Health & Wellness

TORONTO — People who quit smoking can acquire the same health status as people of their age who never smoked. But the process takes time, two new studies suggest.
The work, based on data from Statistics Canada studies, suggests that in terms of overall health, women who quit smoking are on a par with non-smokers after about 10 years, on average.

TORONTO — A study has shown that the new coronavirus is adept at infecting the cells of the airways of the human lung and can do it as well as a virus that is one of the causes of the common cold.
A senior author of the research says the findings suggest this new virus is already well-adapted to being a human pathogen.

TORONTO — It may not be romantic, but couples who avoid talking about money problems may eventually see the financial strain effect their relationship, according to a survey released Wednesday.

NEW YORK — Salt has quietly been slipping out of dozens of the most familiar foods in brand-name America, from Butterball turkeys to Uncle Ben’s flavoured rice dishes to Goya canned beans.

WASHINGTON — More than 1 million Americans wind up back in the hospital only weeks after they left for reasons that could have been prevented — a revolving door that for years has seemed impossible to slow.
Now Medicare has begun punishing hospitals with hefty fines if they have too many readmissions, and a top official says signs of improvement are beginning to emerge.

TORONTO—Baby-boomers may have dreams of spending their twilight years basking in the glow of good health, but a new poll suggests they’ll have to work much harder to make that vision a reality.
The findings come in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s annual report on the health of Canadians, which opted to focus on the habits of one of the country’s largest demographics.

NEW YORK — Researchers have discovered the first U.S. cases of whooping cough caused by a germ that may be resistant to the vaccine.
Health officials are looking into whether cases like the dozen found in Philadelphia might be one reason America just had its worst year for whooping cough in six decades. The new bug was previously reported in Japan, France and Finland.

TORONTO — Baby boomers may have dreams of spending their twilight years basking in the glow of good health, but a new poll suggests they’ll have to work much harder to make that vision a reality.
The findings come in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s annual report on the health of Canadians, which opted to focus on the habits of one of the country’s largest demographics.

VANCOUVER — When Trudi the robot is plugged in and armed, it sounds more like a space shuttle launch system than a germ-killing machine.
“Disinfecting will commence in 15 seconds; please leave the room,” Trudi — as staff at Vancouver General Hospital have named it — calls out in a digital monotone from inside a treatment room.

TORONTO — A new report says First Nations and Inuit people typically have heart attacks earlier in life than non-aboriginals.
And First Nations people who have heart attacks are more likely to have other conditions that raise their heart health risks, such as Type 2 diabetes.