Canada and the European Union have reached an historic agreement to recognize each other’s organic standards and laws, after nearly four years of formal negotiation. This is the world’s second such agreement. In June 2009, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the United States Department of Agriculture signed the very first “organic equivalency arrangement,” which […]

People will no longer have to travel to Cranbrook or Kelowna for eye care. A new eye clinic has been set up at Kootenay Lake Hospital for people who have the wet form of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). The services will be provided by visiting retinal specialists through the Provincial AMD Treatment Program. Wet AMD […]

There have been more sudden infant deaths in British Columbia in the first half of 2011 than for all of 2010. Sudden infant deaths occur when a previously healthy baby dies in sleep-related circumstances, and no cause of death is found on autopsy. The BC Coroners Service is urging parents to educate themselves on safe […]

Mosquuitos and the threat of West Nile virus are back. West Nile virus, a disease that is spread from infected birds to humans through mosquito bites, has been present in B.C. since 2009. The virus (WNv) was first detected in B.C. in the South Okanagan during the summer of 2009 with the identification of WNv […]

By Dr. Brenda Gill One of the hazards of living in our world today is our exposure to toxic chemicals and heavy metals.  Whether it is from having amalgam “silver” fillings in our mouths, wearing lipstick or any other cosmetics, using soaps, shampoos, hair sprays, solvents, oils or lubricants, living in a house with new […]

Twenty-six new Gambro Artis hemodialysis machines have been installed in community dialysis units across the Kootenays, but none in Trail or in Nelson. The machines replace aging equipment with state-of-the-art technology that makes dialysis more flexible and more efficient. This $750,000 investment is funded by the Ministry of Health through the BC Renal Agency, an […]

By Marianne English, Discovery News The adage “Eat less, exercise more” generally works, but new research suggests that half the fight to stay slim lies in long-term lifestyle changes and eating the right foods. One study in The New England Journal of Medicine reports that avoiding fattening foods and sugar-heavy beverages reduces weight gain, yet […]

New data released today from the 2010 National Physician Survey (NPS) shows that, in spite of improvements in some areas, Canada’s doctors are finding it increasingly challenging to meet the changing health care needs of the ever growing number of Canadians living with chronic and complex medical conditions. Of the approximately 12,000 practicing physicians who […]

By Fiona Harvey, guardian.co.uk Meat grown artificially in labs will be a greener alternative for consumers who can’t bear to go vegetarian but want to cut the environmental impact of their food, according to new research. The study found that growing meat in the lab rather than slaughtering animals will generate only a tiny fraction […]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed new regulations, set to come into effect next year, to clarify sunscreen labels regarding the product’s effectiveness against ultraviolet (UV) rays. The regulations, which the FDA has been considering since 1978, would prohibit claims that a sunscreen is “waterproof” or “sweatproof”, since the FDA believes these […]