This Week's Health News in Brief

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Globe & Mail: Bird flu may not be so deadly after all: new analysis
Globe & Mail: A world first - day surgery for cerebral aneurysms

NY Times: Many Heart Attacks Don’t Cause Chest Pain
NY Times: How Exercise Fuels the Brain

Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre: Winter 2012 Programs Calendar

Toronto Star: Ontario midwives want birth centres for low-risk pregnancies
Toronto Star: Toronto surgeon redefines ‘hopeless’ cancer cases

CTV: Study to probe heart health, spinal cord injury link
CTV: 'World of Warcraft' boosts seniors' brainpower: study

National Post: Weighing in on the weight loss debate
National Post: Heart health and diet: Why it’s never too early to develop a taste for sardines


For more news, visit the library to see the many newspapers and magazines we
subscribe to, access our Press Display database featuring 1,700 newspapers from around the globe in 48 different languages, or search for a topic in the Canadian Newsstand database which gives you full text access to 41 different news sources from across Canada.

Health Tool of the Week:

Plastics by the Numbers

Programs @ KPL TONIGHT: Community Health Care @ 7:15pm

Community Health Care: A Helping Hand

with the Waterloo-Wellington Community Care Access Centre (CCAC)

What is the CCAC and what services do they offer?  Are there costs involved?  Find out more about home healthcare and when it’s time to consider to a long-term care facility. 

Join us at the Pioneer Park Community Library TONIGHT (Wed. Feb 22) @ 7:15pm

Cancer Screening Survey

Participation rates for breast, cervical and colon cancer screening in Ontario are below targeted levels. A team of researchers from the University of Toronto, York University, and Cancer Care Ontario are conducting a survey to find out why people don’t get screened for cancer.

To help out, take the survey at http://getscreened.ca/screeningsurvey/

(It should take 10 minutes or less to complete and there is an optional draw at the end for those that are interested).

The results of this research will be used to inform screening programs and interventions at the community level across Ontario.

To learn more, please visit the project website: www.getscreened.ca.

 

Healthy Snacking

It's 3pm, and although you had a decent lunch, you're hungry again. Want something healthy to munch on in order to get you through till dinner? Check out this list of satisfying yet guilt-free snack options (adapted from HealthLink BC):

- fresh fruit or individual containers of cut-up fruit

- raw veggies (carrots, peppers, zucchini, mushrooms) and low-fat ranch dressing

- plain popcorn

- pita triangles with hummus

- melba toast with natural peanut or almond butter

- low fat granola bar

- low-fat cottage cheese

- yogurt and granola

- fig bars

- small handful of almonds and dried fruit

A few tips:

- Watch out for the serving size! (aim for 100 to 200 calories per snack)

- Avoid high sugar, high fat or low protein options (ie. chocolate bars, chips, pop, cookies, etc.)

- Plan your snacks in advance (buy individual packages or take small portions from larger packages)

- Try to include food from 2 of the 4 food groups for each snack

This Week's Health News in Brief

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CBC: Expect OxyContin health crisis, warns First Nations leader
CBC: Doctors look to bariatric surgery to treat obese youth

NY Times: Details of Bird Flu Research Will Be Released
NY Times: How 1-Minute Intervals Can Improve Your Health

Globe & Mail: Low vitamin D in pregnant women linked to children’s language problems
Globe & Mail: Preventative Aspirin therapy may cause bleeds: study

CTV: Some antacid medications may raise C. difficile risk
CTV: Remote-controlled chip implant delivers med doses

Waterloo Region Public Health: Regional clinic information

Toronto Star: Hydration — what’s the best drink for your work out routine
Toronto Star: Woman with rare disease needs bone marrow donor

Health Canada: Reminding Canadians of the Importance of Food Safety for Older Adults

For more news, visit the library to see the many newspapers and magazines we
subscribe to, access our Press Display database featuring 1,700 newspapers from around the globe in 48 different languages, or search for a topic in the Canadian Newsstand database which gives you full text access to 41 different news sources from across Canada.

Health Tool of the Week:

Exercises for Older People

This Week's Health News in Brief

NY Times: Male Genes May Explain Higher Heart Disease Risk
NY Times: Study Explores Electrical Stimulation as an Aid to Memory

CBC: Chemotherapy in pregnancy may be OK for baby
CBC: Deadly ovarian cancer starts outside of ovaries
CBC: Smoking pot doubles car accident risk

KW Record:Waterloo girl learning to cope with rare disease
KW Record: School cafeterias hurting as students shun healthy options

Waterloo Region Public Health: Free Prenatal Health Fairs

Globe & Mail: Cancer drug may help fight Alzheimer's

Globe & Mail: Do detox diets really work?

For more news, visit the library to see the many newspapers and magazines we
subscribe to, access our Press Display database featuring 1,700 newspapers from around the globe in 48 different languages, or search for a topic in the Canadian Newsstand database which gives you full text access to 41 different news sources from across Canada.

Health Tool of the Week:

Stress assessment: Rate your stress level

Hot Off The Press Health (book review)

Our Bodies, Ourselves
The Boston Women's Health Book Collective

Originally published in 1970, this 40 year old bible for women's health has been completely revised and updated to include the latest information on female bodies, relationships, sexuality, reproductive choices, childbearing, and post-reproductive years. Interestingly, the book also looks at the political issues, social injustices and medical controversies surrounding women's health issues.

Although it serves as a great reference book, it's also enjoyable as a cover-to-cover read. It is well-written in language that is accessible to everyone, and is thoroughly researched providing several pages of resources. The text is loaded with first account stories from women of all ages and backgrounds as well as snip-its of helpful information such as debunked myths, FAQs, recommended reading, quotes and statistics.

The aim of the book is to educate and empower women about their bodies, sexual identities and celebrate their unique experiences - and it succeeds with flying colours.

To learn more or to place a hold on this book, visit our catalogue.

Dr. Google

If your child has an unexplained belly ache or if you're worried about your chronic heartburn, is Google your go-to source for finding out what to do? If so, you aren't alone - 80% of internet users look for health info online. Of course you get pages and pages of hits, but how do you decipher what is reliable and accurate from what is good marketing or quackery? More importantly how can you avoid becoming a 'cyberchondriac'? When it comes to health or medical issues and Google searching, it is really important that you take caution with the information that you find.

A few things to watch out for:
- Where is the information coming from? Is the site a credible organization such as the Public Health Agency of Canada, National Library of Medicine, Canadian Cancer Society, etc.? Or is it a company trying to sell you a product?

- Take note of whether or not the site is HONcode certified (you should see the small logo near the bottom of the website). The HONcode certification process requires websites to adhere to specific principles for reliable and credible health information

- Look for identifying information. Can you easily find the 'About Us' or 'Contact Us' page? It should be easy to find out the purpose of the site and a mailing address/phone number

- What type of content is on the site? Look for original articles written by credentialed professional (ie. MD, RN, etc.) and sources cited for specific claims or statistics

Keep in mind that information you find online is not a replacement for the advice of a healthcare provider. While it's important to play an active role in your own health, and Dr. Google can in fact help with your understanding of a particular condition/symptom/diagnosis/treatment, ensure you discuss any health-related concerns with your real doctor!

When in doubt, here are some best bets:
Medline Plus - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
HON Search - http://www.hon.ch/HONsearch/Patients/hunt.html
Mayo Clinic - http://www.mayoclinic.com/
HealthFinder.gov - http://www.healthfinder.gov/
UpToDate - http://www.uptodate.com/patients/index.html
WebMD - http://www.webmd.com/