Prolonged emotional or physical stress – when stress is severe or prolonged, adrenal glands become exhausted and can’t keep up

Hormone imbalances – hormones influence neurotransmitter release and activity

Sleeping poorly – most serotonin is replaced while you sleep

Certain medications – long term use of diet pills, stimulants, pain pills and narcotics can deplete neurotransmitter stores

So can caffeine, nicotine alcohol and recreational drugs

“The Feel-Good Diet” offers yo-yo dieters a chance to break the vicious cycle of losing and then re-gaining weight; permanently, with complete step-by-step daily eating plans that increase serotonin production. Snacks of specific foods shown to raise serotonin levels like chocolate, certain fruits, bread, and pasta are purposely scheduled throughout the day and evening. Complete lists of these serotonin-boosting foods are provided. Full details on the nutritional supplements proven to raise serotonin levels are also given. Restaurant menus and even fast-food dieting choices that boost serotonin help dieters succeed in the real world. Recipes, like the popular “chocolate S’more Serotonin” dessert, are included as a bonus.

“The true goal of “The Feel Good Diet” is teaching people how to eat right, exercise right and make more serotonin,” says Dr. Hart. “That way they can actually enjoy being thin.”

In humans, so far more than 80 mutations of the skeletal muscle chloride channel gene (called CLCN1) – which temporarily prevents muscles from relaxing after they contract – have been found. In animals, scientists have barely begun to scratch the surface of finding the causes of the muscle disease. Bendall and Hanna of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology have discovered the mutation associated with Myotonia congenital in Australian Cattle Dogs and in a Maltese-cross dog.

“There are probably eight breeds of dogs known to have Myotonia, but up until our study, the Miniature Schnauzer was the only breed for which a specific genetic mutation had been found,” says Bendall.

Adds Hanna: “I think there’s a misunderstanding among some veterinary practitioners that once you find a mutation that causes the disease, that’s it. The human example shows us clearly that, no, in different families there may be different mutations.”

That means that even though a blood test has been established to detect Myotonia in the Miniature Schnauzer, it’s unlikely that it will detect the disease in any other breed of dog. Because Bendall and Hanna found the mutation in the Australian Cattle Dog, they were able to develop a blood test to detect the disease in that breed which is now offered at the provincial diagnostic Animal Health Lab at U of G.

“We found that in the Australian Cattle Dog it’s a truncation mutation, so there’s actually a portion of the skeletal muscle chloride channel that’s missing,” says Hanna. “Eighty-eight amino acids are missing at one end of the channel.”

Bendall and Hanna’s research will not only benefit the owners of Australian Cattle Dogs, but “by identifying the kinds of mutations that affect the function of the protein, you can learn something about how the normal protein works,” says Bendall.

The fact that Bendall and Hanna have successfully cloned the CLCN1 gene in the Australian Cattle Dog and found the mutation means that they are now able to find mutations in other breeds more quickly.

Since their success in Australian cattle dogs, they’ve also discovered the mutation in a Maltese-cross with a severe case of Myotonia. “We have found a missense mutation, which results in the substitution of one amino acid for another in the protein,” says Hanna. “That amino acid has not been found to be mutated in this way in humans, so we’re in the process of doing the functional work to determine the significance of this change.”

When veterinarians diagnose Myotonia in animals, since there’s no known treatment for the disease, they often don’t refer clients to Bendall and Hanna for testing.

“We would be interested in hearing from veterinarians who have identified animals of any breed or any species with a similar disorder,” says Hanna. “It’s possible, especially with purebred animals, for this type of disease to become widely disseminated, so by developing blood tests we can help breeders eliminate these disorders.”

Just one per cent of students who are deaf or hard of hearing go on to university or college after high school, and those that do often drop out after the first year because they struggle to make the transition.

A University of Guelph economist has come up with a radical way of making the move from high school to post-secondary education more successful for these students.

In a report recently submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Douglas Auld suggests that the province create a transitional institution where students who are deaf or hard of hearing could spend a year taking post-secondary courses and living in residence before attending university or college.

Auld came up with his solution after spending the past year interviewing deaf and hard-of-hearing students and their parents and reviewing previous research on the topic. He points to the overwhelming change in the environment that comes with making the transition from high school as the main reason behind the shockingly low number of deaf and hard-of-hearing students currently pursuing post-secondary education.

“The real challenge is the transition from high school and living with your family to all of a sudden living on your own and going to a university with 25,000 students,” said the adjunct economics professor, who began the study last year after retiring as president of Loyalist College in Belleville. “It’s tough for the average student so imagine what it’s like for a student who is deaf or hard of hearing.”

Just over one per cent of 18-24 year olds who are deaf or hard of hearing go on to university compared with 22 per cent of the overall age cohort, Auld said. The number of deaf or hard-of-hearing students attending college is slightly higher at eight per cent but that is still far below the number for the overall age cohort, which sits at 29 per cent. Of those who do make it to university or college, about half do not complete their education, he said.

He proposes the province turn Sir James Whitney School in Belleville into this transitional school. It was established decades ago to provide primary, secondary and specialized education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students before they became integrated into regular school programs. The transitional school would provide courses aimed at preparing students for the transition to university or college and would also offer counselling and support.

“This is a radical approach,” he said. “But the current and past approaches have not worked as well as they should, and there is now a moral obligation on the part of Ontario to take bold action to assist these students.”

“Our government has consistently demonstrated its commitment to increasing services and supports for children with special needs and their families,” said Milloy. “I am very pleased that over the past two years, KidsAbility has seen its annual funding increase by over $1.2 million.”

For 2007-08, the Ontario government is investing an additional $4 million in 20 children’s treatment centres across the province to help make services more accessible, better coordinated and more responsive to the needs of children, youth and their families. This new funding will provide more services that will benefit approximately 2,200 children and youth with special needs and is in addition to the $10 million announced in the 2006 Ontario Budget that provided services to approximately 4,800 more children and youth.

“We are delighted at Minister Chambers' announcement of additional funding for the children with special needs in Waterloo Wellington who are served by KidsAbility. These new funds help our organization to deal with cost pressures and to provide a variety of therapy, medical and support services to an additional 50 children with special needs and their families,” stated Stephen Swatridge, CEO, KidsAbility, “This represents another wise investment by our government partners in the early identification of children's needs. This investment, in turn, supports the healthy development of our most vulnerable children and leads to improved opportunities and a greater likelihood of success in school and in life."

Children’s treatment centres are community-based organizations designed to meet the diverse needs of children and youth with special needs. Children and youth with special needs have varying needs associated with a number of conditions such as physical, intellectual and development disabilities, and chronic or severe illness. This includes young people with neurological disorders, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, behavioural concerns and mental illness.

The number of deaths attributable to cancer may soon surpass those caused by cardiovascular diseases. Combined, the two caused about six out of every 10 deaths in 2004.

During the past 25 years, the proportion of deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases has been declining, while the proportion attributable to cancer has been on the rise. In terms of mortality rates, though, both causes of death have been declining, though much more so for cardiovascular disease.

In 1979, cardiovascular diseases were responsible for 47% of all deaths in Canada; by 2004, this percentage had declined to 32%.

The opposite has occurred with cancer, Canada's second main cause of death. In 1979, cancer was responsible for 23% of all deaths in Canada; by 2004, this percentage had increased to 30%.

The impact of these opposing trends is that the share of deaths due to cancer may soon catch up with, and eventually surpass, the share of deaths due to cardiovascular diseases.

In 2004, 66,947 people died from cancer, up 6.8% from 2000. In contrast, 72,338 died from cardiovascular diseases, a 4.9% decline from 2000.

Between 2000 and 2004, 370,861 people in Canada died from cardiovascular diseases. Of this group, 184,282 were males and 186,579 were females. Male deaths (-5.5%) from cardiovascular diseases declined at a slightly faster rate than female deaths (-4.3%).

To control for the impact of population aging on death rates, comparisons over time are made using the "age-standardized mortality rate." The latter removes the effects of differences in the age structure of populations among areas and over time.

The age-standardized mortality rate for cardiovascular diseases declined 16% from 2000 to 2004, while cancer mortality rates declined 4% over the same period.

In 2000, the age-standardized mortality rate for cardiovascular diseases among men was 64% higher than the female rate. By 2004, this gap had narrowed slightly to 62%.

There were 324,486 cancer deaths over the five-year period. Of this total, 171,655 were males and 152,831 were females. Female deaths from cancer increased at a slightly faster rate, 8.5%, than did male deaths, which rose 5.4%.

In 2000, the male age-standardized mortality rate for cancer was 51% higher than the female rate. By 2004, this gap had narrowed substantially to 44%.

By 2004, the age-standardized mortality rates for cardiovascular diseases and cancer converged at around 175 deaths for every 100,000 people in the population. This was due mainly to the sharp drop in the age-standardized mortality rate for cardiovascular diseases.

In 2000, both men and women had higher age-standardized mortality rates for cardiovascular diseases than for cancer.

In 2003 and 2004, age-standardized mortality rates for cancer among women were higher than those for cardiovascular diseases.

Funding Will Enhance Hospital Resources For Better Access To Emergency Care

WATERLOO REGION – The Ontario government is investing $1 million so that patients will have better access to critical care services at Grand River Hospital, John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre, announced April 20, 2007 on behalf of Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman.

The investment will go toward the operation of an additional two critical care beds at Grand River Hospital. The new critical care beds will ensure that critically ill patients flow through the emergency department to the appropriate intensive care or critical care unit. There they will receive 24/7 care from specialized health care teams. It is anticipated that each of these beds will provide access for an additional 47 patients per year.

“We are making sure Grand River Hospital can respond effectively to the needs of critically ill patients,” said Milloy. “This investment will also help the hospital’s emergency department respond better to patient needs by ensuring critical care patients are able to get the care they need.”

Today's announcement is part of a $7.5 million investment to fund 13 additional critical care beds at seven hospitals under the province's $142 million Emergency Department Action Plan. The Plan, announced in October 2006, aims to relieve pressures in hospital emergency departments and to ensure that the health care system has increased capacity to meet the needs of Ontario patients.

“We recognize that hospital emergency departments do not operate in isolation from other health care services,” Smitherman said. “This investment reflects our belief that building capacity in areas such as critical care services will address many of the challenges facing emergency departments.”

Today’s initiative is part of the McGuinty government’s plan for innovation in public health care, building a system that delivers on three priorities - keeping Ontarians healthy, reducing wait times and providing better access to doctors and nurses.

Waterloo Region – The Alliance for Children and Youth of Waterloo Region presents “Preventing the Pathways to Violence”, a one-day workshop this Friday, April 20, 2007 featuring Mr. Kevin Cameron, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Threat Assessment and Trauma Response (www.cctatr.com) and consultant to the R.C.M.P.

Workshop participants will learn about the “cumulative” factors and conditions that have influenced recent tragic and high-profile situations of school violence, such as Columbine High School (Littleton, Colorado), W.R. Myers High School (Taber, Alberta), Dawson College (Montreal, Quebec ) and most recently, the tragedy at Virginia Tech University. Mr. Cameron’s research and experience in deconstructing violence in schools has lead to the development of an evolutionary theory about pathways to violence ~ that kids “don’t just snap”. His work suggests how communities can influence the environment around youth. Positive youth engagement and strength-based approaches are a fundamental underpinning of crime and violence prevention in young people.

Date: Friday, April 20, 2007

Location: Bingemans - Marshall Hall, 425 Bingemans Centre Drive, Kitchener

Agenda:

8:30 am: Welcome (Christiane Sadeler, Chair – Alliance for Children & Youth)

“Why are we here?” (Wayne Hobbs, Chair, Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Strategy)

Introduce Kevin Cameron (Deputy Chief Matt Torigian, WRPS)

9:00 am: Kevin Cameron, Keynote Speaker (Part 1 & 2)

12:00 pm: Lunch Break & Networking ** Kevin Cameron will be available for media interviews

during this time. Interview requests must be arranged in advance by calling 519-883-2316

12:45 pm: Message from Ken Seiling, Regional Chair

12:50 pm: Kevin Cameron, Keynote Speaker (Part 3)

2:30 pm: “Now What:” (Tom Connolly, Coordinator, Traumatic Events Response Team, WRDSB)

2:50 pm: Kevin Cameron, Keynote Speaker (summary remarks)

3:15 pm: Closing and Thanks (Christine Bird, Facilitator & Manager, Alliance for Children & Youth)

The Alliance for Children and Youth of Waterloo Region presents this event in partnership with the Community Safety & Crime Prevention Council of Waterloo Region; the Waterloo Region District School Board; and the Waterloo Catholic District School Board.

WATERLOO - The provincial investigator who probed the emergency room crisis in Waterloo Region's hospitals will discuss next week how health informatics can create an ideal health-care system in Canada.

In a lecture on Wednesday, April 25, Tom Closson, a health-care management consultant, says he will first discuss the health-care issues facing the country, as well as "the forces that are at work which help or hinder us in addressing the issues."

Then he will explore various visions of an ideal system and offer some ideas on future directions in Ontario and throughout Canada.

"Finally, I will examine how health informatics plays a significant and necessary role in enabling these directions as we strive to achieve an ideal system," says Closson, former president and CEO of University Health Network in Toronto.

His talk, entitled Why Not Create the Ideal Health System Through Health Informatics?, will take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the William G. Davis Centre, room 1302, on the UW campus.

The lecture is part of the annual smarter-health seminar series, sponsored by the Waterloo Institute for Health Informatics Research (WIHIR). The UW-based institute dedicates the fifth year of its series to the theme Why Not? The question is the catchphrase for UW's 50th anniversary, celebrated throughout 2007.

The series explores such questions as: Why not use the promise of information and communications technologies to improve health and the health-care system in Canada? Why not rethink how we provide health care? Why not do more to make it possible to receive health care at home or in the community?

Other speakers in the series will include Geoffrey Fong, professor of psychology at UW; Michael Kirby, a former Canadian senator; Vimla Patel, professor of biomedical informatics and psychiatry at Columbia University; Dr. Brian Haynes, chair of the department of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics at McMaster University; and Dr. Octo Barnett, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The seminars are open to the public and admission is free. However, people are asked to register before each seminar. For more information and to register, visit link

For those who cannot travel, the seminars are available via a live webcast and to the Ontario Telehealth Network sites via videoconference. For both, there is an opportunity to ask questions of the speaker.

Health informatics is an interdisciplinary area that develops, extends and applies concepts from computer science, information science, telecommunications and other disciplines with the goal of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of health care.

WIHIR is a trans-disciplinary institute at the University of Waterloo delivering value to the health system through information, information management, and information and communication technologies research.

Seminar sponsors for Closson's talk are the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, Grand River Hospital and St. Mary's General Hospital. Series sponsors are Borden Ladner Gervais, McKesson Canada, Smart Systems for Health Agency and Healthcare Information Management and Communications Canada.

Level of Disclosure: Brain Tumour Foundation Provides HR tips on Communicating Your Brain Tumour in Your Workplace

TORONTO - Being diagnosed with a brain tumour can be extremely scary and an overwhelming life-altering event. But people affected by a brain tumour can be in control and manage both their work and personal lives while keeping their privacy and dignity in the workplace intact. Brain Tumour Foundation would like to invite you to talk with survivors, human resources professionals, and a leading medical professional on how to manage and cope with everyday life during and after treatment.

- Live Life Through Her Eyes: Lily Kotwal, an employee of Deloitte & Touche LLP is available to share her personal and deeply moving story about the impact her brain tumour treatment has had on both her personal and professional life. She can provide you with real life examples of how she coped with her life during and after her treatment.

Lily can also talk about Deloitte's creation of "Team Lily" in Brain Tumour Foundation's annual Spring Sprint walk in Toronto and how important it is for her to have her workplace supporting her in and outside of the office.

- Communicating with Your Workplace: Beth Tyndall, vice-chair of Brain Tumour Foundation and vice-president of Navantis Inc. can provide you with tips on the best way to communicate your brain tumour to your employer and manage the communication process in the workplace. She can also talk about strategies to manage your work-life balance during and after treatment.

- Managing Your Medical Treatment: Dr. James Perry, Chief of Neurology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and leading medical professional in the brain tumour field, is able to talk about how he coaches and helps his brain tumour patients manage their own treatment and their lives.

Ottawa – Some health professionals and organizations perceive legal liability risk to be a barrier to delivering health services in collaborative teams, but a Conference Board of Canada report suggests that liability is not the obstacle they say it is.

“Based on this research, the possibility of a malpractice suit should not be put forward as a reason to stop health professionals from collaborating,” said Gabriela Prada, Principal Research Associate and author of Liability Risks in Interdisciplinary Care: Thinking Outside the Box. ”Although collaborative practices are not risk-free for health practitioners, these can be overcome with a number of straight-forward strategies, all of which contribute to patient safety and quality of care.”

Governments and health professional groups alike are advocating the benefits of collaborative care, where two or more professionals, such as physicians and nurses, bring together their skills and knowledge to assist patients and clients with their health needs.

Some professionals remain hesitant to adopt team-based care. They express concerns that these practices may increase their exposure to liability risks, and that they may be held accountable for the negligent acts of their colleagues. They also contend that courts may base their judgements on the traditional models of health care delivery, instead of new collaborative arrangements.

This research, however, suggests that Canadian courts seem to have “moved with the times”—they recognize that collaborative arrangements are often used in patient care and that a team approach is desirable. Courts have always assessed liability against individuals, even in cases involving health professionals working as a team. Therefore, it is likely that courts will continue to assess the standard of care expected of a health professional (given their qualifications and experience) on an individual basis.

Liability risks in collaborative practice can be overcome, or at least controlled. Straight-forward solutions include: clear roles among team members; strong communication among health practitioners and with patients and their families; accurate and complete health records; and informed consent that covers the details of the interdisciplinary care proposed to the patient.

Recommendations in the report include:

Governments should work with professional associations to dispel health professionals’ fear of liability in interdisciplinary care.

Health-care institutions need to ensure that:

Health-care professionals act according to their professional standards of practice and comply with their regulatory colleges.

Policies are in place to guide interdisciplinary care and to clarify roles, responsibilities and processes; in addition, that all health professionals are aware of these policies.

Organizations have malpractice liability insurance for both the organization and its employees.

All professionals have appropriate malpractice liability insurance/protection.

Health professionals need to understand their scope of practice, their limitations as set out in provincial legislation, and the scopes of practice of the other health professionals in their team.

Health professionals need to comply with policies governing their interdisciplinary interactions.

Carriers of liability insurance and protection programs should consider exchanging data on malpractice liability cases.

Governments and (or) regulators should consider legislation to make liability insurance/protection mandatory for all active health professionals involved in interdisciplinary practices.

WATERLOO, Ont. - People with low self-esteem can help themselves by thoroughly reviewing and taking to heart any compliments from their loved ones, a new University of Waterloo study says.

Denise Marigold, a UW psychology graduate student, says that people with low self-esteem tend to doubt how much their romantic partners love and value them. One way to counter that is for them to describe or reframe praise from their partners in an abstract manner, explaining why their partners admired them and what the compliments meant to them.

"The novel aspect of our approach is that it helps people with low self-esteem to help themselves," Marigold says. "It may be empowering for them to learn how to meaningfully reframe their partners' affirmations in order to assuage their doubts about their partners' love for them."

Previous research has shown they underestimate how much they are actually loved by their partners. "These unwarranted insecurities can have very negative consequences for their relationships," Marigold says.

When feeling particularly insecure about their partners' love, people with low self-esteem protect themselves by devaluing their relationships and keeping their partners at a distance. "Over time, these defensive behaviours tarnish their partners' rosy views and ultimately undermine the well-being of the relationship."

While it might be assumed that being told by their partners how much they are loved could reduce the insecurities of people with low self-esteem, past research indicates they react unfavourably to direct positive feedback.

In fact, compliments seem to heighten their self-doubts, leading them to worry that they cannot live up to such a positive self-image.

"They feel that they will eventually be rejected when the 'truth' is revealed," Marigold says. "In the current research, we sought to find a way to increase their sense of relationship security by highlighting their valued qualities in a manner that circumvented the activation of self-doubts."

As part of the research, undergraduate participants recalled a compliment that they had recently received from their current romantic partner. People with low self-esteem typically viewed these compliments as relatively isolated, past events that did not meaningfully indicate how much they were valued more generally.

Participants were then asked to describe the compliment in an abstract fashion. In other words, they explained why their partner admired them, what the compliment meant to them and what significance it had for their relationship.

When people with low self-esteem described a past compliment from their partner in an abstract manner, compared with participants who were not asked to use an abstract description, they reported increased positive feelings and thoughts related to the compliment.

These positive feelings, in turn, raised their currently reported level of self-esteem, their feelings of security in their partners' acceptance and their relationship satisfaction.

Importantly, their cognitive reframing of the compliment had lasting effects. Two to three weeks later, they continued to feel more secure and positive about their relationship in general and even perceived their partner as behaving more positively toward them.

"On the basis of our research, we suggest that it would not be sufficient to encourage partners of people with low self-esteem to increase their frequency of giving compliments, because low self-esteem individuals tend not to take compliments to heart," Marigold says.

As well, partners of people with low self-esteem might find it frustrating and tiring to make more effort to reassure them with praise. "Rather, people with low self-esteem should be encouraged to abstractly frame and generalize from their partners' compliments," she says.

Marigold's research was published in the February issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, an academic periodical issued by the American Psychological Association. Her faculty supervisors are professors John Holmes and Mike Ross.

Given the fact that most Canadians spend more than one-half of their waking hours at work, many companies are beginning to examine the health of their workplace. It is wise business practice to have programs in place that help create and maintain a healthy workplace.

Increasing Evidence shows that:

The work people do and their work environments affect health Employers can play a significant role in improving the health of their employees
What are the benefits to creating and supporting a healthy workplace?

Increased productivity
Increased employee morale
Reduced absenteeism
Reduced injuries and/or illness
Reduced employee turnover
Improved job satisfaction
Improved company image

Today’s employees face the challenge of balancing the competing demands of work and personal life. The workplace has great potential to improve overall employee health and well-being and can support and complement employees' efforts to bring about a balanced life. Creating or sustaining a healthy workplace creates a win-win situation for both employers and employees.

If you are interested in learning more about workplace health, please refer to the web page, http://www.projecthealth.ca .

(website will be live on April 12)

Most Canadians consume far more salt in their average daily diet than is necessary, or recommended, according to a new study published today in Health Reports.

The study, which used data from the nutrition component of the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), found that regardless of age, average daily sodium intake was far beyond the recommended upper limit.

Among individuals aged 19 to 70, the upper limit was surpassed by more than 85% of men and 60% of women.

The Washington, D.C.-based Institute of Medicine, an independent organization, has established "tolerable upper intake levels" for sodium. These levels range from 1,500 to 2,200 milligrams (mg) a day for children aged one to three, to a maximum of 2,300 mg for people aged 14 or older.

Consumption exceeding these limits increases the risks of adverse health effects, especially those linked to hypertension.

The study found that in 2004, the average for all Canadians was 3,092 mg of sodium a day, one-third more than the maximum.

Men consumed more sodium than women; intakes were above 4,100 mg a day for men aged 14 to 30, compared with just over 2,900 mg for women.

Even young children consumed too much. Children aged one to three averaged close to 2,000 mg a day in 2004. In this age group, 77% of children exceeded the recommended daily limit.

Sodium consumption exceeded the recommended levels throughout the country, but two provinces stood out. In Quebec and British Columbia, the average daily intake for people aged one or older was around 3,300 mg.

In Ontario, the only province where daily sodium consumption was below the national average, intake averaged 2,871 mg, still above the recommended level.

A relatively small grouping of foods accounted for close to a third of all the sodium Canadians consumed in 2004. The "sandwich" category (pizza, sandwiches, submarines, hamburgers, hot dogs) led the way, representing 19% of sodium intake. This was followed by soups (7%) and pasta dishes (6%).

The amount of salt people added to their food was not measured by the CCHS, and it was not included in daily sodium intake.

Even so, the people whose diets contained the most sodium were also the most likely to report adding salt to their food "very often." They averaged 3,396 mg of sodium a day. In contrast, people who reported "never" adding salt to their food averaged 2,927 mg.

Tailor-made dietary fibre may be able to flush artery-clogging cholesterol from the body and lower the risk of heart disease, according to a new study by University of Guelph researchers.

The study found that a fibre-rich plant extract from a legume grown in India can reduce cholesterol in pigs. The results were published in the March issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

Although the study relied on animal models, the researchers say the result would most likely be the same in people and they hope further studies by human nutritionists will provide confirmation.

They also want to find ways to make homegrown “smart” fibre that will improve consumers’ heart health and benefit Ontario’s agri-food industry at the same time.

"I think our research will improve quality of life for sure,” said Prof. Ming Fan of the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, one of the lead researchers. "We want to see how nutrition can prevent chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, and how nutrition and diet as a preventive strategy improves heart health.”

The Guelph researchers studied guar gum, an extract of a legume plant grown in Asia that had already been shown to reduce blood lipid levels. Food companies use the substance as a thickener and stabilizer in various products.

The U of G team has been studying how the substance works in the body, including its effects on genes and proteins that drive cholesterol metabolism in the liver. They found that pigs eating guar gum show increased amounts of a protein regulating how the liver removes cholesterol from the blood.

Overall, pigs that were fed diets containing 10-per-cent guar gum for four weeks showed a 27-per-cent drop in total blood cholesterol. LDL (“bad”) cholesterol dropped by 37 per cent.

Fan and his collaborators, including study co-author Qiang Liu, a scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's food research program in Guelph, hope to help develop homegrown – and less expensive – forms of soluble fibres that work in the same way.

They also hope to deliver tailor-made fibres to the large intestine, where they will help the liver sop up blood cholesterol.

Fan said the mix of agri-food and human health expertise at Guelph has been vital to the research effort. "We have the potential to do a much higher level of research than other institutions on food and health issues."

Phase Two of OMA's Campaign For Healthier Care Launched March 26, 2007

TORONTO - On behalf of Ontario's doctors, the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) released the "Six Principles of Healthier Care," to serve as measure against which future health decisions can be assessed. As the second phase of the OMA's multi-year Campaign for Healthier Care, these principles will help facilitate discussions and shape future decisions on health care in the province.

"In a year in which there will be major discussions about the future of Ontario's health system, it is essential we have a common measure to assess their merit," said Dr. David Bach, President of the OMA. "The Six Principles for Healthier Care should help guide that debate. We must ensure that the foundations being laid for the future are sound."

The "Six Principles" were formulated following discussions that took place during the first phase of the Campaign for Healthier Care. They include:

1. Keep Patients Front and Centre.
2. Focus on the Future.
3. Be Specific.
4. Think Investment, Not Cost.
5. Apply What We Know Faster.
6. Start Now.

Given the anticipated release of the government's 10-year health plan and the release of the party platforms in the lead up to the fall election campaign, Ontarians will have much to consider regarding the future of their health system. The OMA believes the "Six Principles of Healthier Care" will help Ontarians gauge the plans presented to ensure they have the care they need, when and where they need it, in the years to come.

"We need to focus, choose and begin work towards the revitalisation of health care," said Dr. Bach. "Ontario's doctors are thinking ahead, and we encourage all Ontarians to join the discussion."

The second phase of the Campaign for Healthier Care is a six-week, $1 million media campaign that will consist of radio and print advertising and an enhanced Campaign website, www.healthiercare.ca - a forum where the public can participate in the Healthier Care dialogue.

The University of Guelph’s Wellness Centre is encouraging people to “feel the energy” this week.

The centre is hosting its annual Wellness Fair Wednesday in the University Centre and this year’s theme is “Feel the Energy.” The event aims to promote personal well being and to encourage students and the Guelph community to live balanced, healthy lives, said students Tim Oliveira and Ryan Figueroa, fair co-ordinators.

“As university students, it is easy to get caught up in our academic and daily routines,” said Oliveira. “It is important to realize that we should not forget about our health and well- being.”

The fair will showcase participants who will cover topics including massage therapy, chiropractic and physiotherapy, yoga and fitness, naturopathic medicine, stress management, holistic psychotherapy, skin care, dietetics, athletics, and mental health.

There will also be non-profit organizations present, including the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Lung Association, as well as many campus services.

“With the end of the semester approaching, it is natural for many students to feel stressed and mindlessly compromise their well-being,” Figueroa said. “The Wellness Fair exists to provide resources intended to educate and help students achieve a more positive lifestyle.”

Students are not the only ones who will benefit from the fair. “Faculty, staff, and members of the Guelph community will also find the fair to be a valuable experience,” Oliveira said. “We have chosen to invite a diverse group of organizations that could certainly influence many of us to pursue balanced, healthy lives.”

The longer Canadians wait for specialized medical services, the more they consider the waiting time unacceptable, according to a new study published recently in the journal Healthcare Policy by Statistics Canada analysts.

Patients whose lives were affected by waiting for care were also significantly more likely to consider their wait unacceptable than those whose lives were not affected.

The study used data collected in 2003 through the Health Services Access Survey to explore the determinants of unacceptable wait times for three types of specialized care: visits to specialists, non-emergency surgeries and diagnostic tests.

The analysis showed that longer waits and adverse experiences during the waiting period significantly increased the odds of reporting an unacceptable waiting time for all three types of specialized services.

For example, patients who reported waiting one to three months for a diagnostic test were almost nine times more likely to consider the wait unacceptable as those who waited less than one month.

Similarly, patients who indicated that the wait for diagnostic tests had had an effect on their lives were 11 times more likely to report the wait was unacceptable than those whose lives were not affected.

Interestingly, the study found that some patient characteristics, such as age and education, play a role in determining acceptability of waiting times. In general, older patients and those with lower levels of education were less likely to consider their waiting times unacceptable than younger, more highly educated people.

Patients less than 65 years of age were more likely to consider their waiting times unacceptable for consulting a specialist and having diagnostic tests.

Age and education have been linked to patient expectations regarding health system performance. The results of this study point to the potential role of patient expectations in determining the acceptability of waits for specialized services.

The study found that the majority of respondents reported waiting fewer than three months for their services. The proportion of people who declared that their waiting time was unacceptable ranged from 17% for individuals seeking elective surgery to 29% of patients who sought help from a specialist.

Only 10% of those waiting for elective surgery indicated that waiting for care affected their lives. This increased to nearly 19% among those waiting for a consultation with a specialist.

The impact on their lives could range from experiencing worry, stress and anxiety to physical effects such as pain, problems in performing daily activities or deterioration of overall health.

The study "Determinants of unacceptable waiting times for specialized services in Canada" was published in Healthcare Policy. An abstract is available online (http://www.healthcarepolicy.net).

Just don't expect miracles.

In the largest head-to-head study of competing diets so far, low-carb plans such as the Atkins diet turned out to be safe and effective for losing weight and improving cardiovascular health -- at least in the short run.

In fact, women who aggressively restricted carbs lost nearly twice as much weight over six months as women on higher-carb diets, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported Wednesday.

The bad news: Even those on the Atkins plan, which outscored three competing diets, were down only 10.4 pounds after a year. And on every plan, by the end of the study, most dieters were slowly but surely regaining the weight they had lost.

"It shows that people will steadily go back to their old habits," said Dr. Lawrence Cheskin, director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center.

Still, researchers welcomed the news that popular low-carb diets are safe and effective, if not a panacea.

Christopher Gardner, a professor of medicine at Stanford and the lead author on the study, also cautioned that the long-term safety of low-carb, high-protein diets is still in question.

"We don't know what a high-protein diet would do over 10 years," he said. "It could impair kidney function or leach calcium out of the bones. But we didn't look at that."

The study is the largest yet to explore the difference between popular diets. The researchers studied four diets representing a range of recommended carbohydrate consumption.

The Atkins diet calls for the fewest carbohydrates and lots of protein. At the other end of the carb spectrum was the Ornish diet, which focuses on cutting fat intake.

The study tracked the weight of 313 overweight or obese women for one year beginning in February 2003. The women were 25 to 50 and lived in the community surrounding Stanford's campus near Palo Alto, Calif.

Gardner said several factors might explain why the Atkins plan was somewhat more effective.

One, he said, is that Atkins calls for drinking lots of water, reducing the quantity of soft drinks and other sweetened beverages the women drank.

The diet also calls for protein-rich meals, which may have cut down on consumption of refined carbohydrates.

VANCOUVER - Canadians and Americans must "raise their voice and demand basic standards of care for those suffering depression and other common mental disorders."

Bill Wilkerson, Co-Founder and CEO of the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health, says "below standard medical care is the standard for mental illnesses."

In a speech to be delivered on Wednesday morning (March 7th) to the "Bottom Line" Mental Health conference, Wilkerson says that in both the United States and Canada, fewer than half and closer to one-quarter of those treated for depression receive guideline-level care.

"This is absurd," Wilkerson says. "Guidelines for treating depression are available to family physicians and psychiatrists but seem to be routinely ignored by a large majority of practitioners."

He calls on medical associations to campaign for their members to use guidelines as a basic standard of care and treatment in these cases.

A public opinion poll conducted for the Roundtable by Ipsos-Reid shows that more than 75% of Americans and Canadians believe treatment is available for depression sufferers.

"This assumption is misplaced and melts away in the face of the facts," Wilkerson says.

Suicide is the most common form of violent death in Canada and the United States. Depression is present in most of the cases - perhaps as many as 90% of the total.

"This means inadequate care and treatment of an otherwise treatable condition can have tragic consequences," Wilkerson says "and the odds are, sooner or later, physicians will be held accountable on those grounds."

TORONTO - The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) today welcomed news that the Ontario government is strengthening access to nursing care across the health care system by creating the Nursing Graduate Guarantee program.

"Ensuring that new graduates have the opportunity to practice their profession here in Ontario will improve access to nursing care," said OHA President and CEO Hilary Short. "The Nursing Graduate Guarantee is an important building block in establishing a health human resources strategy that attracts and retains more nurses in the Province of Ontario."

As the registered bargaining agent for 138 Ontario hospitals, the OHA will continue to pursue enabling language amendments to its collective agreement with the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) to ensure that the Nursing Graduate Guarantee is effectively implemented in Ontario hospitals.

"Ontario's hospitals are partners in advancing health system change," said Short. "We will continue to support and advance changes to our collective agreement with ONA to ensure that the full potential of the Nursing Graduate Guarantee is achieved."

Even though many young people are repeatedly told to eat their vegetables and to be more physically active, a new study out of the University of Guelph confirms what has been long suspected: adolescents are filling up on junk food instead and watching TV of giving their bodies the nutrition and activity levels necessary for long-term health.

Less than half of Grade 9 students eat breakfast every day, less than a quarter eat enough fruits and vegetables, and more than 35 per cent are above normal weight, Prof. Susan Evers has found in one of the first long-term studies of young people’s diets and activity levels.

The study also found that students eat, on average, more than three daily servings of foods from the ‘other’ food group – such as soft drinks, french fries and snack foods – and dedicate almost four hours a day to watching television and playing video games.

The results were recently presented at the “Integrating Nutrition Into Pediatric Practice” conference at McMaster University.

“It’s disturbing to see this happening in a younger population because obesity is a risk factor for diseases that we think of as affecting the middle-aged population,” said Evers, of U of G’s Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition. “These students’ lifestyles are predisposing them to risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.”

Evers, along with former graduate student Amy Pender and current doctoral student Melissa Rossiter, analyzed surveys completed by the same group of 681 students in Grade 6 and then in Grade 9 about their eating behaviours and activity patterns. The students’ height and weight were measured, and demographic information was collected from their parents. The study participants are from low-income neighbourhoods throughout southern Ontario taking part in the provincially funded Better Beginnings, Better Futures initiative.

The researchers found that if students started developing bad eating and physical activity habits in Grade 6, they were worse by Grade 9. Two-thirds of the boys and girls in Grade 6 were eating breakfast every day, and that dropped to 48 per cent for the boys and 45 per cent for the girls by Grade 9.

“Adolescents who skip breakfast don’t usually make up the nutrients they miss later in the day so they have a higher risk of nutrient inadequacies,” said Evers. “Missing breakfast also makes it difficult for students to concentrate in school because of a lack of energy.”

As 10- and 11-year-olds, about nine per cent of the students were meeting all the food-group recommendations in 1992 Canada’s Food Guide, but that figure dropped to only three per cent by the time they reached Grade 9.

Habits around physical activity levels also got worse as students got older. In Grade 6, 64 per cent of boys and 45 per cent of girls played a sport without a coach four or more times a week. By Grade 9, 15-per-cent fewer boys and 20-per-cent fewer girls were playing sports.

“We have to encourage daily physical activity and the adoption of healthy eating behaviours, especially among female adolescents. By increasing the availability of breakfast programs and making provincial guidelines around school nutrition programs and foods sold in vending machines a priority, we would see a big difference in the health of these young people.”

More than three-quarters of Canadian adults aged 18 to 64 reported that they had consulted a medical doctor at least once in 2004, and one-quarter had seen a specialist. A new study sheds light on the factors that play a role in determining whether Canadians see a physician or specialist.

The study, published today in Health Reports, shows that individual health needs, as measured by chronic conditions and self-perceived general and mental health, still have a strong impact on determining whether Canadians consult a doctor.

However, when these health needs were taken into account, a number of other factors – one of which was household income – had an independent effect on whether adults saw a doctor.

These other factors included the age and sex of individuals, as well as their race, language and place of residence, whether it was rural or urban.

The study, based on data from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), found that adults aged 18 to 64 and seniors in higher household income groups were more likely than those in the middle income group to have consulted a general practitioner in the year before the survey. Those in the lowest income group were less likely to have done so.

As well, 18- to 64-year-olds and seniors in the higher income groups were more likely to have seen a specialist.

Earlier research has documented associations between the use of health care services in Canada and socio-economic factors, even after the introduction of universal health insurance. Data from the 2005 CCHS support these findings, at least with regard to consulting a doctor.

More than three-quarters of adults had seen a doctor at least once

According to the CCHS data, 77% of adults aged 18 to 64, an estimated 15.8 million, reported having consulted a general practitioner (GP) at least once in the year before the survey.

About one-quarter had seen a GP four or more times, and about the same proportion had seen a specialist.

Contacts with a doctor were even more common among seniors. Nearly 9 out of 10 (3.4 million) reported having consulted a GP, and 44% had had four or more contacts. More than one-third of seniors had seen a specialist.

Aboriginal people and Blacks less likely to see specialists

At ages 18 to 64, the odds of consulting a GP on multiple occasions were higher for Aboriginal people than for Whites.

However, at all ages, Aboriginal people were less likely than Whites to have seen a specialist in the year before the survey.

The odds that Black seniors would have seen a GP in the previous year were about three times those for Whites. But whether they were aged 18 to 64 or seniors, Blacks' odds of having visited a specialist were about half those of Whites.

Women had higher odds of consulting a doctor

Women have consistently been found to use medical services more often than men.

CCHS data showed that women aged 18 to 64 had higher odds than men of reporting a consultation with a GP, visiting a doctor on multiple occasions and of consulting a specialist, even allowing for the effects of chronic conditions and self-perceived health.

These findings held when women who were pregnant or who had given birth in the previous year were excluded.

Among seniors, the odds that a woman would visit a doctor were statistically similar to those for men. However, senior women were significantly less likely than senior men to visit a specialist.

Rural residents less likely than urban dwellers to consult a specialist

Health care providers, especially medical specialists, tend to be concentrated in urban areas. For people in rural areas, access to specialists is often inconvenient.

CCHS data showed that rural residents were just as likely as urban dwellers to consult a doctor.

As well, rural residents (both seniors and those aged 18 to 64) had significantly higher odds than their urban counterparts of consulting a physician on several occasions.

On the other hand, the use of specialist services was lower among people in rural areas. Rural residents had significantly low odds of consulting a specialist compared with their urban counterparts.

Increased Funding To The Ottawa Hospital Will Strengthen Services

OTTAWA - The Ontario government is continuing to invest in better health care for Ottawa area residents with $20 million in funding to The Ottawa Hospital, Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman announced February 19, 2007.

"Our government is ensuring Ontario's hospitals have the resources they need to strengthen critical programs and services," Smitherman said. "This investment provides additional support to the hospital to ensure it can continue provide Ottawa area residents with access to quality health care services."

The government is providing a base funding increase of $20 million to The Ottawa Hospital. This brings the hospital's total base allocation for 2006/07 to $580.9 million, a 10.1 per cent increase in base funding over 2005/06.

Prior to receiving this funding, The Ottawa Hospital underwent peer reviews to help it achieve a balanced budget. Through this process, CEOs of hospitals that are of similar size and type reviewed the hospital's operations and provided it with specific recommendations on how to improve its efficiency and find a workable plan to balance its budget.

The new funding is conditional on the hospital signing its accountability agreement that commits it to balancing its budgets.

"Today's announcement marks a significant milestone for The Ottawa Hospital and complements expansion on all three of our campuses," said Dr. Jack Kitts, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital. "It will allow us to continue to provide state-of-the-art patient care, education and research."

In addition to the 2006/07 base funding, The Ottawa Hospital has also received: <<

- A total of $9.5 million in one-time funding as part of the Wait Times Strategy to perform 7,800 more MRI exams, 2,614 more CT exams, 1,000 more cataract surgeries, 405 additional cancer surgeries, and 400 more hip and knee total joint replacements

- A commitment of $640,544 in capital funding in 2006/07 to make needed upgrades to keep its facility in top condition for patients. >>

"I am proud of our government's record of success as we continue to move forward with our health care partners," Smitherman said. "Today's announcement allows The Ottawa Hospital to get on with doing the day-to-day job of providing essential and vital health services to Ontarians."

WATERLOO - We are all good at making New Year's resolutions about exercise, dieting and smoking cessation. But why are we so bad at keeping them?

A recent study by Canadian researchers suggests that the answer may not lie entirely in the sphere of motivation. Peter Hall, a University of Waterloo kinesiology professor and principal author of the study, says his team has uncovered evidence that individual differences in brain function may be partially to blame.

"Like all other organs the human brain is subject to subtle differences in structure and function, and some of these have implications for how we behave in everyday life," Hall says.

"For example, the frontal lobe of the brain is largely thought to be responsible for assisting in effortful control of behavior."

Many health behaviors, such as making healthy food choices, maintaining regular physical activity and restricting substance use, require effort, inconveniences or both.

The team hypothesized that those individuals with superior frontal lobe function might have an easier time resisting initially seductive -- but ultimately dangerous -- behaviors such as smoking a cigarette or drinking excessively.

They may also possess better ability to follow through on intentions to perform health-protective behaviors like exercise and healthy dietary choices. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research supported the research of Hall and his colleagues.

In a study published in a recent issue of the journal Health Psychology, Hall and colleagues demonstrated that performance on a test specifically designed to measure frontal lobe function strongly predicted self-reported levels of cigarette smoking and excessive alcohol consumption during the lifetime. These effects seemed specific to frontal lobe function and did not reflect generalized cortical function, or IQ.

In a second series of studies to be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Psychology & Health, Hall and colleagues tested whether or not the same sort of brain functions were associated with follow-through on intentions to be physically active and to make healthy dietary choices.

Frontal lobe function, in this case, was measured by a well-validated reaction time task administered to participants via laptop computer in the laboratory setting.

The investigators found that participants with strong frontal lobe function had very good follow-through for exercise and dietary intentions over the course of the week, while those with weak executive function had much weaker follow-through.

"The significance of these studies is that mere milliseconds of difference on this reaction time measure of frontal lobe function can predict how well people follow through on their intentions for diet and exercise over the course of a week," says Hall.

"The notion that brain function partially explains consistency in health behavior contrasts with traditional accounts that assume lack of follow-through equals lack of motivation. Our findings suggest that motivation is only part of the story."

So if people's brains are partly to blame, what can be done to improve follow-through on intentions to diet and exercise?

First, they should give themselves a break if they have difficulty following through on their resolutions. Hall notes that most individuals are lousy to some extent when it comes to follow-through on exercise and diet.

Second, if they do have strong motivation but just aren't making the grade as far as their exercising or dietary behavior is concerned, they should structure their home and work environment so that healthy choices are easier choices. That way they rely less on their frontal lobes and more on their motivation.

Ultimately, says Hall, these studies also highlight the importance of the environment in determining consistency in such behaviors as diet and exercise. "After all, our environment determines how much effortful control we need to exert in order to do the right thing."

"I'm not convinced there is any difference in the health and safety of organic and conventional foods," said Carl Winter, director of the FoodSafe Program at UC Davis. "There is still a lot of speculation, still a lot of research that needs to be done."

Winter co-authored the peer-reviewed paper with Sara Davis of the Institute of Food Technologists, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that promotes the use of technology in agriculture. The IFT published the review in its Journal of Food Science in December.

The report says:

Research has consistently shown organic foods contain less pesticide residue than conventional food, but "the marginal benefits of reducing human exposure to pesticides in the diet through increased consumption of organic produce appear to be insignificant."

Some studies indicate organic production methods result in higher nutrient levels, but the same mechanisms that can produce potentially beneficial things also may generate higher levels of toxins.

Some research suggests the widespread use of animal manure as fertilizer in organic production can, when composted improperly, result in a higher occurrence of pathogens than conventional farming.

Organic food sales have grown by about 20 percent annually since 1990. Organic food proponents disputed several of the report's suggestions.

"Although we haven't proven small quantities of pesticides make you sick, we do know they're certainly carcinogens and neurotoxins," said Michael Pollan, author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals," and a UC Berkeley professor, in an earlier interview.

Decreased use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers also means less occupational exposure. Some critics, however, question the broader environmental benefits of organic farming.

Norman Borlaug, often called the father of the "Green Revolution" and winner of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize, has championed the use of synthetic fertilizers and biotechnology to increase crop yields and fight hunger worldwide.

In an article in the Economist, Borlaug said that chemical fertilizers enabled global production of cereals like oats, wheat and corn to triple between 1950 and 2000 while the amount of cultivated land grew by only 10 percent.

Copyright ©2007 LSJ

WATERLOO REGION – The McGuinty government is improving access to diabetes care by creating a new diabetes education program for area residents affected by diabetes, John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre announced February 7, 2007, on behalf of Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman.

The government is providing $190,323 for the creation of a new team based at the Two Rivers Family Health Team in Cambridge.

“People living with diabetes must carefully monitor and manage their health through a balance of lifestyle and medication,” said Milloy. “By creating these local diabetes education programs, our government is giving people the tools they need to better manage the disease through education and other supports they need to stay healthy.”

Diabetes education teams consist of a registered nurse and a registered dietician who help people with diabetes improve their knowledge and skills to effectively manage their disease. Each team ensures that community-based diabetes programs and services have a focus on education, early intervention, and effective prevention of diabetes-related complications.

Today’s announcement is part of the 44 new diabetes education teams being created across the province, bringing the total number of new teams for 2006/07 to 77. The funding comes from the $18.1 million announced for diabetes education programs last October.

“Our government is committed to having a responsive health care system that helps Ontarians lead healthy and independent lives,” Smitherman said. “Diabetes education teams are an important part of our diabetes strategy because they help people understand the disease so that they can make necessary lifestyle changes.”

Smitherman also announced the government has added a new diabetes drug, Avandia, to the province’s list of medicines covered by the Ontario Drug Benefit Program. This was possible under the new conditional listing mechanism created under Bill 102, The Transparent Drug System for Patients Act, 2006. Avandia, listed for the treatment of people with Type 2 diabetes, is one of 49 new drugs (including 23 new brand products) added to the Ontario Drug Benefit formulary since October, 2006.

Today’s announcement is part of the McGuinty government $53 million diabetes strategy that focuses on diabetes education, early intervention and effective prevention of complications.

Diabetes is a chronic condition resulting from the body’s inability to sufficiently produce and/or properly use insulin, which assists with the conversion of glucose into energy. Without insulin, glucose cannot be sufficiently absorbed from the bloodstream into the cells of the body. Chronic high levels of blood glucose due to diabetes can lead to long-term damage, dysfunction and failure of the kidneys, eyes, nerves, heart and blood vessels.

The government has also recently announced other initiatives to improve the quality of life for people living with diabetes, which included:

Investing $9.65 million toward the purchase of insulin pumps and related supplies for children 18 and under who have Type 1 diabetes

Adding the new drug, Actos, to the province’s list of medicines covered by the Ontario Drug Benefit Program under Bill 102’s new conditional listing mechanism.

Today’s initiative is part of the McGuinty government’s plan for innovation in public health care, building a system that delivers on three priorities - keeping Ontarians healthy, reducing wait times and providing better access to doctors and nurses.

Consultations On Standards Of Care Begin February 12 in Toronto

TORONTO - The public gets its chance to say what the standards of care should be in Ontario's retirement homes, as the Ontario government holds an open consultation session in Toronto on Monday, February 12, Minister Responsible for Seniors Jim Bradley said February 5, 2007.

"We recognize that more than 41,000 seniors in Ontario purchase accommodation and care in retirement homes," said Bradley. "We are working with seniors' groups and industry leaders to make sure those services are of the quality that seniors deserve."

The consultation will be held at the YMCA at 20 Grosvenor Street between 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. All interested people are welcome to participate and have their say.

Consultations are being held in twelve cities across the province, and will hear from seniors, retirement home operators, seniors' organizations, consumer advocates, municipal representatives, and other interested parties.

These consultations are separate and distinct from the committee hearings on long-term care homes legislation that concluded on January 24. Retirement home residents pay for their own care and accommodations and generally require less care than residents of long-term care homes whose care is funded and regulated by the government.

The president of the largest seniors' organization in Ontario says the idea of establishing standards of care is a good one.

"Seniors deserve to know that the care they purchase with their hard earned money meets provincial standards," said Marie Smith, President of the United Senior Citizens of Ontario. "We are very pleased the government is following our advice in this area."

"The McGuinty government is on the side of seniors," said David Zimmer, MPP for Willowdale. "Our goal is to create standards of care that will ensure high quality service for all retirement home residents."

"Our membership strongly supports the government's plan to establish standards for retirement home care," said Gord White, CEO of the Ontario Retirement Communities Association. "Our organization has a proud history of promoting quality in our industry, and has been calling for legislation to protect our consumers for some time."

To facilitate participation in the consultations, a background document and questionnaire are available on-line at www.rhconsultations.ca

The consultations will begin in Sudbury on January 30, and will also be held in - Thunder Bay (Feb. 1), Windsor (Feb. 6), London (Feb. 7), Kitchener-Waterloo (Feb. 8), Toronto (Feb. 12), St. Catharines (Feb. 14), Hamilton (Feb. 15), Ottawa (Feb. 21; French in the morning, English in the afternoon), Kingston (Feb. 22), Barrie (Feb. 28) and in March - Brampton/Peel (Mar. 2).

The McGuinty government has invested in a number of initiatives designed to help seniors lead more active, healthy and independent lives, including: <<

- Increasing the number of cataract surgeries by 32 per cent, and the number of hip and knee replacements by 37 per cent
- Increasing funding for long-term care homes by more than $740 million, to hire 3,140 new front line staff, and open new beds
- Providing $459,000 to 62 organizations across the province working to combat elder abuse in their communities
- Eliminating mandatory retirement. >>

There are currently more than 41,000 seniors living in more than 700 retirement homes in Ontario. As the seniors' population continues to grow, demand for accommodation and care services in retirement homes will increase.

The University of Guelph’s Health and Performance Centre (HPC) team was the top fund-raising group in Canada at the Guelph 2006 Wheels in Motion, it was recently learned.

“Quality of Life” funding raised by that team and others during the annual national event sponsored by the Rick Hansen Foundation is now available to assist people with spinal cord injuries who live or work in the Guelph area.

“It was very rewarding to learn that our team raised the most money of any group in the country,” said Cyndy McLean, director of the HPC and captain of the team that raised nearly $12,000. A former marathon runner and elite-level athlete, McLean was left paraplegic after a fall in 2003. She is a member of the local event organizing committee and is a national ambassador for the Rick Hansen Foundation.

As a prize, the HPC team won five round-trip tickets from Air Canada, which were awarded to the team’s top fund raisers. “But even more rewarding is the fact that a significant portion of the money we raised will stay right here in Guelph to help address high-priority needs and provide services in the community,” McLean said.

The Guelph Wheels in Motion, held last June at U of G, raised nearly $30,000 and set a new local record. About half of the money goes to support national research efforts overseen by the Rick Hansen Foundation, and the remaining funds stay in the host community.

The portion that remains in Guelph will go directly to local residents who have spinal cord injuries to be used to help improve their quality of life by providing services, assistance and resources, McLean says.

People with spinal cord injuries or their families are being invited to apply for Quality of Life funding. It may be used to address personal needs, support a recreation or sports initiative, or to help provide services, assistance or resources.

To help support as many applications as possible, there is a maximum of $800 per application. The deadline to apply for funds is March 1, 2007. For an application or for more information, contact Mairin Viol, a member of the Guelph Wheels in Motion organizing committee, at 519-716-1320 or by email, mairinviol@rogers.com. The applications are reviewed by a committee.

Nearly 200 people participated in or volunteered at the Guelph Wheels in Motion event, which was held on campus at the Athletics Centre. Similar events are held in communities across Canada. People obtain pledges individually or as part of a team and then wheel, bike, skate, run or walk a 2.5-kilometre course.

The annual fundraiser was initiated by Rick Hansen, the Canadian Olympic wheelchair marathon champion who wheeled 40,000 kilometres to raise money and awareness for spinal cord research.

The 2007 event will be held June 10 at U of G (registration at 11am, event kickoff at noon). This year, in addition to a wheel/walk/run, new team events have been added, including a wheelchair challenge where participants compete against other teams at completing everyday tasks from a wheelchair.

U of G president Alastair Summerlee has agreed to serve as honourary chair of the Guelph 2007 event.

TORONTO - While the federal, provincial and territorial governments are making gains - and making good - on some commitments to renew health care, Canadians are not getting the detailed information they need to measure progress in improving health care, the Health Council of Canada concludes in its annual report to Canadians released February 1, 2007.

Four years after the 2003 First Ministers' Accord on Health Care Renewal

- and following the infusion of billions of dollars in additional health investments - how far has health care renewal advanced?

"In some cases, we know governments are measuring up; in other areas, we know they're missing the mark. But all too often, we just don't know, or we don't know enough. We don't have sufficient evidence to evaluate the strength and sustainability of health care renewal on a system-wide basis," said Jeanne Besner, Interim Chair of the Health Council of Canada.

"We need to strengthen our collective capacity to measure the performance of health care systems across the country; we need to strengthen transparency and accountability in health care," said Besner.

The Health Council's 3rd annual report to Canadians, Health Care Renewal in Canada: Measuring Up?, tracks the progress governments have made in meeting such commitments as reforming primary health care, reducing wait times and health inequalities, modernizing health information systems, and improving drug coverage. And while there is good news to share, the Health Council was struck by the lack of comparable data and the prevalence of inconsistent or incomplete reporting across the country.

First Ministers did not report on comparable health indicators this year, as they had agreed to do, and the federal/provincial/territorial committee that oversees this work has been disbanded. Information about how provinces and territories spend targeted federal funds is not easily accessible, or in some cases, not available at all. As of mid-January, it was not known if, or how fully, Health Ministers had reported to First Ministers on home care goals related to a Dec. 31, 2006 deadline. Without better data, jurisdictions will fall short of their commitment to more transparent public reporting and greater accountability.

The Council's report identifies both positive developments and troubling shortcomings, and highlights regional successes in making health care renewal a reality. Findings include:

<< - There has been progress in primary health care reform with further development, expansion and training of interprofessional teams across the country. But it is difficult to measure and compare this progress in a meaningful way because jurisdictions do not collect and report information using agreed-upon indicators. The implementation of the electronic health record is a crucial component of these reforms, yet the rate of adoption in primary health care settings remains slow.

- Wait times are being reduced in most of the five targeted areas (cancer treatment, heart procedures, joint replacement and sight restoration - benchmarks for diagnostic imaging are still needed, except in Ontario). In the absence of a pan-Canadian approach to monitoring wait times for all procedures, it is not clear whether these efforts are inadvertently increasing wait times for other services. The Council advises that we standardize wait times measurement and reporting, create centralized registries, and continue to assess the impact of the focus on the five targeted areas.

- Medical and nursing school enrollments are up and most jurisdictions have developed health human resources plans, but only a few have set targets based on the needs of their respective populations.

- A progress report on the implementation of a national pharmaceuticals strategy was released with options for coverage of catastrophic drug costs. But to date, there has been no action on implementation and no indication if the federal government will help cover the costs. Meanwhile, 3.5 million Canadians - including 600,000 in Atlantic Canada - have little or no drug coverage and are financially vulnerable should they require expensive drug therapies.

- There are more patient safety initiatives underway across Canada than last year. But because information about adverse events - unintended injuries or complications caused by the delivery of health care that result in prolonged hospital stay, disability, or death - is not collected and evaluated in a coordinated fashion, it is difficult to determine whether patient safety is improving. At a minimum, each jurisdiction should create a central mechanism for the mandatory reporting of all defined adverse events.

- In a study of eight jurisdictions, the Health Council found no uniformity in accreditation practices for health care facilities. Some have 100 per cent participation, while others do not, and it varies by province. Some accreditation reports are made public, but most are not. The Council is again recommending that all health care facilities be accredited as a condition of funding, and that the findings from accreditation surveys be made public.

- The development of national public health goals is complete, but to date only Nova Scotia has established targets. There has been a fair amount of activity at the provincial and territorial level in developing and implementing healthy living programs, but the federal government has not yet announced any projects from the Healthy Living Fund.

- Many governments - federal, provincial and territorial - offer programs to address health inequalities experienced by Aboriginal peoples, but the federal government's intent with respect to implementing the Blueprint on Aboriginal Health and the Kelowna accord remains unclear. >>

"While there are many instances of progress and innovation, the picture we have of health care renewal in Canada remains clouded. In too many cases, the information is incomplete, inconsistent, or simply unavailable," said Council Vice-Chair Ian Bowmer. "With billions of dollars being spent on this historic undertaking, Canadians expect more."

This is supported by public opinion data. According to a Council-commissioned synthesis of public opinion polling from 2002-2006, Canadians clearly want to know what their governments are doing to improve the health care system, how money is being spent, and whether investments are resulting in a healthier population. This overview - Canadian Perceptions of the Health Care System by Professor Stuart Soroka - is being released today as a companion document to the Council's annual report.

The Council will be working closely in the coming months with governments, stakeholders, and the policy and research communities to develop a clearer picture of health care renewal. This will help us redouble efforts where required, build on successes, and provide Canadians with a more transparent accounting of how their health care system is measuring up.

The Health Council of Canada, created by the 2003 First Ministers' Accord on Health Care Renewal following the recommendations of the Romanow and Kirby reports, is mandated to monitor and report on the progress of health care renewal in Canada. The 26 Councillors were appointed by the participating provinces, territories and the Government of Canada and have expertise and broad experience in community care, Aboriginal health, nursing, health education and administration, finance, medicine and pharmacy.

The report, federal/provincial/territorial information tables, public perceptions paper and a summary of the report's success stories can be downloaded at www.healthcouncilcanada.ca.