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Health Canada is proposing changes to how nutrition information is displayed on prepackaged foods to make it easier to understand and to emphasize elements such as calories. The proposed changes include grouping together sugars in the list of ingredients and itemizing potassium and vitamin D in the Nutrition Facts table.
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About 43% of Ontario doctors are registered organ donors, nearly double the rate of 24% in the general population of the province. Showing that physicians are themselves organ donors could dispel the myth that doctors will not work as hard to save the lives of citizens who are registered donors, states a research letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Health Canada warned the public of a possible association between the use of testosterone replacement products and cardiovascular problems such as heart attack, stroke and blood clots. The use of these products is increasing and there is concern about usage outside the approved patient population.
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The use of testosterone replacement therapy increased 310% among Ontario men aged 66 and older over a 15-year period despite “a lack of data describing the long-term efficacy and safety,” according to a Plos One study. By 2012, about 1 in 90 of the men in this population was being treated with the therapy, most with topical formulations.
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A hacker accessed private information about the prescription medicines used by about 1600 patients in British Columbia. The unknown hacker breached the province’s PharmaNet prescription system through unauthorized use of a physician’s account.
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Although the overall number of HIV diagnoses decreased in British Columbia between 2004 and 2012, there was no “meaningful” drop among gay and bisexual men, who represented 63% of new HIV diagnoses in 2012, reports BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall. Recommendations from the report include working to reduce stigma for gay and bisexual men, and using a more holistic approach to improving their health.
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Payment incentives to family physicians with the aim of increasing cancer screening in Ontario primary care was associated with “little or no improvement” in cancer screening rates, according to a study in the Annals of Family Medicine. The province spent almost $110 million in 2006–2010 on bonuses.
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Yellowknife and the surrounding areas in the Northwest Territories are under a health warning because of heavy smoke from 160 forest fires. Children, older people and those with respiratory problems have been advised to take precautions, and the general population has been advised to reduce strenuous outdoor activities.
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Ontario’s new health minister, Dr. Eric Hoskins, will have to negotiate a deal with the province’s physicians without additional funding for doctors. Ontario’s doctors, numbered at more than 25 000, haven’t had a contract since March, but the government has said there will be no new money for public employees as it works to eliminate a $12.5-billion deficit.
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A medical marijuana lounge is set to open in Halifax, Nova Scotia, though there are questions about the legality of the business. People licensed to use medical marijuana can use vaporizers in the lounge but are not allowed to smoke marijuana.