Wendy Haaf

Since you can reduce but not eliminate the risk of getting bitten by insects, it makes sense to know in advance what to do when it happens. You might be surprised at the remedies experts recommend avoiding. This article offers advice from a Canadian Dermatology Association spokesperson.

Getting sick on holiday can ruin your vacation. But by doing a bit of research well in advance of your departure, and taking a few simple precautions, you can greatly reduce your chances of getting ill so you can enjoy your getaway. Here's what travellers aged 50 and older in particular need to know.

Cone cells in the retina—which allow us to see color and fine detail—are wiped out in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A few species, such as zebra-fish, can regrow a whole new retina. This scientist is using the knowledge gleaned from studying this process to try and coax a different group of retinal cells--which survive in AMD--into becoming cone cells. If successful, this research could lead to therapies that restore vision in late-stage AMD--something current treatments can't do.

A Toronto couple share the story of one partner's diagnosis with dementia, and how support from the Alzheimer Society of Toronto has helped them both find hope, joy, and connection .

Your pharmacist can be a helpful resource if you're struggling with seasonal allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes, sneezing, and nasal congestion. This article explains how a pharmacist advise you on which medications and formulations are best-suited to your individual symptoms, and medical history.

How much do you know about your macula? This tiny part of the eye plays a huge role in our everyday lives, since we rely on it for activities like reading, and recognizing faces up close. This article describes the structure of the macula, how it normally functions, and what happens when that process breaks down due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is a leading cause of vision loss worldwide in people 50 and older.

Together, 145 rare genetic diseases cause progressive cognitive decline in childhood. Half of children born with these conditions die before turning 10 years of age, and 70% die before adulthood. That toll is similar to the number of deaths from childhood cancer aged 0-14 years. Research aimed at understanding and treating these disorders may also help advance knowledge about adult-onset forms of dementia.

Two studies published in 2024 suggest nearly half of dementia cases in Canada may be prevented by addressing 12 modifiable risk factors, including physical inactivity, hearing loss, obesity and hypertension.

Heart disease and stroke are just as big a threat to women as they are to men. What's more, traditional risk factors exert a more powerful impact on women, and women are subject to risk factors specific to their sex.

Dr. Philippe L.-L’Allier used to feel like one of the rescuers in the parable of the river — pulling individuals from an unending stream of drowning people to safety. As an interventional cardiologist, Dr. L.- L’Allier performs procedures that save the lives of patients with blockages in their coronary arteries. However, in 2019, Dr. L.- L’Allier had a chance to start stemming the flood of people who were tumbling into the water upstream by addressing a major cause of these problems—prediabetes & Type 2 diabetes—through a specialized clinic.

Can we turn back the biological clock on aging and injured eye cells? This de-aging technique could prevent the leading cause of vision loss from progressing, and possibly even restore sight. This story explains what happens in age-related macular degeneration, and how epigenetic re-programming could potentially arrest the disease at an early stage, and possibly even restore sight.

An estimated 10 to 15 percent of people over 40 have gallstones. In many cases, these clumps of material that form in the gallbladder silently remain there, and don't cause any problems. However, if the stones begin to migrate, they can cause excruciating pain, and, in some cases, complications such as pancreatitis. This story explains how gallstones form, and how they're treated.

While the disease Chant​e​l Wicks has lived with for 18 years has sometimes tested the limits of her physical endurance, she says the mental and emotional toll has been much greater. Wicks, 37, has inflammatory bowel disease. She says that the mental health challenges that come with this serious autoimmune disease often go unaddressed.

Not everyone who meets 15-year-old Ema Guimond of Oak Bluff, Man. for the first time immediately sees her for the person she is — a vibrant young woman who loves listening to music (Taylor Swift is a favourite), skiing, kayaking, and swimming.

Since Ema is non-speaking and has limited physical mobility due to a condition called Rett syndrome, people often assume she’s incapable of thinking for herself.

Over the past 30 years, researchers have learned that a high degree of difficulty coping with unpredictable, novel, or ambiguous situations is a risk factor common to a range of different mental health challenges. This story explains what intolerance for uncertainty is, the problems it can cause in an individual's life, and strategies that have been shown to help people become better able to sit with 'not knowing'.