July

Just as many teenagers use cannabis every day as smoke cigarettes, according to Cannabis in Canada, a report from the Propel Centre for Population Health Impact at the University of Waterloo. The report was published as a supplement to the centre’s Tobacco Use in Canada: Patterns and Trends report, and it found that 2% of Canadian students in grades 7 to 12 (equivalent to more than 43 000 students) use marijuana every day.

In a comprehensive study, UBC researchers identified potential adverse reactions of a commonly used multiple sclerosis drug. The study aimed to identify potential adverse events related to beta-interferon treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis by analyzing health records of over 2000 British Columbians with multiple sclerosis between 1995 and 2008.

The Physician Health Program (PHP) has launched an updated website with improved search functions and a straightforward, user-friendly layout (www.physicianhealth.com).

The PHP, offered through Doctors of BC, provides advice, support, counseling, advocacy, referrals, and education services to help with mental health issues, burnout, relationship stress, workplace conflicts, and more. The program is available 24-hours per day, 7 days per week, and is completely anonymous and confidential.

Mothers are viewed negatively if their child hasn’t been vaccinated, no matter the reason. But mothers who outright refuse to vaccinate their children are viewed in a harsher light compared to those who delay vaccines because of safety concerns or who aren’t up to date due to time constraints. That’s one finding of a UBC study that examined attitudes toward children who haven’t received their vaccinations and toward their parents.