Beer Gut Dynamics

Source: Men's Health March 2007

Two Face Skin Cream

Source: Wired Mar 2007

Toxic Labels Initiative

Ontario NDP wants product labels to warn people about toxic chemicals

Canadian Press: KEITH LESLIE

TORONTO (CP) - Armed with tests that suggest the body of every Canadian carries trace evidence of dangerous chemicals, Ontario's New Democrats are spearheading an effort that would help them learn exactly what carcinogens or toxins they are exposed to on a daily basis.

Toxic chemicals are in many everyday products, from household cleaners and laundry detergents to hair dyes and cosmetics, said NDP environment critic Peter Tabuns, who is pushing for a new law that would compel manufacturers to disclose dangerous ingredients in their products.

Consumers would demand changes if labels told them exactly what a product contains, Tabuns said in an interview.

"Right now, most people don't know whether or not products that they buy have cancer-causing agents in them."

Tabuns hopes to convince Ontario to follow the example of California, where community right-to-know legislation has helped get arsenic out of bottled water and lead removed from some candies. Manufacturers there opted to find alternatives rather than list carcinogens on their labels, he said.

"They are not going to want to have that label on their products," Tabuns said. "They know that consumers, especially parents, don't want to subject themselves to exposure."

He cited the example of Gillette, which reformulated Liquid Paper correction fluid to eliminate trichloroethylene, a suspected carcinogen, rather than comply with California's 15-year-old law to label the product with a warning that the ingredient could cause cancer.

The members of Canada's Chemical Producers Association believe in right-to-know legislation, but "the devil is in the details," said Michael Bourque, the association's vice-president of public affairs.

He cautioned against labelling products that contain only a few parts per billion of a certain chemical - levels that scientists say are safe.

"One problem (is) where you provide a fire hose of information that no one can drink from it, or you provide lists of things that are in such minute quantities that we don't know whether there's an impact," Bourque said.

"Do we support giving people information that's going to confuse them, alarm them unnecessarily? No, we don't."

The lobby group Environmental Defence has issued three reports since 2005 detailing tests on Canadian children, adults and even four federal MPs that found evidence of 68 different chemicals, including pesticides, PCBs, stain repellents, fire retardants, mercury and lead.

Environmental Defence policy director Aaron Freeman said legislation like that proposed by Tabuns is "absolutely essential" in order to help protect consumers.

"You're seeing consumers making environmentally sound choices when they're given information, (such as) the slow-motion explosion toward organic food and non-toxic alternatives in areas like pesticides and cosmetics," he said.

"It's true that some chemicals are only in certain products at very small amounts, but for some chemicals, those small amounts are still very toxic. At a very basic level, if something is toxic, we have a right to know."

Tabuns' private member's bill, dubbed the Community Right to Know act, has received second reading in the Ontario legislature, but there's no indication the Liberal government will agree to hold public hearings on the bill or allow it to come back to the legislature for third and final reading.

Anne O'Hagan, the senior communications adviser to Environment Minister Lauren Broten, said the government supports the general idea behind the bill. "More information can only be a good thing when it comes to the environment."

Tabuns' bill also calls for better worker access to warnings about harmful chemicals they are exposed to on the job, and he plans to introduce companion legislation, a Toxic Use Reduction act, to force companies to cut the use, waste and spillage of toxic chemicals.

The European Union and the state of Vermont have similar product-labelling laws, and Tabuns said it's time Canada started catching up with those jurisdictions that help protect consumers from dangerous chemicals.

"This issue really has arrived, and the political momentum among the public is there," he said. "If the (Liberals) don't act, they will face the loss of support from environmentalists and public health advocates in the next election."

Source: CBC.ca

Sleeping Aid Recall

Potentially habit-forming herbal sleep aid recalled

Health Canada issued an advisory Friday warning consumers against taking an herbal sleep aid because it could be habit-forming.

The federal agency says Sleepees contains the drug estazolam, which is not declared on its label. The supplement has not been authorized for sale in Canada.

The distributor, Vancouver-based Our World Network Inc., has stopped selling the herbal sleep aid and is recalling the following Sleepees product lots: B39054006, B39069004, B39035001, B38883003, B38893003, OWN 961, OWN-042606, OWN 980, OWN 913.

Estazolam, which should only be taken when prescribed by a health-care practitioner, can be potentially addictive when taken for as little as a few months.

"Consumers who may still have this product in their homes are advised to consult with a health-care professional before they stop taking the capsules, because of the risk of withdrawal symptoms," Health Canada said in a release.

Side-effects include depression, hallucinations

Side-effects linked with the use of estazolam may include dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, depression, loss of memory and hallucinations.

No adverse reactions associated with the use of Sleepees have been reported in Canada.

Consumers should return the product to the place of purchase. For more information, people can call Health Canada's public enquiries line at at (613) 957-2991, or toll-free at 1-866-225-0709.

Source: CBC.ca

Caffeine's Transparent Coke

Coca-Cola to add caffeine content to nutrition labels

Coca-Cola has announced plans to begin disclosing caffeine content on their nutrition labels as part of an industry-wide initiative.

The Atlanta-based company says it will add caffeine content to its Coca-Cola Classic nutrition labels in May, with other products to follow. Some of the company's product labels, including Full Throttle and Enviga, already carry information on caffeine levels.

The rollout is currently limited to the U.S. Stephanie Baxter, a Coca-Cola Canada spokeswoman, says the company is reviewing the decision in the U.S. She notes that the company's energy drinks in Canada are already labelled with caffeine content information.

Pepsi launches 'invigorating' diet drink

Meanwhile, PepsiCo has announced plans to release a new version of Diet Pepsi, containing more caffeine. The soda, which will contain about one-third more caffeine than Diet Mountain Dew, will be released in June.

Beverage	Amount of caffeine (mg)
Cola (355 ml)	36-46
Diet cola (355 ml)	39-50
Cup brewed tea (237 ml)	43
Cup green tea (237 ml)	30
Cup brewed coffee (237 ml)	135
Chocolate milk (237 ml)	8

The company says its "invigorating" beverage is targeted to adults who need extra energy to get through their busy days.

The announcements come as New York City councilman, Simcha Felder, prepares to introduce a non-binding council resolution asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require product labels to include caffeine content information.

Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat, suggests pregnant women and parents in particular would benefit from the proposed resolution, saying many consumers are currently unaware of how much they consume daily. Felder plans on introducing the resolution on Feb. 28.

Caffeine side effects include alertness, irritability

Health Canada says minor side effects of caffeine range from alertness and improved concentration to insomnia, headaches, irritability and nervousness. The federal agency recommends that healthy adults should consume a maximum of 450 mg of caffeine daily, the equivalent of three 237 ml cups of brewed coffee.

Pregnant women can drink slightly more than two 237 ml cups of coffee daily if they avoid other caffeinated products.

Guidelines for children are as follows:

• Ages 4-6, 45 mg.
• Ages 7-9, 62.5 mg.
• Ages 10-12, 85 mg.

For women of childbearing age, the new recommendation is a maximum daily caffeine intake of no more than 300 mg, or a little more than two 237 ml cups of coffee.

Source: CBC.ca

Worthwhile Steps

Source: American Council of Exerise

Wii vs Obesity

God bless scientists. Particularly those at Liverpool John Moores University. The boffins there have been hard at work measuring gamers’ activity levels, and found that playing Wii for 15 minutes boosts your energy expenditure by 156%, compared to 60% using normal joypads on other consoles.

The Mirror has done its sums, calculating that for the average child who spends 12.2 hours a week playing games, this means a potential 1,830 calories burnt off – which could lose them a couple of stone a year.

“Motion sensor-controlled consoles can make an impact on a child’s energy expenditure and calories burned, however parents should encourage outdoor pursuits,” Professor Tim Cable tells the paper. Too late: millions of kids have already snipped that bit out of the article and gone to pester their parents…

Source: wiiwii.tv

Say It Ain't So Charlie!!

Canned tuna exceeds guidelines on mercury: CBC investigation

Following a CBC investigation that found mercury levels above the allowed limit, Health Canada issued new consumption guidelines on Monday for canned albacore tuna for women and children.

The tuna may routinely exceed Canada's mercury guidelines, the investigation has learned, but until Monday, Health Canada failed to warn consumers about the potential danger.

The health benefits of eating tuna have been widely established; it is a relatively inexpensive source of high-quality protein, low in saturated fat and contains omega-3 fatty acids, touted for their heart-protective benefits.

But tuna also contains mercury, a dangerous contaminant that can affect the heart, brain and immune system.

However, prior to CBC's investigation, if you read Health Canada's advice on the matter, you would have thought you had nothing to worry about.

Health Canada has established a guideline level of 0.5 parts per million (ppm) for mercury in commercial fish.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency tests canned tuna before it gets to store shelves to ensure it meets the 0.5 ppm guideline. On average, six per cent of the albacore tuna it tests fails and is pulled before it gets to grocery stores.

"I have confidence in the program that we operate, that it continues to serve the public well in providing assurance that the products in the marketplace predominantly meet the guideline level," says CFIA spokesman Paul Mayers.

CBC put that claim to the test, conducting the first public survey of its kind to examine the mercury content in the canned tuna that makes it to store shelves.

13% exceeded guidelines

Sixty cans of albacore, or "white" tuna, were purchased at nine grocery stores in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto. Studies have shown "white" tuna is typically higher in mercury content than "light" tuna, because it's generally a larger, older fish that has accumulated more mercury.

MERCURY IN FISH

Mercury is a naturally occurring element that's found in soil and rocks as well as bodies of water. We absorb trace amounts of it from dental fillings, air and water pollution and from the food we eat. Fish tend to be our largest source of mercury. High levels of mercury can damage our nervous systems and can inhibit brain development in young children. It's not clear what the long-term effects of extremely low levels of mercury are. Mercury binds tightly to the proteins in fish tissue. Most fish will contain trace amounts of mercury, depending on the level of mercury in their environment and their place in the food chain. The bigger the fish and the higher up the food chain it is, the more mercury it will tend to contain. Large predatory fish species tend to have higher levels than non-predatory fish or species farther down the food chain.

The tuna was tested at the University of Ottawa's Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, which is internationally recognized for its work with mercury.

"I was surprised. They were a good deal higher than I'd thought," said Dr. David Lean, who supervised the testing. "Clearly these tuna should not be eaten on a regular basis," he added.

Thirteen per cent of the tuna tested exceeded Health Canada guidelines.

"This is not to say if you eat fish above 0.5 you're going to drop dead tomorrow, or if you eat fish a little bit lower you're going to be fine. It has to do a lot with how much of it you eat," Lean said.

"But we were seeing numbers as high as 0.9, which is almost double the guideline. So why are they on the shelf? Why are we not protected?"

Results no surprise to CFIA

Paul Mayers, a spokesman for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said the organization does the best it can.

"Our view was that the results don't represent a surprise," he told CBC.

The CFIA actually allows mercury levels up to 0.54, due to its system of rounding to one decimal point, so only eight per cent of the tuna tested should not have been for sale, officials said.

As for why so many cans that exceeded even the 0.54 guideline are on grocery-store shelves, Mayer said it's inevitable.

"I'm not saying that compliance can never improve. What I'm saying is we will not get 100 per cent when we're dealing with a ubiquitous environmental contaminant."

Other countries, such as the United States, have issued advisories to consumers about the potential dangers of canned tuna — including special advice to pregnant and nursing women, because too much mercury can cause neurological damage, especially in children and fetuses.

Safe consumption advice ranges from no more than one can of albacore tuna a week in some jurisdictions to none at all in others.

While Health Canada does warn about consumption of fresh and frozen tuna, its website, until Monday, said limiting canned tuna consumption was not necessary.

"We are making available this information right now because of the interest in canned albacore tuna in particular," Health Canada's Samuel Godefroy told CBC on Monday afternoon.

The new guidelines indicate that "Canadians can rest assured that there is no reason to stop eating canned tuna."

However, it suggests that "as a precaution":

• Pregnant or breastfeeding women can eat up to four servings of canned albacore tuna per week.
• Children between the ages of one and four years can eat up to one serving per week.
• Children between the ages of five and 11 years can eat up to two servings per week.

One serving of tuna is 75 gm, 2½ oz, 125 mL, or ½ cup.

Tuna consumer finds own mercury levels high

Ottawa's Kevin Walker found out about the risks of eating too much canned tuna the hard way. Walker, a health-conscious consumer, used to eat two to three cans of tuna per day for its health benefits.

Lean tested Walker's body for mercury content and found it was four times higher than levels recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"If I hadn't met David, my levels would probably be at a dangerous level," said Walker. "I think it's irresponsible on Canada's part, Health Canada, for not educating the public about the concern of consuming too much tuna."

It took one year for Walker's mercury levels to drop to normal after he stopped eating canned tuna.

Now he's eating it again, but says he's following American guidelines to get the maximum health benefits with a minimum of mercury.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has begun an investigation based on the CBC's test results. The agency says it will recall product, if it finds such a move is justified.

Source: CBC.ca February 20, 2007

Obeez City and the XBOX

New DVD game battles childhood obesity

JIM ELLIS Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. - Obesity may be a global epidemic, but it's Obeez City that is spreading out of control in a new DVD game to be released nationwide Tuesday.

The game teaches youngsters how to avoid the ravages of being overweight, and may the healthy force be with you.

Gamers join a team of super heroes called Body Mechanics and war against the Evil Coalition of Harm and Disease, battling villains with names like Col Estorol and Betes II. The fighting takes place inside the body of Jack Decayd and if Obeez City is not contained, "Jack will die soon," says Neuro, the Yoda-like wise one who narrates the game's story line.

"I remember how it started. A few snacks here, a soft drink there," Neuro speaking in an ominous tone says during the opening. "And before we knew it, the Evil Coalition of Harm and Disease was threatening us all."

Neuro then makes his plea: "You must join the team of heroic Body Mechanics. They need your help in order to gain the knowledge necessary to save Jack's life. Only you can change how this story ends."

The Body Mechanics DVD game is the latest in a string of products in the video gaming industry to buck long-held notions and stress exercise and healthy living. The game is packaged with an animated movie and sold as a two-disc set. Body Mechanics will be in limited release Tuesday in retail outlets such as Target, Borders, Walgreens and CVS/pharmacy.

Viewed as sedentary pastimes, video games, and its cousins, the television and the personal computer, are typically the object of parental finger waving.

And children are becoming gamers younger than ever - 2 years old, according to a survey conducted by NPD Group, a market research firm. With sales in the U.S. totaling $12.5 billion in 2006, the gaming industry's foothold is firmly planted in American culture - and so is childhood obesity.

About 16 percent of children ages 6 to 19 are overweight in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is an 80 percent chance that overweight children will become obese adults and will be at risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.

But with the highly popular active video game, Dance Dance Revolution, and gaming console's such as Nintendo's Wii and now Body Mechanics, the negative hype that video games enable teens to lay around and gain weight may meet some resistance.

Imagine Harry Potter, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings all mixed up inside the body and that's Body Mechanics, said Tony Findlay, the game's creator, who is based in Australia.

Findlay, 40, said the idea for the game and movie came while on tour to promote his book, "DIETS SUCK."

"Parents approached me and asked how they can teach their kids to eat better and exercise more," said Findlay, who said his own father was obese and died of a heart attack at 56.

Butch Rosser, one of Body Mechanic's contributors, was once a morbidly obese medical student whose weight topped 450 pounds. He admits that he used video games - dating back to Pong in the 1970s - to escape the stresses of all-night study sessions.

Now a surgeon in New York City, father of five and yes, still a gamer, he weighs in 160 pounds lighter these days due to gastric bypass surgery six years ago. Rosser lends his acting ability in the movie as Dr. Bludd, the good doctor who stresses the importance of saving not only Jack Decayd's life but "all of humanity."

His prescription for the young and overweight today is the very thing he says enabled his weight gain early in life - video games.

"We have a new genre of video games today," Rosser said. "You can lose pounds while having fun and that's a beautiful combination."

Jake Schweizer, an 8-year-old gamer who lives in Orlando, plays his XBox about an hour every day. He is within the 5- to 11- year-old age range Body Mechanics aims to reach.

Players choose one of three main missions and then follow along on an animated adventure, answering 10 questions along the way. Answer too many questions incorrectly and Jack Decayd dies.

"I like the questions. They're fun to answer," said Jake, who only missed one the first time he played Body Mechanics during a recent video game convention in Orlando.

Video games like Body Mechanics have a difficult task, said Dr. Karen Cullen, associate professor of pediatrics/nutrition at the Children's Nutrition Research Center in Houston.

"You can give someone an hour's worth of facts and you'll bore them to death," she said. "The games have to be entertaining to compete in the marketplace."

Cullen was one of the researchers at Baylor College of Medicine who developed a computer game that improved eating habits in children. Fourth graders from 26 elementary schools participated in the study.

Children played a medieval-themed game called Squire's Quest. Players advanced from squire to knight. But along with achieving knighthood, gamers were encouraged to eat more fruits and vegetables.

The new video games and consoles that require more than thumbs pounding a handheld controller is a positive development, Cullen said.

Rosser, who performs weight-loss surgeries, said he hopes reaching children at a young age with the message of eating healthy will prevent problems with weight later in life.

"I don't want people to have to undergo a surgical procedure to save their life," Rosser said. "I want to put my knife out of business."

Source: brandenton.com (brandenton herald)

Recycling Black Gold

Brain Fitness for Better Memory and less Dementia

Exercising your brain can improve memory and cut the risk of developing dementia.

By Christopher J. Gearon

If you think electronic games are just for your grandchildren, you've somehow missed the marketing blitz aimed at older adults. Computer- and video-game makers are targeting seniors and baby-boomers with products that claim to boost the power of an aging brain. But can games such as Nintendo's Brain Age or Web sites such as MyBrainTrainer.com really stave off dementia?

Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Scientists have found that certain exercises conducted in a laboratory, such as matching and counting games, could improve memory. But it's unclear whether a regimen of such exercises could help aging adults remember to take medication, follow directions and engage in other activities of daily living that enable seniors to remain independent.

But researchers say you can take measures to increase cognitive function and delay dementia, even Alzheimer's disease. "My advice: Travel, go to the theater, go to museums, take a dance class," says Denise Park, director of University of Illinois' Roybal Center for Healthy Minds, which studies cognitive function and aging.

The Aging Brain
Weighing in at three pounds, the adult brain begins shrinking even before middle age. The clues are common: You can't find your keys, or you forget where you parked. You can easily adapt to such minor changes, by perhaps putting keys in the same place every day, for example. By the mid sixties, such cognition lapses become more noticeable. After age 65, the risk of Alzheimer's disease doubles every five years.

Over the past 30 years, however, scientists have found that engaging in a range of basic activities can improve a person's memory and mental health. "Everyday life gives us an opportunity," says George Rebok, a professor at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Continue to be as active as you can. Search out new ways to stimulate yourself mentally, socially and physically."

The key to any brain-training regimen is physical exercise. Research shows that blood flow stimulated by exercise improves short-term memory and concentration. One study showed that six months of brisk walking by healthy adults between the ages of 58 and 78 led to big benefits. The walkers were able to pay closer attention while disregarding distracting information.

Staying socially connected is also linked to reduced cognitive decline. Volunteering may be especially helpful. Case in point: A Hopkins study of Experience Corps, a program that places older volunteers into urban schools to mentor students, found benefits for the seniors. Researchers studied 128 volunteers ranging in age from 60 to 86, who worked at least 15 hours a week. Cognitive stimulation, as well as physical strength and social interactions, increased. "We think volunteer experiences will make a big impact in terms of cognitive ability," says Rebok.

Frequent intellectual stimulation could also re-duce dementia. A National Institute on Aging study found that adults who regularly listened to the radio, read newspapers, played puzzle games and visited museums over a four-year period cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by 47%.

Painless Meditation

Not long ago, I read a fascinating research study. MRI, as some of you may know, is a noninvasive imaging test that uses magnetic energy to take three-dimensional pictures of internal body organs. "Functional" MRI is a new application of MRI, in which you can see how blood flow to the brain changes as you think; it is a way to monitor brain activity.

In the research study, when 12 people who were skilled at meditation were examined using functional MRI, they had a 40 to 50 percent lower brain response to pain than 12 people who had never done meditation.

And when the people in the latter group learned transcendental meditation, their brain responses to pain also dropped by 40 to 50 percent when they were retested five months later.

Everyone experiences pain. Whether you've just stubbed your toe or gone through major surgery, the fact is that most people prefer a painless existence. This study suggests a prescription-free way to do just that.

In addition, I am excited by the potential ramifications for people I see with chronic pain. The International Association of Pain estimates that 35 percent of adults have chronic pain. As a doctor, I have seen how disabling and disempowering that diagnosis can be. Imagine how great it would be if someone could reduce his or her pain by 40 percent without ever leaving the couch!

The type of meditation used in this study was transcendental meditation. TM is a mantra-based meditation practice, which uses a repeated sound in order to allow the mind and body to achieve a state of restful alertness.

There are actually many mantra-based meditation practices, taught by many cultures for thousands of years. The benefit to TM is that it has research to support it, and that it is standardized; the downside is that it is fairly expensive to learn from an accredited center.

Source: Astrid Pujari M.D, Seattle News

Obesity Radio Treatment

Radio Frequencies Used To Zap Fat

It's the bane of most people's existence. And it happens to just about all of us.

There's a certain irony in the fact that cellulite contains the word 'lite' - a term the food industry uses to sell you goodies with reduced calories.

But while getting rid of fat in food doesn't appear to be a problem, getting it off your body often seems to be impossible without major surgery.

Until now.

A Toronto company is the first to employ a new laser technology called Accent. It melts the cellulite away without any pain and without any invasive procedures. Hard as it is to believe, an attendant simply passes the specially focused beam over the troubled area and the fat disappears.

It's not inexpensive (see list below) but after trying everything else, Sophie Pavlou decided it was worth the money. "We tried exercise, kickboxing, this, that," she remembers. "Cellulite would not go. Diet, caffeine. Nothing works."

Then she put on a new 'Accent". "It's night and day," she proclaims after her treatments.

How does it work? The beam heats the skin with radio frequencies. "This technology penetrates deep and smoothes out the skin and ... eliminates [the cellulite]," explains Mandy Maresky of Cosmedicare.

Doctors will still tell you that it's important to eat right and exercise to get the fat off you and keep it that way. But Sophie is appreciative of the shortcut.

"It's literally melting the fat," she marvels. "The fat just melts away." She claims to have lost 13 lbs. with the method. And she's more than willing to come back for additional treatments if it becomes necessary.

"Just sitting here doing nothing and getting a massage and you're losing weight," she concludes. "I know it's crazy, but it works. And I'm proof. I mean it's unbelievable!"

So how much will your body area cost you? Check out the list below.

Thighs (back and front): $800
Abdomen: $400
Buttocks: $450
Arms: $400
Love Handles: $400
Face: $400
Double Chin and Neck: $350
Face and Double Chin: $650

Source: Citynews.ca

Wonder _Wind Power Activate

Stomach Shock Therapy to Curb Cravings

Source: Business 2.0 Feb 2007

Smoking Visuals Decrease Habit

Graphic warnings on cigarette packs working, study says

SHERYL UBELACKER

Canadian Press/ Globe and Mail February 6, 2007

TORONTO — When it comes to changing the behaviour of smokers with warning labels on cigarette packages, it seems the bigger and more graphically in-your-face the better.

That's the conclusion of a four-year study that looked at differences in package warnings and their effects on smokers in Canada, Britain, Australia and the United States.

And it appears that Canada — with its large-sized warnings that include such photos as a mouthful of teeth with gums blackened by oral cancer and diseased lungs — leads the pack among the four countries in getting the anti-tobacco message across to smokers.

To conduct the study, published Tuesday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers surveyed 15,000 adult smokers four times between 2002 and 2005. They asked a number of questions related to warnings on cigarette packages in participants' four respective countries, including whether they noticed them and how often they read them.

“We also asked if they noticed cessation information on packages, whether it makes them think about the health risks, as well as whether they've been stopped from having a cigarette because of the warnings or whether it's made them more likely to think about quitting,” said co-author David Hammond, an assistant professor of health studies and gerontology at the University of Waterloo.

“And what we find is that certainly when we started, the Canadian warnings performed far better than all of the others,” Mr. Hammond said from Waterloo, Ont.

In December, 2000, Canada was the first country in the world to put photos on cigarettes to go along with 16 different text messages in English and French, such as “Cigarettes Cause Lung Cancer” and “Cigarettes Cause Strokes,” that take up half the package, both front and back.

In 2002, when the first survey was conducted, Britain had six text warnings comprising just six per cent of packs, front and back; Australia's six were slightly larger (a quarter of the front and a third of the back); while the four U.S. warnings -- unchanged since 1984 -- are relegated to the side of the pack in small text.

In that first survey, warnings were noticed most often by Canadian smokers (60 per cent), followed by Australians (52 per cent), British smokers (44 per cent) and American tobacco users (30 per cent).

But Mr. Hammond said that since 2003, when Britain bumped up its text warnings to 16 and blew up their size to a third or more of the face and back of packages, “U.K. smokers are even more likely than Canadians to say that they look at and read the health warnings.”

The proportion of British smokers who reported noticing warnings “often” or “very often” soared to 82 per cent by the second survey.

“So what that tells us is . . . any time you refresh a health communication you're going to see an increase in the effectiveness, just because they're new.”

To adjust for the “novelty effect,” the researchers compared responses to Canadian warnings two and half years after they came out with those to British messages following the same period of time.

“What you find is that the Canadian warnings are either as good as or better than the U.K. warnings in every case,” said Mr. Hammond. “And in many ways it's common sense. The more vivid and engaging you make a warning, the more effective it is,” he said, pointing to how tobacco and other advertising campaigns employ pictures to sell their products.

“And so I think it really only makes sense to do the same when communicating health information.”

Roberta Ferrence, a senior scientist at the Centre for Mental Health and Addiction in Toronto, said the “innovative” study has produced a lot of important data on smokers' behaviour.

“Canada for most of the measures is the top or among the top responders with the highest proportion of people responding that it made them think, made them look and so forth.”

“And that's one of the key things that warnings are designed to do,” said Ms. Ferrence, executive director of the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit at the University of Toronto. She was not involved it the study.

While warnings are meant to affect tobacco users, “they can have an impact far beyond the actual smoker who's carrying the package,” she said.

“They create discussion. A parent can be sitting at the breakfast table and there's a pack on the table and a little kid says to him: ‘What does this mean Daddy?' when they see the picture.”

And for the smoker, the package is something they see “more than any billboard or anti-smoking ad or commercial,” she said. “This is something they see every time they have a cigarette.”

Ken Kyle, director of public issues for the Canadian Cancer Society, said the study provides further evidence of the effectiveness of large, picture-based warnings.

“It also provides additional rationale and encouragement to all countries that these warning labels should be adopted,” Mr. Kyle said in a statement. Several countries, including Brazil, Singapore and Thailand, have followed Canada's lead and introduced pictures on packages.

Mr. Hammond said picture warnings can also reach smokers with poor literacy skills compared to those with text-only warnings, an important factor among some Canadians and populations in countries with low education levels.

“I think looking forward to the next round of warnings in Canada. One way of making them more effective is to do things like include real stories from real smokers,” he said. “Conveying health information isn't just about listing diseases or giving statistics. It's about communicating risk in a meaningful way.”

Health Canada is conducting public consultations that may lead to new warning messages, a spokesman for the federal department said Monday. A proposal calls for 48 different warnings, with blocks of them displayed at any one time and rotated every two years.

“The proposed changes include creating messages of encouragement with information on the health benefits of quitting and tips on how to quit smoking,” said the spokesman. Revised warnings would likely not be implemented until late 2008 at the earliest.

One 24 Tonne Hot Air Balloon

Source: Business 2.0 Feb 2007

Lonely Planet Fitness Destination.com

Thought Control 1.0 for Paralyzed Man

Source: Discover Top 100 2006

Heart Attack Gender Differences

Heart-care gap harms women, report finds

ANDRÉ PICARD

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

As many women as men now die of cardiovascular disease, but that's where the equality ends: There remains a yawning gender gap in prevention, treatment, care and rehabilitation of heart and stroke patients, according to a damning new report.

"We've come a long way baby, but not far enough," Beth Abramson, a Toronto cardiologist and spokeswoman for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, said yesterday.

The report, a compilation and analysis of published research, noted that, among other things:

Women are significantly more likely than men to die after suffering a heart attack or stroke. This difference stands even when the figures are adjusted for the fact that women tend to seek treatment when they are sicker and older;

Women are less likely than men to be referred to or treated by a cardiologist (research shows specialists sharply increase survival);

Women are less likely than men to undergo bypass surgery or angioplasty, and are less likely to receive devices such as implantable cardiac defibrillators;

Women are less likely than men to be monitored for cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol;

The symptoms of a heart attack can be markedly different in women than men.

"It's a real concern that women's heart health has not kept pace with men's," Dr. Abramson said. "Women are underserved on the front lines compared to men."

She said there may be a number of explanations for these differences -- systemic, social and biological -- but more effort needs to be made to find the causes and solutions to the gender gap.

Linda Lewis-Daly, now 44, was hiking up Grouse Mountain outside Vancouver when she suffered a heart attack. She kept going to the top, and didn't go to a doctor until a few days later when she was home in Toronto.

"I'm a typical mom -- I put everybody else's needs ahead of my own," she said in an interview. It was only when her co-workers at Telus Corp. insisted that she went to a doctor, where Ms. Lewis-Daly was immediately referred to the emergency room.

Still, it took two days of tests before doctors realized she had suffered a heart attack. "Nobody was looking for cardiovascular problems."

Ms. Lewis-Daly immediately underwent angioplasty, a process in which a balloon is threaded into the arteries to clear them of blockages. Then she began rehab -- one of only six women in a class of 70.

Her ordeal was five years ago, but she thinks of herself as lucky. "If I were treated today, I'm afraid I would not get as good of care.

"Women and men should be enjoy the same benefits, but sadly that is not the case," said Stephen Samis, director of health policy at the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Source: The Globe and Mail.com