Compliments brand Citrus Infusion Dipping Oil recalled; may contain bacteria

OTTAWA (CP) - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Akita Food Inc., are warning people not to consume Compliments brand Citrus Infusion Dipping Oil because the product may contain bacteria responsible for botulism, a food-borne illness....More

Fine particle pollution cutting European life expectancy by up to 2 years: UN

GENEVA (AP) - The burning of fossil fuels and wood is cutting life expectancy in some parts of Europe by up to two years, despite a significant reduction in other pollutants, the United Nations said Monday....More

U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments for and against medicinal use of marijuana

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Supreme Court questioned Monday whether state medicinal marijuana laws might be abused by people who aren't really sick as it debated whether the U.S. government can prosecute patients who smoke pot on doctors' orders....More

Almost a million Canadians have suffered panic attacks: StatsCan

OTTAWA (CP) - Just under a million people aged 15 or older have suffered from panic disorder, recurrent, unexpected panic attacks, at some point during their lives, says a Statistics Canada study....More

Wildly fluctuating pandemic influenza fatality projections worry flu world

TORONTO (CP) - The next influenza pandemic could kill 100 million people worldwide, a WHO official warned Monday, throwing yet another number onto a growing pile of predictions experts fear could be sowing confusion and impeding a meaningful public debate on pandemic preparedness....More

Researchers find extreme mental stress causes immune cells to age

WASHINGTON (AP) - The immune cells of women under extreme mental stress age faster than those in women not facing such pressure, a new study shows....More

Canadian tobacco laws are unconstitutional, Quebec Court of Appeal hears

MONTREAL (CP) - A federal law that bans tobacco sponsorship, restricts advertising and requires large warnings on cigarette packs is unconstitutional, lawyers for Canada's three largest tobacco companies argued Monday....More

Cases of botulism may be related to Botox injections at Florida clinic

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A couple who underwent Botox injections last week were hospitalized with botulism poisoning, and health officials were attempting to determine whether the injections were to blame....More

Next flu pandemic could kill up to 7 million people, WHO expert says

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - The world is closer to the next flu pandemic "than we have ever been before" and it may kill two million to seven million people, a World Health Organization expert said Thursday....More

Cancer Care report will help cut wait times, but no quick fix, minister warns

TORONTO (CP) - A report from Cancer Care Ontario will help guide the province in its long-term goal to reduce treatment wait times, but there's still no quick fix, Health Minister George Smitherman said Thursday....More

Despite efforts to control bird flu, it could cause global flu pandemic: WHO

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - After almost a year of trying to bring Asia's bird flu under control, World Health Organization experts are now warning the disease is the most likely candidate to cause the world's next pandemic, with the possibility of as many as seven million deaths....More

ER overcrowding causing delays in life-saving heart attack treatment

TORONTO (CP) - Emergency room overcrowding is standing between heart attack patients and the clot-busting drugs they need to minimize cardiac damage and maximize their survival chances, a new study concludes....More

Can't fix wait times without addressing shortage of family docs: college

TORONTO (CP) - There's no way to fix lengthy wait times for health-care services without addressing the country's pressing shortage of family doctors, the group representing those practitioners warned Thursday....More

Ontario government offers new solutions aimed at ending dispute with doctors

TORONTO (CP) - A slew of new proposals aimed at ending a contract dispute with Ontario doctors should address all of their concerns without putting any new money on the table, the province's health minister said Friday....More

Health Canada to require ingredients listed on cosmetics within two years

OTTAWA (CP) - Cosmetic manufacturers will be required to list the ingredients of their products on labels within two years, Health Canada will soon announce. After 10 years of study, the cabinet has approved changes to cosmetic regulations....More

Giving doctors more support crucial to health reform, council head says

HALIFAX (CP) - Giving family doctors more support by spreading out the burden of primary care is crucial to reforming Canada's health-care system, says the head of a council evaluating nationwide efforts to improve medicare....More

Umbilical-cord blood works well in adults, as well as children

(AP) - Umbilical-cord blood, now used mostly to treat children with leukemia, could save thousands of adults with the disease each year who cannot find bone marrow donors, two big studies indicate....More

Protein dose prevents damage after heart attacks in mouse study

(AP) - Texas scientists working with mice say a single dose of a common protein appears to protect the heart muscle from extensive damage after a heart attack....More

Pro-pot groups says federal policies out of step with Canadians

OTTAWA (CP) - A group which advocates legalized marijuana says a new poll shows federal pot policies are out of touch with public opinion....More

Two B.C. people give up kidney to save strangers, the first such transplants

VANCOUVER (CP) - Two British Columbia residents each gave up a kidney to save strangers, becoming the first living people in Canada to anonymously become organ donors....More

Cancer Care report will help cut wait times, but no quick fix, minister warns

TORONTO (CP) - A report from Cancer Care Ontario will help guide the province in its long-term goal to reduce treatment wait times, but there's still no quick fix, Health Minister George Smitherman said Thursday....More

Next flu pandemic could kill up to 7 million people, WHO expert says

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - The world is closer to the next flu pandemic "than we have ever been before" and it may kill two million to seven million people, a World Health Organization expert said Thursday....More

Can't fix wait times without addressing shortage of family docs: college

TORONTO (CP) - There's no way to fix lengthy wait times for health-care services without addressing the country's pressing shortage of family doctors, the group representing those practitioners warned Thursday....More

ER overcrowding causing delays in life-saving heart attack treatment

TORONTO (CP) - Emergency room overcrowding is standing between heart attack patients and the clot-busting drugs they need to minimize cardiac damage and maximize their survival chances, a new study concludes....More

Montreal hospital where patient was abused still needs work: Couillard

MONTREAL (CP) - A controversial Montreal hospital that came under scrutiny after a patient was abused still needs work, Health Minister Philippe Couillard says....More

More smokers kicking the habit, but many relapse says StatsCan

OTTAWA (CP) - While more smokers are butting out, many are lighting up again after a few years, a study by Statistics Canada suggested Wednesday. In 2003, 19 per cent of the population - or about 4.6 million Canadians - were daily smokers. That's down from 26 per cent in 1995....More

Marijuana use appears to have doubled over last decade, study finds

OTTAWA (CP) - A major new study suggests marijuana use in Canada has doubled over the last decade. The Canadian Addiction Survey reports that 14 per cent of respondents used cannabis in the last year, up from 7.4 per cent in 1994....More

Bird flu vaccine expected to be ready by 2007, Thai officials say

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - A vaccine to protect humans from the deadly bird flu virus is expected to be ready by 2007 after clinical trials are carried out in Thailand, health officials said Wednesday....More

Chief medical officer raises alarm over Ontario obesity rates

TORONTO (CP) - Almost half of Ontario's adults are overweight and measures need to be taken to reduce what has become an obesity "epidemic," the province's chief medical officer said Wednesday....More

Key Canadians scientists receive excellence in health research awards

OTTAWA (CP) - Several of Canada's key scientists were singled out for their work, receiving excellence in health research awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research....More

FDA approves new drug to treat multiple sclerosis

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. government approved a drug Tuesday that tries a new method of attacking multiple sclerosis, an incurable disease of the central nervous system that affects 350,000 Americans. The drug - a monoclonal antibody produced by Cambridge, Mass....More

Next flu pandemic could kill up to 7 million people, WHO expert says

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - The world is closer to the next flu pandemic "than we have ever been before" and it may kill two million to seven million people, a World Health Organization expert said Thursday....More

Health officials warn chewing tobacco popular with high school athletes

TORONTO (CP) - A surprising number of elite high school athletes are using chewing tobacco, a highly addictive and potentially deadly habit that appears rooted in team culture, a public health conference heard Tuesday....More

Mtl experts knew about C. difficile outbreak but didn't tell province:report

MONTREAL (CP) - City health officials knew about the deadly C. difficile outbreak at least five months before the provincial Health Department was informed, according to a broadcast report....More

CDC admits errors in calculating Americans' obesity risks, is correcting study

ATLANTA (AP) - A widely reported government study that said obesity is about to overtake smoking as the No. 1 cause of death in the United States contained statistical errors and may have overstated the problem, health officials acknowledged Tuesday....More

AIDS meeting opens in Caribbean, 2nd-worst-affected area after sub-Saharan Africa

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (AP) - A Caribbean HIV/AIDS conference got underway in St. Kitts as the United Nations released a new report Tuesday saying that the number of women living with AIDS has increased in every region of the world....More

Caesarean deliveries, birth rates among older mothers rose in 2003

WASHINGTON (AP) - More than a quarter of babies born in the United States in 2003 were delivered by caesarean section, the highest rate on record, according to a government report released Tuesday....More

Canadian hospitals fighting C. difficile armed with anecdotes, not data

WINNIPEG (CP) - Hospitals battling C. difficile outbreaks are largely doing so armed with anecdotal information, not scientific data, because too little clinical research has been done on what has traditionally been viewed as a "nuisance disease," a leading expert said Tuesday....More

Government programs routinely overpay for prescription drugs: auditor

OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government is spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars more than necessary for its prescription-drug benefit programs, Auditor-General Sheila Fraser said Tuesday....More

Young rabies patient who received experimental treatment survives

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (AP) - Doctors said Tuesday they successfully treated a teenager with a usually fatal case of rabies by using a novel combination of drugs....More

Interpreters lower risks when doctor and patient don't speak same language

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Romualdo Rivera arrives at the emergency room with what seems to be a complaint of chest pain. But it's hard to be sure - he doesn't speak English....More

Doctors say statin drug should have been pulled sooner, question FDA oversight

(AP) - New reports accuse another drug company of being too slow to pull a dangerous medication from the market and question the ability of the U.S. federal Food and Drug Administration to protect Americans from such risks....More

Older Americans not exercising, eating well

WASHINGTON (AP) - Two-thirds of older Americans take part in leisure-time physical activities, but poor nutrition remains a problem, especially when it comes to fruit and vegetables, according to the latest snapshot of aging....More

Canadian drug regulatory process still too hidden, researchers say

TORONTO (CP) - Health Canada's attempt at responding to criticisms that the country's drug regulatory process protects pharmaceutical companies at the possible expense of consumers doesn't go far enough to fix the problem, a pair of veteran researchers say....More

Government to open talks with "forgotten victims" of tainted blood scandal

OTTAWA (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin tossed out one of the most contested policies of Jean Chretien era with the announcement Monday that the government is renegotiating the 1998 compensation package for victims of hepatitis C....More

Austria investigates slaughterhouse for selling salmonella-tainted chickens

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Austrian authorities said Monday they were investigating a report that a slaughterhouse knowingly sold up to 7,000 chickens tainted with salmonella bacteria to a buyer in Germany....More

At airports like Detroit's, it's getting easier to eat healthy

ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) - For many who travel for the holidays, the eating begins at the airport. It's always been easy to find high-calorie, fat-filled and fried food....More

Asthma and allergy sufferers petition Ontario government for alternate treatment

TORONTO (CP) - A group representing hundreds of allergy and asthma sufferers presented the Ontario government with a petition Monday demanding that it lift apparent restrictions on a histamine-based treatment they say cures them of debilitating symptoms....More

Ontario doctors reject proposed payment deal; province insists no more money

TORONTO (CP) - Ontario's doctors overwhelmingly rejected a much-touted fee agreement with the provincial government on Saturday, a major setback for planned health-care reforms in the province with no immediate plan to resume negotiations....More

Looming pandemic which could kill 10s of millions causing sleepless nights

TORONTO (CP) - The global community of influenza experts is a small circle. These days, it's an exhausted, alarmed one as well....More

Disputed study suggests Chornobyl caused 800 cancer cases among Swedes

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - More than 800 people in northern Sweden may have cancer as a result of the fallout that spewed over the region after the Chornobyl nuclear accident in 1986, according to a new study by Swedish scientists....More

Ontario pledges to push ahead with reforms despite doctors rejecting deal

TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario government is adamant it will push ahead with its agenda to improve health care despite a sound rejection of a proposed landmark deal by the province's doctors....More

Health Canada warns of steroids in Spanish shampoo and hygene spray

OTTAWA (CP) - Health Canada is warning consumers not to use Blue Cap Shampoo and Blue Cap Spray because the shampoo contains betamethasone, a topical corticosteroid (steroid). The spray may contain a similar substance....More

Safety regulators urge holiday shoppers to beware of recalled toys

WASHINGTON (AP) - A reminder from the government: check those holiday shopping lists to make sure no recalled children's toys are on them....More

Long-term effects of violence on women: bowel disease, arthritis to be studied

VANCOUVER (CP) - After the blood on a rape victim has dried and the wounds bandaged, the health problems seem to mount: bowel disease, arthritis, depression - all diseases believed to be caused by the stress of the attack....More

New theory contends learning to run was major step in spurring human evolution

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - New research suggests that developing the ability to run - long thought to be a byproduct of walking for early man - was actually an instrumental step in the evolution of ape-like creatures into modern humans. ...More

Government task force to find strategy for fighting trans fats in food

OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government said Thursday it will create a task force to find ways of eliminating heart-clogging trans fats from foods sold in Canada. ...More

Manitoba's smoking rebels defiant Wednesday after province laid more charges

WINNIPEG (CP) - Manitoba's smoking rebels remained defiant Wednesday after the province laid more charges under its tough new anti-smoking law. ...More

Expanded early warning system plays key role in disease, bioterrorism detection

TORONTO (CP) - For the past six years, a Canadian-designed computer system has been the ears and eyes on the vast English Internet world for public health authorities keen to detect and contain outbreaks of infectious diseases and bioterrorism. ...More

Angry parents savage Ont. government's handling of program for autistic kids

TORONTO (CP) - Growing frustration with the "crushing" burden that weighs on families with autistic children boiled over Thursday as parents savaged the Ontario government's failure to dole out nearly $17 million in funding with 1,200 kids languishing on a waiting list. ...More

Possible new case of mad cow disease found in the United States

WASHINGTON (CP) - Attempts to lift the American ban on Canadian cattle could be facing a setback with news Thursday that U.S. officials may have discovered a second case of mad cow disease. ...More

Net pharmacy inspections find some problems, more intensive surveys planned

WINNIPEG (CP) - Health Canada's first peek inside the booming Internet pharmacy industry revealed some businesses were improperly shipping heat-sensitive drugs, buying drugs from unlicensed wholesalers and accepting rubber-stamped prescriptions. ...More

World Health Organization says too little research being done on flu vaccines

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - The world is unprepared for an inevitable flu pandemic that could kill tens of millions of people, but profit-driven pharmaceutical companies are putting too little research into the development of vaccines, the World Health Organization said Thursday. ...More

Federal drug administration labelled 'defenceless' against bad medication

WASHINGTON (AP) - The American public is "virtually defenceless" if another medication such as Vioxx proves to be unsafe after it is approved for sale, a government drug safety reviewer told a congressional committee Thursday. ...More

Government and opposition parties unite to declare war on trans fats

OTTAWA (CP) - In a rare moment of consensus, the government and opposition parties have united to declare war on trans fats - heart-clogging compounds present in many processed foods. ...More

Italy offers possible way out of divisive UN cloning dispute

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Italy has offered a compromise on human cloning that seeks common ground among UN member states who are sharply divided over competing treaties to ban the practice, diplomats said. ...More

Possible new case of mad cow disease found in the United States

WASHINGTON (CP) - Attempts to lift the American ban on Canadian cattle could be facing a setback with news Thursday that U.S. officials may have discovered a second case of mad cow disease....More

Expanded early warning system plays key role in disease, bioterrorism detection

TORONTO (CP) - For the past six years, a Canadian-designed computer system has been the ears and eyes on the vast English Internet world for public health authorities keen to detect and contain outbreaks of infectious diseases and bioterrorism....More

Italy offers possible way out of divisive UN cloning dispute

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Italy has offered a compromise on human cloning that seeks common ground among UN member states who are sharply divided over competing treaties to ban the practice, diplomats said....More

New theory contends learning to run was major step in spurring human evolution

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - New research suggests that developing the ability to run - long thought to be a byproduct of walking for early man - was actually an instrumental step in the evolution of ape-like creatures into modern humans....More

Government task force to find strategy for fighting trans fats in food

OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government said Thursday it will create a task force to find ways of eliminating heart-clogging trans fats from foods sold in Canada....More

Government and opposition parties unite to declare war on trans fats

OTTAWA (CP) - In a rare moment of consensus, the government and opposition parties have united to declare war on trans fats - heart-clogging compounds present in many processed foods....More

Federal drug administration labelled 'defenceless' against bad medication

WASHINGTON (AP) - The American public is "virtually defenceless" if another medication such as Vioxx proves to be unsafe after it is approved for sale, a government drug safety reviewer told a congressional committee Thursday....More

Angry parents savage Ont. government's handling of program for autistic kids

TORONTO (CP) - Growing frustration with the "crushing" burden that weighs on families with autistic children boiled over Thursday as parents savaged the Ontario government's failure to dole out nearly $17 million in funding with 1,200 kids languishing on a waiting list....More

World Health Organization says too little research being done on flu vaccines

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - The world is unprepared for an inevitable flu pandemic that could kill tens of millions of people, but profit-driven pharmaceutical companies are putting too little research into the development of vaccines, the World Health Organization said Thursday....More

RCMP, Health Canada warn content, dosage of illegal designer drugs unsafe

MONTREAL (CP) - The RCMP and Health Canada warned users of so-called designer drugs like speed and ecstacy they're playing "Russian roulette" because they don't know what they're getting....More

Manitoba's smoking rebels defiant Wednesday after province laid more charges

WINNIPEG (CP) - Manitoba's smoking rebels remained defiant Wednesday after the province laid more charges under its tough new anti-smoking law. "I think it's a bunch of bull," said Finley Michaud, co-owner of Finley's Restaurant in Selkirk, a small community north of Winnipeg....More

Health activists demand more money to fight AIDS and other diseases in Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Health activists demanded more money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria ahead of the group's board meeting where U.S. representatives are expected to push for a suspension of new projects....More

Net pharmacy inspections find some problems, more intensive surveys planned

WINNIPEG (CP) - Health Canada's first peek inside the booming Internet pharmacy industry revealed some businesses were improperly shipping heat-sensitive drugs, buying drugs from unlicensed wholesalers and accepting rubber-stamped prescriptions....More

Experts end three-day crystal meth conference armed with more information

VANCOUVER (CP) - Users of the highly addictive and increasingly popular drug crystal methamphetamine can be treated successfully, experts concluded following a three-day conference on the synthetic drug....More

Italy offers possible way out of divisive UN cloning dispute

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Italy has offered with a compromise on human cloning that seeks common ground among UN member states who are sharply divided over competing treaties to ban the practice, diplomats said....More

Expanded early warning system plays key role in disease, bioterrorism detection

TORONTO (CP) - For the past six years, a Canadian-designed computer system has been the ears and eyes on the vast English Internet world for public health authorities keen to detect and contain outbreaks of infectious diseases and bioterrorism....More

People living near busy border crossings more likely to get asthma: study

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Economic fallout shouldn't be the only cause for concern over backups of commercial traffic at the U.S.-Canada border. A new study reports that people living near busy crossings are more likely to develop asthma....More

Medical researchers meet in Mexico to focus on 'forgotten diseases'

MEXICO CITY (AP) - International researchers launched the first worldwide health research summit Tuesday in a desperate bid to revive research on the so-called "forgotten diseases," the illnesses of the poor that account for one-half the world's deaths....More

Diet: Company to test obesity/smoking pill for heart disease

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Not content with having a drug that might merely fight obesity and smoking, the company developing this eagerly anticipated pill will soon launch studies to see if it can treat and prevent clogged arteries and heart disease....More

British government plans smoking ban that would bar lighting up in most pubs

LONDON (AP) - Four hundred years after King James I denounced tobacco as "loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs," the British government announced plans Tuesday to ban smoking in most public places, including restaurants and any pub that...More

Low-fat beats low-carb for keeping pounds off, study suggests

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Regardless of how they shed pounds in the first place, big losers stayed that way by limiting fat rather than carbohydrates, according to new research that could add fuel to the backlash against low-carb diets....More

It doesn't matter to me if health care is privately delivered: Alta's Klein

EDMONTON (CP) - Alberta Premier Ralph Klein acknowledged Tuesday that he personally doesn't have a problem with the private delivery of health-care services. In his strongest endorsement of private health care since hitting the campaign trail for the Nov....More

Bowflex recalls nearly 800,000 fitness machines, second recall this year

WASHINGTON (AP) - The makers of the popular Bowflex fitness machine are recalling nearly 800,000 units after dozens of people reported injuries from mechanical problems, the U.S. government said Tuesday. This marks the second large recall of Bowflex equipment this year....More

British government to seek ban on smoking in most enclosed public places

LONDON (AP) - The British government said Tuesday that it would seek a ban on smoking in most public places, including restaurants and any pub or bar that serves food....More

Tracing Internet pharmacy co-signing a Sherlock Holmes job for regulators

WINNIPEG (CP) - It will take more than tough talk from politicians or changes to federal law to catch Canadian doctors who co-sign Internet pharmacy prescriptions, say medical and pharmacy watchdogs....More

U.S. FDA orders Viagra to pull 'Wild Thing' television advertisement

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. government ordered Pfizer Inc. to yank cheeky television ads that promised better sex for men taking Viagra because they failed to disclose known risks associated with the drug, according to a letter released on Monday....More

Scotland readies to implement tough smoking ban; England may follow

OBAN, Scotland (AP) - Retired nurse Carolyn Rowe carries vivid memories of cancer patients she treated and says their suffering drives her strong support for Scotland's plan to ban smoking in all enclosed public places....More

Man. smoking rules could lead to multiple fines for one offence: businesses

WINNIPEG (CP) - Manitoba businesses say a list of fines the provincial government can now levy under the province's anti-smoking law could result in multiple penalties for a single offence....More

Most vehicle seats do poor job of preventing whiplash, study finds

WASHINGTON (AP) - More than half of car seats as currently constructed do not do a good job of preventing whiplash injuries, tests by the U.S. insurance industry show. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in test results released Sunday, said that General Motors Corp....More

ID Biomedical exec believes Canada will fund development of H5N1 vaccine

TORONTO (CP) - The chief executive of Canada's pandemic influenza vaccine manufacturer says he believes the federal government will fund development and testing of a candidate vaccine for the avian flu strain known as H5N1....More

British company Chiron invites inspections as it works on bird flu vaccine

WASHINGTON (AP) - Chiron Corp. has asked British regulators to inspect its facility producing an experimental bird flu vaccine to make sure it doesn't run into the same contamination problems that forced the closing of another plant and a flu shot crisis in the United States, a top U.S....More

B.C. needs to expand diabetes testing, diabetes association tells Liberals

VICTORIA (CP) - British Columbia needs to expand its diabetes testing programs, the Canadian Diabetes Association told Premier Gordon Campbell's Liberal government Monday....More

NDP urges ban on trans fats, will introduce motion in Commons

OTTAWA (CP) - NDP Leader Jack Layton wants Canada to become the second country in the world to ban processed trans fats. He says his New Democrats will introduce a motion in the House of Commons on Nov....More

Alberta Opposition parties all want to get rid of health-care premiums

EDMONTON (CP) - If anyone but Ralph Klein's Conservatives were to win Alberta's Nov. 22 election, families could bank on an extra $1,056 in their pockets every year....More

DNA limits tested as Montreal identical twin seeks paternity of child

MONTREAL (CP) - DNA tests have put criminals in jail and set the innocent free, but the limits of the technology are being tested in Quebec as an identical twin tries to prove he is the father of a five-year-old boy....More

Second cervical cancer vaccine shows promising results in trial

(AP) - Researchers say a second experimental cervical cancer vaccine appears to broadly protect against infection and risky precancerous conditions for more than two years....More

Martin gives $194 million for research chairs to court international scholars

VANCOUVER (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin has lodged a $194-million-plug in Canada's brain drain, hoping the extra research funding will not only keep academics from leaving the country, but also lure stars from abroad....More

82-year-old man with Alzheimer's abandoned by family at British hospital

LONDON (AP) - The British government is trying to track down a family that abandoned an 82-year-old man suffering from advanced Alzheimer's disease in a London hospital waiting room. The family, living in southern Spain, said they couldn't care for the man....More

Alberta NDP produces Health Care for Dummies booklet for Premier Ralph Klein

EDMONTON (CP) - In a bid to flush out Ralph Klein's plans for health care reform in Alberta, the opposition NDP offered him some light reading material Saturday - a booklet called Health Care for Dummies....More

Western Canadian experts converge to deal with crystal meth crisis

VANCOUVER (CP) - Ice, jib, glass or speed, whatever street name it may take, experts agree the highly addictive drug crystal meth is a terrifying problem in North America....More

Ireland suffers first homegrown case of human form of mad cow disease

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) - Ireland has suffered its first homegrown case of the human form of mad cow disease, the government confirmed Wednesday....More

Dosanjh warns Canada cannot be the 'drug store of the United States'

BOSTON (AP) - Canada's health minister said Wednesday that his country "cannot be the drug store of the United States" - a warning that comes as several states are pushing to buy low-cost prescription drugs north of the border....More

Ireland tries to quell CJD fears after first case of the fatal disease

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) - Ireland has suffered its first homegrown case of the human form of mad cow disease, the government said Wednesday....More

WHO group recommends OK for genetically altering smallpox virus to test drugs

GENEVA (AP) - A World Health Organization committee has recommended approval for genetically altering the smallpox virus to make it easier to determine whether drugs to tackle the disease are effective, the UN agency said Thursday....More

Jean Chretien opens Canadian medical company in China

SHANGHAI, China (AP) - Former prime minister Jean Chretien marked Canada's growing economic ties with China on Thursday with the opening of a Canadian-owned medical-diagnostics company in Shanghai. Shanghai CP Adaltis Diagnostics Co....More

Highly effective cervical cancer vaccine considered a scientific home run

TORONTO (CP) - A vaccine against two subtypes of a virus that causes cervical cancer was 100 per cent effective in clinical trials, researchers reported Friday in the journal Lancet....More

Canadian-led research team tries to discover why West Nile hits hard in some

TORONTO (CP) - A Canadian-led research team has been awarded significant U.S. funding to puzzle out one of the most worrisome mysteries surrounding the unpredictable West Nile virus. The team, led by McMaster University's Dr....More

Genetic variation may help some resist human form of mad cow disease

WASHINGTON (AP) - Some people have a genetic variation that may help them resist the human form of mad cow disease, a study in mice suggests. But when infection does occur the disease takes a different form, meaning there may be unrecognized cases in the population, British researchers say....More

Scotland to follow Ireland's lead and ban smoking in enclosed public places

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) - Scotland will ban smoking in enclosed public places, First Minister Jack McConnell said Wednesday, confirming an expected move to follow Ireland in enacting a sweeping ban. ...More

Ireland suffers first homegrown case of human form of mad cow disease

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) - Ireland has suffered its first homegrown case of the human form of mad cow disease, the government confirmed Wednesday. ...More

Fitness facilities have yet to come of age

(CP) - At 47, Dottie Drake was obese. She had arthritis, hypertension and diabetes. A nurse by profession, she accepted her poor health as simply a part of aging, until she received a painful wake-up call. ...More

New diet drug helps people lose weight and keep it off, study finds

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - An experimental pill that offers the fairy-tale promise of helping people lose weight and quit smoking has gathered even more stardust. ...More

Motivational speaker celebrates birth of twins at 56; record for a U.S. woman

NEW YORK (AP) - A newborn brother and sister were nestled in a hospital bed with their 56-year-old mother on Wednesday, a day after their history-making arrival. ...More

U.S. study says older overweight women at greater risk for leukemia

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - New research has found a higher risk of leukemia among older overweight women, offering another piece of evidence that carrying extra pounds can increase your chance of cancer. ...More

Blood test early in pregnancy may detect risk of stillbirth

CHICAGO (AP) - A blood test early in pregnancy might help determine whether a woman runs an increased risk of having a stillborn baby, a preliminary study found. ...More

Many family doctors offering a narrower range of services: report

TORONTO (CP) - From clipping the umbilical cord and setting broken bones to hospital visits after surgeries, family doctors have traditionally provided Canadians with a wide range of medical services. But the role of family doctors is changing. ...More

Quebec health minister says air in Murdochville not contaminated

QUEBEC (CP) - Health Minister Philippe Couillard said Tuesday there are no more cases of cancer in Murdochville than anywhere else in Quebec. ...More

School buses need restraints, coroner says after probing death of girl, 4

TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario government pledged Wednesday to consider a coroner's recommendation that child safety restraints be installed in school buses in the wake of a probe into the death of a four-year-old girl. ...More

Vitamin E supplements might make heart disease worse: study

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Vitamin E supplements, taken by many people in hopes of warding off heart disease, do not work and may actually make the condition worse, researchers say. ...More

Celebrex affects process that regulates pH in cells, impact unknown: study

EDMONTON (CP) - Researchers at the University of Alberta have found that the anti-inflammatory drug Celebrex affects a basic biological process that regulates pH in cells. ...More

Majority of those with bipolar-1 disorder can hold down a job, study finds

TORONTO (CP) - Despite hugely disruptive mood swings, the majority of people who have the disorder known as bipolar-1 can hold down a job, a new study suggests. ...More

Public health agency wants to commission vaccine trial for H5N1 avian flu

TORONTO (CP) - Canada's public health agency wants to commission the country's major flu vaccine maker to produce trial batches of a vaccine to protect against the lethal avian strain - known as H5N1 - that experts fear may provoke the next flu pandemic. ...More

U.S. smoking rate continues to decline; Utah has fewest smokers per capita

ATLANTA (AP) - Heavily Mormon Utah has become the first and only state to meet the U.S. government's goal of reducing the smoking rate to about one in eight adults, federal health officials said Wednesday. ...More

Scotland to follow Ireland's lead and ban smoking in enclosed public places

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) - Scotland will ban smoking in enclosed public places, First Minister Jack McConnell said Wednesday, confirming an expected move to follow Ireland in enacting a sweeping ban....More

School buses need restraints, coroner says after probing death of girl, 4

TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario government pledged Wednesday to consider a coroner's recommendation that child safety restraints be installed in school buses in the wake of a probe into the death of a four-year-old girl....More

Public health agency wants to commission vaccine trial for H5N1 avian flu

TORONTO (CP) - Canada's public health agency wants to commission the country's major flu vaccine maker to produce trial batches of a vaccine to protect against the lethal avian strain - known as H5N1 - that experts fear may provoke the next flu pandemic....More

Motivational speaker celebrates birth of twins at 56; record for a U.S. woman

NEW YORK (AP) - A newborn brother and sister were nestled in a hospital bed with their 56-year-old mother on Wednesday, a day after their history-making arrival....More

Majority of those with bipolar-1 disorder can hold down a job, study finds

TORONTO (CP) - Despite hugely disruptive mood swings, the majority of people who have the disorder known as bipolar-1 can hold down a job, a new study suggests. In fact more than two thirds of working aged Canadians who have the disorder are employed....More

Ireland tries to quell CJD fears after first case of the fatal disease

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) - Ireland has suffered its first homegrown case of the human form of mad cow disease, the government said Wednesday....More

Ireland suffers first homegrown case of human form of mad cow disease

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) - Ireland has suffered its first homegrown case of the human form of mad cow disease, the government confirmed Wednesday....More

Dosanjh warns Canada cannot be the 'drug store of the United States'

BOSTON (AP) - Canada's health minister said Wednesday that his country "cannot be the drug store of the United States" - a warning that comes as several states are pushing to buy low-cost prescription drugs north of the border....More

H5N1 avian influenza poses unprecedented global challenge: WHO official

TORONTO (CP) - The world is at an unprecedented time in the history of influenza with the threat posed by the current widespread outbreak of the H5N1 avian strain in Asia, a conference on global infectious diseases was told Tuesday....More

FTC sues companies for weight-loss claims, warns media outlets over ads

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government filed six lawsuits against companies it said had promised weight-loss regimens that were too good to be true, and it pressed the publications that advertised the programs to identify and reject them instead....More

Fitness facilities have yet to come of age

(CP) - At 47, Dottie Drake was obese. She had arthritis, hypertension and diabetes. A nurse by profession, she accepted her poor health as simply a part of aging, until she received a painful wake-up call....More

Celebrex affects process that regulates pH in cells, impact unknown: study

EDMONTON (CP) - Researchers at the University of Alberta have found that the anti-inflammatory drug Celebrex affects a basic biological process that regulates pH in cells. But what effect this has on the whole body is not known....More

Dosanjh slams doctors, pharmacists who give prescriptions to unknown Americans

VANCOUVER (CP) - Canada's health minister says doctors and pharmacists who give prescriptions to Americans without meeting them first are being unethical....More

Ireland suffers first homegrown case of human form of mad cow disease

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) - Ireland has suffered its first homegrown case of the human form of mad cow disease, the government confirmed Wednesday....More

Blood test early in pregnancy may detect risk of stillbirth

CHICAGO (AP) - A blood test early in pregnancy might help determine whether a woman runs an increased risk of having a stillborn baby, a preliminary study found....More

California stem-cell measure is starting an academic gold rush

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A 21st-century gold rush is on in California after the voters approved $3 billion US for human embryonic stem cell research. At least one out-of-state biotech company is already making plans to move to California....More

New device acts like support hose to help weak hearts pump blood

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Pantyhose for the heart? A polyester mesh stocking pulled up over the wide bottom of a weak heart can help it pump better and even shrink back to a more normal size, a study found....More

More than 200 people sick as officials lock down Calgary homeless shelter

CALGARY (CP) - Police and firefighters were searching floor-to-floor in a homeless shelter Sunday after more than 200 people developed a mysterious illness during the night....More

US federal workers offered health plan that excludes abortion, contraceptives

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - Federal employees in part of Illinois now have the option of enrolling in a Catholic-run health insurance plan that does not cover abortion, contraceptives or fertility treatment....More

Ambitious WHO HIV/AIDS program unlikely to meet 2005 target

TORONTO (CP) - An ambitious initiative to provide life-prolonging anti-retroviral drugs to three million people with HIV/AIDS by the end of next year likely won't meet its target, the director general of the World Health Organization has admitted....More

Wex Pharmaceuticals posts wider Q2 loss on higher research expenses

VANCOUVER (CP) - Wex Pharmaceuticals, a developer of new analgesic treatments to relieve pain, lost more money in its second quarter as research costs climbed due to expanded clinical trial activities. Wex said it lost $2....More

Heart failure drug for blacks to become first pill sold for a specific race

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A two-drug combination pill dramatically reduced deaths among blacks with heart failure, a landmark finding that is expected to lead to government approval of the first medication marketed for a specific race....More

Residents of Calgary homeless shelter recovering from mystery illness

CALGARY (CP) - More than three dozen people remained in isolation Monday at a Calgary homeless shelter as health officials tried to determine what caused about 140 residents to get sick over the weekend....More

Preventive health group says evidence supports flu shots for all

TORONTO (CP) - Doctors should encourage all their patients - sick and healthy - to get an annual flu shot, the Canadian task force on preventive health care suggests in a statement published Tuesday....More

Canada purchases additional 145,000 shots; B.C. asks non-high risks to wait

TORONTO (CP) - Canadian health authorities have purchased an extra 145,000 doses of flu vaccine and are negotiating with a foreign supplier to import more if this season's high demand threatens to outstrip supplies....More

Federal government announced $90.5 million for medical research networks

OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government has announced $90.5 million in funding for seven medical research networks, including a new one focused on allergies....More

Two teens died after being prescribed pain-relief patch: Health Canada

TORONTO (CP) - Two teenagers died after being prescribed a pain-relief patch designed for adults being treated for chronic pain, says a Health Canada report....More

Problem gambling incurs higher cost than large debts, experts say

TORONTO (CP) - Did Belizaire knows all about the highs of gambling. He knows even more about the lows. Belizaire, 37, can't pinpoint when his casual gambling habit turned into something more addictive. He started when he was 18, working as a bouncer in Quebec....More

Kerry supporters left to deal with blues

NEW YORK (AP) - It's a long way from the Manhattan office of psychoanalyst Sherman Pheiffer to the Cambridge, Mass., practice of psychologist Jaine Darwin....More

More than 200 people sick as officials lock down Calgary homeless shelter

CALGARY (CP) - Police and firefighters were searching floor-to-floor in a homeless shelter Sunday after more than 200 people developed a mysterious illness during the night....More

Ambitious WHO HIV/AIDS program unlikely to meet 2005 target

TORONTO (CP) - An ambitious initiative to provide life-prolonging anti-retroviral drugs to three million people with HIV/AIDS by the end of next year likely won't meet its target, the director general of the World Health Organization has admitted....More

New device acts like support hose to help weak hearts pump blood

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Pantyhose for the heart? A polyester mesh stocking pulled up over the wide bottom of a weak heart can help it pump better and even shrink back to a more normal size, a study found....More

Tobacco giant, executives opt for judge and jury in $1.2-billion fraud case

TORONTO (CP) - A major tobacco company and related former executives accused of what police called the largest fraud in Canadian business history elected Thursday to be tried before a judge and jury....More

Economists wonder what provinces are doing with federal health money

OTTAWA (CP) - Health policy analysts are wondering what provinces and territories are doing with a huge infusion of federal cash intended for health care and social programs....More

Bush victory should soothe fears of cross-border drug crisis: CIPA

WINNIPEG (CP) - The re-election of President George W. Bush should soothe fears that the cross-border prescription drug trade will lead to crippling shortages for Canadians, a spokesman for the Internet pharmacy industry said Wednesday....More

Two women bent on death sought Martens' suicide skills, Crown says

DUNCAN, B.C. (CP) - Two British Columbia women who wanted to end their lives but didn't want to do it on their own sought the suicide skills of Evelyn Martens, a B.C. Supreme Court jury heard Monday....More

Martens found not guilty of assisting in suicides of two B.C. women

DUNCAN, B.C. (CP) - An elderly woman accused of assisting in the suicides of two other women has been found not guilty. Evelyn Martens, 74, nodded her head repeatedly as the foreman of the jury read the verdict....More

Calif. firm VaxGen wins first U. S. 'BioShield' contract for anthrax vaccine

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. government announced Thursday it is purchasing 75 million doses of a new-generation anthrax vaccine under an $877.5-million US contract - the first awarded through a federal program to develop and stockpile antidotes to biological and chemical weapons....More

Agency to put Ontario's flu shot program under the microscope

TORONTO (CP) - Researchers are about to put a landmark Ontario public health program under the microscope, assessing for the first time the efficacy of the province's universal flu shot plan, now in its fifth year....More

Study finds that thousands injured in U.S. each year by BBs and air guns

CHICAGO (AP) - A study has found that air rifles, paintball pistols and BB guns injure as many as 21,000 Americans each year, undermining the notion that such weapons are harmless in the hands of young people....More

B.C. Health Ministry announces privatization of medical services plan claims

VICTORIA (CP) - British Columbians' claims under the province's medical services plan have been contracted out to the private sector, despite concerns raised last week by the provincial privacy commissioner. Maximus, Inc., a U.S....More

Health official at disease control centre says B.C. has huge flu shot demand

VANCOUVER (CP) - Health authorities in British Columbia are facing a big challenge due to a huge demand for flu vaccine for high-risk individuals, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control said Wednesday. The centre's Dr....More

Celebrity-painted goalie masks to be auctioned for spinal injury research

TORONTO (CP) - Don Cherry says he is the greatest Canadian - when it comes painting hockey masks....More

Quebecers go to court in bid for class-action lawsuits against tobacco giants

MONTREAL (CP) - Two Quebec smokers who filed class-action lawsuits in 1998 against Canada's three largest tobacco companies are about to get their day in court....More

Antibiotic dose may help stop world's leading cause of preventable blindness

(AP) - British researchers working in an East African village say a single dose of an antibiotic appears to stop infections that cause trachoma, the world's leading preventable cause of blindness....More

Quebec to provide funding to hire infection prevention nurses, says Couillard

MONTREAL (CP) - Quebec hospitals will receive funding to hire nurses dedicated to preventing infections as part of the province's battle against the C. difficile bacteria, Health Minister Philippe Couillard said Tuesday....More

Environment ministers commit to cutting mercury emissions from power plants

OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's environment ministers are pressing ahead with plans for major cuts in power-plant emissions of mercury - a toxin that is building up in fish and wildlife and endangering the health of some aboriginal populations....More

China bans slaughter, cooking of civets to prevent another SARS outbreak

BEIJING (AP) - China has banned the slaughter and cooking of civets - believed to be the source of the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak - in an effort to prevent a resurgence of the deadly disease as winter approaches, a news report said Tuesday....More

Provinces worrying extra demand may lead to flu vaccine shortage

TORONTO (CP) - Health officials in at least a couple of provinces are worried an increased demand for flu vaccine, triggered by publicity of the shortage in the United States, may lead to a shortfall for high-risk individuals in Canada this winter....More

Georgia girl with rare untreatable disease doesn't know pain

PATTERSON, Ga. (AP) - Ashlyn Blocker's parents and kindergarten teachers all describe her the same way: fearless. So they nervously watch her plunge full-tilt into a childhood deprived of natural alarms. In the school cafeteria, teachers put ice in five-year-old Ashlyn's chili....More

Georgia girl with rare untreatable disease doesn't know pain

PATTERSON, Ga. (AP) - Ashlyn Blocker's parents and kindergarten teachers all describe her the same way: fearless. So they nervously watch her plunge full-tilt into a childhood deprived of natural alarms. In the school cafeteria, teachers put ice in five-year-old Ashlyn's chili....More

China bans slaughter, cooking of civets to prevent another SARS outbreak

BEIJING (AP) - China has banned the slaughter and cooking of civets - believed to be the source of the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak - in an effort to prevent a resurgence of the deadly disease as winter approaches, a news report said Tuesday....More

Drug used to treat manic-depressive illness recalled by Health Canada

OTTAWA (CP) - A drug used to treat manic-depressive illness has been recalled by Health Canada....More

Cleveland Clinic gets approval for first transplant of a human face

CLEVELAND (AP) - The Cleveland Clinic says it is the first institution to receive review board approval of human facial transplant for someone severely disfigured by burns or disease. Several independent medical teams around the world also are pursuing the procedure....More

Canadian scientists to use DNA fingerprint database to track C. difficile

TORONTO (CP) - In a bid to get the upper hand on the alarming C. difficile bacterium, Canadian researchers are resorting to the tools of forensic police work....More

Two women bent on death sought Martens' suicide skills, Crown says

DUNCAN, B.C. (CP) - Two British Columbia women who wanted to end their lives but didn't want to do it on their own sought the suicide skills of Evelyn Martens, a B.C. Supreme Court jury heard Monday....More

Study finds that thousands injured in U.S. each year by BBs and air guns

CHICAGO (AP) - A study has found that air rifles, paintball pistols and BB guns injure as many as 21,000 Americans each year, undermining the notion that such weapons are harmless in the hands of young people....More

Farming killer cone snails for research is a risky affair

POTSDAM, N.Y. (AP) - Jon-Paul Bingham puts his life on the line every week for the sake of science. One wrong move, and he could become the hapless victim of a snail attack that could kill him....More

Manitoba's smoking rebels urge government to bring on the fines

WINNIPEG (CP) - When Leslie Dumas decided to defy Manitoba's smoking law after it went into effect a month ago, the restaurant owner made no attempt to hide her plans. She and partner Finley Michaud posted a large sign outside their door that warned: Attention....More

Lawyers begin final arguments in Vancouver Island assisted suicide case

DUNCAN, B.C. (CP) - Lawyers begin final arguments Monday in the case of a Vancouver Island woman accused of helping two women commit suicide. Evelyn Martens, 74, is charged with aiding and abetting a suicide and could face 14 years in jail if convicted by a B.C....More

Drug used to treat manic-depressive illness recalled by Health Canada

OTTAWA (CP) - A drug used to treat manic-depressive illness has been recalled by Health Canada....More

Health experts across Canada urge Ottawa to 'denormalize' tobacco industry

TORONTO (CP) - Some of Canada's most influential doctors, health experts and anti-smoking lobbyists will launch a campaign Monday urging Ottawa to strip the tobacco industry of a powerful public relations asset: its public image as a legitimate, mainstream business....More

Cleveland Clinic gets approval for first transplant of a human face

CLEVELAND (AP) - The Cleveland Clinic says it is the first institution to receive review board approval of human facial transplant for someone severely disfigured by burns or disease. Several independent medical teams around the world also are pursuing the procedure....More

Drug user support group hands out free crack pipes, seeks funding

VANCOUVER (CP) - A support group for drug users began distributing hundreds of free crack pipes over the weekend in an initiative they say will help slow the spread of disease among drug users....More

Canadian scientists to use DNA fingerprint database to track C. difficile

TORONTO (CP) - In a bid to get the upper hand on the alarming C. difficile bacterium, Canadian researchers are resorting to the tools of forensic police work....More