Sunday House Call, #404, July 8, 2012: Fizzy Sugar Water for the Masses

Last month, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced his intention to introduce a restriction on soda pop (sugary drinks) cup sizes to no greater than 16 ounces that would affect locales such as city restaurants, stadiums, food carts and movie theatres.

This proposal has generated commentary ranged from total support to outright rejection by some groups. The debate has been framed by some as a health issue and that there must be a starting point to reverse the tide of calorie glut; the opposite of a death by a thousand cuts to better health by a thousand changes.

Others frame it as an assault on the freedom to choose what we want to eat and the government has no place restricting individual food choices.

But we do have a serious problem in society. Our environment is obesogenic, that is, it is designed to promote overconsumption of food: The location of fast food restaurants to the design of food aisles in grocery stores to the fact that in 2009 a study conducted by Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity found that we underestimate the extent of our exposure to junk food advertising and overestimate the degree to which health food is advertised.

The study reported in Timothy Caufield’s  new book,  The Cure for Everything: Untangling The Twisted Messages About Health, Fitness And Happiness that “carbonated beverages, fast food restaurants and breakfast cereals spent 18,182 times as much marketing to youth ($1.2 billion) compared to dairy, fruits and vegetables ($66,000 in total). Survey participants thought the average kid saw one to 3 junk food television advertisements a day. The actual number? Almost 15. That equals approximately 5500 yearly television messages about the yummy qualities of salt, sugar, and fat.

Joining us today is

Dan Gardner, Ottawa Citizen journalist and author of Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear and Future Babble Why Expert Predictions Fail – and Why We Believe Them Anyway

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, Medical Director of the Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa

Sunday House Call, #404, July 8, 2012: Fizzy Sugar Water for the Masses Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for March 8, 2011

Electronics and gadgets may contribute to sleep deprivation and disruption Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Source:

Sleep-deprived advised to turn off the technology

It seems as a society we are sleepwalking towards a myriad of preventable diseases. I say this because after reading another of Dr. Richard Béliveau’s masterful books on how our lifestyle, eating habits, and food choices are intricately linked with our physical, emotional and spiritual health, the evidence is compelling. In his new book, Eating [...]

Eating Well, Living Well Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Original broadcast date: August 30, 2009 Major trauma from severe injuries can have a devastating impact on the lives of the individual, their friends and family. A report by released July 30, 2009 by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), reviewed the principle causes of these injuries in Ontario. Alcohol was involved in at [...]

CIHI Ontario report on prinicple causes of traumatic injury Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A common concern for many of my patients at some point in their lives is the inability to sleep. Indeed, this is a common problem in our society with many remedies, medications and therapies portending to provide “the solution” to our sleep disorders. What does the evidence say regarding the best approach to help those [...]

Overcoming persistent insomnia Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Original broadcast date: June 7, 2009 We tend to associate rapid developmental changes in cognition, socialization and behaviour with infants, toddlers and children. Parents try to promote positive changes and maximize their child’s potential by avoiding potentially hazardous materials, substances and poor food choices that could have a negative impact on their child’s development. However, [...]

binge drinking adolescents Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Original broadcast date: April 12, 2009 What comes to mind when you read about or discuss stories about people who have addictions? Is addiction a chronic disease that requires more of an effort on the part of government to fund programs to help these individuals? In a policy paper, Stepping Forward: Improving Addiction Care in [...]

Improving Addiction Care Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Original broadcast date: February 8, 2009 A new McGill University study published on December 24, 2008 in the journal Neurology reports a relationship between people who suffer from a particular sleep disorder that causes them to kick or cry out during their sleep may be at greater risk of developing dementia or Parkinson’s disease. This [...]

Sleep disorder clues dementia parkinson's Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Original broadcast date: February 1, 2009 Have you had a Monster or a Red Bull or one of the myriad of “energy” drinks recently? Have you had a chance to read the ingredients label? If you have not, you may want to reconsider. A study published in the September 2008 edition of the journal Drug [...]

Caffeinated energy drinks Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Original broadcast date: January 4, 2009 New Year’s resolutions involve commitments to make positive changes, whether it’s to sort out money matters, enjoy life more or finally get in shape before swimsuit season. For many Canadian smokers, quitting permanently would be one of their greatest accomplishments in life, but successful quitting requires a plan. Getting [...]

Smoking cessation Part 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Smoking cessation Part 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It can be a difficult task for both the patient and physician when trying to formulate an evidenced-based approach to treat dementia. Guidelines exist to help in this area but practising physicians frequently seek advice on the most effective interventions for dementia. A study in the November 4, 2008 edition of the Canadian Medical Association [...]

management of mild to moderate dementia Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Sleep apnea is a common condition that up to now has been associated with a myriad of health problems including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, depression, and fatigue among others. A new study published by UCLA researchers in the June 27 edition of the journal Neuroscience Letters showed that for people with sleep apnea showed tissue [...]

Sleep apnea and memory Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

What is it about mental illness that generates discomfort for people? Ignoring the warning signs of an imminent mental breakdown is believed to have been a contributing factor in one well-publicized case that ended in tragedy for the Lall family. Why does it take a tragedy to discuss mental illness when it is so prevalent in our society?

This issue was discussed in an excellent column entitled We’re all to blame for staying mum on mental illness written by Andre Picard in the June 5th edition of the Globe and Mail

• André Picard, public health reporter at The Globe and Mail and author of Critical Care: Canadian Nurses Speak For Change and The Gift of Death: Confronting Canada’s Tainted Blood Tragedy and A Call to Alms: The New Face of Charity in Canada.
  

Mental Illness stigma part 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Mental Illness stigma part 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Lung Association is calling for universally accessible smoking cessation supports for all smokers living in Canada. This recommendation is based on the results of its new report entitled “Making Quit Happen: Canada’s Challenges to Smoking Cessation”. Dr. Anthony D’Urzo, MD, MSc, BPHE, CCFP, FCFP, Family Physician and Director of Primary Care Lung Clinic, Toronto [...]

Lung Association calls for universally accessible smoking cessation supports Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

An ICES study recently reported that older adults with dementia who receive short-term courses of antipsychotic medications are more likely to experience a serious adverse event requiring hospitalization than those who do not take the drugs. Dr. Paula Rochon, MD, MPH, FRCPC Senior Scientist and Assistant Director at the Kunin Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit – [...]

anti-psychotic drug use in dementia Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Schizophrenia affects 1 in 100 Canadians. For some, the disease is a series of admissions and readmissions to hospital to treat relapses and comorbidities associated with the disease. According to a new analysis from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, many schizophrenic patients discharged from a general hospital found themselves back on the hospital doorstep [...]

Schizophrenia readmission Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Original broadcast date: February 10, 2008 The standard of care to date for people dependent on prescription pain medications like morphine or oxycodone or who have a history of heroin addiction has included the use of methadone to reduce the symptoms of withdrawal. A new medication, approved by Health Canada offers some advantages as an [...]

Soboxone to help manage addiction Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Does shift work affect a person’s physical and mental health? From a practice perspective, I am seeing more people burning out from work stress. They are depressed and unable to lead normal lives. Human resource department managers and insurance companies among seem to be skeptical about the effects of shift work on health which only [...]

Health effects of shift work Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

There are certain common illnesses that make people uncomfortable. Let’s be honest and say that there are some diseases that have more than their fair share of media coverage and financial and public support. This is not a criticism of the effort to increase public awareness. In fact, it is to be encouraged. But in [...]

Understanding schizophrenia Part 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Understanding schizophrenia Part 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bipolar disorder is an inheritable illness that leads to extreme mood swings. About one in 100 Canadians suffer from this condition over their lifetime. Efforts are being made to understand the pathophysiology or mechanism of the disease process. Researchers at UCLA are contributing to this understanding. In the July issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry, [...]

Insight into how lithium interacts with the brain Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Children’s Mental Health Week runs from today to May 12th. A Leger Marketing Survey conducted between April 13 and 18, 2007 of 1500 Canadian adults reveals that the stigma of mental illness remains a potential obstacle to prompt assessment and management of childhood mental illness. Dr. Laurel Johnson, psychologist with Kinark Child and Family Services. [...]

Children’s Mental Health Week Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you are a resident in a nursing home, what is the likelihood you will be prescribed an antipsychotic medication based on a clear indication that it is a required therapy? This question was addressed in an ICES study that looked at the prescribing rates in different Ontario nursing residences. The results published this month [...]

Antipsychotic medication use in Ontario nursing home residences Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Depression will affect up to 25 per cent of Canadians during there lifetimes. There are different hypotheses that try to explain why depression rate seems to be increasing from sociological factors to improved detection and diagnoses and one’s environment. When we talk about the person’s environment, we tend to think of life stresses, traumatic life [...]

Possible link between a specific bacterial strain and depression Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The options for people who want to quit smoking increased by one this week with the introduction of a new treatment approved by Health Canada. Varenicline tartrate (Champix) is a new class of medications specifically designed to compete with nicotine’s affect on the brain. What are the indications for its use? What is its efficacy? [...]

New smoking cessation aid Part 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

New smoking cessation aid Part 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

During this past National Non-Smoking Week many people have called up radio talk shows to talk about their successes and failures when they tried to quit. It seems that in the United States at least, making the effort to quit has been made just a bit more difficult. The Harvard School of Public Health’s report [...]

Insights into nicotine addiction Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Many of us have our own interpretation of addiction. We use the word to describe cravings or desires for many things other than drugs. Food, shopping, gambling, video games and sex are a few examples. Nevertheless, addictions destroy relationships, marriages and families. They can result in financial ruin and destroy one’s sense of self. Friends [...]

The social cost of addiction part 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The social cost of addiction part 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The social cost of addiction part 3 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The social cost of addiction part 4 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bipolar disorder is an inheritable illness that leads to extreme mood swings. One study revealed a 13 percent risk of bipolar disorder among children of biological parents with the disorder. About one in 100 Canadians suffer from this condition over their lifetime. The World Health Organization identified it as the sixth leading causes disability-adjusted life [...]

Bipolar Disorder MacDonald Part 1 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bipolar Disorder MacDonald Part 2 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We are aware of the effect the winter months and short daylight hours can have on our mood. For some it can bring about a seasonal depression. However, for people suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder the lack of sunlight can exacerbate their condition. A new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) [...]

Winter, light therapy and effects on ADHD Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Food science is providing new and exciting insights into how intricately and elegantly linked our good health is to our food choices. This does not only apply to cancer prevention and cardiovascular health but to our mental health as well. There is now evidence that black tea does indeed play a role in helping people [...]

Black tea and its relationship to stress reduction Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Many people have knowledge abot what to do in the face of a medical emergency and can provide some form of first aid. However the same cannot be said for psychiatric care. There continues to be a stigma about mental illness when there should not be and a new and innovative program has been established [...]

Alberta Mental Health Board launches Mental Health First Aid Canada Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

As we reported on Sunday House Call in August Scientists from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Scripps Research Institute reported progress in understanding how aging contributes to the development of Alzheimer Disease. There are many avenues of study and exploration to try to understand the mechanisms behind the expression of the disease. [...]

Understanding how Alzheimer Disease develops Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Nearly one in five Canadians is affected by mental illness, yet a persistent stigma prevents millions from getting the help they need. However people are sharing their stories and bringing to light that there is help and the prompt recognition of depressive illness can save people from years of misery or death. Mental Illness Awareness [...]

Mental Illness Awareness Week Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The automobile has always been more than just as a means of transportation for many people, often a sign of independence, power, individualism and control. It is why it is so difficult for people who must confront the day when they are no longer competent to drive to relinquish their keys. What system of evaluation [...]

Identifying patients whose driving ability will likely be impaired by early stage dementia Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

With the advent of 24 hours service and shopping, people have had to accommodate the demands associated with night shifts and trying to sleep during daylight hours. Some office buildings are devoid of natural sunlight and are windowless, factors that disrupt one perception of the hours that pass. Casinos are a great example of how [...]

The impact on light exposure on our health Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

For some, smoking cessation can be a simple as throwing the pack away, for others it is a mighty hill to climb. Cigarette smoking is responsible for 30 per cent of all cancers, is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke and is the principle cause of COPD. Dr. Andrew Pipe will present a [...]

What is coming down the pipe medically on the smoking cessation front? Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When trying to determine the possible solutions to treat vexing diseases, it is critical to have an understanding of the underlying mechanisms or pathophysiology of the disease process. This study can range from the visual inspection of damaged organs to the molecular and cellular level. Scientists from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the [...]

Progress in understanding how aging contributes to the development of Alzheimer Disease Play Now | Play in Popup | Download