Ontarians dropped by family doctors say they should’ve at least been notified

When Tarek Emara called his family doctor north of Toronto hoping to book an appointment three weeks ago, he didn’t expect to be told he was no longer a patient at the clinic.

“The receptionist … answers the call and says, ‘Oh, we haven’t seen you since 2016, and as a result, we dropped you from your list and you’re no longer at this clinic,'” Emara, who lives in Markham, Ont., told CBC Toronto.

“It’s obviously very disappointing, I shouldn’t be penalized for keeping healthy.”

Emara is now among the more than two million people without a family doctor in Ontario, according to a report released last month. In 2020, 1.8 million Ontarians reported not having a family physician, a number that has ballooned to 2.2 million in 2022, according to data from Inspire-PHC, a health-care research group. Long-established research has found people without a regular family physician are more

Can 1-3 eggs per week help protect the heart?

Boiled eggs in a pot filled with waterShare on Pinterest
A study found a link between eating one to three eggs per week and a significantly lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Natalia Mishina/Stocksy
  • A new Greek study asserts that eating one to three eggs a week can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by more than half.
  • The study described the 10-year cardiovascular effects of self-reported egg consumption.
  • The healthfulness of eggs is a controversial subject.
  • One expert told MedicalNewsToday that there are significant issues with the self-reported data on which the new study is based.

A recent study published in Nutrients explored how egg consumption affects one’s heart health, and the paper’s authors reported a striking finding.

The study suggests eating one to three eggs a week is associated with a 60% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

In fact, the study found an even lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, 75%, for those who

Apple Women’s Health Study: menstrual cycles, health | News

February 1, 2023 – Over the past three years, researchers with the Apple Women’s Health Study have been able to shed light on topics such as pregnancy attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on menstrual cycles.

Thanks to three years of renewed support from Apple, the work will continue.

Shruthi Mahalingaiah
Shruthi Mahalingaiah

“We’ve made incredible progress in our team’s cohesion and collaboration, and we’ve been able to dedicate ourselves towards discovery for women’s health,” said Shruthi Mahalingaiah, assistant professor of environmental, reproductive, and women’s health at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and a member of the study team.

The study is a collaboration of Harvard Chan School, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and Apple. The longitudinal study is focused on advancing understanding of menstrual cycles and using that information to improve screening and risk assessment for a range of gynecological conditions—and,

Is the FTC Banning Non-Competes?

Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a rule that will ban many non-compete agreements throughout the country if it is enacted.

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Non-compete agreements are agreements that prevent employees from working in certain industries following employment with their current employer. They are often limited by geographical scope and time.

For example, a non-compete clause may prevent a physician from working in the medical field for one year following employment within 25 miles of the employer. States currently have different laws and approaches to dealing with non-compete covenants.

The FTC estimates that one in five workers are subject to a non-compete agreement.

The proposed rule would make it illegal for an employer to:

  • enter into a noncompete,
  • maintain a

WHO recommends stronger policies to protect children from the harmful impact of food marketing

WHO has released a new guideline on policies to protect children from the harmful effects of food marketing. The guideline recommends countries implement comprehensive mandatory policies to protect children of all ages from the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages that are high in saturated fatty acids, trans-fatty acids, free sugars and/or salt (HFSS).

More than 10 years after Member States endorsed WHO’s recommendations on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children in 2010, children continue to be exposed to the powerful marketing of HFSS foods and non-alcoholic beverages, consumption of which is associated with negative health effects.

The updated recommendation is based on the findings of reviews of recent evidence, including how exposure to and the power of food marketing affects children’s health, eating behaviors, and food-related attitudes and beliefs. In short, food marketing remains a threat to public health and continues to negatively affect children’s

Study shows nut consumption boosts memory and brain health in seniors

A recent study published in Clinical Nutrition evaluated the long-term effects of the consumption of different nuts on brain vascular function and cognitive performance.

Study: Longer-term mixed nut consumption improves brain vascular function and memory: a randomized, controlled crossover trial in older adults.  Image Credit: umaruchan4678 / Shutterstock.com Study: Longer-term mixed nut consumption improves brain vascular function and memory: a randomized, controlled crossover trial in older adults. Image Credit: umaruchan4678 / Shutterstock.com

The health benefits of nuts

Nutritional interventions are effective approaches to reduce the burden of or prevent age-related conditions, including cognitive decline and cardiovascular disease. To this end, previous studies suggest that nut consumption is protective against cognitive impairment.
Studies that include nuts in the Mediterranean diet have also reported cognitive benefits in older adults. Likewise, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated the benefits of nuts on impaired vascular function; however, there is limited evidence for the effects of nut consumption on central arteries near the brain.

About the study

In the present study, researchers evaluated the effects of long-term consumption

Opinions | Today’s Opinions: Healthy eating, Memorial Day, Paris Olympics

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An apple a day keeps the discord away

Several years ago, when Gwyneth Paltrow tried to show how people on low incomes can still eat healthily, she was roasted online for posting a $29 grocery haul that includes scallions, cilantro, seven limes and two types of leafy greens.

Now, now — let us not re-ridicule Ms. Paltrow for dreaming big. This is not a problem with her. This is a problem with the system.

the Editorial Board writes that healthy eating is way too hard in the United States, where up to 55 million people live in food deserts, areas without easy access to full-service supermarkets. It’s no wonder many Americans turn to closer-to-home packaged and fast food — and suffer the attending cardiovascular risks.

The good news is that there

Dietary recommendations for cardiovascular health challenged by new evidence on saturated fatty acids’ effects on LDL-C and Lp(a) levels

A recent perspective piece published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discussed current dietary recommendations to reduce the intake of saturated fatty acids and modulate the risk of cardiovascular disease while highlighting the impact of lower saturated fatty acid intake on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and lipoprotein A.

Study: Lipoprotein(a) and Diet – A Challenge for a Role of Saturated Fat in Cardiovascular Risk Reduction?  Image Credit: udra11/Shutterstock.comStudy: Lipoprotein(a) and Diet – A Challenge for a Role of Saturated Fat in Cardiovascular Risk Reduction? Image Credit: udra11/Shutterstock.com

backgrounds

Dietary modifications to modulate the risk of cardiovascular disease are an area that has gained significant attention over the past few decades.

In addition, reducing saturated fatty acids has been proposed to lower LDL-C levels, although choosing an optimal replacement option for saturated fatty acids remains unclear.

Furthermore, recent studies have found that while reducing saturated fatty acid intake lowers LDL-C levels, there is a subsequent increase in lipoprotein A levels following these dietary changes.

Lipoprotein A contains components such

Itchy Eyes? How to Tell if it’s the Arcturus COVID Strain or Allergies

  • ​This month federal health organizations released an additional booster vaccine to individuals at greatest risk for COVID-19 as doctors and scientists are closely monitoring the new Arcturus variant of COVID or XBB.1.16.
  • The Arcturus strain can present with a new symptom – conjunctivitis.
  • Conjunctivitis is irritation of the eye and the eyelid – oftentimes associated with viruses, allergies, or bacterial infections.

While many of the previous strains of COVID-19 have presented with classic symptoms of cough, congestion, body aches, and loss of smell, there is a new strain called Arcturus, which can present a novel symptom – conjunctivitis.

“There are two distinctive characteristics of Arcturus,” says Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

“First, fever has not been a predominant feature of COVID, but it is with this strain. Also, the other distinguishing feature is conjunctivitis or, as some people call it,

Alberta health-care workers protest staffing issues

Health-care workers rallied in downtown Edmonton on Tuesday to protest ongoing staffing shortages.

Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) leaders gathered at the Queen Elizabeth II building on the legislature grounds to call on the province to hire more health-care workers.

“Without meaningful actions to hire, recruit and retain staff in Alberta’s public health care system, the province will continue [to] experience service disruptions due to issues such as short staffing, bed closures, reduced emergency room hours which puts Albertans at risk,” Local 43 Chair Judy Fader said.

If the government does not hire more health-care workers, AUPE said the crisis will get worse and wait times will increase.

“There is a high expectation or demand to put in overtime – workers know the need is there but they’re also tired – it’s just not sustainable, nor is it fair to the workers and their families,” AUPE vice president Sandra