Tag: improve

Quitting the right way can improve mental health. Here’s when to do it.

Some months back, one of my patients — a man in his 50s — told me: “I’m burned out. I should look for a new job; I’m just there doing what I need to do to get by.”

A few weeks later, he told me he had been laid off. “How do you feel about that?” I asked.

“Surprisingly good,” he said with a sigh. “I should have quit years ago.”

Many of my patients ask me to help them quit — usually it’s something unhealthy such as smoking or gambling. But a few ask me to help them quit a job or relationship or a long-term project — things that many of us value.

Many people think — and you might, too — that quitting reflects laziness, inadequacy or failure. From the time we are children, we are taught that “nobody likes a quitter.”

My work, however, has taught me that quitting, itself, isn’t the problem. And quietly quitting — doing the bare minimum like my patient had been doing — can be a form of avoidance. But knowing how and when to quit is a superpower that can benefit your mental health.

Persevering at all costs can be harmful

Quitting is a normal — and healthy — human behavior. Thirty percent of students who entered college in 2011 changed their major at least once in their first three years, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics. And in 2023, more than 3 million U.S. workers quit their jobs every month.

But while people can quit one thing, they may find it difficult to quit another thing. Also, quitting prematurely can lead to a sense of regret.

Persevering at all costs, though, can inhibit our ability to adapt, grow or explore new opportunities. And sometimes,

Promote long-term gut health goals to improve results and retention

Experts in the field of the microbiome discussed the rising spread of miscommunication on the topic during a panel at Probiota hosted by NutraIngredients in Milan (7-9th​ February).

Consumer confusion

Sophie Medlin, consultant dietician and head of nutritional research at Heights, noted the prevalence of patients suffering from gut issues such as colitis, Crohn’s disease, and IBS, with many questioning the array of contradictory advice they have seen online.

“People mostly come to me just for general gut health advice. They’re always asking, how do I know what’s right for me, how do I cut through the noise I hear online,” Medlin said. “They don’t know what to do…

“The work that I’m doing in clinic is very much tailoring the wider public messaging on gut health to individuals to what suits their body and doesn’t affect their digestion and cause symptoms for those suffering from conditions such as IBD,” she added.

Medlin emphasised that it was critical for messaging not to contribute to rising ‘health anxiety’ resultant from fearmongering spread by social media. She said wording should be positive with advice focussing on what people can do and how they can feel as a result.

“The information that’s available is so vast which is what makes it really difficult for people to navigate. They are getting it from so many different places, they just don’t know where to go for trusted information.

“And the information that they’re getting is incredibly conflicting. I think we all have a responsibility to find some centre that we’re giving to people in our marketing communications.”

She added that she often sees patients who have spent large amounts of money on supplements unsuitable for their unique situation, which were purchased as a result of misleading online information.

Federica Amati, head nutritionist

AB Shoppers Drug Mart clinic plan won’t improve access to primary health care

The plan announced Thursday by an Ontario-based drugstore chain to add new stores in Alberta and renovate older ones does nothing to improve access to primary health care in this province.

So why was it touted by three cabinet ministers as if it were an earth-shaking development that would ease Alberta’s ongoing crisis in access to health care caused by, among other things, shortages of physicians and nurses, rampaging respiratory infections, and chaotic administrative changes to Alberta Health Services (AHS)? 

A statement published on the website of the regulatory college for Alberta’s pharmacists last fall explains that if pharmacists use the term “clinic” to describe their business, they must make it clear that it is not a medical clinic, and that no physicians offer services from the location.

If a pharmacy team chooses to use the concept of ‘clinic’ when identifying or advertising their pharmacy, they must include the pharmacy’s name and differentiate their services from that of a medical clinic,” said the Alberta College of Pharmacy (ACP) statement, a sentence emphasized in boldface type.

The ACP statement explains that allowing pharmacies to pretend they are a species of medical clinic would require a change in the Pharmacy and Drug Regulation of the Pharmacy and Drug Act.

The statement goes on to note that pharmacies must choose the name under which they intend to operate and that name must be approved by the ACP.

“The approved operating name must be used to support the public in knowing that the location is a pharmacy, what health services are being provided, that the services are being provided by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians (if applicable), and where they should expect to be able to access their health record of the services received,” reads the ACP statement.

“The public must know, without

N.B. health authority says it’s working to improve strained emergency departments – New Brunswick

The interim president and CEO of New Brunswick’s Horizon Health Network says they are working on improvements as emergency department wait times and hospital capacity remain at critical levels.

Margaret Melanson told reporters Friday that staff at Horizon’s four regional hospitals are “extremely busy.” The average occupancy rate for their hospitals is 106 per cent, above the national benchmark of 85 per cent.

“When our hospital occupancy levels are above 100 per cent, there is a direct impact on the wait times within our emergency departments,” Melanson said, explaining that patients who need acute care services need to wait in the emergency department until an inpatient bed is available.

“This means longer wait times for people experiencing non-urgent medical issues.”

Melanson said “seasonal pressures” like the recent holidays and respiratory disease season are further clogging emergency rooms.

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She said a “major surge” of patients are presenting to emergency departments, a “significant number” of whom are very ill. As well, there are ongoing staffing shortages due to ongoing vacancies and illness.

“This is always a busy time of year for our emergency departments, but this year was especially trying,” she said. “This situation is representative of ongoing challenges facing our health-care system right now.”


Click to play video: 'Patient speaks out about N.B. hospital capacity issues'


Patient speaks out about N.B. hospital capacity issues


The emergency room situation in New Brunswick has been in the spotlight in recent weeks. Over the holidays, Vitalité Health Network, the province’s francophone health authority, asked that people avoid two of its emergency rooms unless they required critical care.


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Members of the public, as well as the New Brunswick Nursing Union, the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Medical Society, have spoken out about overcrowding and high wait

Follow These 10 Daily Habits to Improve Your Eye Health

Eye health is one of those self-care issues we might take for granted, but vision loss can be a major health problem, especially as you grow older. The CDC estimates that 93 million adults in the US are at high risk of vision loss. The good news is that there are some basic daily habits that you can follow to keep your eyes in good shape for the year ahead.

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Read more: 12 Best Foods for Eye Health

Practicing simple, daily habits can help you improve your eye health and reduce your risk of problems in the future.

Want more health tips? Check out why omega-3-rich foods offer benefits for your health, why your glasses get foggy and how to stop it and the right color of sunglasses for eye health. 

Wear sunglasses 

Exposing your eyes to ultraviolet rays may cause damage over time. Wearing sunglasses can block harmful UV light, lowering your risk of eye diseases like cataracts, sunburn, eye cancer and growths around the eye, per the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Polarized glasses with smoke or gray lenses may offer the best protection against the sun’s rays and reduce glare.

Take screen breaks

Prolonged screen time can cause dry eyes, pain in the neck and shoulders, blurred vision, headaches and digital eye strain, or computer vision syndrome. The American Optometric Association recommends using the 20-20-20 rule to prevent computer vision syndrome. Every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Take book breaks, too

Screen time isn’t the only way to strain your eyes. When you read a book, you probably hold it up close for long periods, too. Both activities can lead to nearsightedness, or myopia, which means far-away objects are blurry while up-close things are clear. Just like you

Health Workforce Canada established to improve health workforce data and planning

December 6, 2023 | Ottawa, Ontario | Health Canada

Health workers are the backbone of Canada’s health care system. More than ever, there is a need to improve health workforce planning and to better share knowledge and experience to recruit and retain health workers across the country. The federal government, provinces and territories, and health care system partners recognize the need for a network that will bring together health workforce data experts to learn from each other in order to build a stronger and healthier workforce, ultimately leading to better patient care.

That is why the Honourable Mark Holland, Canada’s Minister of Health, welcomed the establishment of Health Workforce Canada (HWC). HWC is a new, independent organization established by an Interim Steering Committee with support from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). The organization has been created as a stand-alone entity that will work closely with CIHI and all health care system stakeholders to improve the collection and sharing of health workforce data, and share practical solutions and innovative practices. To guide the work of this arms-length organization, an initial Board of Directors has been formed.

HWC will collaborate with health sector partners to advance approaches to current and future health workforce challenges by:

  • identifying the sector’s priority needs in support of perspectives and solutions, working in partnership with CIHI and others to facilitate access to data and information while respecting Indigenous data sovereignty;
  • providing insights and guidance to inform effective policy for supply and distribution of the workforce, health equity-based planning, health and mental health of the workforce, and innovations in retention and recruitment; and
  • gathering and sharing information on practical solutions and innovative practices to address key gaps and implementation challenges.

At the most recent Health Ministers’ Meeting, the federal, provincial and territorial governments committed to take

Medical-legal partnerships can help improve maternal and infant health outcomes

Medical-legal partnerships (MLPs), which include a lawyer as part of a patient’s care team, can help health systems address health-harming legal needs and better support pregnant and postpartum patients, according to a new research commentary published today in Obstetrics & Gynecology. The article offers insights and expert advice from Georgetown University Health Justice Alliance’s Perinatal Legal Assistance and Wellbeing (LAW) Project at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, one of the first medical-legal partnerships in the country to focus specifically on the perinatal period and a key component of the D.C. Safe Babies Safe Moms (SBSM) initiative that aims to improve maternal and infant health in the nation’s capital.

MLPs have long been used to improve health and well-being for historically marginalized communities and have been identified as potentially helpful in combating racism in healthcare. In the maternal health space, offering legal support to pregnant and postpartum patients facing unsafe housing, food insecurity, and challenges with navigating public benefits or insurance coverage can be a powerful tool. To date, the Perinatal LAW Project has served over 164 patients/clients, helping to recover more than $200,000 in the form of income support, paid leave, back wages, health insurance coverage, debt relief, rent abatements, and security deposit refunds.

Lawyers know that unmet legal needs in these areas are often at the root of daily life struggles that make achieving optimal health impossible. We are so grateful for the opportunity SBSM has provided to build a robust collaboration with health providers willing to work side-by-side with our academic MLP to treat patients’ health-harming legal needs in this setting.”


Vicki Girard, JD, Co-Founder and Faculty Director of the Georgetown University Health Justice Alliance, professor at Georgetown Law, and one of the publication’s authors

The Perinatal LAW Project helps patients tackle these issues head-on

Dairy advice: Areas to improve calf health on your farm

Getting calf health right on farm is a key pillar to having a successful calving season, with it having a major impact on workload during this period.

The spring-calving period is the busiest period on the majority of dairy farms, with a large number of cows calving in a short time frame.

Although this does make the system somewhat simpler, it can also create a number of issues around the management of calves.

Improved management of calves results in an easier rearing process.

Colostrum for calf health

The importance of colostrum is not lost on dairy farmers at this stage, however, ensuring the quality of the colostrum is good enough should be a focus.

A brix refractometer can be used to determine if the colostrum quality is good enough and will offer the required level of antibodies for calves.

Only colostrum over 22% should be fed to calves as this means the colostrum contains 50mg/ml of immunoglobulins.

Feeding colostrum is also vital if you have vaccinated cows for scour, as it is from the colostrum that this protection is passed onto the calves.

Although not a silver bullet when it comes to calf health, vaccinations can aid in keeping calves healthier.

If scour or pneumonia have been issues on your farm, along with changing management practices, vaccinating your calves could be a help.

Again, management practices are going to be the biggest factor, whether that be how the shed is cleaned and disinfected prior to calving, or how calves are managed when they are in situ.

Stocking rates

Ahead of calving getting underway, you should determine the number of calves that each of your pens can hold.

Each calf requires 1.5m² of lying space/calf and an air space of 7m³/calf.

E.g., if your pen is 6m x 3m, then the

Couchiching OHT tapped to help improve provincial health-care model

‘With our strong community commitment, trust, and a clear vision, we are excited to start down this new path for our patients,’ says health team official

NEWS RELEASE

ORILLIA SOLDIERS’ MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

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The Couchiching Ontario Health Team (COHT) is being recognized for its rapid and successful development by being named to a group of OHTs selected to help further accelerate the collaborative model of integrated health-care delivery first introduced in 2019.

In an announcement by Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones, the Couchiching OHT was one of 12 OHTs asked to share lessons learned to support continuous learning and readiness for the next phase of implementation for all OHTs, of which there are currently 57 across the province.

With support from the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health, these teams will start by focusing on seamlessly transitioning people experiencing chronic disease through their primary care, hospital, and home and community care needs.

“Orillia and surrounding communities have truly embraced the OHT model, and we’re honoured to be selected among this initial group for the next phase of advancement,” said Lynne Davies, CEO of the Couchiching Family Health Team, the lead organization that helped create the COHT.

Improved patient navigation, greater access to care for patients without a primary care provider, along with an active and engaged primary care group and patient and family advisory council are just some of the organization’s early successes.

Dr. Kim McIntosh, COHT physician lead, says, “Even before we were established, there’s been a unique and long-standing spirit of collaboration and partnership among health-care providers across the region that we’ve been able to tap into and strengthen as part of our OHT.”

Looking ahead, Davies says the team will focus on congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease while continuing with the 24/7

Study suggests ways to improve seniors’ care in Canada


As Canada’s population ages at a rapid rate, a new study from the C.D. Howe Institute suggests the country can do more to improve access to seniors’ care and overall equity in the health system.


Released Thursday, the study compares the performance of seniors’ care in Canada and its provinces to that of other wealthy nations using data from the Commonwealth Fund, a U.S.-based foundation dedicated to improving health-care systems, and identifies areas for improvement.


The foundation’s 2021 International Health Policy Survey of Older Adults survey focused on a random sample of seniors aged 65 and older in 11 developed countries and asked about their experiences, interactions and perceptions of the health-care system and health providers.


Among the countries surveyed, Canada ranked eighth in seniors’ care — ahead only of France, the U.K. and Sweden.


AREAS OF STRENGTH, WEAKNESS


Drawing from the survey’s data, the C.D. Howe Institute study applies a magnifying lens to seniors’ care in Canada’s provinces, because, as study co-author Rosalie Wyonch explained in an interview with CTVNews.ca, “we’re really 13 health-care systems, not one.”


The study found that most provinces exceed the international average in care process, which includes factors such as co-ordination across health providers and patient engagement, but fall below average on equity and access to care, which includes factors such as wait times.


It also notes that access to medical care is an obstacle for low-income seniors, noting in the study that 15 per cent of seniors in Canada are not visiting a dentist and eight percent are not receiving the home care they need because they can’t afford it.


Four provinces — P.E.I., Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta — were found to score above the international average overall, while some provinces — particularly Newfoundland

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