Especially with the damp and cold weather this year, I’ll be expecting phone calls from parents with sick children (or themselves if they were dipping into the candy too much) about a week after Hallowe’en. I see many colds and flus due to the increased amount of sugar. As I stated in a past article, 1 tsp of...

A beaver arrived at Star Gulch Reservoir a while ago, and made his or her presence known by chewing nearly through some trees along the water's edge, one of which was nearly 40 centimetres in diameter; see the photo above.  It might have been interesting and educational to have a beaver family living in the reservoir, but...

It has long been well known that fine particulates and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) containing carcinogens, including benzene and other toxic chemicals, are released from wood burning stoves and that these are a proven serious health hazard.  However, what is not widely known is the scale or magnitude of the impact of...

In July, a pipeline leak near Maidstone, Saskatchewan, spilled about 250,000 litres of diluted oil sands bitumen into the North Saskatchewan River, killing wildlife and compromising drinking water for nearby communities, including Prince Albert. It was one of 11 spills in the province over the previous year. In October, a...

Interior Health board member John O’Fee of Kamloops has been appointed incoming chair of the board of directors, to replace current board chair Erwin Malzer when he completes his tenure on Dec. 31, 2016. “In his 10 years as a director and two years as board chair, Malzer has served Interior Health with distinction, with a...

A detailed economic analysis recently completed by the New York University  Langone Medical Centre suggests that low-level daily exposure to chemicals found in many products has a large economic cost to the United States -- in the order of  $340 billion annually.  The costs referred to are health care expenditures and lost ...

As leaves change colour and drop from trees, and a chill in the air signals the approach of winter, many of us are thinking of the fall harvest and hearty soups and dishes that will soon warm our bellies. Not everyone is lucky enough to enjoy such thoughts. About four million Canadians — including more than a million children...

It's amazing what we gradually accept as normal -- even admirable -- in how we treat each other in Canada. Practices that were once seen as a repugnant surrender to government indifference, like food banks, are now virtually celebrated as a high point of citizen engagement and promoted as such by our public broadcaster once...

With the start of frosty nights, I’m seeing the blue elderberries turn their purple-blue colour, so it’s time to start thinking about making your elderberry tincture. As long as they’re that wonderful dark purple-blue colour, it’s time to pick them and make one of the best flu busters there is. Elderberries are an incredibly...

Every year in Canada, about 12,200 people are hospitalized and 3,500 people die from influenza or its complications.   The public can help themself and those around stay healthy, prevent illness and potentially save lives in one easy step – by getting your annual flu shot. Nelson Flu Vaccine Schedule Castlegar Flu Vaccine...