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New website provides guidelines to optimal stroke care

The 2010 Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care emphasize the need to prevent stroke patients from falling through the cracks as they move from the ER to in-hospital care to rehabilitation therapy and back to the community. The recommendations were released today by the Canadian Stroke Network and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

8 Dec 2010

Health costs: Employer-sponsored insurance premiums rise 41%

Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased an average of 41 percent across states from 2003 to 2009, more than three times faster than median incomes, and Maryland's rise was among the highest, at 50%, according to a report to be released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund.

3 Dec 2010

Universal Health Care's Medicare members offered Healthways SilverSneakers Fitness Program

In an effort to promote wellness and disease prevention to its older adult members, Universal Health Care will begin offering the Healthways SilverSneakers® Fitness Program on January 1, 2011, to subscribers of their Medicare Advantage Plan in 13 states (Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia). SilverSneakers is the nation's leading social support and exercise program designed to improve seniors' well-being and health.

2 Dec 2010

State legislatures ask: Are insurers practicing medicine without a license?

A survey by the Global Healthy Living Foundation, www.ghlf.org, a non-profit patient advocacy group, shows that up to 70 percent of prescription medications are changed by health insurers, denying patients the drugs their doctors prescribe.

30 Nov 2010

Exercise combo best for type 2 diabetes: Study

A new study shows that a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training may offer the biggest benefits for people with type 2 diabetes in helping them control their disease. This combination improved HbA1c levels much better than either form alone. HbA1c levels denote long term sugar or glycemic control in a diabetic patient. Normal HbA1c is 6% or less. People with diabetes are urged to keep their HbA1c below 7%.

23 Nov 2010

Risk reduction of 20 ailments with regular exercise: Review

In a review article researchers have concluded that regular exercise cuts the risk of more than 20 illnesses. Some of these include colon cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and stroke said the study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

16 Nov 2010

Canadian government announces new research initiative on childhood obesity

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, today announced new initiatives for research on physical activity and childhood obesity through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

16 Nov 2010

Dreaded cod liver oil in a variety of flavours

The stomachs of the generation of 50 year olds and above, will be churning at the thought of their parents and grandparents serving up spoonfuls of the much dreaded cod liver oil. As a practice, parents giving their children cod liver oil has all but died, and yet, as a population, we have seen more and more inflammatory conditions effect people's lives, which are due in no small part to the 'modern day diet', which many of us live.

12 Nov 2010

American Specialty Health wins Silver California Fit Business Award for fourth time

Health and wellness company American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH) announced that it had received a Silver California Fit Business Award for the fourth time from the California Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness.

9 Nov 2010

New national campaign to drive awareness on DVT and PE prevention in women

As many as 600,000 people are affected by deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) every year, and more than half of those are never diagnosed. Some people experience swelling and varying levels of discomfort in the affected area, and some don't feel anything at all. But the symptoms of DVT can be similar to other conditions, like a pulled muscle, and because some people with DVT do not have any symptoms, there is often a delay in diagnosis. That's when DVT can be fatal.

28 Oct 2010

Five ways to prevent bowel cancer: Study

According to the latest research five simple lifestyle changes could cut the risk of bowel cancer by 23%. The Danish study enrolled 57,053 adults aged 50 to 64 without cancer between 1993 and 1997. They were followed up closely for 10 years. Results showed that people who followed public health recommendations (not smoking, a healthier diet, etc.) for each of these areas had a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer during this time.

27 Oct 2010

Higher heart rate linked to shorter life expectancy

If you are a person who already has stable heart disease, how fast your heart beats at rest can predict your risk of dying, not only from heart disease but all other causes, Dr. Eva Lonn told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

27 Oct 2010

Onlife relocates to larger 55,000-square-foot space in Brentwood

Personal health coaching company Onlife Health, Inc. has moved into new offices specifically designed to foster positive living and workplace wellness among the company's employees. Onlife consolidated its three separate offices into one larger 55,000-square-foot space when it relocated to the Horizon Center in Brentwood, Tenn., this month, giving the company more capacity for continued growth.

26 Oct 2010

Prevention of vascular diseases needed to avoid tsunami of cases

Canada urgently needs to focus on prevention of vascular diseases to avoid the burden from the expected tsunami of cases, says noted stroke expert Dr. Robert Côté, delivering the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSFC) Lecture at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010.

26 Oct 2010

Sleep disorders threaten kids with premature heart disease and stroke

Poor sleep patterns and lack of proper sleep could be threatening thousands of Canadian adolescents with premature heart disease and stroke, warns Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher Dr. Brian McCrindle, a pediatric cardiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

26 Oct 2010

Genetic code of sudden death cardiac killer cracked

Researchers in Newfoundland have cracked the genetic code of a sudden death cardiac killer.

26 Oct 2010

Marathon running without proper training can damage the heart

Is running a marathon good for you or can it damage the heart?

25 Oct 2010

Barriers for female heart patients entering cardiac rehab

Cardiac rehabilitation is considered the pillar of preventing a second cardiac event yet those who stand to benefit the most - women and the elderly − are often missing out, Dr. Billie Jean Martin told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

25 Oct 2010

New Canadian Cardiovascular Society guidelines support clinicians in practicing evidence-based medicine

Summaries of a number of new Canadian Cardiovascular Society guidelines and position statements offering the most up to date information to support clinicians in practicing evidence-based medicine were released at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010 this week.

25 Oct 2010

Gene therapy may reverse pulmonary hypertension

A Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher has discovered what could be the first truly effective breakthrough in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension, a devastating, life-threatening condition which results in an enlargement of the heart.

25 Oct 2010