Illicit drug death numbers hit new record
The month of November brought the highest number of illicit drug deaths in B.C. for a single month in recent memory, according to the latest statistics from the BC Coroners Service. Provisional data shows that a total of 128 persons died as a result of illicit drug use during November, an average of more than four a day. The...
COLUMN: Tread Lightly
How much stuff will you give and receive this holiday season? Add it to the growing pile — the 30-trillion-tonne pile. That’s how much technology and goods humans have produced, according to a study by an international team led by England’s University of Leicester. It adds up to more than all living matter on the planet,...
COOK THAT BIRD THOROUGHLY.
Guillain-Barré ("Ghee-yan Bah-ray") Syndrome can cause muscle weakness and temporary paralysis, and can be life-threatening. In susceptible individuals, it can be triggered by bacteria in undercooked chicken, or in other contaminated food or even water. The suspected link between Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterium commonly...
Interior Health year in review: Message from Board Chair Erwin Malzer
This is a busy time of year, but I find it’s also a time of reflection, particularly as January marks the end of my two-year term as Chair and my 10 years serving on the Board of Interior Health. In an effort to decrease demand on hospital and residential services, we continue to shift our focus to integrated primary and ...
Who Needs Food? Still Time to Give Input on Food Charter
Raise your hand, everyone who eats food. OK, now, raise your hand, everyone who knows where your food comes from. How far has it travelled? Has the price gone up in this past year? Was your food sprayed with pesticides and herbicides? Can it continue to be produced as plentifully and shipped to us if drought conditions...
It's Time to Strengthen Your Immune System
It is time to build up your system before the holiday season is upon us and keep it strong for the winter. I’ve already seen the start of viral abdominal flus, so this will help prevent and minimize the typical viral and bacterial flus common at this time of year. I try to remind folks that having a cold or flu once...
Radon testing available for Trail residents and public buildings
Interior Health has donated 44 radon kits to the Trail Area Health and Environment Committee (THEC) and City of Trail to springboard a campaign to encourage homeowners and municipalities to test their buildings for radon before the end of 2016. “Everyone should get their home tested. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer […]
Daily reminders to increase calcium intake are effective
UBC researchers have demonstrated that simple, cost-effective email messages can help improve the health habits of Canadians. Mary Jung, an assistant professor of health and exercise sciences at UBC's Okanagan campus, recently completed a nationwide study with more than 730 Canadians who were not meeting Canada’s recommended...
Last week brings BC highest number of 911 overdose calls ever recorded
B.C. paramedics and dispatchers will be getting much-needed support from the provincial government in the face of the province's opioid overdose crisis, with a $5-million injection of funding for BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS), Health Minister Terry Lake announced Friday. Over the last week, B.C. had the highest number...
Take a One Night Stand Against Cancer
The Southern Interior Rotary Lodge is a lifeline for residents who are fighting cancer. Fruitvale resident Vickie Iachetta certainly feels that way after spending the month of August at the lodge while undergoing radiation therapy in Kelowna. From Sept. 1, 2015, to Sept. 30, 2016, residents from the Southern Interior region...
