Health

A CAMH survey of more than 3,000 Ontario adults found past‑year drinking fell to about 76% in 2025, while daily drinking was up about 3% and weekly binge drinking up about 3.6% compared with 2019.

An essay describes how Scrabble became a central ritual as the author's mother lived with worsening Alzheimer's, and how the game's steady decline mirrored losses in her memory and language.

India's Health Ministry reported two Nipah cases in West Bengal and said contacts were traced, quarantined and tested; several Asian countries have tightened health and airport screenings for travelers from India.

A CMA and CFIB survey of 1,924 physicians found doctors spend about nine hours per week on administrative tasks—roughly 42.7 million hours a year in Canada—and nearly half of that time is judged unnecessary.

The Yukon government says it is close to finalizing a cancer strategy to support First Nations in prevention, care and treatment, and it expects to release updated territory cancer incidence rates in March.

Officials say a Nipah virus outbreak in West Bengal led to nearly 100 people being quarantined, and two hospital nurses tested positive with one in critical condition.

Dr. Oz said about 400 businesses operating from the Griggs-Midway building in Minneapolis billed roughly $380 million to Medicaid over recent years, and he questioned why state oversight did not detect the cluster sooner; he also noted increased federal supervision and attention.

A University of British Columbia team reported a topical gene-editing therapy that corrected faulty genes in human skin models and restored up to 30% of normal function for a rare inherited disorder, in results published in Cell Stem Cell.

The article reports that U.S. recommendations for childhood vaccines were recently reduced from 17 to 11, and that ACIP chair Dr. Kirk Milhoan said vaccines could be optional, prompting renewed debate over school and daycare mandates.

Family doctors in B.C. say outdated systems and paperwork are slowing patient care; a national report estimates physicians in the province spend nearly 10 hours a week on administrative work.

The article reports that KA-EX is presented as a drinkable supplement claiming rapid cortisol reduction and enhanced sleep and performance, and it describes the product as Swiss-engineered and used by some professional athletes.

PROMIX's Grass-fed Beef Protein Isolate sold out within 24 hours of launch and is described as a single-ingredient, EU-sourced grass-fed, grass-finished beef protein that supports muscle recovery and connective tissue benefits similar to collagen, while being free from dairy, fillers and growth hormones.

Health officials in British Columbia say paramedics responded to a new single-day record of 256 drug poisoning calls on Jan. 21, and the B.C. Centre for Disease Control issued a province-wide alert about medetomidine being mixed with opioids.

A Calgary man who never smoked was later diagnosed with advanced lung cancer after years working in a basement that tested high for radon; a cross-Canada project is collecting 10,000 toenail samples and home radon data through 2028 to develop a test of long-term exposure.

A parent recounts her young daughters playing with makeup and skincare while reporting views from other parents and a psychologist who says such play can be self-expression but social-media comparison can harm self-esteem.

Many U.S. pediatricians and several states are using the American Academy of Pediatrics' vaccine guidance instead of a recently revised CDC childhood vaccine schedule; the AAP update keeps broader routine immunizations and includes a new RSV immunization.

Edmundston aims to approve a project of three buildings with eight units each by the end of February, with rents capped at 30% of tenants' income.

A Northwestern University study estimates residential wood burning produces about 22% of winter PM2.5 in the U.S. and links this outdoor pollution to an estimated 8,600 premature deaths per year, with higher exposure and harms reported in many urban areas and among some communities of colour.

Experts say whole potatoes contain fibre, vitamin C, potassium and other nutrients, and a recent study found potatoes provide different nutrients than whole grains. The article reports that frying (French fries) was linked to higher type 2 diabetes risk, while baked, boiled or mashed potatoes were not.

Ontario's FAST program is fast-tracking six cancer drugs, allowing patients to access certain treatments up to a year sooner than the usual public funding process.

BC Cancer now mails self‑administered HPV test kits and reports higher first‑time screening rates; the province pairs this with vaccination programs that have already lowered precancer and cancer rates.

Health officials say a countrywide deep freeze has raised the risk of frostbite, noting that cases can develop quickly on exposed skin and that early warming and timely medical assessment are reported as important.

Dr. Nieman writes that a diverse, fibre-rich diet of fruits, vegetables, legumes and fermented foods supports a healthy gut microbiome, and that antibiotics and processed foods can disrupt that bacterial balance.

Extreme cold warnings cover much of Saskatchewan, and officials report higher risks to heating systems, vehicles and pets during the cold snap.

A progress report says Nova Scotia is behind on several targets in its five-year remedy plan for people with disabilities, and the plan's final legal deadline is March 31, 2028.

Dan Murphy, diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in 2023, received precision medicine after genetic testing and says it has improved his quality of life. His family has raised $1.2-million so far to support research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

Amelia Boultbee joined her friend Sara Gillooly at the legislature to highlight months-long waits for diagnostic tests and treatment; the article reports that later scans showed the cancer had spread.

A provincial review of 222 cases concluded that herbicides and heavy metals are unlikely to explain most of the undiagnosed neurological illnesses reported in New Brunswick; the province has asked the Public Health Agency of Canada to review individual patient data once consent and a data‑sharing agreement are in place.

Health Canada required manufacturers to increase the amount of added vitamin D in certain milks, margarines and some milk alternatives as of Dec. 31, 2025; the department says this change is expected to roughly double Canadians' vitamin D intake.

Samples taken after a large bird die-off in southern Manitoba tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, and authorities reported about 500 dead birds were found in early December.