Patient advocates are concerned that the BC Ministry of Health's plans to increase contracts with for-profit clinics is not an effective solution to surgical wait times. They are urging the province to scrap contract plans and focus instead on taking advantage of unused public Operating Room time. Minister of Health Terry...

Interior Health has launched a new campaign to show how advances in HIV treatment and care have improved the lives of those living with the disease. The campaign aims to break down stereotypes that prevent people from being tested and accessing life-saving treatment.   The “HIV Then & Now” campaign builds on the momentum...

By David Suzuki We’re surrounded by life, but Earth’s most plentiful living things are invisible to the naked eye. Microbes are not only around us, they live on and in us. Although some cause maladies ranging from food poisoning to smallpox, there are many we couldn’t live without. Beneficial microbes break down food and...

Interior Health is advising the public of an outbreak of salmonellosis related to contact with live baby poultry originating from a hatchery in Alberta. The investigation, involving IH, the BC Centre for Disease Control, BC health authorities, BC Ministry of Agriculture, Public Health Agency of Canada and provincial partners,...

They grew up feeling secure. They benefited from easier access to education. They came of age during a time of some of the biggest social change in North America. And now the baby boomers, all of whom will turn 65 between 2011 and 2031, are facing a huge challenge in the West Kootenay. How will they get around when they can...

     Here are some other contributors to weight retention that should be considered.   1.    How is your liver function?  If your liver is overloaded you tend to have mood swings, irritability or anger, wake up at night between 1-3 AM, have skin rashes or itchy skin, eye floaters or ringing in the ears.  If you drink more...

Yes, our local ticks can carry Lyme disease, and we can pick up ticks while golfing, gardening, hiking, biking ... anything that takes us outdoors, really.  Lyme disease is endemic in southern BC, and the disease can cause long-term damage including arthritis and neurological problems, so it's worthwhile to do regular tick ...

The voices of 12,423 British Columbians were heard at the provincial legislature this morning with the tabling of a petition calling on government to halt the Interior Health Authority's plan to privatize hospital laundry services in 11 communities.   A delegation of Hospital Employees' Union laundry workers presented their...

Canada's safety guidelines:  "a disaster" On May 7, 2015, the Canadian Medical Association Journal  published a scathing condemnation of Health Canada's safety guidelines for cell phones and Wifi. The Journal (CMAJ) interviewed multiple international experts in radiation and cancer, who warn that the microwave levels allowed...

     Now that you’ve established the foundation of healthy eating, let’s discuss other avenues that may be contributing to weight retention. 1.    If you find you have to be careful and eat on time, otherwise you become shaky, foggy or irritable, your blood sugar is probably unstable.  It is extremely important you eat enough...