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March 17, 2009

What's in your fridge?

Posted by Melissa Wilson at 01:25 PM ET | Comments (0)

If you're living in the suburbs, it's easy to hop in your Prius and drive to the closest mall parking lot-turned farmers market during the summer to pick up some locally-grown produce, but if you're one of the 13 million (ish) Canadians living in a large city, finding organic, locally-grown, real food can pose a bit of a challenge.

The foils of the ever-faltering economy (even Big Bird is not immune to layoffs) compound the issue further. As much as I would love to stock my fridge with organic, locally-grown green apples, my rigid grocery budget keeps me gnashing on whatever is ninety-nine cents a pound.

We all make our own concessions when it comes to eating properly. Some make hamburgers from scratch instead of downing McDonalds while others give in to potato chips once a week but never twice and never more than one serving. We all try to avoid the baddies, but no one is perfect.

Michael Pollan, author of the best-selling In Defense of Food, has made a career out of challenging the way we Westerners think about food. His food rules can be boiled down to the simple mantra: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. But of course, it's not always that simple, and his books explore the rule in further detail.

In a recent New York Times blog post, Pollan has reached out to the masses for a world's worth of cultural food rules.

"Will you send me a food rule you try to live by? Something perhaps passed down by your parents or grandparents? Or something you’ve come up with to tell your children – or yourself?

I will post your suggestions on my Web site and plan to include the best in a collection of food rules I’m now compiling."

So now I'm curious, BlogThis readers: what rules do you impose on yourself when it comes to food?

Some of my own rules loose guidelines for healthy eating:
- Don't eat food that isn't food (If Family Guy and the Simpsons have sketches about a snack cake that can survive a nuclear holocaust, I'm not touching it)
- Don't spend money on packaged food that I can make myself
- Don't eat food that has more ingredients than it should
- Don't buy lunch/dinner unless I am out with someone (Cutting eating out altogether will never work, but this significantly limits my intake of restaurant salts/fats/oils/etc. and saves me a ton of money)
- Whenever possible, substitute vegetables for meat
- If I make poutine at home from scratch, I don't have to feel guilty about eating it.

Some of my favourite replies from the comments to Pollan's request:
- Don't eat anything that comes in a krinkly bag
- If it needs a label, it may not be food
- Slow down. Your food isn't going anywhere.

In other thoroughly terrifying news, here's an article that details how French fries will kill you.

More entries on: Healthcare

January 30, 2009

How many is too many?

Posted by Melissa Wilson at 11:52 AM ET | Comments (0)

If you haven't heard at least whisperings of octuplets born in California this past week, you might want to get your hearing checked, or at least pick up a paper. Any paper. Any blog. Any radio station. The story is everywhere. The new octet is only the second set of living octuplets. The first, the Chukwu family, exploded in size a decade ago, but lost the smallest baby a week after birth. If the babies, whose parents haven't been identified, keep doing as well as they are, they could very well become the world's first set of octuplets to survive early infancy (it's probably too early to predict anything else, but so far the Chukwus hold the record of a longest-living full set).

While any healthy baby is undoubtedly a cause for celebration, with the birth of eight babies comes certain ethical questions that can't help poking their heads out of the sand.

The babies' troubles
Higher-order multiples (triplets or higher) carry huge risks for both baby and mother. They will almost definitely be born prematurely (the California eight came nine weeks early), which can lead to breathing problems, brain injuries, learning disabilities and a grab-bag of other problems, according to the Daily Mail. That is, if they even survive. Parents of multiple births don't often receive a happy ending filled with five or six bouncing babies. The Morrison family gave birth to sextuplets in 2007 and lost five of the six within two months.

Then there's the hordes of media attention the babies will inevitably receive. Some families actively try to stay out of the limelight, smartly trying to avoid a fate similar to that of the Dionne quintuplets, but for others, the temptation to put one's children on display proved too great. Check out some of TLC's hit shows and try to guess the long-term effects that will plague a gaggle of children who are living in a fishbowl.

The mother's troubles
Once the shock and awe wears off, the parents are left raising a basketball team of children, but their real problems begin way before that. Just imagine having eight babies walking around inside of you. During pregnancy, mothers of high-order multiples face higher risks of pre-eclampsia, miscarriage, hemorrhage, and anemia, among other problems, according to the Daily Mail. Jenny Masche, mother of six healthy two-year-olds, nearly died during childbirth of heart failure.

Society's troubles
The donations the family will undoubtedly receive, the medical care, the child care, the media attention. Who pays for it all? Much comes from private donations, but the taxpayers often pick up the tab as well. Even in the states, it's unlikely that the parents of a set of adorable quintuplets would be saddled with a mile-long medical bill.

All of that is nothing compared to the private cash donations and corporate product donations (think of the publicity Pampers would get for forking over a measly crate of diapers). Anything from cribs to jumpers to baby lotion can be expected if your babies are cute enough.

But what if your produce the wrong kind of sextuplets?
Born in 1997, the Thompson kids (the first set of African American sextuplets, though one baby, a girl, was stillborn) famously received only a fraction of the news coverage and donations that the McCaughey septuplets, born a few months later, received. Today, five healthy babies is certainly a feat, but twelve years ago, it was a damn miracle. So why didn't the Thompsons receive any attention or support until civil rights activists stepped in?

Potential solutions
While some might argue that it's up to a woman to decide if she wants to birth one baby or eight, others think the system should do more to prevent multiple births. A Jezebel blog post reports that the UK is issuing a "one embryo only" guideline for IVF doctors as a way to curtail risky pregnancies.

Another possible solution is to make in vitro fertilization more affordable. Most high-order multiples are a result of infertility drugs like clomid that stimulate the ovaries anywhere from two healthy eggs to ten (or more). It is much more difficult to control the number of babies this way. IVF treatments, on the other hand, work by implanting a number of fertilized embryos into the uterus and hoping one of them sticks. One round of IVF, however, costs more than a year's rent for me, whereas clomid is relatively inexpensive and accessible. A recent CBC article argues that the cost of providing child-hungry parents with IVF treatments would be more than offset by the costs incurred to provincial health care systems when it comes to caring for the babies in hospital once they are born.

More entries on: Healthcare

November 28, 2008

The skinny on flu shots

Posted by Melissa Wilson at 12:15 PM ET | Comments (0)

Here in Toronto, I'm hiding in my apartment as the temperature hovers just above zero and I'm wondering how it is that I turned out to be such a wimp when I spent my formative years in Winnipeg, the land of cold and snow and over-sized Halloween costumes fitted over snowsuits. It seems to be an annual tradition that each time the clocks change in the fall, Canadians forget how to drive, forget how to deal with a few snowflakes and start spewing off theory after ridiculous theory about the wintertime, most of which revolve around getting sick and not getting sick.

From the sound advice to the old wives' tales, nothing permeates the airwaves more than BS about the flu shot. Here are a list of common excuses for not getting the flu shot, and why they are wrong:

"But I never get sick!"
Well, I've never been abducted by aliens, but that doesn't mean that if there weren't some sort of clinically-proven alien abduction vaccine on the market, I wouldn't be storming the doors. I can't imagine an alien abduction is too pleasant, so much like measles and meningicoccus, I'd err on the side of safety. In case my sardonic for-instance wasn't clear, just because you've never gotten the flu before, doesn't mean that you won't get it this year.

"Last year I got the flu shot and I still got sick."
This one has two possible explanations. Most likely, you are mistaking an upper respiratory infection for the flu. The Ontario Ministry of Health offers a nice chart detailing the difference between the flu and the common cold. Convention has led to many people associating any affliction with a stuffy nose and a sore throat as the flu, when in actuality Influenza is quite serious.

The second possible explanation for your bedriddeness is this: the flu shot does not work instantaneously, and the flu virus does not attack instantaneously, so it's very possible that you could have already had the flu when you got the shot, or gotten it shortly thereafter, in which case the flu shot wouldn't have had a chance to work yet.

"The flu shot gives you the flu."
This is simply not true. The flu shot, like any other vaccine, is meant to introduce a small bit of the virus into your body to help stimulate your immune system and make it easier to fight off the flu, as ABC News explains. Though it's possible to have a bad reaction to the vaccine, more than likely the worst you'll get is a sore arm and a yellow lollipop (the red ones went to those who got their shots early, like they're supposed to).

"I got the flu shot last year."
Good for you! Now, if you will, please go and get it again. Like you and I, the flu virus changes every year and thus each year the vaccine is adapted to the three most common strains for the season.

"I am part of super race of humans that were born immune to petty trivialities such as the flu, the common cold, bad breath and crying."
Well, goody for you and your superior genes, but unfortunately most of us lesser humans (your coworkers, family, grandparents, the little old lady at the mall who collects Salvation Army donations) are not quite as equipped, so you should get the flu shot as well because of something called "herd mentality." As a Slate.com article explains, the more people immunized, the less likely they are to pass the virus on to someone who didn't get the vaccine, thus lowering flu rates all around. However, herd immunity requires a critical mass, so while you may not need it, getting the flu shot is the socially responsible thing to do.

One more reason to get the flu shot: If you live in Ontario, where flu shots are available for free all around, your tax dollars already paid for it.

For fair measure, here three legitimate reasons for not getting the flu shot:
1) You are allergic to any of its components
2) You are an infant (or have an infant-like fear of getting needles, I guess)
3) You are Chuck Norris

As far as flu and cold myths go, chicken soup has actually been shown to help make you feel better. Stock up on some broth and veggies on your way home from the flu clinic, just in case.

More Information:
GetTheFluShot.ca
Health Canada on the flu
Free flu shots linked to fewer deaths, says the CBC
QuackCast podcast disproves various flu myths

And, on one final note, for anyone confused about the difference between herd immunity and herd mentality: herd immunity is the theory that if enough people get vaccinated against the flu, those remaining who did not get the shot will be protected as well. A sort of immunization-by-proxy. Herd mentality is what happens when Americans get so obsessed with getting their kids a Wii for Christmas that they trample a Wal-Mart worker to death at five in the morning.

More entries on: Healthcare

November 21, 2008

Another day, another hissy fit

Posted by Melissa Wilson at 01:02 PM ET | Comments (3)

Forget about the drug store commercials that tout pharmacists as friendly neighbourhood fixtures who look out for your family's well being. The Ontario Medical Association is downgrading them to med-school dropouts who can't tell a tummy ache from metastatic stomach cancer.

A new proposal floating around Queen's Park would allow pharmacists to diagnose simple ailments (under strict regulations and training) and prescribe medication without an MD's signature. According to the Toronto Star, the OMA is less than impressed.

The official party line seems to be that the proposal will compromise patient care, but if you're fluent in between-the-linesese, the sub-text is pretty clear: a diagnosing pharmacist will steal away business and damage doctors' bottom line.

On the one hand, I can sympathize. Canada's MDs have spent four years in university, another four in medical school, and then 2-5+ completing residencies, not to mention dropping six figures in tuition fees.

On the other hand, it's no secret that Canadian doctors are overworked, overtired and overly likely to make mistakes in this crap shoot of a system that isn't getting any better, all while over a million Canadians are unable to find a family doctor. If strep throat-diagnosing pharmacists can lighten the load so doctors can focus on more important cases (I wonder how much time is eaten up each year by patients storming clinics and ERs demanding a cure for the flu).

Not only would it save doctors' time, but it can only save time for patients as well. I, myself, get chronic ear infections — I have since I was a little kid — and usually suffer through them without medication because I can never find the time to haul my butt to my family doctor and wait for two hours just to get a prescription. By contrast, there are at least three Shoppers Drug Marts within walking distance to my house.

When is the system going to get its act together and start worrying about what is best for the health care system instead of playing tug-of-war with a couple Amoxicillin billings? How much worse is it going to get before things start looking up?

In other news, some related health care headlines, after the jump.

Cancer patients missing key surgeries: report
Your cold at its most contagious
Rapid treatment best for infants infected with HIV: study
Toronto leading the way in stem cell research

Next week: Why "But I never get sick!" is a bad excuse for not getting a flu shot.

More entries on: Healthcare

March 08, 2007

International Women's Day Special Report: Women's Health in Haiti

Posted by shawnsyms at 04:09 PM ET | Comments (0)

The poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, Haiti has suffered as a result of international intervention for over five hundred years. The damage continues to this day, in the form of desperate poverty and extreme brutality. Some of those at greatest risk are women.

Last year, the medical journal The Lancet estimated that in the year following 2004's armed insurrection against the Haitian government, 8,000 murders and 35,000 acts of sexual assault occurred in the area surrounding the capital Port au Prince alone. More recently, the BBC reported that some UN troops deployed in the distraught nation have been accused of sexual violence against children.

And with Haiti's for-profit healthcare model, the most vulnerable suffer. In the dozens of slums surrounding Port au Prince, women were forced to give birth at home in unsanitary conditions, without the benefit of electricity, latrines or even running water. Until Médecins sans Frontières got involved, that is. MSF opened Jude Anne Hospital one year ago, strategically locating it so the poorest women in the capital city could easily travel there. The hospital offers emergency obstetric care to poor pregnant women, for free. It also offers support for those who have been sexually assaulted, and provides anti-retroviral treatment to deter mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

The hospital has just over 50 beds—but hundreds of women seek help there every day. So a fast turnaround is essential. About 4 hours can be devoted per standard birth; women who undergo Caesarean sections can recuperate there for two days. Still, the efforts of the hospital staff greatly increase the odds for women and children in a country where, the MSF points out, there are 523 maternal deaths for every 100,000 childbirths (compared with 20 deaths on average in Western nations).

Jude Anne Hospital saves lives. Many of its patients experience high-risk medical complications where an attempt at home birth would likely kill the mother, or child, or both. Still, even managing to get to the hospital can be a fateful risk. In the slums of Port au Prince, random violence such as shootings and kidnapping are daily occurrences. A lot of the births take place in the hallways or even in the parking lot. As Sarah Senbeto, one midwife working at Jude Anne, told MSF: "Sadly enough, we can only help a small portion of the women in Port au Prince. We can only save those who make it this far."

MSF is on a mission to let the world know the struggles facing the poor women of Haiti. Find out more here.

More entries on: Feminism | Healthcare | Poverty | Sexual Health

March 05, 2007

Open Source Medicine

Posted by shawnsyms at 09:10 AM ET | Comments (0)

I did a double-take when I came across a headline on the Medecins Sans Frontieres website the other day: "Medecins Sans Frontieres welcomes the introduction of a new open-source user-friendly drug combination against malaria." The notion of "open source" is very familiar to me in my day-to-day work as a web-server administrator, conjuring up thoughts of the Linux operating system and free programs such as techie faves PHP and MySQL. Little did I know the concept had resonance in the worlds of healthcare and activism.

Open-source software is that whose actual code is freely available for anyone to use, modify or share, rather than guarded by proprietary methods to preserve a corporation's profits. Its advocates argue that it can be developed and improved more rapidly—and the price tag is nice as well, especially for individuals and non-profits. Now physicians, scientists and activists are taking this model and applying it to the world of pharmaceutical development.

Big Pharma is driven by profit, which means they don't devote adequate resources to combatting the specific diseases that affect the global poor. So a movement is emerging to foster international scientific collaboration on medical development, resulting in the release of drugs that are patent-free, making them dramatically more accessible to those in need. In the case of MSF's announcement, a new anti-malaria formulation has been released that is cheaper and easier to use than the standard treatment—a critical advance against a disease that kills over a million people a year.

Come to think of it, this open-source model reminds me a lot of my earliest involvement in direct-action politics, where many people got together and freely shared ideas in order to accomplish social change. Despite my initial surprise, I guess the idea isn't so unexpected after all.

More entries on: Healthcare

December 03, 2006

Private Care Scare

Posted by Krisztina at 04:17 PM ET | Comments (1)

Is anyone else confused by the recent developments in health care in Vancouver? So all you have to do is open a private care clinic and propose to charge $199 per visit and the province will step in and cover the patient fees? Is this the new way to open hospitals around here? So instead of sitting by and watching the constant slashing of healthcare and closing of care facilities, we'll just open our own centres, threaten to contravene the Health Act and get funding? Is this the only way to tap into B.C.'s 2.15 billion dollar surplus? And what's with the topless woman standing by the ocean on facility's website? I'll feel so good not waiting in line at the overcrowded ER that I'll want to do sun-salutations at Kits Beach?

More entries on: Healthcare

September 05, 2006

Canada continues to fail guest worker

Posted by mason at 12:06 AM ET | Comments (21)

Monday’s Toronto Star carries a Labour Day feature updating the plight of Hermelindo Gutierrez, a Mexican who worked as a seasonal farm worker in Ontario for several years before kidney failure left him dependent on a dialysis machine—an unthinkable expense in Mexico for the working class.

Hermelindo’s story was previously told in the pages of This Magazine thanks to the crafty pen of writer Maria Amuchastegui.

Unfortunately, things haven’t improved much for Hermelindo, save for the fact that his wife is about to give birth to their third child. He has applied for refugee status, but until that is sorted out he remains isolated from his family in Mexico, without much help from either the Mexican or Canadian governments.

If anyone has a kidney to spare, now would be a good time to look into donating it…

More entries on: Healthcare | Human rights | Labour days | THIS matters

August 15, 2006

Found In the K-Hole

Posted by calvin at 06:33 PM ET | Comments (0)

Ketamine: cat tranquilizer, hallucinagenic rave drug, and now, possible remedy for depression. A recent US study reports that initial trials of the drug on treatment resistant depression sufferers show promising results. Lead researcher Dr Carlos Zarate Junior, head of the mood and anxiety disorders programme at NIMH, said: "Within 110 minutes, half of the patients given ketamine showed a 50% decrease in symptoms." Although the dug would need to be modified to block the perceptual effects, the benefit of "having a fast-working drug would mean people could return to work quickly, and it could reduce risk of self-harm or suicide that could happen during the time-lag that occurs with other drugs."

More entries on: Healthcare

July 25, 2006

Safe injection site needs support

Posted by mason at 02:31 PM ET | Comments (0)

In September of 2003, North America’s first safe-injection site opened in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Operated by the local health authority, Insite is allowed to exist thanks to funding and support from all three levels of government. Ottawa’s role includes a three-year exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

The success of the facility has been remarkable — it is used by an average of 607 people per day and provides a clean, health-focused location where addicts can inquire about addiction services and health concerns. This has reduced the spread of blood-borne infections such as HIV and Hepatitis C and reduced public injections in the neighbourhood. In its nearly three years of operation there have been 453 overdoses at Insite, but not one has resulted in a fatality.

Despite this excellent record, Insite will be closed this September if federal Health Minister Tony Clement does not renew the exemption allowing it to operate. Certainly, this is a case where voices from the public would help Clement make up his mind. A citizen’s group in Vancouver has created a website with facts about Insite and instructions on how to tell the federal government you are behind the facility.

In addition, you can e-mail the Health Minister at Minister_Ministre@hc-sc.gc.ca. More entries on: Healthcare

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