“An ice cream headache, though momentarily painful, is a harmless condition that lasts about 30 seconds to a minute, ” says Dr. Lynn Tomkins, President of the ODA. “While ice cream headaches should not incite worry, a real concern is tooth sensitivity, sometimes making eating an unpleasant experience.”

Tooth sensitivity can occur from consuming cold food and liquids and breathing cold air. Tooth sensitivity often occurs because the gums start to recede and tooth roots are exposed.

In order to protect gums and teeth from sensitivity, the ODA recommends the following measures:

    -   Apply gentle pressure when brushing teeth. Too much pressure over
        time from tooth brushing can cause significant gum recession and
        wearing down of the teeth.

    -   Take two to three minutes to properly brush all tooth surfaces.

    -   Make sure you floss. Flossing reaches 35 percent of tooth surfaces
        where brushing cannot reach.

    -   Use toothpaste for sensitive teeth. Over time, this will help to
        reduce sensitive tooth nerves.

    -   Use a fluoride mouthwash, which can help to reduce tooth sensitivity.

    -   Cut down on acidic foods. Foods such as citrus, pop, and tea can
        increase sensitivity and work against sensitivity toothpaste.

“If these measures don’t relive the pain, you may be experiencing signs of deeper decay,” says Dr. Tomkins. “If you’re experiencing pain, it’s important to go see a dentist who will do a full exam, and give you a diagnosis and treatment plan.”

First, cultivate healthier food choices. Review your meals and food choices. Pick an area or two to improve. Up your veggie intake by two or three servings a day. Bypass the pop and juice. Opt for herbal tea or a glass of water with fresh squeezed lemon or lime. Bake and broil meats rather than frying.

Starting the day with a cup of coffee and a bagel? Ditch it. Take three minutes out of your day and make a breakfast smoothie (whey protein, milk and fresh/frozen fruit) to ensure you start the day off right. It provides a nutritious, quick breakfast to kick start your metabolism, support health and immunity.

Did you know that some whey proteins come with many perks? SHAPE UP SMOOTHIE contains whey protein, healthy fats, fibre and the powerful antioxidant green tea (battles aging and helps burn calories) and banaba leaf (to control cravings and balance blood sugar levels). And MOOD FOOD is a whey protein product that contains l-theanine (to help improve mood and create mental calm).

Kick it up a notch with a daily supplement of omega-3 fish oil rich in EPA and DHA. The essential fatty acids have a plethora of health benefits. They improve mood, support brain and cognitive health, cardiovascular health and vision. And they’re anti-inflammatory in nature which can also aid joint health (arthritis, aches and pain) and support weight loss.

Second, cultivate a stress-free lifestyle. Chronic stress creates havoc in our life and on our body. Effects include irritability, lack of sleep, and loss of sex drive to name only a few. Furthermore, research reveals that greater life stress and stress reactivity can contribute to central (abdominal) fat. Consider a few supplements to improve symptoms of stress. They may include theanine, GABA, 5-HTP, passionflower, St John’s wort.

Third, cultivate laughter. Find it. Develop it and use it. It works. Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones. It’s invigorating and energizing! Research shows laughter can improve general health and strengthen the immune system, reduce pain levels and food cravings. So much more, but those few benefits alone are a great start.

Fourth, cultivate body movement. Forget exercise as we know it. Become active. Garden. Go for a walk, cut the lawn, walk your neighbour’s dog.

Fifth, cultivate a healthy attitude. Consider your cup half full. And always try looking on the bright side.

Although speaking to audiences and media at two events on Friday, June 11, Dr. Kazatchkine is aiming a message to leaders of the G8 who meet in Huntsville on June 25-26 before they attend the G20 summit in Toronto on June 26-27.

This Friday morning, at the Munk Centre of the University of Toronto, Dr. Kazatchkine will address the tremendous progress made in scaling up the global response to AIDS, TB and malaria, and the remaining urgent need for services and medicines. He’ll be joined by two African grandmothers and activists, Siphiwe Hlope (of Swaziland Positive Living) and “Mama” Darlina Tyawana (from the Alliance for Children’s Entitlement to Social Security and the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa), as well as author, academic, columnist and commentator Gerry Caplan. The event is jointly sponsored by the Legal Network with the Comparative Program on Health and Society and the Global Health Diplomacy Unit at the University of Toronto.

Later that evening, Dr. Kazatchkine gives a free public lecture at the Grand Banking Hall in Toronto’s financial district. The audience will consist of over 200 policy-makers, legal professionals, health researchers, activists and people living with or vulnerable to HIV/AIDS attending the 2nd Annual Symposium on HIV, Law and Human Rights – see information at www.aidslaw.ca/symposium. It is expected that Dr. Kazatchkine will deliver a more pointed message on the role of human rights advocacy in overcoming the global AIDS crisis.

Dr. Kazatchkine has spent the past 25 years fighting AIDS as a leading physician, researcher, administrator, advocate, policy-maker and diplomat – see further background at http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/secretariat/director/.

Created by the Leo Burnett agency on a pro-bono basis, the ‘Forget Everything You Knew’ campaign is meant to correct common misconceptions about Alzheimer’s disease and to urge greater investment in research. The campaign points to three key facts about the disease: it isn’t only a disease of the elderly, in fact it can start in your 40′s; it isn’t about forgetfulness but rather a disease of the brain that takes away the ability to process information, making it impossible to perform the simplest day-to-day tasks; and it is fatal, normally within five to 10 years of diagnosis.

“Understanding the disease is the first step towards fighting it. Validating the sentiment of loss, and mourning of life as we have known it, is the second step,” says Kelly Duffin, CEO of the Alzheimer Society of Canada. “Individuals living with dementia and their families tell us that there is much that continues to make life worth living – despite a diagnosis of dementia. However, they also tell us about the intense grief that they feel – long before death occurs – for life as they knew it, and for a shared future that they hoped and planned for.”

While the amount of money spent on dementia research has increased over the past few years, when one considers the rapidly increasing prevalence of the disease and its devastating economic impact, much more will need to be invested if we are to accelerate the pace of progress.

“This campaign will shine light on the need for research to ultimately end this disease, so that people living with it today will have confidence that their children and grandchildren will not have to endure its devastation,” says Dr. Jack Diamond, Scientific Director of the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

The Public Service Announcement campaign will appear in three different media types, including TV (in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Punjabi and Urdu), print (in English and French) and two radio spots in English. To view the campaign, go to alzheimer.ca.

“I know a poll from 2006 found that Alzheimer’s disease is the second most feared disease among Canadians as they age. Based on my family’s experience, we would rank it even higher,” says Kathy Stevens, a retired marketing executive who assisted with the campaign as one of the lead donors. “Growing funds for research is critical if we are to end the grief and loss.”

The Alzheimer Society is the leading, nationwide health organization for people affected by dementia in Canada. The Society is a principal funder of Alzheimer research and training, provides enhanced care and support to people with the disease, their families and their caregivers, and is a prominent voice within all levels of government. Active in more than 140 communities across Canada, the Society is also a key player in Alzheimer’s Disease International, an organization at the forefront of world wide efforts to fight dementia of which it is a founding member.

“Medical student diversity is very important for health human resources planning and for the Canadian health care system in general” explained Dr. Tyler Johnston, president of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS). “Increasing medical student diversity may actually increase physician accessibility in underserviced areas. We know that medical students from rural areas are more likely to practice in rural communities and medical students from low-income families are more likely to serve low-income patients. These are areas where we need physicians.”

New research led by medical student Dr. Shaheed Merani of the University of Alberta, and supported by faculty members at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto, has revealed that most medical students come from wealthy families. Additionally, few medical students come from rural areas and the ethnic diversity of the Canadian population is not appropriately represented in medical school classes.

These findings come at a time when tuition fees at many medical schools in Canada continue to rise, approaching $20,000 per year at some schools.

A Canadian first, researchers also focused on comparing medical students in Quebec with medical students in other provinces. “Since the early 1990s, medical school tuition fees have increased substantially in all regions of Canada except Quebec,” said Dr. Merani. “This provided a natural opportunity to examine the effect of tuition fee increases on medical student demographics, indebtedness and financial stress.”

Inside Quebec, where tuition fees were typically under $4,000 per year, median debt-load upon graduation was $30,000. The researchers found that students in Quebec were more likely to come from low-income families, had less debt at the time of graduation, and were less likely to be suffering from stress induced by their financial situation. Outside Quebec, the average debt at the time of medical school graduation was $90,000.

“Canadians should be concerned that medical students are often graduating with six-figure debts,” adds Dr. Johnston “Students who graduate with large debts may be less likely to pursue research careers or practice in specialties like family medicine or geriatrics.”

“Governments and universities are under considerable financial pressure, but allowing tuition fees to influence the make-up of medical schools classes is unfair to prospective students and will likely have a significant negative impact on the health of Canadians”, concludes Dr. Johnston. “We need to do more to identify talented students from under-represented backgrounds and ensure that these students are given the support they need to apply to and get through medical school.”

The Canadian Federation of Medical Students is a student-led national organization that represents over 7,000 medical students at 14 medical schools across Canada. For more information on the organization, visit www.cfms.org.

“This program supports Ontario’s ability to translate cancer research into better cancer services and control,” said Terrence Sullivan, President and CEO, Cancer Care Ontario. “Cancer patients in Ontario live longer and enjoy a better quality of life than ever before because of advancements in research.”

Research, under CCO’s Research Chairs program, will generate knowledge that can be applied to the delivery of cancer care in Ontario.

The Program, funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, is designed to attract new leading scientists to Ontario and support outstanding scientists already working in the province. The Program focuses on quickly turning research findings into improvements in cancer services and clinical care for patients.

“Research drives improvements in cancer prevention, detection, and care,” said Dr. Joe Pater, Vice President, Clinical and Translational Research, Cancer Care Ontario. “The Research Chairs program builds Ontario’s capacity to undertake research that will benefit cancer patients in the future and ensure that the province continues to be a leader in developing the knowledge needed to improve cancer services.”

In addition to the five-year funding, the 2010 award recipients are eligible for an additional three-year renewal. There are two levels of awards, $500,000 for scientists beginning their careers and $1 million for established scientists.

In the past two-years, CCO’s Research Chairs program has funded the research of 13 scientists. The 2010 awards will build Ontario’s research capacity in three priority areas – cancer imaging, experimental therapeutics and health services research.

The 2010 recipients are:

Cancer Imaging

Gabor Fichtinger, Queen’s University

London Regional Cancer Program/University of Western Ontario – Recruitment License*

Experimental Therapeutics

Penelope Bradbury, Kingston General Hospital, Queen’s University

Richard Kim, London Health Sciences Centre, University of Western Ontario

Health Services Research

Michael Brundage, Kingston General Hospital, Queen’s University

Annie Mary Sawka, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital

* An award facilitating the recruitment of a particular type of scientist to the Research Chair position

Applications – evaluated by a panel of experts – were considered based on scientific excellence and strategic alignment with CCO’s scientist network program’s four research themes: cancer imaging, therapeutic research, health services research and population studies.

For biographies on the 2010 award recipients, visit: www.cancercare.on.ca/research/researchprograms/chairsprog

Cancer Care Ontario is the provincial agency responsible for continually improving cancer services. As the government’s cancer advisor, Cancer Care Ontario works to reduce the number of people diagnosed with cancer, and make sure patients receive better care every step of the way.

According to Transport Canada, in 2007 alone, more than 1,000 children under the age of 15 were injured while riding their bikes. Traumatic brain injuries account for eight per cent of emergency room visits by cyclists, four per cent of visits by skateboarders and in-line skaters and six per cent of emergency room visits for injuries related to scooter riding in children under 19, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Interview opportunity on Monday, May 31st, 2010

Pamela Fuselli, executive director of Safe Kids Canada, the national injury prevention program of The Hospital for Sick Children, is available to discuss:

    -   What percentage of head injuries could be prevented by helmets when
        riding and gliding
    -   Why different wheeled activities require different helmets
    -   Typical injury profiles - most common incident time, location,
        injury, and gender for each wheeled activity
    -   Top five tips to protect your child's head
    -   Why new legislation is needed in a number of provinces to keep all
        Canadian kids safe

“Ontarians are sending a clear message to MPPs across the province. These polls reveal that the public are standing behind their local pharmacists and are not going to stand for massive cuts to their front-line healthcare,” said Donnie Edwards, RPh, BSc. Phm, owner of Boggio and Edwards IDA in Ridgeway, Ontario. “The public is warning their MPPs that it’s time to take a stand and support pharmacy as the hub of community healthcare across this province.”

Opinion polls for each of the 20 ridings, conducted between April 28, 2010 and May 5, 2010, are being released into each of the affected ridings listed below:

    Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-                   Mississauga South
    Westdale                                       Niagara Falls
    Barrie                                         Nipissing
    Brant                                          Northumberland-Quinte West
    Guelph                                         Oakville
    Haliburton-Kawartha-Lakes-Brock                Ottawa West-Nepean
    Huron-Bruce                                    Perth-Wellington
    Kitchener Centre                               Peterborough
    Kitchener-Conestoga                            Prince Edward-Hastings
    Lambton-Kent-Middlesex                         Sault Ste. Marie
    London-Fanshawe                                Thunder Bay-Atikokan
    London North-Centre                            Thunder Bay-Superior North
    London West                                    Windsor West

Full survey results can be found at http://ontario.communitypharmacies.ca/site/2010/05/10/ontario-polling-results

The month of May has long been celebrated across North America to praise the triumphs of individuals with communication disorders and recognize the professionals that assist them. Speech-language pathologists, audiologists and supportive personnel are trained professionals who work with people of all ages dealing with issues related to speech, language, hearing, balance, swallowing and other related disorders. Whether working with a hearing impaired child or an elderly person after a stroke, their goal is to help clients achieve an enhanced quality of life.

The Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA) represents more than 5,500 communication professionals and dedicates the month of May to raising public awareness of the professions and many issues surrounding communication disorders. Watch for exciting May Month events in your community such as hearing screenings, speech clinics and other activities listed on our online coming events calendar at www.caslpa.ca/english/events/may.asp. We’ll also be honouring 100 members, joining 636 others, that have belonged to the association for more than 25 years. Check out our website to see who is on the list from your community at www.caslpa.ca/english/profession/25year_award.asp.

CASLPA is also celebrating May Month 2010 with the launch of a multimedia contest that will connect our professionals with the public in a whole new way through social media including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The contest will recognize and promote the best websites, blogs, videos and still photos that represent the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology and the services our professionals provide. For regular news, updates, articles and resources related to communication disorders, subscribe to the RSS feed on our consumer website at www.speechandhearing.ca, follow @CASLPA on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CASLPA or fan us on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/caslpaonfacebook.