Bitterly cold New Year expected in much of Canada

Canadians awoke to below-freezing temperatures and wind chill warnings in much of the country and can expect a body-numbing last day of 2013, with the wind chill creating extremely cold conditions heading into the New Year. 

On Monday, a number of provinces faced below-freezing temperatures, as Manitoba, parts of Saskatchewan, northern Ontario and Quebec were all under extreme wind chill warnings.

In Manitoba, where the wind chill made it feel like –40 C to –50 C, the cold weather forced at least one airline to cancel some flights. ExpressJet, a partner of United Airlines, cancelled several flights out of Winnipeg Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Airline representatives said the unique combination of extreme low temperatures and ice crystals exceed safe operating guidelines for their aircraft, which are small commuter planes that carry 35 to 70 passengers.

Passengers were moved onto flights operated by other airlines and rerouted through other cities.

According to Environment Canada, an arctic ridge of high pressure from northwestern Alberta is responsible for the cold temperatures, with wind chills of –55 C in some areas of the country, and it doesn't get much better Tuesday and into 2014.

While snowfall warnings remain in effect Tuesday morning in areas of B.C. and Alberta, parts of central through southeastern Alberta will see light snow or flurries, says CBC meteorologist Jay Scotland.

"The eastern Prairies remain locked in a deep freeze again today [Tuesday] with a bitterly cold day (and night) ahead," Scotland says, adding. "Aside from some light snow in southwestern Saskatchewan (two to four centimetres) and possible flurries as far east as Regina, it's at least a quiet day aside from the cold."

However, Regina will see the risk of flurries with a high of only –23 C while the high in Saskatoon will be –26 C. 

In Manitoba, Tuesday temperatures were expected to range from –31 C in Winnipeg to –53 C with the wind chill in northern parts of the province.
 
Wind chill warnings are also in effect in Ontario and Quebec, across northern portions of both provinces, Scotland says. 

"While it at least stays clear — albeit very cold — to the north, southern Ontario will pick up light snow and flurries today with amounts generally less than three centimetres, although a strong westerly flow will lead to locally higher amounts off the lakes with snow squall watches in effect from Goderich to Parry Sound, and these extend east through parts of the Kawartha Lakes."

Bitterly cold arctic air combined with moderate west winds to result in extreme wind chills of –45 C to –50 C across much of northern Ontario, Environment Canada said Monday. Several regions have issued frostbite warnings. In Thunder Bay, the district health unit warned people that at a wind chill of –40 C, skin can freeze in about five minutes. Wind chill in the city made it feel like –51 Tuesday morning, a record low for December.

Ottawa, where the wind chill made it feel like –30 C early Tuesday morning, also issued a frostbite advisory. The nation's capital was expecting a high of –14 C during the day and a low of –21 C overnight, without the wind chill.

Signs of frostbite include skin that is pink and feels prickly and grey and white patches on the skin.

In southern Quebec, areas including Saguenay could see temperatures plummet to –27 C, with a wind chill of –38 C. 

On Tuesday, there will be light snow Tuesday morning in Toronto and a high of –6 C. Fewer than 200 people in the city who lost power in the recent ice storm are still waiting to have it restored.

Montreal could see light snow or flurries, with chilly highs of –17 C.

Eastern Canada, meanwhile, is still recovering from the effects of the ice storm. Recovery efforts were set back when a new winter storm hit overnight from Sunday to Monday. New Brunswick was still struggling to restore power to about 2,300 homes, with NB Power crews hoping to have most customers back online by late Tuesday night.

In P.E.I., where several dozen people were still without power Monday night, authorities warned residents to have emergency kits on hand with enough bottled water and non-perishable food to last 72 hours in case of additional power outages.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alberta family invents quick-deploy disaster shelter

A family of inventors in Okotoks has created what they say is a faster and better way to get aid to disaster situations.

Malcolm Duncan and his two sons at Excalibur Research and Development came up with a way to convert shipping containers into emergency shelters.

• Click on the image above for more on the story.

The Transformable Mobile Containment System (TMCS) is a conventional container that unfolds — expanding five to 11 times its transportation size.

When it arrives on site its hydraulic self-lifting system hoists it off the back of a flat-bed truck and puts it on the ground.

Grant Duncan of Excalibur Research and Development with a Transformable Mobile Containment System (TMCS), invented by the Okotoks company. (CBC)

The shelters take less than an hour to be configured into a range of shapes and sizes with a tent-like roof and a generator for heat and lighting.

"You don't need a crane on site … so the remote areas that we can deploy this in, it's endless," Duncan said.

The Red Cross has already shown some interest in the invention.

"You could take it into a disaster area like a cyclone, like a tornado. If you know it's coming, this thing can withstand winds 400 to 500 kilometres an hour," he said.

Dr. Grant Hill said he wishes he had had one when he was treating flood victims from High River last June.

The  Okotoks Health and Wellness Centre where he works got slammed and needed more space to treat patients.

"The people had to go far away to Claresholm for things like stitches. We could have done that right in High River," he said.

The prototype for the invention was only just completed when the flood disaster happened.

"We had no idea that this one-in-100 or one-in-200 year event would take place," Malcolm said.

But the family promises to be ready should their neighbours in High River need them again.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

Playing high school sports may be tied to older men's good health

Playing varsity sports in high school appears to be an important link to health after age 70, according to a new study by Swiss and U.S. researchers.

Researchers examined the backgrounds, behaviours and personalities of a group of men over 70 who had previously passed a strenuous physical exam more than 50 years earlier when they were screened for military duty in the U.S. 

Though the study is limited in variety — for example, the subjects are all men from the U.S. and from a narrow social and ethnic group — it marks what researchers say is the first long-term study of childhood exercise and its correlation to health over a long period of time.

"Fit in 50 Years," published in the peer-reviewed BMC Public Health journal, says those who were active in high school and, more specifically, active in varsity sports such as football, basketball, baseball or track and field tended to be active into their later years and therefore had better health.

In total, 712 Second World War veterans, averaging age 78, participated in the study. They had answered the survey back in 2000 but the data was not analyzed until 2012.

At the time the men were screened for military duty, 47 per cent of the U.S. population had been precluded due to malnutrition, physical problems or illiteracy. Those who did make it into the service were considered the cream of the crop, so to speak.

Researchers from Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich were able to track down a portion of those veterans and send them a survey.

The questions covered many variables, including their level of education, the size of the towns their were raised in, how many packs of cigarettes they smoked each month after the war was over,and whether they played high school varsity sports.

The researchers conclude that sports should be promoted at all grade levels and 'they need not concentrate on competition but rather on enjoyment.' (Eric Gay/Associated Press)

Another set of queries asked how many times in a typical month they walked in a mall, hunted in season, fished in season, golfed in season, played sports and walked for exercise

They were finally asked how many times they had visited their physicians in the past year.

Researchers discovered a strong correlation between those who played high school sports and were non-smokers, and their good health later in life.

The study urges "school-based organized sports ... be preserved because they contribute to later physical activity levels" and better health.

They concluded that "relatively vigorous exercise and physical education classes could be promoted across grade levels [and] they need not concentrate on competition but rather on enjoyment."

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

Body clock may be to blame when tots fight sleep

"Just one more story, please?" `'I need a glass of water." `'Mom, I can't sleep!"

When youngsters continually struggle to fall asleep at night, new research suggests maybe their body clock doesn't match their bedtime.

That doesn't mean tots should be up at all hours.

Healthy sleep tips for children

• Consistent bedtimes and wake times seven days a week.
• Establish a quiet time one to two hours before bedtime.
• Predictable, consistent bedtime routine.
• Cool, comfortable, quiet, dark bedroom. A nightlight is OK.
• No electronics in the bedroom.
• Avoid caffeinated food and beverages from mid-afternoon onward.
• Regular exercise (but not close to bedtime).

Source: Dr. Shelly Weiss, Canadian Sleep Society

"Just like nutrition and exercise, sleep is critical for good health," said sleep scientist Monique LeBourgeois of the University of Colorado, Boulder, who is leading the research.

The ultimate goal is to help reset a delayed sleep clock so that young children can settle down more easily, she said. Hint: It seems to have a lot to do with light.

We all have what's called a circadian rhythm, a master biological clock, that regulates when we become sleepy, and when we're more alert. Those patterns vary with age: It's the reason teenagers are notorious for late nights and difficult-to-wake mornings.

But how does that clock work in preschoolers, who need more sleep than older kids or adults? A first-of-its-kind study tracked 14 healthy youngsters for six days to begin finding out.

The children, ages 2 1/2 to 3, wore activity monitors on their wrists to detect when they slept. Parents kept diaries about bedtime routines.

Then on the last afternoon, researchers visited each home, dimming lights and covering windows. Then, every 30 minutes for six hours leading up to the child's appointed bedtime, they also coaxed each tot to chew on some dental cotton to provide a sample of saliva.

The reason: To test for levels of a hormone named melatonin that is key to the sleep cycle and also sensitive to light. At some point every evening, people's melatonin levels surge and a while later, they begin to feel sleepy. Among adults who sleep well, that melatonin rise tends to happen about two hours before whatever is their chosen bedtime.

For preschoolers, the new study found that on average, the melatonin surge occurred around 7:40 p.m. The children tended to be tucked in around 8:10 p.m., and most were asleep 30 minutes later, LeBourgeois reported in the journal Mind, Brain and Education.

When melatonin rose earlier in the evening, tots who hit the sack around 8 fell asleep a bit faster. But when the melatonin surge was closer to bedtime, the youngsters were more likely to fuss or make curtain calls after lights-out.

Sleep experts say about 25 per cent of young children experience some type of sleep difficulty, including trouble settling down at bedtime. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

Two children in the study actually were tucked in before their rise in melatonin ever occurred, and it took them up to an hour past bedtime to fall asleep, she said.

"We don't know what that sweet spot is yet," LeBourgeois said, but the data suggest bedtime is easiest if the melatonin surge occurred at least 30 minutes earlier.

The study reinforces what doctors have long suspected is one bedtime barrier, said Dr. Jyoti Krishna, a pediatric sleep expert at the Cleveland Clinic. Other factors can disrupt a child's sleep, too, such as noise, stress or anxiety, or disrupted home routines, he cautioned.

"But this paper reminds us that, hey, there is a time that the body is more ready to sleep than at other times," Krishna said.

The National Institutes of Health says preschoolers need 11 to 12 hours of sleep each day; some typically comes from an afternoon nap.

Parents don't have melatonin tests as a guide, so Krishna advises looking for cues when setting a bedtime — yawning, rubbing eyes — and then to adjust that bedtime as the child gets older.

"The melatonin onset and our body rhythms change," Krishna said. "You can't stick to what worked two years ago with this child, because this child is now a different child."

1 in 4 tots experience sleep difficulty

About 25 per cent of young children experience some type of sleep difficulty, including trouble settling down at bedtime, LeBourgeois said. Harried parents aside, there's concern that early-in-life bedtime frustration might lead to more persistent sleep trouble.

"Listen to your child's physiology," she advised. Some steps that might help:

• Research shows that in adults, too much light in the evening delays the melatonin surge and subsequent sleepiness. While there's no data in young children yet, LeBourgeois says dimming the lights about an hour before bedtime makes sense.
• Avoid electronics near bedtime, because they generate a specific type of light that triggers wakefulness. LeBourgeois was horrified to hear one parent offer a sleepless youngster an iPad to play with as long as the child stayed in the bedroom.
• And make sure blackout shades aren't keeping your children from getting enough morning sunlight, she said. Light in the morning also is key to keeping the biological sleep clock on schedule.

Stay tuned: With funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, LeBourgeois has begun a larger study that will track sleep patterns of 40 2-year-olds until they're 5. She'll also measure their light exposure, and periodically record their brain waves during sleep, in a bid to better understand the influence of sleep patterns on children's development.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

6 top health stories of 2013: editors' picks

Kate Warner said she was thrown for a loop when she learned she received chemotherapy that was overdiluted. (CBC)

Genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer mutations, overdiluted chemotherapy and a delay in informing Canadians about a birth control pill recall were among the top health topics of 2013.

Here are the stories as chosen by editors at CBC's Health Content Unit, in no particular order.

1) Chemotherapy underdosing

The announcement in April that 1,176 people with cancer in Ontario and New Brunswick received chemotherapy that was overdiluted shocked Canadians across the country,  exposed a gap in regulatory oversight for some companies preparing the drugs  and highlighted how hospitals in several provinces rely on outsourcing for their supplies. 

In August, an expert who looked into the chemotherapy drug scare recommended that Health Canada should regulate all entities that mix drugs outside a licensed pharmacy. The Ontario government and Ontario College of Pharmacists acted on recommendations to license all pharmacies operating within the province's clinics or hospitals and to license and annually inspect pharmacies that prepare large volume non-sterile and sterile products.

2) Angelina Jolie

Actress and director Angelina Jolie was the top searched keyword on cbc.ca/news/health in 2013. In May, Jolie announced in the New York Times she carries the BRCA1 genetic mutation linked to cancer and had a preventive double mastectomy. Some genetic testing clinics said they received more calls after the announcement.

Provincial governments will cover the cost of the test, but only if the individual meets specific criteria. The Canadian-developed genetic test was also at issue in a U.S. court battle.

CBC's the fifth estate launched an interactive tool that allows patients to rate the quality of care in their hospitals. After a nine-month quest to uncover data about Canadian hospitals' performance and make it public, Rate My Hospital offered unprecedented access to information about hospitals across the country.

4) Birth control pill recalls

Health Canada did not notify the media and the public of Apotex's recall of its Alysena 28 birth control pills until April 8, despite learning of the company's actions four days earlier, according to an independent review. In response, Health Minister Rona Ambrose said her department will work with industry to ensure they provide early notification of any drug recalls.

The issue behind the recall was one lot contained too little active drug and too much placebo, which increases the risk of an unplanned pregnancy. Another contraceptive, Freya-28, was also recalled across Canada after a pharmacy reported a placebo pill was misplaced in one package. Mylan Pharmaceuticals, the distributor of Freya-28, expanded the recall to include Esme-28 as a precaution after it was unable to rule out that the packaging error also affected that product.

5) Paying for plasma

Canada's proposed move away from an altruistic donation model and towards compensating Canadians for plasma used to make expensive intravenous drugs raised questions about potential effects on the whole blood donor system, safety and supply and demand of raw plasma.

Health Canada said it is reviewing feedback from a recent public consultation process and a report is expected to be be available early in 2014.

6) MS vein unblocking

A series of studies in 2013 debunked Italian Paolo Zamboni's belief that clearing blocked or narrowed neck veins could relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

One study by Dr. Anthony Traboulsee, medical director of the UBC Hospital MS Clinic in Vancouver concluded the prevalence of narrowing was similar in those with MS, their siblings and unrelated controls. In another, professor emeritus Ian Rodger of McMaster University and his team found no evidence of abnormalities in head or neck veins of 99 adults with MS compared with 100 healthy controls.

Results from a clinical trial into unblocking veins, also conducted by Traboulsee, is expected in the fall of 2015.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

How the big holiday meal stresses your body out – and how to fight back

The holidays may be a time to relax and enjoy fine food, but when it comes to the big festive meal, savouring a plate loaded down with turkey, gravy and other favourites can put the human body in a state that is anything but merry.

For a healthy person who rarely indulges in a big meal, the effects may ultimately be negligible.

Registered dietician Tanya Leung says it's important to listen to cues your body gives you so you won't feel sick after having a holiday meal. (Submitted by Tanya Leung)

But there's no denying the stress that digesting a big meal can put on anyone's body, or how — depending on a person's year-round eating habits — all that sweet and fatty food can help spawn unhealthy conditions down the road.

"I think we've all been there," says Tanya Leung, a registered dietitian at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. "We've felt overstuffed or uncomfortable after a holiday meal."

And there can be a lot of reasons for that: The meal involves large portions and foods that are high in fat and sugar, and it can be eaten later in the day or evening. Alcohol, which can also pack on the calories, may also be involved.

Leung says it can take up to six hours to digest a large, high fat meal that also includes such fare as eggnog, sausage rolls, cheese and crackers and gravy on the meat or potatoes.

That's in comparison to the two or three hours it could take to digest a meal featuring food lower in fat but higher in vegetables, lean protein and a reasonable portion of starchy foods.

The actual digestion process is itself something of a marathon, and when there's more food involved, there's more stress on the system.

Glucose rush

Dr. David Jenkins, a professor in the University of Toronto's department of nutritional sciences, can quickly rattle off how that all happens: After the meal, the stomach is very full, pumping and pushing the food out at the rate of about one per cent a minute.

The intestine, he says, is quite efficient at doing its job, as carbohydrates, proteins and fats are absorbed.

"As a result, the carbohydrate foods will give you a big rush in terms of glucose levels, and together with the protein and the aminoacids, you'll secrete a lot of insulin."

If your pancreas is working well, that shouldn't be a problem. If not, the pancreas has to work even harder to push out insulin to keep the blood glucose under control.

Fat gets absorbed in the lower part of the small intestine. If there's a lot of fat, that can ultimately get sent into the blood. Remnant fat particles loaded with cholesterol will get to the liver.

"The cholesterol won't rise quickly after a meal but it will rise slowly over time so you set some things in motion," Jenkins says. "So basically it could be said you're not doing yourself a big service."

Blood pressure will also increase.

Eating a large meal may also trigger certain people to feel bloated, have reflux or feel gassy, says Leung, who is also a clinical instructor at the University of British Columbia.

Long-term effects

In the long run, consistent overeating can lead to obesity, and increase the risk for chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, she says.

Of course, the human body is built to handle a lot, and if a person is healthy, one big meal doesn't spell instant or ultimate doom.

"If you're a person who really has only one meal like this a year, the rest of the time you eat sensibly, you eat your fruits and vegetables, you take plenty of exercise, you have rest and recreation and you're generally slim and skinny and happy, taking one big meal like this won't do any harm at all," Jenkins says.

It could take up to an hour and a half to walk off the calories in one cup of eggnog. (Associated Press)

"The trouble is there aren't too many of us left in the world like that."

While people may think the festive fare they consume could contribute to large weight gains, research suggests otherwise. But the weight they do put on may ultimately stick around.

Leung says studies have shown people only gain one to 1.5 pounds over the holidays, not the 10 to 15 pounds they think they put on.

"The good news is you're not gaining as much as you thought you did," she says, "but what they also showed is that they think that this 1½ pounds is what most people gain per year on average, that most of the weight they gain per year is due to holiday weight gain."

Taking the weight off isn't always easy, either.

Not just the meal

There may be a lot of calories in play — Leung's heard of estimates up to 7,000 for the typical Christmas dinner, or enough calories to add two pounds of weight. (Health Canada's highest daily caloric level — for 17-to-18-year-old males — is 3,300). Jenkins estimates a meal of 1,500 calories would add about 200 grams, or 0.44 pounds, of weight.

And it's not necessarily easy to make those calories disappear. Leung estimates it would take an hour and a half of walking to burn off the 100 calories in just one cup of eggnog.

So, what to do? You want to enjoy food at this time of year, but give your body a break, too.

Jenkins is a big proponent of not making the big meal such a focus of the festivities.

"I think one of the best strategies is to enjoy a small amount of food but think of other activities that can be enjoyable."

If there is some choice in your holiday food, opt for more plant-based types of food, he suggests. "Eat things that are more bulky, have more water in them."

Don't have two servings of turkey, and maybe consider having some tropical fruit for dessert.

"Do something unusual," Jenkins says. "Maybe you forgo some sausages…. Have something else, some extra vegetables."

Leung says it is important to consider portion sizes and respect the natural cues your body can give you letting you know you're full.

Snug clothes

To do that, eat more slowly, and chew food really well before swallowing. Try eating with your non-dominant hand — you'll naturally be going more slowly. Even try wearing some snug clothes you know make you look good — they'll let you know when you're full.

Also consider the size of the plate or the cup you're using.

"If you're trying to control your portions and if you're putting it on a huge plate, it looks like a very small portion, whereas if you put it on a smaller plate it looks much more reasonable to you and you can actually feel just as satisfied that way," Leung says.

If all else fails and you do end up having a meal high in saturated fat, Leung says there is research that suggests eating a small handful of walnuts can help reduce the onset of inflammation or oxidation of the arteries, even in people with higher cholesterol.

She does, however, caution that portion control is "still very important" because while nuts have health benefits, they also come with high calories.

In the end, the best strategy is to try not to overeat in the first place, Leung says.

Remember moderation, and listen to the cues your body gives you, she says.

"I think the bottom line is it's OK to enjoy traditional holiday foods that are served, but it's just good to be mindful of the portions, especially saturated fats or sugars."

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

B.C. struggles to treat severely mentally ill drug addicts

Imagine this: Every day, you can feel people looking at you warily. They want to hurt you. Even the police are out to get you. You try to rid your mind of all the ill-intentioned people, but you can't ignore the other thing that is gnawing at you. Those bugs on your arm won't leave you alone, no matter how often you gouge at them.

Such are the hallucinations and paranoia felt by those with a stimulant drug addiction. Sometimes the substance abuse is so severe it causes neurological damage and psychosis becomes a chronic condition.

Combine untreated addiction with homelessness and physical health problems, and you get a health emergency. Vancouver police and the region's health authorities are desperately trying to figure out how to help the most vulnerable of mentally ill drug addicts.

The province estimates that roughly 130,000 people in British Columbia suffer from a severe addiction and/or mental health illness. But police and emergency workers are increasingly dealing with a much smaller group of people whose brains have been damaged by their stimulant addiction and who appear to be responsible for random violent acts on Vancouver's streets.

Dr. Nader Sharifi, addiction medicine lead with the Fraser Health Authority, said there are few good treatment options for those people.

"It's a bit of a challenging question, because what we have available isn't necessarily structured for this patient sub-type. It's either structured for addiction, or structured for mental health illness, but not necessarily the two together."

Drugs such as cocaine and crystal meth can both damage the brain, but Sharifi says the effects of crystal meth can be irreversible.

"In chronic crystal meth users, somewhere between three to six per cent will have persistent psychosis that won't go away even after they stop using."

Pleas for help

Earlier this year, Vancouver's police chief and the mayor pleaded for help from the B.C. government to deal with what they call a mental-health crisis comparable in scope to the HIV/AIDS epidemic which swept Vancouver's impoverished Downtown Eastside 20 years ago.

It was the third time in five years that the police asked for help, even though the province pours millions of dollars into mental health and addiction services and supportive housing every year.

Officials say B.C. is facing a mental-health crisis comparable in scope to the arrival of HIV/AIDS in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood 20 years ago. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

Police chief Jim Chu said officers are taking more people into custody than ever under the provincial Mental Health Act. St. Paul's Hospital in downtown Vancouver has also seen an alarming spike in mentally ill patients in its emergency department.

It's often uncertain which came first, the mental illness or the substance abuse, or whether one caused the other, said Michael Krausz, professor of psychiatry at the University of B.C.

"It's a level of complexity where the cognitive impairment, the substance use, the psychological trauma are just so entangled that you can't say this is causing that," he said.

"It's all contributing to a very complicated situation for those clients."

Many people with severe mental illnesses and drug addictions are socially marginalized and homeless, making it harder for them to get treatment, Krausz said. Delivering continuous care remains the toughest task.

For example, said Sharifi, those with neurological damage caused by crystal meth may well have to take anti-psychosis medication for the rest of their lives. They will need help with housing and will need more thorough follow-up in the community.

Such services are intensive, said Sharifi, and a treatment team will generally include a psychiatrist, family physician, social worker, case manager, nurse, occupational therapist and psychologist.

"It really requires a team-based approach and will take months."

The public plea from the police and the city prompted B.C.'s Health Minister Terry Lake to announce a series of measures last month.

They include adding a nine-to-12 bed psychiatric assessment and stabilization unit at St. Paul's. There will also be two more Assertive Community Treatment teams — or ACT teams — which include social workers, psychiatrists, nurses, addiction counsellors, police and outreach workers to help people discharged from emergency.

Aggressive clients, severe addiction

Only one facility in the province serves mentally ill drug addicts. The Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addiction has 100 beds, but an estimated 300 people are in need.

Even the Health Ministry acknowledged the centre is not "optimally equipped" to meet the needs of "the small subset of aggressive clients with severe addiction and/or mental illness."

"The … centre … is designed, and is effective, for most mental health and addictions issues that we see in British Columbia," said Health Ministry spokesman Ryan Jabs in an email to The Canadian Press.

But he added a small number of patients require a higher level of care — closer observation, additional security and care targeted to their needs.

Lake is reluctant to add many more beds immediately, but he did say a new facility linked to the Burnaby centre will provide stabilization, assessment and individual case planning services. It will boast six beds, but eight overflow beds will be available.

It's not the 300 beds that Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and Chu have asked for, but Krausz said the new measures are a start while the province figures out — yet again — what more it must do for its most vulnerable citizens.

Krausz said the equation is simple: "If you have less community treatment, you need more beds."

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dr. C: Cancer has changed me, now what?

Hello Canada, you look great – have you lost weight?  

Now that I have your attention, I want to talk to you about what happened this week when I was chatting to a friend about what was going on at work. 

Apparently there was a big kerfuffle among the residents about our call schedule. That's the typical sort of thing that used to be my daily life. 

Now when you have cancer or any kind of serious illness, you do develop an unusual perspective. 

First, you notice that some people kind of treat you like you're wise or have some otherwordly perception. Maybe because they think you're close to death, or because you've endured suffering. 

But regardless of why they treat you that way, they do, and I have to say that it's changed me.

Normal worries feels strange

You see, to my buddy, we were talking about things we'd usually talk about, and I'm usually one to enjoy normal conversation and not talk about my treatment or cancer. 

But the truth is: Suddenly, I find myself thinking we're living in a crazy world. 

Let me explain.

You're most likely having a cup of coffee right now, maybe you're on your way to work, you might even be a bit irritated by some hassles you're dealing with before you go out the door. 

Since I've been diagnosed with cancer, I find that the things that used to make up the substance of my life to be, well, kind of flimsy and fleeting. 

I would worry incessantly about work, and dating, and money. 

Now I actually have something to REALLY worry about – chemotherapy and cancer. Every day is an adventure in not dying. 

But suddenly I find myself worry free. 

Everyday things seem a bit trivial

Maybe it's denial, maybe I'm psychologically damaged, but I just don't care about things like office politics, or the new smartphone. 

It seems so strange to me that people are living and dying all over this country, and yet the things we talk about,even on our national news, seem trivial. This politician said this about that guy. This is our democracy? 

This is why I'm going through chemotherapy? So I can go back to work and argue with people about my call schedule? 

I didn't puke my guts out and nearly die to go back to a life filled with petty conflicts. 

I didn't suffer for days at a time in a chemo hole to worry about the car I drive. 

Life really is too short

I'm not going to claim to have found a spiritual path to meaning, but I do know that suddenly I want to have conversations that matter. 

I don't want to be surrounded with negative small talk. 

I think I finally get it. Life really IS too short to be wasted. 

It's like life is checking in and telling me "Really? You spent an hour and half watching 27 Dresses with Katherine Heigl? 

"Is that really how you want to spend to your time? Are you doing something that matters? Is your life – meaningful?" 

I feel bombarded with questions like this, questions that shake the foundation of my everyday life, and I guess I feel now that I'm supposed to change. 

I just don't know why, or what or how. 

I just know for the first time, that this life is meant for greater things than what I have been using it for.   

And for some strange reason, I feel like you probably get that.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

B.C. struggles to treat severely mentally ill drug addicts

Imagine this: Every day, you can feel people looking at you warily. They want to hurt you. Even the police are out to get you. You try to rid your mind of all the ill-intentioned people, but you can't ignore the other thing that is gnawing at you. Those bugs on your arm won't leave you alone, no matter how often you gouge at them.

Such are the hallucinations and paranoia felt by those with a stimulant drug addiction. Sometimes the substance abuse is so severe it causes neurological damage and psychosis becomes a chronic condition.

Combine untreated addiction with homelessness and physical health problems, and you get a health emergency. Vancouver police and the region's health authorities are desperately trying to figure out how to help the most vulnerable of mentally ill drug addicts.

The province estimates that roughly 130,000 people in British Columbia suffer from a severe addiction and/or mental health illness. But police and emergency workers are increasingly dealing with a much smaller group of people whose brains have been damaged by their stimulant addiction and who appear to be responsible for random violent acts on Vancouver's streets.

Dr. Nader Sharifi, addiction medicine lead with the Fraser Health Authority, said there are few good treatment options for those people.

"It's a bit of a challenging question, because what we have available isn't necessarily structured for this patient sub-type. It's either structured for addiction, or structured for mental health illness, but not necessarily the two together."

Drugs such as cocaine and crystal meth can both damage the brain, but Sharifi says the effects of crystal meth can be irreversible.

"In chronic crystal meth users, somewhere between three to six per cent will have persistent psychosis that won't go away even after they stop using."

Pleas for help

Earlier this year, Vancouver's police chief and the mayor pleaded for help from the B.C. government to deal with what they call a mental-health crisis comparable in scope to the HIV/AIDS epidemic which swept Vancouver's impoverished Downtown Eastside 20 years ago.

It was the third time in five years that the police asked for help, even though the province pours millions of dollars into mental health and addiction services and supportive housing every year.

Officials say B.C. is facing a mental-health crisis comparable in scope to the arrival of HIV/AIDS in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood 20 years ago. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

Police chief Jim Chu said officers are taking more people into custody than ever under the provincial Mental Health Act. St. Paul's Hospital in downtown Vancouver has also seen an alarming spike in mentally ill patients in its emergency department.

It's often uncertain which came first, the mental illness or the substance abuse, or whether one caused the other, said Michael Krausz, professor of psychiatry at the University of B.C.

"It's a level of complexity where the cognitive impairment, the substance use, the psychological trauma are just so entangled that you can't say this is causing that," he said.

"It's all contributing to a very complicated situation for those clients."

Many people with severe mental illnesses and drug addictions are socially marginalized and homeless, making it harder for them to get treatment, Krausz said. Delivering continuous care remains the toughest task.

For example, said Sharifi, those with neurological damage caused by crystal meth may well have to take anti-psychosis medication for the rest of their lives. They will need help with housing and will need more thorough follow-up in the community.

Such services are intensive, said Sharifi, and a treatment team will generally include a psychiatrist, family physician, social worker, case manager, nurse, occupational therapist and psychologist.

"It really requires a team-based approach and will take months."

The public plea from the police and the city prompted B.C.'s Health Minister Terry Lake to announce a series of measures last month.

They include adding a nine-to-12 bed psychiatric assessment and stabilization unit at St. Paul's. There will also be two more Assertive Community Treatment teams — or ACT teams — which include social workers, psychiatrists, nurses, addiction counsellors, police and outreach workers to help people discharged from emergency.

Aggressive clients, severe addiction

Only one facility in the province serves mentally ill drug addicts. The Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addiction has 100 beds, but an estimated 300 people are in need.

Even the Health Ministry acknowledged the centre is not "optimally equipped" to meet the needs of "the small subset of aggressive clients with severe addiction and/or mental illness."

"The … centre … is designed, and is effective, for most mental health and addictions issues that we see in British Columbia," said Health Ministry spokesman Ryan Jabs in an email to The Canadian Press.

But he added a small number of patients require a higher level of care — closer observation, additional security and care targeted to their needs.

Lake is reluctant to add many more beds immediately, but he did say a new facility linked to the Burnaby centre will provide stabilization, assessment and individual case planning services. It will boast six beds, but eight overflow beds will be available.

It's not the 300 beds that Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and Chu have asked for, but Krausz said the new measures are a start while the province figures out — yet again — what more it must do for its most vulnerable citizens.

Krausz said the equation is simple: "If you have less community treatment, you need more beds."

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

How the big holiday meal stresses your body out – and how to fight back

The holidays may be a time to relax and enjoy fine food, but when it comes to the big festive meal, savouring a plate loaded down with turkey, gravy and other favourites can put the human body in a state that is anything but merry.

For a healthy person who rarely indulges in a big meal, the effects may ultimately be negligible.

Registered dietician Tanya Leung says it's important to listen to cues your body gives you so you won't feel sick after having a holiday meal. (Submitted by Tanya Leung)

But there's no denying the stress that digesting a big meal can put on anyone's body, or how — depending on a person's year-round eating habits — all that sweet and fatty food can help spawn unhealthy conditions down the road.

"I think we've all been there," says Tanya Leung, a registered dietitian at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. "We've felt overstuffed or uncomfortable after a holiday meal."

And there can be a lot of reasons for that: The meal involves large portions and foods that are high in fat and sugar, and it can be eaten later in the day or evening. Alcohol, which can also pack on the calories, may also be involved.

Leung says it can take up to six hours to digest a large, high fat meal that also includes such fare as eggnog, sausage rolls, cheese and crackers and gravy on the meat or potatoes.

That's in comparison to the two or three hours it could take to digest a meal featuring food lower in fat but higher in vegetables, lean protein and a reasonable portion of starchy foods.

The actual digestion process is itself something of a marathon, and when there's more food involved, there's more stress on the system.

Glucose rush

Dr. David Jenkins, a professor in the University of Toronto's department of nutritional sciences, can quickly rattle off how that all happens: After the meal, the stomach is very full, pumping and pushing the food out at the rate of about one per cent a minute.

The intestine, he says, is quite efficient at doing its job, as carbohydrates, proteins and fats are absorbed.

"As a result, the carbohydrate foods will give you a big rush in terms of glucose levels, and together with the protein and the aminoacids, you'll secrete a lot of insulin."

If your pancreas is working well, that shouldn't be a problem. If not, the pancreas has to work even harder to push out insulin to keep the blood glucose under control.

Fat gets absorbed in the lower part of the small intestine. If there's a lot of fat, that can ultimately get sent into the blood. Remnant fat particles loaded with cholesterol will get to the liver.

"The cholesterol won't rise quickly after a meal but it will rise slowly over time so you set some things in motion," Jenkins says. "So basically it could be said you're not doing yourself a big service."

Blood pressure will also increase.

Eating a large meal may also trigger certain people to feel bloated, have reflux or feel gassy, says Leung, who is also a clinical instructor at the University of British Columbia.

Long-term effects

In the long run, consistent overeating can lead to obesity, and increase the risk for chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, she says.

Of course, the human body is built to handle a lot, and if a person is healthy, one big meal doesn't spell instant or ultimate doom.

"If you're a person who really has only one meal like this a year, the rest of the time you eat sensibly, you eat your fruits and vegetables, you take plenty of exercise, you have rest and recreation and you're generally slim and skinny and happy, taking one big meal like this won't do any harm at all," Jenkins says.

It could take up to an hour and a half to walk off the calories in one cup of eggnog. (Associated Press)

"The trouble is there aren't too many of us left in the world like that."

While people may think the festive fare they consume could contribute to large weight gains, research suggests otherwise. But the weight they do put on may ultimately stick around.

Leung says studies have shown people only gain one to 1.5 pounds over the holidays, not the 10 to 15 pounds they think they put on.

"The good news is you're not gaining as much as you thought you did," she says, "but what they also showed is that they think that this 1½ pounds is what most people gain per year on average, that most of the weight they gain per year is due to holiday weight gain."

Taking the weight off isn't always easy, either.

Not just the meal

There may be a lot of calories in play — Leung's heard of estimates up to 7,000 for the typical Christmas dinner, or enough calories to add two pounds of weight. (Health Canada's highest daily caloric level — for 17-to-18-year-old males — is 3,300). Jenkins estimates a meal of 1,500 calories would add about 200 grams, or 0.44 pounds, of weight.

And it's not necessarily easy to make those calories disappear. Leung estimates it would take an hour and a half of walking to burn off the 100 calories in just one cup of eggnog.

So, what to do? You want to enjoy food at this time of year, but give your body a break, too.

Jenkins is a big proponent of not making the big meal such a focus of the festivities.

"I think one of the best strategies is to enjoy a small amount of food but think of other activities that can be enjoyable."

If there is some choice in your holiday food, opt for more plant-based types of food, he suggests. "Eat things that are more bulky, have more water in them."

Don't have two servings of turkey, and maybe consider having some tropical fruit for dessert.

"Do something unusual," Jenkins says. "Maybe you forgo some sausages…. Have something else, some extra vegetables."

Leung says it is important to consider portion sizes and respect the natural cues your body can give you letting you know you're full.

Snug clothes

To do that, eat more slowly, and chew food really well before swallowing. Try eating with your non-dominant hand — you'll naturally be going more slowly. Even try wearing some snug clothes you know make you look good — they'll let you know when you're full.

Also consider the size of the plate or the cup you're using.

"If you're trying to control your portions and if you're putting it on a huge plate, it looks like a very small portion, whereas if you put it on a smaller plate it looks much more reasonable to you and you can actually feel just as satisfied that way," Leung says.

If all else fails and you do end up having a meal high in saturated fat, Leung says there is research that suggests eating a small handful of walnuts can help reduce the onset of inflammation or oxidation of the arteries, even in people with higher cholesterol.

She does, however, caution that portion control is "still very important" because while nuts have health benefits, they also come with high calories.

In the end, the best strategy is to try not to overeat in the first place, Leung says.

Remember moderation, and listen to the cues your body gives you, she says.

"I think the bottom line is it's OK to enjoy traditional holiday foods that are served, but it's just good to be mindful of the portions, especially saturated fats or sugars."

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

6 top health stories of 2013: editors' picks

Kate Warner said she was thrown for a loop when she learned she received chemotherapy that was overdiluted. (CBC)

Genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer mutations, overdiluted chemotherapy and a delay in informing Canadians about a birth control pill recall were among the top health topics of 2013.

Here are the stories as chosen by editors at CBC's Health Content Unit, in no particular order.

1) Chemotherapy underdosing

The announcement in April that 1,176 people with cancer in Ontario and New Brunswick received chemotherapy that was overdiluted shocked Canadians across the country,  exposed a gap in regulatory oversight for some companies preparing the drugs  and highlighted how hospitals in several provinces rely on outsourcing for their supplies. 

In August, an expert who looked into the chemotherapy drug scare recommended that Health Canada should regulate all entities that mix drugs outside a licensed pharmacy. The Ontario government and Ontario College of Pharmacists acted on recommendations to license all pharmacies operating within the province's clinics or hospitals and to license and annually inspect pharmacies that prepare large volume non-sterile and sterile products.

2) Angelina Jolie

Actress and director Angelina Jolie was the top searched keyword on cbc.ca/news/health in 2013. In May, Jolie announced in the New York Times she carries the BRCA1 genetic mutation linked to cancer and had a preventive double mastectomy. Some genetic testing clinics said they received more calls after the announcement.

Provincial governments will cover the cost of the test, but only if the individual meets specific criteria. The Canadian-developed genetic test was also at issue in a U.S. court battle.

CBC's the fifth estate launched an interactive tool that allows patients to rate the quality of care in their hospitals. After a nine-month quest to uncover data about Canadian hospitals' performance and make it public, Rate My Hospital offered unprecedented access to information about hospitals across the country.

4) Birth control pill recalls

Health Canada did not notify the media and the public of Apotex's recall of its Alysena 28 birth control pills until April 8, despite learning of the company's actions four days earlier, according to an independent review. In response, Health Minister Rona Ambrose said her department will work with industry to ensure they provide early notification of any drug recalls.

The issue behind the recall was one lot contained too little active drug and too much placebo, which increases the risk of an unplanned pregnancy. Another contraceptive, Freya-28, was also recalled across Canada after a pharmacy reported a placebo pill was misplaced in one package. Mylan Pharmaceuticals, the distributor of Freya-28, expanded the recall to include Esme-28 as a precaution after it was unable to rule out that the packaging error also affected that product.

5) Paying for plasma

Canada's proposed move away from an altruistic donation model and towards compensating Canadians for plasma used to make expensive intravenous drugs raised questions about potential effects on the whole blood donor system, safety and supply and demand of raw plasma.

Health Canada said it is reviewing feedback from a recent public consultation process and a report is expected to be be available early in 2014.

6) MS vein unblocking

A series of studies in 2013 debunked Italian Paolo Zamboni's belief that clearing blocked or narrowed neck veins could relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

One study by Dr. Anthony Traboulsee, medical director of the UBC Hospital MS Clinic in Vancouver concluded the prevalence of narrowing was similar in those with MS, their siblings and unrelated controls. In another, professor emeritus Ian Rodger of McMaster University and his team found no evidence of abnormalities in head or neck veins of 99 adults with MS compared with 100 healthy controls.

Results from a clinical trial into unblocking veins, also conducted by Traboulsee, is expected in the fall of 2015.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

Botched baby vaccinations prompt alert in N.S.

Patients of Nova Scotia physician William Vitale are being notified that some may need to be vaccinated again after the doctor mixed incompatible vaccines in one syringe and injected them in one shot.

Vitale has had his licence suspended by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia for improperly administering vaccines.

The Capital District Health Authority says people who were vaccinated by Vitale from 1992 to 1994 and from 2003 to present and who were under age 24 months at the time may need to be re-immunized.

On Friday, health officials said Vitale was told to stop the practice by the health authority in 2006. But the authority's medical officer of health said she can't explain how that misconduct was handled.

"I can't speak to what happened in 2006. Why he wasn't followed up," Dr. Robin Taylor said.

And the registrar at the college said he doesn't know why the professional body wasn't notified at the time. Gus Grant, the registrar, said the college first learned of Vitale's conduct on Dec. 11.

Health officials are urging Vitale's patients to get re-vaccinated properly, but say it is not an emergency. Taylor is recommending patients have their first re-vaccination appointment by the end of February.

"Immunizations work to protect us against diseases such as measles, mumps, tetanus and whooping cough and are the best way to stay healthy for years to come," Taylor said.

It may take up to six months for some re-immunizations to be effective.

Patients or parents of patients vaccinated by Vitale during the affected periods should contact their family physician or call 811 for health information.

For those in the Halifax area without a family doctor, a vaccination clinic for former patients of Vitale will start Jan. 8. Appointments are required and can be arranged by calling (902) 481-5813.

Capital Health says patients should not go to emergency rooms or walk-in clinics, because they are not designed to perform routine immunizations.

"Doctors are well-informed on the right way to deliver vaccines, so this is a rare occurrence," said Dr. Frank Atherton, deputy chief public health officer for the provincial Health and Wellness Department.

"Most Nova Scotians are properly immunized. However, it is important that affected patients of this doctor take action to ensure that they are protected against these preventable diseases."

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

Co-Fluvoxamine antidepressant recalled for allergy risk

Some bottles of the antidepressant Co-Fluvoxamine may contain a few pills of a prescription antibiotic, which poses a potential allergy risk, Health Canada warns.  
 
Cobalt Pharmaceuticals said it is voluntarily recalling one lot of Co-Fluvoxamine (100 mg) because it may also contain a few pills of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. 
 
"Canadians taking Co-Fluvoxamine who are allergic to ciprofloxacin are at risk of fever, rash, itching, hives, and in rare instances, severe skin reactions," Health Canada said in a release on Tuesday. 

People taking Co-Fluvoxamine who are allergic to ciprofloxacin are at risk of fever, rash, itching, hives, and in rare instances, severe skin reactions, Health Canada says.

The affected product is Co-Fluvoxamine (100 mg) (DIN: 02255537, Lot: 56938A).

"If you have a known allergy to ciprofloxacin you should stop taking the medication and confirm with a health-care practitioner whether it is from an affected lot," the department advised.

Otherwise, people should not stop using Co-Fluvoxamine unless advised to do so by a health-care practitioner.

Other risks include difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue or throat, shock, and life-threatening reactions.

Rare cases of allergic reactions have been reported in patients who take ciprofloxacin, even after one dose, Health Canada said.

The regulator has not received any reports of adverse reactions.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chronic migraines in youth eased with therapy

Children and teens with chronic migraines showed fewer disabling headaches following a therapy that teaches coping skills, say doctors who'd like the therapy to be routinely offered to younger people along with medication.
 
Chronic migraines are frequent, severe, pulsating headaches accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. 

Researchers in the United States randomly assigned 135 youth aged 10 to 17 with chronic migraines to 10 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy that included pain coping training with biofeedback, or educational sessions that were the same length of time with a therapist.

All of the participants also received amitriptyline, an antidepressant that is also prescribed to prevent chronic headaches.

Chronic migraines can impair how well children function at school and participate in physical and social activities, a journal editorial says. (iStock)

After 20 weeks, the number of days with headaches per month in the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) group decreased by 11.5 compared with a drop of 6.8 in the control group, Scott Powers of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and his co-authors say in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
 
"Now that there is strong evidence for CBT in headache management, it should be routinely offered as a first-line treatment for chronic migraine along with medications and not only as an add-on if medications are not found to be sufficiently effective," the study's authors conclude.

Of the 398 patients who were assessed to participate in the study, 226 refused to participate. They gave reasons such as the distance was too far, lack of time and a preference for standard clinical care, the researchers said.

Powers and his colleagues suggested testing whether offering the therapy online or in mobile formats helps to overcome barriers to in-person visits.

A total of 199 adverse events were reported, 90 in the CBT group and 109 in the education group. There were no differences between the two groups for the most severe events. 

A journal editorial published with the study called it unique in its rigour among behavioural trials for treating pediatric chronic headaches.

The results provide "a compelling impetus to try" to surmount the barriers to implementing CBT for pediatric migraine cases, Mark Connelly of Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City said in the editorial.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Center for Research Resources, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

How the big holiday meal stresses your body out – and how to fight back

The holidays may be a time to relax and enjoy fine food, but when it comes to the big festive meal, savouring a plate loaded down with turkey, gravy and other favourites can put the human body in a state that is anything but merry.

For a healthy person who rarely indulges in a big meal, the effects may ultimately be negligible.

Registered dietician Tanya Leung says it's important to listen to cues your body gives you so you won't feel sick after having a holiday meal. (Submitted by Tanya Leung)

But there's no denying the stress that digesting a big meal can put on anyone's body, or how — depending on a person's year-round eating habits — all that sweet and fatty food can help spawn unhealthy conditions down the road.

"I think we've all been there," says Tanya Leung, a registered dietitian at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. "We've felt overstuffed or uncomfortable after a holiday meal."

And there can be a lot of reasons for that: The meal involves large portions and foods that are high in fat and sugar, and it can be eaten later in the day or evening. Alcohol, which can also pack on the calories, may also be involved.

Leung says it can take up to six hours to digest a large, high fat meal that also includes such fare as eggnog, sausage rolls, cheese and crackers and gravy on the meat or potatoes.

That's in comparison to the two or three hours it could take to digest a meal featuring food lower in fat but higher in vegetables, lean protein and a reasonable portion of starchy foods.

The actual digestion process is itself something of a marathon, and when there's more food involved, there's more stress on the system.

Glucose rush

Dr. David Jenkins, a professor in the University of Toronto's department of nutritional sciences, can quickly rattle off how that all happens: After the meal, the stomach is very full, pumping and pushing the food out at the rate of about one per cent a minute.

The intestine, he says, is quite efficient at doing its job, as carbohydrates, proteins and fats are absorbed.

"As a result, the carbohydrate foods will give you a big rush in terms of glucose levels, and together with the protein and the aminoacids, you'll secrete a lot of insulin."

If your pancreas is working well, that shouldn't be a problem. If not, the pancreas has to work even harder to push out insulin to keep the blood glucose under control.

Fat gets absorbed in the lower part of the small intestine. If there's a lot of fat, that can ultimately get sent into the blood. Remnant fat particles loaded with cholesterol will get to the liver.

"The cholesterol won't rise quickly after a meal but it will rise slowly over time so you set some things in motion," Jenkins says. "So basically it could be said you're not doing yourself a big service."

Blood pressure will also increase.

Eating a large meal may also trigger certain people to feel bloated, have reflux or feel gassy, says Leung, who is also a clinical instructor at the University of British Columbia.

Long-term effects

In the long run, consistent overeating can lead to obesity, and increase the risk for chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, she says.

Of course, the human body is built to handle a lot, and if a person is healthy, one big meal doesn't spell instant or ultimate doom.

"If you're a person who really has only one meal like this a year, the rest of the time you eat sensibly, you eat your fruits and vegetables, you take plenty of exercise, you have rest and recreation and you're generally slim and skinny and happy, taking one big meal like this won't do any harm at all," Jenkins says.

It could take up to an hour and a half to walk off the calories in one cup of eggnog. (Associated Press)

"The trouble is there aren't too many of us left in the world like that."

While people may think the festive fare they consume could contribute to large weight gains, research suggests otherwise. But the weight they do put on may ultimately stick around.

Leung says studies have shown people only gain one to 1.5 pounds over the holidays, not the 10 to 15 pounds they think they put on.

"The good news is you're not gaining as much as you thought you did," she says, "but what they also showed is that they think that this 1½ pounds is what most people gain per year on average, that most of the weight they gain per year is due to holiday weight gain."

Taking the weight off isn't always easy, either.

Not just the meal

There may be a lot of calories in play — Leung's heard of estimates up to 7,000 for the typical Christmas dinner, or enough calories to add two pounds of weight. (Health Canada's highest daily caloric level — for 17-to-18-year-old males — is 3,300). Jenkins estimates a meal of 1,500 calories would add about 200 grams, or 0.44 pounds, of weight.

And it's not necessarily easy to make those calories disappear. Leung estimates it would take an hour and a half of walking to burn off the 100 calories in just one cup of eggnog.

So, what to do? You want to enjoy food at this time of year, but give your body a break, too.

Jenkins is a big proponent of not making the big meal such a focus of the festivities.

"I think one of the best strategies is to enjoy a small amount of food but think of other activities that can be enjoyable."

If there is some choice in your holiday food, opt for more plant-based types of food, he suggests. "Eat things that are more bulky, have more water in them."

Don't have two servings of turkey, and maybe consider having some tropical fruit for dessert.

"Do something unusual," Jenkins says. "Maybe you forgo some sausages…. Have something else, some extra vegetables."

Leung says it is important to consider portion sizes and respect the natural cues your body can give you letting you know you're full.

Snug clothes

To do that, eat more slowly, and chew food really well before swallowing. Try eating with your non-dominant hand — you'll naturally be going more slowly. Even try wearing some snug clothes you know make you look good — they'll let you know when you're full.

Also consider the size of the plate or the cup you're using.

"If you're trying to control your portions and if you're putting it on a huge plate, it looks like a very small portion, whereas if you put it on a smaller plate it looks much more reasonable to you and you can actually feel just as satisfied that way," Leung says.

If all else fails and you do end up having a meal high in saturated fat, Leung says there is research that suggests eating a small handful of walnuts can help reduce the onset of inflammation or oxidation of the arteries, even in people with higher cholesterol.

She does, however, caution that portion control is "still very important" because while nuts have health benefits, they also come with high calories.

In the end, the best strategy is to try not to overeat in the first place, Leung says.

Remember moderation, and listen to the cues your body gives you, she says.

"I think the bottom line is it's OK to enjoy traditional holiday foods that are served, but it's just good to be mindful of the portions, especially saturated fats or sugars."

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

6 top health stories of 2013: editors' picks

Kate Warner said she was thrown for a loop when she learned she received chemotherapy that was overdiluted. (CBC)

Genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer mutations, overdiluted chemotherapy and a delay in informing Canadians about a birth control pill recall were among the top health topics of 2013.

Here are the stories as chosen by editors at CBC's Health Content Unit, in no particular order.

1) Chemotherapy underdosing

The announcement in April that 1,176 people with cancer in Ontario and New Brunswick received chemotherapy that was overdiluted shocked Canadians across the country,  exposed a gap in regulatory oversight for some companies preparing the drugs  and highlighted how hospitals in several provinces rely on outsourcing for their supplies. 

In August, an expert who looked into the chemotherapy drug scare recommended that Health Canada should regulate all entities that mix drugs outside a licensed pharmacy. The Ontario government and Ontario College of Pharmacists acted on recommendations to license all pharmacies operating within the province's clinics or hospitals and to license and annually inspect pharmacies that prepare large volume non-sterile and sterile products.

2) Angelina Jolie

Actress and director Angelina Jolie was the top searched keyword on cbc.ca/news/health in 2013. In May, Jolie announced in the New York Times she carries the BRCA1 genetic mutation linked to cancer and had a preventive double mastectomy. Some genetic testing clinics said they received more calls after the announcement.

Provincial governments will cover the cost of the test, but only if the individual meets specific criteria. The Canadian-developed genetic test was also at issue in a U.S. court battle.

CBC's the fifth estate launched an interactive tool that allows patients to rate the quality of care in their hospitals. After a nine-month quest to uncover data about Canadian hospitals' performance and make it public, Rate My Hospital offered unprecedented access to information about hospitals across the country.

4) Birth control pill recalls

Health Canada did not notify the media and the public of Apotex's recall of its Alysena 28 birth control pills until April 8, despite learning of the company's actions four days earlier, according to an independent review. In response, Health Minister Rona Ambrose said her department will work with industry to ensure they provide early notification of any drug recalls.

The issue behind the recall was one lot contained too little active drug and too much placebo, which increases the risk of an unplanned pregnancy. Another contraceptive, Freya-28, was also recalled across Canada after a pharmacy reported a placebo pill was misplaced in one package. Mylan Pharmaceuticals, the distributor of Freya-28, expanded the recall to include Esme-28 as a precaution after it was unable to rule out that the packaging error also affected that product.

5) Paying for plasma

Canada's proposed move away from an altruistic donation model and towards compensating Canadians for plasma used to make expensive intravenous drugs raised questions about potential effects on the whole blood donor system, safety and supply and demand of raw plasma.

Health Canada said it is reviewing feedback from a recent public consultation process and a report is expected to be be available early in 2014.

6) MS vein unblocking

A series of studies in 2013 debunked Italian Paolo Zamboni's belief that clearing blocked or narrowed neck veins could relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

One study by Dr. Anthony Traboulsee, medical director of the UBC Hospital MS Clinic in Vancouver concluded the prevalence of narrowing was similar in those with MS, their siblings and unrelated controls. In another, professor emeritus Ian Rodger of McMaster University and his team found no evidence of abnormalities in head or neck veins of 99 adults with MS compared with 100 healthy controls.

Results from a clinical trial into unblocking veins, also conducted by Traboulsee, is expected in the fall of 2015.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

How the big holiday meal stresses your body out – and how to fight back

The holidays may be a time to relax and enjoy fine food, but when it comes to the big festive meal, savouring a plate loaded down with turkey, gravy and other favourites can put the human body in a state that is anything but merry.

For a healthy person who rarely indulges in a big meal, the effects may ultimately be negligible.

Registered dietician Tanya Leung says it's important to listen to cues your body gives you so you won't feel sick after having a holiday meal. (Submitted by Tanya Leung)

But there's no denying the stress that digesting a big meal can put on anyone's body, or how — depending on a person's year-round eating habits — all that sweet and fatty food can help spawn unhealthy conditions down the road.

"I think we've all been there," says Tanya Leung, a registered dietitian at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. "We've felt overstuffed or uncomfortable after a holiday meal."

And there can be a lot of reasons for that: The meal involves large portions and foods that are high in fat and sugar, and it can be eaten later in the day or evening. Alcohol, which can also pack on the calories, may also be involved.

Leung says it can take up to six hours to digest a large, high fat meal that also includes such fare as eggnog, sausage rolls, cheese and crackers and gravy on the meat or potatoes.

That's in comparison to the two or three hours it could take to digest a meal featuring food lower in fat but higher in vegetables, lean protein and a reasonable portion of starchy foods.

The actual digestion process is itself something of a marathon, and when there's more food involved, there's more stress on the system.

Glucose rush

Dr. David Jenkins, a professor in the University of Toronto's department of nutritional sciences, can quickly rattle off how that all happens: After the meal, the stomach is very full, pumping and pushing the food out at the rate of about one per cent a minute.

The intestine, he says, is quite efficient at doing its job, as carbohydrates, proteins and fats are absorbed.

"As a result, the carbohydrate foods will give you a big rush in terms of glucose levels, and together with the protein and the aminoacids, you'll secrete a lot of insulin."

If your pancreas is working well, that shouldn't be a problem. If not, the pancreas has to work even harder to push out insulin to keep the blood glucose under control.

Fat gets absorbed in the lower part of the small intestine. If there's a lot of fat, that can ultimately get sent into the blood. Remnant fat particles loaded with cholesterol will get to the liver.

"The cholesterol won't rise quickly after a meal but it will rise slowly over time so you set some things in motion," Jenkins says. "So basically it could be said you're not doing yourself a big service."

Blood pressure will also increase.

Eating a large meal may also trigger certain people to feel bloated, have reflux or feel gassy, says Leung, who is also a clinical instructor at the University of British Columbia.

Long-term effects

In the long run, consistent overeating can lead to obesity, and increase the risk for chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, she says.

Of course, the human body is built to handle a lot, and if a person is healthy, one big meal doesn't spell instant or ultimate doom.

"If you're a person who really has only one meal like this a year, the rest of the time you eat sensibly, you eat your fruits and vegetables, you take plenty of exercise, you have rest and recreation and you're generally slim and skinny and happy, taking one big meal like this won't do any harm at all," Jenkins says.

It could take up to an hour and a half to walk off the calories in one cup of eggnog. (Associated Press)

"The trouble is there aren't too many of us left in the world like that."

While people may think the festive fare they consume could contribute to large weight gains, research suggests otherwise. But the weight they do put on may ultimately stick around.

Leung says studies have shown people only gain one to 1.5 pounds over the holidays, not the 10 to 15 pounds they think they put on.

"The good news is you're not gaining as much as you thought you did," she says, "but what they also showed is that they think that this 1½ pounds is what most people gain per year on average, that most of the weight they gain per year is due to holiday weight gain."

Taking the weight off isn't always easy, either.

Not just the meal

There may be a lot of calories in play — Leung's heard of estimates up to 7,000 for the typical Christmas dinner, or enough calories to add two pounds of weight. (Health Canada's highest daily caloric level — for 17-to-18-year-old males — is 3,300). Jenkins estimates a meal of 1,500 calories would add about 200 grams, or 0.44 pounds, of weight.

And it's not necessarily easy to make those calories disappear. Leung estimates it would take an hour and a half of walking to burn off the 100 calories in just one cup of eggnog.

So, what to do? You want to enjoy food at this time of year, but give your body a break, too.

Jenkins is a big proponent of not making the big meal such a focus of the festivities.

"I think one of the best strategies is to enjoy a small amount of food but think of other activities that can be enjoyable."

If there is some choice in your holiday food, opt for more plant-based types of food, he suggests. "Eat things that are more bulky, have more water in them."

Don't have two servings of turkey, and maybe consider having some tropical fruit for dessert.

"Do something unusual," Jenkins says. "Maybe you forgo some sausages…. Have something else, some extra vegetables."

Leung says it is important to consider portion sizes and respect the natural cues your body can give you letting you know you're full.

Snug clothes

To do that, eat more slowly, and chew food really well before swallowing. Try eating with your non-dominant hand — you'll naturally be going more slowly. Even try wearing some snug clothes you know make you look good — they'll let you know when you're full.

Also consider the size of the plate or the cup you're using.

"If you're trying to control your portions and if you're putting it on a huge plate, it looks like a very small portion, whereas if you put it on a smaller plate it looks much more reasonable to you and you can actually feel just as satisfied that way," Leung says.

If all else fails and you do end up having a meal high in saturated fat, Leung says there is research that suggests eating a small handful of walnuts can help reduce the onset of inflammation or oxidation of the arteries, even in people with higher cholesterol.

She does, however, caution that portion control is "still very important" because while nuts have health benefits, they also come with high calories.

In the end, the best strategy is to try not to overeat in the first place, Leung says.

Remember moderation, and listen to the cues your body gives you, she says.

"I think the bottom line is it's OK to enjoy traditional holiday foods that are served, but it's just good to be mindful of the portions, especially saturated fats or sugars."

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

Co-Fluvoxamine antidepressant recalled for allergy risk

Some bottles of the antidepressant Co-Fluvoxamine may contain a few pills of a prescription antibiotic, which poses a potential allergy risk, Health Canada warns.  
 
Cobalt Pharmaceuticals said it is voluntarily recalling one lot of Co-Fluvoxamine (100 mg) because it may also contain a few pills of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. 
 
"Canadians taking Co-Fluvoxamine who are allergic to ciprofloxacin are at risk of fever, rash, itching, hives, and in rare instances, severe skin reactions," Health Canada said in a release on Tuesday. 

People taking Co-Fluvoxamine who are allergic to ciprofloxacin are at risk of fever, rash, itching, hives, and in rare instances, severe skin reactions, Health Canada says.

The affected product is Co-Fluvoxamine (100 mg) (DIN: 02255537, Lot: 56938A).

"If you have a known allergy to ciprofloxacin you should stop taking the medication and confirm with a health-care practitioner whether it is from an affected lot," the department advised.

Otherwise, people should not stop using Co-Fluvoxamine unless advised to do so by a health-care practitioner.

Other risks include difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue or throat, shock, and life-threatening reactions.

Rare cases of allergic reactions have been reported in patients who take ciprofloxacin, even after one dose, Health Canada said.

The regulator has not received any reports of adverse reactions.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chronic migraines in youth eased with therapy

Children and teens with chronic migraines showed fewer disabling headaches following a therapy that teaches coping skills, say doctors who'd like the therapy to be routinely offered to younger people along with medication.
 
Chronic migraines are frequent, severe, pulsating headaches accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. 

Researchers in the United States randomly assigned 135 youth aged 10 to 17 with chronic migraines to 10 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy that included pain coping training with biofeedback, or educational sessions that were the same length of time with a therapist.

All of the participants also received amitriptyline, an antidepressant that is also prescribed to prevent chronic headaches.

Chronic migraines can impair how well children function at school and participate in physical and social activities, a journal editorial says. (iStock)

After 20 weeks, the number of days with headaches per month in the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) group decreased by 11.5 compared with a drop of 6.8 in the control group, Scott Powers of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and his co-authors say in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
 
"Now that there is strong evidence for CBT in headache management, it should be routinely offered as a first-line treatment for chronic migraine along with medications and not only as an add-on if medications are not found to be sufficiently effective," the study's authors conclude.

Of the 398 patients who were assessed to participate in the study, 226 refused to participate. They gave reasons such as the distance was too far, lack of time and a preference for standard clinical care, the researchers said.

Powers and his colleagues suggested testing whether offering the therapy online or in mobile formats helps to overcome barriers to in-person visits.

A total of 199 adverse events were reported, 90 in the CBT group and 109 in the education group. There were no differences between the two groups for the most severe events. 

A journal editorial published with the study called it unique in its rigour among behavioural trials for treating pediatric chronic headaches.

The results provide "a compelling impetus to try" to surmount the barriers to implementing CBT for pediatric migraine cases, Mark Connelly of Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City said in the editorial.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Center for Research Resources, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

6 top health stories of 2013: editors' picks

Kate Warner said she was thrown for a loop when she learned she received chemotherapy that was overdiluted. (CBC)

Genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer mutations, overdiluted chemotherapy and a delay in informing Canadians about a birth control pill recall were among the top health topics of 2013.

Here are the stories as chosen by editors at CBC's Health Content Unit, in no particular order.

1) Chemotherapy underdosing

The announcement in April that 1,176 people with cancer in Ontario and New Brunswick received chemotherapy that was overdiluted shocked Canadians across the country,  exposed a gap in regulatory oversight for some companies preparing the drugs  and highlighted how hospitals in several provinces rely on outsourcing for their supplies. 

In August, an expert who looked into the chemotherapy drug scare recommended that Health Canada should regulate all entities that mix drugs outside a licensed pharmacy. The Ontario government and Ontario College of Pharmacists acted on recommendations to license all pharmacies operating within the province's clinics or hospitals and to license and annually inspect pharmacies that prepare large volume non-sterile and sterile products.

2) Angelina Jolie

Actress and director Angelina Jolie was the top searched keyword on cbc.ca/news/health in 2013. In May, Jolie announced in the New York Times she carries the BRCA1 genetic mutation linked to cancer and had a preventive double mastectomy. Some genetic testing clinics said they received more calls after the announcement.

Provincial governments will cover the cost of the test, but only if the individual meets specific criteria. The Canadian-developed genetic test was also at issue in a U.S. court battle.

CBC's the fifth estate launched an interactive tool that allows patients to rate the quality of care in their hospitals. After a nine-month quest to uncover data about Canadian hospitals' performance and make it public, Rate My Hospital offered unprecedented access to information about hospitals across the country.

4) Birth control pill recalls

Health Canada did not notify the media and the public of Apotex's recall of its Alysena 28 birth control pills until April 8, despite learning of the company's actions four days earlier, according to an independent review. In response, Health Minister Rona Ambrose said her department will work with industry to ensure they provide early notification of any drug recalls.

The issue behind the recall was one lot contained too little active drug and too much placebo, which increases the risk of an unplanned pregnancy. Another contraceptive, Freya-28, was also recalled across Canada after a pharmacy reported a placebo pill was misplaced in one package. Mylan Pharmaceuticals, the distributor of Freya-28, expanded the recall to include Esme-28 as a precaution after it was unable to rule out that the packaging error also affected that product.

5) Paying for plasma

Canada's proposed move away from an altruistic donation model and towards compensating Canadians for plasma used to make expensive intravenous drugs raised questions about potential effects on the whole blood donor system, safety and supply and demand of raw plasma.

Health Canada said it is reviewing feedback from a recent public consultation process and a report is expected to be be available early in 2014.

6) MS vein unblocking

A series of studies in 2013 debunked Italian Paolo Zamboni's belief that clearing blocked or narrowed neck veins could relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

One study by Dr. Anthony Traboulsee, medical director of the UBC Hospital MS Clinic in Vancouver concluded the prevalence of narrowing was similar in those with MS, their siblings and unrelated controls. In another, professor emeritus Ian Rodger of McMaster University and his team found no evidence of abnormalities in head or neck veins of 99 adults with MS compared with 100 healthy controls.

Results from a clinical trial into unblocking veins, also conducted by Traboulsee, is expected in the fall of 2015.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chronic migraines in youth eased with therapy

Children and teens with chronic migraines showed fewer disabling headaches following a therapy that teaches coping skills, say doctors who'd like the therapy to be routinely offered to younger people along with medication.
 
Chronic migraines are frequent, severe, pulsating headaches accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. 

Researchers in the United States randomly assigned 135 youth aged 10 to 17 with chronic migraines to 10 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy that included pain coping training with biofeedback, or educational sessions that were the same length of time with a therapist.

All of the participants also received amitriptyline, an antidepressant that is also prescribed to prevent chronic headaches.

Chronic migraines can impair how well children function at school and participate in physical and social activities, a journal editorial says. (iStock)

After 20 weeks, the number of days with headaches per month in the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) group decreased by 11.5 compared with a drop of 6.8 in the control group, Scott Powers of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and his co-authors say in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
 
"Now that there is strong evidence for CBT in headache management, it should be routinely offered as a first-line treatment for chronic migraine along with medications and not only as an add-on if medications are not found to be sufficiently effective," the study's authors conclude.

Of the 398 patients who were assessed to participate in the study, 226 refused to participate. They gave reasons such as the distance was too far, lack of time and a preference for standard clinical care, the researchers said.

Powers and his colleagues suggested testing whether offering the therapy online or in mobile formats helps to overcome barriers to in-person visits.

A total of 199 adverse events were reported, 90 in the CBT group and 109 in the education group. There were no differences between the two groups for the most severe events. 

A journal editorial published with the study called it unique in its rigour among behavioural trials for treating pediatric chronic headaches.

The results provide "a compelling impetus to try" to surmount the barriers to implementing CBT for pediatric migraine cases, Mark Connelly of Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City said in the editorial.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Center for Research Resources, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More

Heart attacks among seasonal risks, doctors say

'Tis the season — for heart attacks? Not to dampen any spirits, but studies show heart troubles spike this time of year.

It's not just a Western phenomenon; recent research in China found the same thing. The increase includes fatal and nonfatal heart attacks and a less serious condition dubbed "holiday heart syndrome" — an irregular heartbeat caused by too much booze.

Reasons for the seasonal increase are uncertain. Theories include cold weather, overindulgence and stress.

"The other day we had three heart attacks come in within four hours," said Dr. Charles Davidson, chief of Northwestern Memorial Hospital's cardiac catheterization services. The hospital's usual rate is two or three a week.

American Heart Association spokesman Dr. Richard Stein, a cardiologist at New York University's medical centre, said most studies investigating holiday heart trends have found a statistical increase in heart attacks and other problems — not a giant surge but worth noting just the same.

It happens in cold climates, sometimes when sedentary people or those with heart disease take on too much snow shovelling , or spend too much time outdoors. Cold weather can constrict arteries, increasing demand on the heart, he said, But it also happens in warm places. Flu season coincides with winter holidays and Stein said that might be a factor since the virus can cause inflammation that also can stress the heart.

Stein recommends the usual preventive advice, including flu shots, avoiding excessive eating and drinking, and getting enough exercise throughout the season.

David Phillips, a sociologist at the University of California's San Diego campus, has long studied when people die. His research, based on millions of death certificates in the U.S., shows that cardiac deaths including fatal heart attacks increase almost 5 per cent on Christmas Day, the day after and on New Year's Day. Deaths from other causes also increase at holiday time, but not as much, he has found.

Phillips estimates that there are 2,000 extra deaths each year, mostly from heart-related problems, linked with Christmas and New Year's. He says hospitals' holiday staffing is a factor, with fewer doctors and nurses working and the most senior employees often on vacation.

Also, he said, in the rush leading up to the holidays, people tend to ignore symptoms and put off going to the doctor — which can be dangerous if heart problems or other serious illnesses are brewing.

His advice? Head to the emergency room with life-threatening symptoms such as chest pain, unexplained falls, numbness or tingling. But for non-emergencies and elective surgeries, you might want to consider holding off until hospital staffing is back to normal.

Nashville dentist Jason Cabler fell victim last year. After opening presents on Christmas morning with his wife and two teens, Cabler headed downstairs to lift weights in his basement gym when he started to feel a little odd, including tightness in his chest.

"I said, 'I'm just having an off day, I'll just work through it,"' he recalled. But when his symptoms got worse, he climbed upstairs and asked his son to drive him to the hospital. By then he was feeling nauseous and sweating profusely. Ten minutes later he was in a hospital emergency room. Doctors diagnosed a heart attack and implanted two stents to open blocked artery.

Cabler was just 45, had always been healthy and active, so the diagnosis was a surprise. So was learning about the possible seasonal connection. Now he says the stress of running around buying gifts and braving holiday crowds might have been a factor. Doctors also found he had high cholesterol and triglycerides, prescribed medicine and recommended cutting down on fat and sugar.

Cabler said he's trying to cut the stress this holiday season — buying fewer gifts and spending more time at home.

"We're keeping it a little more low-key," he said.

Then there's "holiday heart syndrome," a type of irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation brought on by too much alcohol.

It involves irregular contractions in the heart's upper two chambers that patients often feel as palpitations, a funny fluttery sensation in the chest, or chest pain. It's like the heart's rhythm has gone "haywire," according to a report last year in the Harvard Heart Letter.

"People who come in with this, they're shocked that it happened," said Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a heart specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and editor-in-chief of the Harvard Heart Letter. Many aren't chronic drinkers and "may not realize that excess drinking at the annual Christmas party has its own risks," he said.

The condition typically happens in otherwise healthy adults, and resolves within 24 hours, though teens aren't immune. Medical literature includes a "holiday heart" report from doctors at Miami Children's Hospital involving a 16-year-old boy who developed atrial fibrillation after a drinking bout — his blood alcohol level was slightly higher than the legal limit.

22.45 | 0 komentar | Read More