifts at the Regina care home where she worked.Buhler's friend Sue McGee said she became worryingly ill over the weekend.McGee said Buhler's partner drove her to a nearby hospital in Indian Head where she was diagnosed with influenza A.McGee said Buhler was sent home with Tamiflu, an antiviral medication used to treat in...

Most of us likely have days when we feel we're not looking our best.Maybe our hair's a little wonky, or we look more tired than usual. Or perhaps there's a feature of our physical appearance that we've never quite made peace with. But for some young men who participate in an online community called "looksmaxxing," those self-critiques can become excessive. And the criticism they receive from other members — and their suggested remedies, which can include self-injury and surgery — are even more extreme.Looksmaxxing is, on the surface, about trying to look your best in order to attract a partner. But a new study from Dalhousie University says while the community is framed as self-help, it can be harmful to participants."It is really caustic to the self-esteem of men and boys," says Michael H...

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has issued a public alert after being notified of additional confirmed measles cases in Alberta's south health zone with potential exposure in Calgary, Rocky View County, Coaldale, Lethbridge and Taber.AHS said individuals who were in the following locations during the specified dates and times may have been exposed to measles: The Days Inn by Wyndham (Calgary Airport) from approximately 5 p.m. on April 11 to noon on April 12. The pool at the Days Inn by Wyndham (Calgary Airport) from approximately 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 11. CrossIron Mills mall from approximately 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 11. Ikea Calgary from approximately 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on April 11. Taber Health Centre (main waiting room) from approximately 2 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. on April 14. ...