Influenza is still in the news, be it H1N1 or the seasonal flu. But even when the flu isn’t newsworthy, we still need to be aware of it, particularly over the winter season. With the holiday season quickly taking hold, I interviewed, Payam Hakimi, D.O., American Board of Family Physicians, Medical Director Body of Harmony Institute of Health & Healing, Teaching Faculty Center for Education & Development of Clinical Homeopathy. Dr. Hakimi suggests that everyone have a flu plan, allowing them to be prepared should they be hit with influenza, whatever type. Dr. Hakimi: The most important thing a person should know is what actions to take in case they have the signs and symptoms of the flu, which are outlined below.  It is important... [Read more]

Blood clots that form most often in the leg are a concern after surgery. This is one reason why nurses try to get patients up and about as soon as is possible after surgery. For those who can’t, they usually have their legs exercised for them and they may have to wear special compression stockings.The biggest danger from these types of clots, called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), is that they can break away from the vein wall and travel to the lungs, where they become pulmonary emboli. A pulmonary embolus can cause death if it’s not treated quickly.Researchers in the United Kingdom used records of 947,454 middle aged women from the Million Women Study to check for admissions for surgery, how many developed a DVT and/or a pulmonary embolus... [Read more]

PRESS RELEASE – Health Canada One Lot of Zaditen Tablets (for Asthma) Recalled Due to Potential Health Risks OTTAWA – Health Canada is advising consumers that Montreal-based Paladin Labs Inc., the manufacturer of the prescription asthma drug Zaditen, is recalling lot #440494, which is packaged as blisters of 14 – 1mg tablets. Lot #440494 has been found to have less of its active pharmaceutical ingredient (ketotifen) than indicated on the label. An active pharmaceutical ingredient is a substance or mixture of substances in a drug that delivers the therapeutic benefit to a patient. Use of product from lot #440494 could result in different adverse events due to decreased effectiveness. Individuals currently stabilized on Zaditen... [Read more]

Press Release SLIM-FAST READY-TO-DRINK MEAL REPLACEMENT SHAKE PRODUCTS MAY CONTAIN BACILLUS CEREUS BACTERIA OTTAWA, December 3, 2009 – Unilever Canada Inc. has informed the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) that they are recalling certain Slim-Fast ready-to-drink products distributed in Canada. Unilever Canada Inc. is warning the public not to consume Slim-Fast ready-to drink meal replacement shake products described below because these products may be contaminated with Bacillus cereus. All lot codes and Best-By dates of the following Slim-Fast RTD (ready-to-drink) products are affected by this alert: Product Size UPC Format Slim-Fast Strawberry RTD Shake (4 x 6 x 325 mL) 6 x 325 mL 325 mL 0 68400 20042 0 0 68400 20043 7 Case... [Read more]

Despite warnings to the contrary, the increasing use of cell phones has not resulted in an increase in brain cancer (glioma and meningioma), show the results of a study looking at 60,000 people diagnosed with brain cancer over a 30-year period, from 1974 to 2003. The people were all aged between 20 and 79 years. Researchers in Denmark found that the incidence, the number of brain cancer cases diagnosed, was the same at the end of the study as it was at the beginning, went down, or increased before the large-spread availability of cell phones. Cell phones have been blamed for brain cancer in previous research, but with a very small increase. The National Cancer Institute has a page on cell phones and brain cancer, where there are explanations... [Read more]