Adam Miller

E-cigarette debate divides regulators and consumers

The move to regulate nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes has highlighted the lack of research about their health hazards, leading to a backlash from consumers who use the device as a nicotine-replacement therapy. Though some users think these e-cigarettes are a godsend, helping them quit or

Health and hard time

There are those who argue that the best thing to do with prisoners is to simply lock them up and throw away the key. If their health suffers for it, so be it. Others contend that as wards of the state, prisoners are entitled to quality health care, for legal, ethical, social and particularly,

Exposing medical fraud: “one of the last taboos in society”

It seems there are lessons to be learned from various national medical fraud units. The first would be that there is no valid reason to think that any country in the world is exempt from medical fraud. The second? Don’t sweep it under the rug. Denial is not the solution. The third? It’s not a

Prison health care inequality

Federal inmates in the Canadian correctional system receive substantially varied health care that does not measure up to that of other Canadians, according to experts in the prison health care system. Correctional Service Canada (CSC) is responsible for providing an estimated 15 055 federal

The future of health care could be elementary with Watson

As we draw closer to a future where artificial intelligence may play an active role in health care, should we be putting our trust in a supercomputer with a seemingly infinite amount of medical knowledge or a clinician with decades of experience in the field? IBM’s AI supercomputer Watson seems

Mental health awareness campaign exposes challenges in combatting stigma

Awareness campaigns for specific diseases and medical issues can be limited in scope, but when it comes to mental health, simply talking about the heavily stigmatized topic seems to help normalize it. The third annual “Bell Let’s Talk Day” campaign came to a close on Feb. 12, with Canadians

UN atlas links climate change to disease spread

Asserting that they’ve uncovered new evidence of the links between climate change and diseases such as diarrhea, malaria, dengue fever and meningitis, the United Nations’ agencies for health and meteorology have unveiled an Atlas of Health and Climate . The atlas “provides sound scientific

Retinal implant system delivers limited sight to some blind people

A retinal implant system recently approved for sale in the United States could give limited sight to the blind, but a high price tag, challenges with the device and a narrow target group of patients could be stumbling blocks. The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, created by California-based

Nicotine poisoning increase due to e-cigarettes

Nicotine-poisoning related to the use of e-cigarettes increased 300% last year in the US, but Canada’s fragmented poison data-gathering system reveals only a disturbing lack of information. In the United States, the American Association of Poison Control Centers advised the public to use caution

E-cigarette ban proposed in Toronto.

A proposed ban on the use of e-cigarettes in public spaces throughout the City of Toronto could be a bold first step in capping the widespread use of the unregulated products — as well as highlighting the lack of action by the provincial and federal governments. The city’s Medical Officer of