The mortality rate for newcomers continued to be lower than for Canadian-born residents, even after immigrants have lived here more than 20 years, the new study suggested. The study does not examine the reasons immigrants tend to have better health, but those are likely to include the screening that selects an inherently healthier group of people who arrive in Canada, and also those who have a healthier diet and are more physically active in their native countries.

The longer the immigrants live in Canada, the more closely they adopt the patterns and behaviours common here.

The relationship between immigration and health has become more difficult to determine, however, as the origins and demographics of immigrants to Canada have changed. Statistics Canada’s current analysis relies on the 1991-2001 Canadian mortality followup study, which examined 2.7 million people, of which 552,300, or 20 per cent, were immigrants. Immigrants had significantly lower mortality rates than Canadian-born people: 1,006 versus 1,305 for men, and 610 versus 731 for women.

In 2006, immigrants made up 19.8 per cent of Canada’s population, a proportion that is expected to increase to at least 25 per cent by 2031, Statistics Canada says. Mortality rates differ according to the origins of immigrants, and the study suggests there is a need for more in-depth analysis of health by country of origin.

The province had previously announced it would participate in the federal government’s clinical trials on the procedure proponents call “liberation therapy.”

The therapy is based on the idea that collapsed veins in the necks of some MS patients hinder blood flow from the brain. Doctors inflate tiny balloons inside the veins to open them up again.

Many patients who suffer impaired mobility, spasms and vision problems say the treatments help their symptoms. But many doctors say MS is an autoimmune disease, not a vascular problem, and have noted that any apparent improvements don’t last.

The provincial government was originally planning to spend $5 million on clinical trials done in Saskatchewan, which has a higher MS rate than the Canadian average. However, the province failed to approve the only applicant and decided to work with Ottawa instead.

It says it’s still supporting the federal effort. However, the province was worried about how long that would take to get going.

It’s now working with a research team led by Dr. Gary Siskin, a vascular and interventional radiologist at Albany Medical Centre. The protocols are still being worked out, but it’s hoped the first Saskatchewan patients will be heading to Albany early in the new year.

Read more about CCSVI in Canada

But some doctors say the colleges who are responsible for approving licences aren’t respecting the provincial agreement. “This is something that was agreed amongst the politicians but it was not agreed amongst the physicians,” said Dr. Rubens Barbosa, a Brazilian-trained anaesthesiologist working in Edmundston, N.B., who recently had an application to transfer his licence to Ontario rejected.

The responsibility for who does and doesn’t become licensed is left up to bodies that are run by physicians in each province.

The problem is that these colleges “are reluctant to accept a law that was proposed by the politicians and they’re doing whatever they can to prevent this from happening,” said Barbosa.

Provincial governments were hoping the changes would help fill in holes in the skilled workforce. Many provinces — including Ontario, Saskatchewan and Manitoba — are currently facing a shortage of doctors as many residents are unable to find a family physician.

About four million Canadians, or about four per cent of the population, don’t have a family doctor, a 2009 poll conducted for the College of Family Physicians of Canada suggested.

A spokeswoman for the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons, the organization that rejected Barbosa’s application, denied the charge that it doesn’t respect the mobility law.

“The CPSO respects labour mobility,” Kathryn Clarke wrote in an email.

But the body that represents colleges across the country said they are aware that those working to transfer special licences across provincial boundaries are still facing challenges.

Differing standards

The issue is that restrictions on special licences, which can include requiring the holders to be supervised by more experienced physicians and only allowing them to operate if the province has a shortage of the physicians’ specialty, are not equivalent across provinces.

“We are working on how we could facilitate for them a mobility from one jurisdiction to another taking into account the fact that they don’t have a full licensure,” said Dr. Yves Robert, the president of the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada.

Robert said he expected a new agreement that would bring in a common set of standards for specially licensed physicians between provinces would be approved within a year.

The majority of physicians who practise with special licences in Canada are internationally trained, said Dr. William Lowe, a past president of the MRAC.

They usually use these as a stepping stone to becoming fully accredited and eventually helping to address the country’s doctor shortages.

Barbosa said he has consulted with the Canadian Medical Protective Association, an organization that provides doctors with legal advice, and it is currently looking into the issue on his behalf.

Luce Lavoie, the director of communications for CMPA, did not confirm or deny that was the case. She also declined to comment on the overall issue of labour mobility for doctors because the organization has yet to issue a policy position on it.

Few approvals despite law

Numbers maintained by the colleges suggest the changes to the Agreement on Internal Trade, which was updated in April 2009 with the new labour mobility provisions, have done little to change the number of physicians moving from one province to another.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia has granted licences to about 250 applicants since April 2009, six of those under the labour mobility provisions.

“The numbers have not changed dramatically at all,” said Bruce Thorne, manager of policy and communications for the college, referring to the approvals they’ve given since the new provisions were introduced.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta has approved five applicants under the new labour mobility provisions out of a total of about a thousand approved in 2009 and 2010, said spokeswoman Kelly Eby.

They have another 22 who are currently in the application process.

The Ontario college rejected 26 applicants who had applied under the labour mobility provisions between January 2010 and April 2011, said Clarke. Most of these people had restricted licences.

Many other licensing bodies don’t maintain numbers showing how many applicants who applied under the labour mobility provisions have been approved or rejected.

Barbosa had applied under the inter-provincial mobility rules the provinces had promised would bring an end to the restrictions for physicians.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario rejected his application in December 2010.

Colleges are only required to accept an application under the labour mobility provisions if they have a similar category in their licensing process.

The Ontario college did not grant Barbosa a licence because they said there was no equivalent category in Ontario, a copy of the decision reached by the province’s Health Professionals Appeals and Review Board reads.

But Barbosa disputed that claim, saying he already had a full licence he has been operating under for five years.

The latest Statistics Canada figures show smoking rates are fairly stable. In 2010, 20.8 per cent of Canadians aged 12 and over — about six million people — were smokers. Five years ago, there were 5.9 million smokers or 22 per cent of the population. In 2003, 23 per cent of Canadians aged 12 or older, smoked.

Canadian smokers at a glance

• People age 18 to 34 form the highest proportion of smokers, at 28 per cent.
• More men than women smoke. In 2010, 24.2 per cent of males and 17.4 per cent of females smoked. That’s a jump from the 22.6 per cent of men who smoked a year earlier — and about the same as the rate in 2008. The percentage of women who smoked in 2010 remained about the same in 2010 and 2009, but was down significantly from the 18.5 per cent who smoked in 2008.
• In 2009, smoking rates were lowest in British Columbia and Ontario, at 16 per cent and 18.6 per cent. That compares to 20.5 per cent and 24.5 per cent in those provinces in 2000.
• Smoking rates in the territories are high: 35.5 per cent in Yukon, 35.7 per cent in Northwest Territories and 61.3 per cent in Nunavut. Smoking rates rose in Nunavut and Yukon in the first decade of this century.
• Overall, the percentage of Canadians over the age of 12 fell by 22 per cent between 2000 and 2009.

Smoking facts and figures

• The lowest smoking rates are among youths aged 12-15 (three per cent) and seniors (9.6 per cent).
• Almost 60 per cent of senior non-smokers are former smokers. Just under 11 per cent of non-smokers between the ages of 12 and 19 are former smokers.
• In 2009, just over 50 per cent of people between the ages of 20 and 24 had never smoked.
• In 2001, 73 per cent of youth said they never smoked cigarettes. In 2005, the percentage rose to 82 per cent. This finding is key because most smokers start before age 18, and research shows that it is rare for adults to take up smoking.
• Non-smokers are exposed to less second-hand smoke. On the whole, non-smokers are exposed to smoke to a lesser extent. The rate of second-hand smoke exposure has traditionally been highest among 12-19 year olds. In 2010, about 15 per cent of them were exposed to second-hand smoke in the home. That’s down significantly from the 23 per cent who were exposed in 2003.
• More homes are smoke-free. More and more households are banning smoking from their homes. In 2005, 64 per cent of people 12 and older lived in a smoke-free household, up from 57 per cent in 2003.
• More workplaces are smoke-free. Between 2001 and 2003, the percentage of Canadians who had a smoking ban at work rose from 62 per cent to 67 per cent. In 2005, this rose to 68 per cent.
• Smoking bans, at home or at work, reduced the amount of cigarettes smoked. Of employed Canadians aged 15 to 75, the average number of cigarettes smoked was related to smoking bans:

Source: Statistics Canada: Canadian Community Health Survey 2005, 2011

In contrast, the data reveals that adults are sedentary for an average of 9.5 hours each day while children and youth spend 8.6 hours engaged in sedentary activities such as watching television.

The results are based on data gathered in a survey of the physical activity patterns of Canadian adults and kids.

StatsCan divided its findings into two reports: One addressing physical activity in Canadian adults between the ages of 20 and 79, and the other examining young people between 6 and 19-years-old.

Unlike previous research that was based on the activity levels reported by the subjects themselves, this survey is the first to measure activity directly using a small device akin to a sophisticated pedometer worn on the subject’s hip for seven days.

Researchers could therefore sidestep the misreporting that commonly plagues such surveys, because the accelerometers recorded participants’ actual movements. It also meant the study could accurately parse the time spent in light, moderate and vigorous intensity movement, as well as the moments spent simply sedentary.

Other highlights from the survey include:

• Just over half of all adults accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity one day a week, but only 5 per cent of adults manage to accumulate the recommended 150 minutes by week’s end.
• On average, adult men take about 9,500 steps a day, compared with 8,400 for women. Among older adults aged 60 to 79, men average 7,900 steps each day, while women average 7,000. Boys average 12,100 steps per day compared with 10,300 for girls.
• While just 7 per cent of children and youth accumulate 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on at least six days a week, the number who rack up 30 minutes climbs to 29 per cent of boys and 21 per cent of girls. More than 8o per cent of boys and 70 per cent of girls manage to squeeze in 30 minutes of activity three days a week.

As a University of Ottawa pediatrics professor actively involved in healthy, active-living initiatives, Dr. Mark Tremblay was one of the senior investigators who gathered the survey data.

When asked to weigh the results, Tremblay said they don’t look good.

“The only good news out of this story is that for the first time we have a very robust, very accurate measure of a representative sample of Canadians’ movement behaviours, and that’s pretty much where the good news ends,” Dr. Tremblay said.

Pointing to what he called the survey’s most troubling finding, Tremblay said it’s clear too many Canadians are spending too much time sitting around.

“Perhaps the most astounding finding is that between 60 and 70 per cent of our waking time is spent being completely sedentary, and clearly that’s not something that’s kept this species alive, fit and active throughout history,” he said.

Sedentary lifestyles are linked to at least two dozen ailments ranging from diabetes to heart disease and osteoporosis.

ParticipAction president Kelly Murumets says Canadians need to get moving, and encourage their children to be more physically active too.

“It is urgent that all Canadians take action so that we can reverse this dangerous, societal trend,” she said in a statement.

“Parents, the private sector, government, schools and the community at large are all partners in this complex task. Bottom line is that we need to inspire and support our children by being good role models and leading active, healthy lifestyles.”

Broken down by gender, the survey found that half of all women reached for fruit and vegetables five or more times daily compared with just 36 per cent of men.  The data is based on an ongoing survey of 65,000 Canadians on a gamut of more than 30 health indicators.

Other highlights from the latest edition of the annual snapshot include:

• Six in 10 Canadians reported their own state of health as very good or excellent.
• Canadians nevertheless reported a slight increase in their daily stress levels, with 24 per cent describing most days are either extremely or quite stressful. That was up two percentage points from 2008.
• The number of Canadians whose height and weight categorizes them as obese under Health Canada guidelines was virtually unchanged from the year before, at approximately 4.5 million or 18 per cent of the overall population.
• For the first time, Statistics Canada found the same number of women as men reporting they had been diagnosed with hypertension. Overall, nearly 1 in 6 Canadians said they had high blood pressure.
• One-in-eight of the 15 per cent of Canadians who said they had no regular medical doctor, reported easy access to alternative medical care such as a walk-in clinic.
• Among the 21 per cent, or 6 million Canadians who said they were either daily or occasional smokers, more men (24 per cent) lit up in 2010 than in the year before. The number of women smokers fell two percentage points, however, to 17 per cent in 2010.

In its bulletin announcing the results Statistics Canada suggested the trend among women may continue, and indeed spread to men in the coming years as well.

“Since people typically begin smoking during their teenage years, the percentage who had not started smoking by age 20 is an indicator of future smoking rates,” StatsCan wrote, noting that 57 per cent of women between the ages of 20 and 24 said they had never smoked. That’s up from 41 per cent in 2003. And the same holds for young men too, 45 per cent of whom reported no prior experience with tobacco. That also represents “a considerable increase” from the 37 per cent of young men who said the same in 2003.

Although the survey captures data from Canadians in every province and territory, Residents of Indian reserves, health care institutions, some remote areas and full-time members of the Canadian Forces are not included.

The study also found that “no serious toxicities and only minimal changes in health-related quality of life” occurred in women taking exemestane. The findings were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine

The trial was funded by the Canadian Cancer Society and led by Canada’s NCIC Clinical Trials Group, and was known to participants as “ExCel” in reference to the use of exemestane.

Dr. Michael Wosnick, the Canadian Cancer Society’s vice-president of research, said the results were extremely exciting because they had the potential to impact thousands of women.

“We know that breast cancer takes a tremendous toll on Canadian women and their families. The results of this study offer an important new option to prevent this devastating disease in women who are at higher risk for it,”

Wosnick said that as remarkable as the result was, it was also exciting to note that there were very few side effects aside from possible hot flashes, fatigue and joint pain.

“More importantly are the side effects that were not (found), which are cardiovascular effects, fractures and some other serious effects that come with the older class of drugs,” Wosnick said.

The findings were the result of a massive international clinical trial, which included close to 250 Canadian women from 13 cities, including Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. The randomized, double-blind, phase three clinical trial involved 4,560 women throughout the U.S., Canada, France and Spain over a five-year period.

Exemestane works by limiting the ability of an enzyme called aromatase to convert hormones into estrogen — which many breast cancers rely on to grow. Wosnick says that while previous drugs were able limit the amount of estrogen in the body, exemestane ostensibly cut off the supply route at the source.

Wosniak said exemestane was already in use in thousands of women who have previously had breast cancer and are trying to prevent a recurrence.

“The logical thinking was that if a compound like this can reduce the recurrence of breast cancer, probably it can reduce the occurrence of breast cancer in the first place. That is what this new study in fact shows.”

In a release issued by the Canadian Cancer Society, Vi Siemens said she and her three sisters decided to participate in the trial because their mother and two aunts had died of breast cancer. With breast cancer running in their family, the Siemens sisters are at an increased risk of developing it themselves.

“All you have to do is look to the left or the right. Everybody knows somebody who’s had breast cancer in their family. Somebody has to test these drugs,” Siemens said. “You’re thinking about the next generation. You’d like to do something more than in just your own corner.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women. The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that in 2011, 23,400 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,100 will die of it.

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Website

The substantial increase in issuance of new licences in the last decade has significantly improved the overall physician supply in Ontario, which has risen by 3,988 physicians, up 20% since 2000.

College policies and programs, government support and the work of other partners have helped pave the way for international medical graduates to enter medical practice, and the results demonstrate our success,” said College President Dr. Lynne Thurling. In fact, in 2010 more licences were issued to IMGs than to Ontario graduates, a trend that has continued for seven years.

For more than a decade, all categories of graduates – Ontario, Canadian and international – have seen increased issuance. Some key factors contributing to the rise include the positive effect of new CPSO registration policies; increased enrolment and residency positions at Canadian medical schools; and more Ontario government-funded residency positions reserved for IMGs.

“We are pleased with the progress made and will continue to work with our partners in government, medical education and training, and specialty certification to ensure access to qualified medical care,” said Dr. Thurling.

The CPSO issues postgraduate training certificates to physicians in residency training and practice certificates to all other candidates. Of the 3,708 certificates issued last year, 1,617 were practice certificates, the highest number issued since 1985. International medical graduates received 39% or 636 of those licences.

“The adage that you get what you pay for applies in general to health-care spending, but there are some major exceptions among the world’s most developed countries,” said David Stewart-Patterson, The Conference Board of Canada’s new Vice-President, Public Policy. “Canada has relatively high overall spending and middle-of-the-pack health outcomes. Countries such asAustralia and Sweden spend less than Canada per person, and generally get better results.”

“Many factors affect the health of a population – and how the money is being spent is just as important as how much is being spent.”

In 2008, 10 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) went to health spending – the equivalent of US$4,079 per person. On key indicators of population health, however, Canadafalls in the middle of the pack at best. For example, it ranks seventh on life expectancy, and fares much worse on infant mortality, with the second highest infant mortality rate among its peers. Despite similar levels of income per capita, Canada’s life expectancy is lower than that of Australia, while the infant mortality rate is higher in Canada.

While Canada is an outlier in terms of the relationship between per-capita expenditures and population health, it is not one of the most extreme cases–these occur at the opposite ends of the health spending spectrum.

Japan, the country with the lowest health expenditures (US$2,729), has excellent health outcomes – the Japanese have both the highest life expectancy and the second-lowest infant mortality rate among the peer countries assessed.

The United States is by far the biggest health spender, at over US$7,500 per person in 2008. However, the U.S. has the worse results by far of any peer country, ranking last overall on population health. The U.S. records the lowest life expectancy and ranks last on another key health indicator, infant mortality.

When flying at high altitudes, your internal body pressure remains the same (as if you were on the ground) while the outside of your body experiences reduced pressure. This causes the gases (mainly air) inside your body to expand some of which is dissolved in your body fluids. As altitude increases, the expanding gases increases within your inner ear, sinuses and intestines which can cause discomfort. This expansion of gases in the sinuses and inner ear can lead to headaches, general face pain and ear pain. A heavy feeling, or a feeling of being bloated is caused by gases being trapped in the stomach. Gases trapped in the small intestine can be painful and cause fainting. A greater risk of pain and discomfort is caused by a fast ascension.

The Sinuses

Your sinuses are located within your face bones. If you have a cold or your sinuses are congested, the ducts that connect the sinuses to the nose and back of the throat are blocked or partially blocked. This blockage can cause considerable discomfort when descending to lower altitudes.

The Middle Ear

The air in your middle ear cavity changes when atmospheric pressure shifts because of changes in altitude. If the ear is not equalized with the outside pressure, the eardrum becomes distended and can lead to pain and inflammation. In more serious cases, temporary deafness can occur.

Prevention: Equalizing the air between the ear and sinuses with outside air will help alleviate some discomfort. The following are some actions you can take to reduce your discomfort:

• Widely open and close your mouth. The tube that connects your ear to your throat expands and fills with outside air
• Pinch your nose and blow gently while keeping your mouth closed
• Chew gum or suck on a piece of hard candy
• Swallow frequently

Traveller’s Thrombosis (DVT)

Traveller’s Thrombosis, or Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) is blood clotting (usually in the lower legs) and can be caused by reduced blood flow due to prolonged immobility. DVT is generally caused by sitting in the same position for an extended length of time. Other factors that can increase your risk are:

• If you are over 40 years of age
• Previous DVT or a family history of DVT
• Certain types of cardiac disease
• Hormone treatment or hormone replacement therapy (including oral contraceptives)
• Recent major surgery of the lower limbs
• If you have a blood clot in your leg

Signs and Symptoms of DVT

There are several symptoms that you should watch for when traveling:

• Pain and swelling in your legs
• Discolouration in your leg
• Pulmonary embolism: this is when a piece of a blood clot becomes detached and travels through your body to your heart and lungs and generally occurs when then there is an existing clot. This may have serious consequences such as chest pain, shortness of breath and even sudden death in sever cases.

Reducing your Risk

Here are some simple steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing DVT:

• Drink water and juice instead of caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea and soft drinks Avoid alcoholic drinks
• Try to get up and walk around the cabin or stand up and stretch whenever possible Avoid crossing your legs while seated
• Wear comfortable and non constricting clothes while traveling

If you have any of the afore-mentioned elevated risk factors, we strongly advise that you seek medical advice before traveling.

Jet Lag

Jet lag occurs when we go from one time zone to another in a relatively short period of time and our body unable to “keep up”. The new time zone can be many hours different than what our inner body clock is at and sleeping, eating and alertness are affected. While eliminating jet lag is almost impossible, you can take several steps to minimize its affects such as:

• Keep yourself hydrated by drinking water and juice
• Avoid caffeinated and alcoholic drinks
• When in a different time zone, take short naps when your internal body clock tells you you need to sleep and sleep 8 hours when it is proper for that time zone.

If you do notice anything odd, or you feel unwell make sure you tell someone, whether it be a travelling companion or flight attendant. As long as you are prepared and are aware of any potential problems you should be fine.

When it comes to cancer research, Canadians want to do more

We have the answer and it takes just 30 or so minutes to sign up. The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project is looking for 300,000 Canadians between the ages of 35 and 69 to participate in a landmark Canadian study designed to help us better understand cancer and other chronic diseases, like heart and lung disease or diabetes. By following a large group of people over many years, researchers can explore how genetics, environment, lifestyle and behaviour interact and contribute to the development of cancer and other chronic diseases.

“This type of research is often difficult because it is complex, time consuming and extensive resources are required,” says Dr. Heather Bryant, Vice-President of Cancer Control, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. “By joining this landmark study, Canadians will be contributing to the creation of a rich national bank of health information to help researchers answer fundamental questions about the causes of cancer and chronic disease for future generations.”

Study participants will be asked to provide information about their health, lifestyle and environment, biological samples such as urine and blood, and physical measurements such as weight and height. By following participants over the long term, researchers will be able to build layers of information that will create a rich understanding of how all of these factors interact to affect health. It is much more than a single study: it is the construction of a population laboratory that will yield results for decades to come.

“Like many Canadians, I have been personally affected by cancer and have often felt powerless in the face of this devastating disease,” says Jan Duff, a study participant. “By participating in the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project, I know that I’m making a simple contribution that could make a significant difference in cancer research, and prevent my children and grandchildren from ever developing the disease.”

How to Join

Make a commitment to cancer research by participating in the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project, please visit www.partnershipfortomorrow.ca.

Canadians are not as active as they should be, Statistics Canada warns in a new study

Young people fare even worse, with just 7 per cent of those aged 5 to 17 attaining the minimum level of physical activity each day. In contrast, the data reveals that adults are sedentary for an average of 9.5 hours each day while children and youth spend 8.6 hours engaged in sedentary activities such as watching television.

The results are based on data gathered in a survey of the physical activity patterns of Canadian adults and kids. StatsCan divided its findings into two reports: One addressing physical activity in Canadian adults between the ages of 20 and 79, and the other examining young people between 6 and 19-years-old.

Unlike previous research based on the activity levels reported by the subjects themselves, this survey is the first to measure activity directly using a small device attached to the subjects’ hip for seven days.

Researchers could therefore sidestep the misreporting that commonly plagues such surveys, because the accelerometers recorded participants’ actual movements. It also meant the study could accurately parse the time spent in light, moderate and vigorous intensity movement, as well as the moments spent simply sedentary.

Other highlights from the survey include:

• Just over half of all adults accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity one day a week, but only 5 per cent of adults manage to accumulate the recommended 150 minutes by week’s end.
• On average, adult men take about 9,500 steps a day, compared with 8,400 for women. Among older adults aged 60 to 79, men average 7,900 steps each day, while women average 7,000. Boys average 12,100 steps per day compared with 10,300 for girls.
• While just 7 per cent of children and youth accumulate 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on at least six days a week, the number who rack up 30 minutes climbs to 29 per cent of boys and 21 per cent of girls. More than 8o per cent of boys and 70 per cent of girls manage to squeeze in 30 minutes of activity three days a week.

“My first symptom started in January 2000. I had an extreme bout of vertigo that was misdiagnosed as an inner ear infection. I was dizzy for three weeks and spent my days holding walls to get around the apartment that I was living in.” she recalls, “After those 3 weeks the severity of the vertigo went away, but I always felt as though something wasn’t quite right. I felt like I was in a world where everything was moving around me and I was just there or I was stumbling to get out of the way all the time. I had days that I was okay, but when I was tired it seemed to be worse.

“In June 2003 I developed a numb area on my torso. My family doctor told me that he felt that I had MS. Not knowing anything about MS, I immediately started to do the research. Eight months later, February 2004, I had an appointment with the neurologist and by that time I was very concerned. The neurologist told me that he would schedule an MRI to determine whether or not I had MS, but he also wanted to test me for other things such as Lupus, Rheumetory Arthritis and Lyme disease.

Yvonne Andersen from Truro, Nova Scotia is 52 and since being liberated herself is campaigning vigorously for the right of all Canadian MS’ers

“I had the MRI in February but was not scheduled to see the neurologist until August for the results. In the meantime my husband had become very ill and was diagnosed with Stage IV Melanoma. Ten weeks later on July 11, 2004 he died. Two months after that I had another attack that caused severe pain in my torso, known as the MS hug. I was given IV steroids for 5 days to reduce the inflammation that the neurologist felt was causing the pain. (Stress causes MS attacks, and my grief and the stress of losing my husband brought on this attack).

“In August 2004 I went for the results of my MRI and was told that although I had previously had 2 attacks, (vertigo, MS hug), I did not have the required 9 lesions for a diagnosis of MS. I was given a prescription for pain meds and told to come back the next year for a follow up appointment.

“In October 2007, I was driving home in the rain one night and my vision suddenly went blurred and doubled. I phoned my doctor the next day and he phoned my neurologist. I was again put on IV steroids, but for 3 days this time. The vision mostly cleared up and I was scheduled for another MRI. In March 2008 the results still did not give me a confirmed diagnosis because I only had 7 lesions. At this point, my neurologist was certain that I had MS and he suggested that I have a Spinal Tap which would give us conclusive results and a diagnosis. I agreed and was then diagnosed in April 2008 with Relapsing Remitting MS.

“At that point my family knew that an eventual diagnosis was coming and I feel that they were fairly prepared for it. I have to mention that my family is also quite a distance away from where I live so they did not see me on a regular basis.

“I had begun dating in January 2007 and was worried about the pressure that I would be putting on my now live in boyfriend when the inevitable happened and I was in a wheelchair or worse as my MS progressed. I gave him the choice to leave when I got the diagnosis and he asked me if I would leave him if he was ill. The answer to that question was easy for me as I realized that it was also easy for him regarding me.”

Like other MS’ers Yvonne’s range of symptoms was extensive: Lack of balance, foot drop, MS hug, spasms, hearing difficulties, numbness, spasticity, cramping, weakness, cold hands and feet, intense itching, memory issues, cog fog, fatigue, tremors, blurred vision – the list goes on.

“I was working as an employment counselor for persons with disabilities for 13 months and in January 2010 I had to resign from that position after realizing that I could no longer function at work without falling asleep or drinking 2-3 pots of coffee per day to function enough to make it through the day. I realized that I was not doing the clients justice and I was not able to concentrate on my job because of fatigue and pain.”

During the short time between her diagnosis and her liberation Yvonne estimates that her medications have cost in the region of $46,000.

“I am very fortunate in the fact that Nova Scotia will pay for the injectable medications for MS. My pain medications which I had been taking for over five years were $325.00 per month which I had to pay for myself.

“When I first heard of CCSVI, the theory made sense to me. I was excited that something as simple as angioplasty could possibly help with my fatigue, my pain and my vertigo. I cried with relief that there was a possibility to help with my quality of life and to make me feel better.”

Yvonne, like many others in her position then embarked on research. “I searched for the names of people who I had heard about who had gone to Poland for the procedure and found a few on Facebook. I had started with just family and friends on my Facebook and within 4 months I had developed a community of MS’ers totaling over 500 who either were interested in the procedure or who had already had it done. I followed closely the improvements of those who had the procedure and what they were experiencing and decided to have the treatment myself..”

Yvonne travelled to New York state to have her treatment at a cost of over $8,000 including air fair, hotels etc. This cost was covered by fundraising, something she was acutely aware of when embarking on this journey.

“I had many people help me with fundraising to be able to go for the procedure so my anxiety level was quite high because I was nervous about disappointing those people if I did not have improvements with my MS symptoms. For myself I only wanted to stop the progression that I knew was happening within my body for the past year and I hoped that the pain that I experienced with my MS would diminish to a tolerable level without the use of the pain meds that caused so many side effects.”

So what was the result of the treatment for Yvonne?

“I have been totally overwhelmed with the results of the CCSVI treatment on my symptoms. I have seen improvement in all of my symptoms with the greatest improvement being my cognitive problems such as word searching, memory recall and concentration. Also in the greatest improvement list would be the extreme fatigue that I experienced before the procedure. I had been sleeping 16 hours a day because of the fatigue and am now awake and active 16 hours a day. This has greatly improved my quality of life. My balance is much better than what it was before and my drop foot is gone. One of the symptoms that I wanted to be gone totally is not. The pain in my torso that I was experiencing before angioplasty is still there. But, the degree of that pain is so much less that I am only using Tylenol twice a day instead of the very expensive drugs given to me by my neurologist. These drugs only kept the pain at bay on the good days  On the bad days they did nothing. The MS hug is also gone.

Yvonne continues, “I am extremely pleased that I had the angioplasty procedure. For weeks after the procedure I was so emotional as I discovered on a daily basis things that I had never thought of before that I was now able to do. When I realized I was able to stand up in the shower to shave my legs, I was thrilled! I am able to shoulder check when driving without getting dizzy. I am able to walk through a grocery store without using a shopping cart for balance. I can ride my bicycle which is is something I haven’t been able to do for at least five years.”

Because yvonne is so active in campaigning for fellow MS’ers we had to ask her what she felt the Canadian government and the MS Society should be doing regarding offering Canadians the opportunity to have this treatment.

“At the beginning of the CCSVI issue I understood the Canadian government being cautious and wanting studies to be done. I assumed that those studies would include doing the actual procedure and following the patients for a period of time. I also assumed that the Canadian MS Society would “want” to help MS’ers. I also assumed that neurologists would want to help and would jump right on this to give us the very best in treatment. I was so very disappointed when I realized that the MS Society would start in the foot dragging, the neurologists followed and then the Canadian government was right on board with both of them. It makes one wonder who has a hold on whom? Is it the pharmaceuticals that have the biggest hold on all of the above? If that is the case then who is allowing that to happen?

“Are neurologists and the MS Society that far indebted to the pharmaceutical companies for their enriched way of life? Shouldn’t the neurologists and the MS Society be fighting for a cure? Isn’t that the new slogan for the MS Society? EndMS………

“The MS Society no longer represents me and no longer represents the thousands of MS’ers who have gone against their advice and have had this procedure done. We, the thousands who have had the procedure know that it will give us our quality of life back. The MS Society and our government need to find us, contact us and listen to our stories. They need to hear what this procedure has given back to us in our lives. They need to listen to our family and friends and hear what differences they, the people who see us every day, see in us.”

Yvonne Andersen CCSVI Press Conference Video – Nov 2nd 2010:

Read how CCSVI has changed the life of Maria Dekleer from Carlsbad Springs near Ottawa

Checkout more stories about CCSVI treatments from people who have been liberated

Steve Garvie is now in the process of setting up The CCSVI Foundation whose mandate is to help people get the angioplasty treatment they need – Read Steve’s story here

“The first symptoms I noticed were tightness and numbness in my leg. Although this bothered me, I did not seek medical attention until that numbness and tightness reached up to my head, then progressed all over my body.”

Maria went to the hospital where she underwent tests including a spinal tap and MRI which confirmed she had multiple sclerosis.

“I went from being perfectly healthy to having a chronic and incurable illness in a matter of days.” she remembers. “I think to sum up how I felt would be shocked, devastated and very scared. The rest of the family felt the same but were very supportive of me.”

Maria Dekleer was first diagnosed with MS in 1991

Over the next few years Maria suffered many of the symptoms associated with MS. The list is extensive: spasticity, bladder and bowel issues, fatigue, tinnitus, pins and needles in hands, left hand not working, left leg practically paralyzed, left side weaker than right, left leg stone cold and white, hands and feet cold, could not move toes on left foot and had foot drop (wear a brace) cogfog, attention deficit disorder (ADD), depression, no balance, heat and cold intolerance, up every hour at night either from spasms or bladder trouble, burning sensation in feet, ms hug, stiff neck and shoulder, blood shot eyes and blurry vision, could not yawn, cough or take a proper deep breath, two seizures in the last 10 years. She also suffered L’Hermittes sign which is a electrical sensation running down the back and into the limbs.

Her symptoms were so debilitating she had to use a walker to get around her home and a wheelchair or scooter when out and about.

“When I first heard about CCSVI it made perfect sense to me. It was the first good news I had heard in 20 years. I immediately started searching on the internet for information and spent months researching, connecting with other MSers on Facebook and other sites and researching doctors able to perform the treatment.

Maria ended up getting her CCSVI treatment in New York state on July 26th 2010. “I had venogram and angioplasty and it cost me $5000 US. Fortunately I did not need stents which would have increased the cost.”

The treatment lasted around 90 minutes. Maria was given a valium to relax her and a local anesthetic in her groin area.

“I was alert and happy during the procedure,” says Maria, “they played music and chatted with me the whole time. There was no pain, just a little pressure when the doctor ballooned the three areas.

“Twenty minutes after the treatment I was eating a Snickers bar and chatting on Facebook.” she laughs.

For two hours after treatment she had to remain still which she confesses was hard as she felt energetic and warm, which was unusual for her to say the least. “I was suddenly able to move my left foot which was something I had not been able to do for over ten years.”

During the weeks following treatment Maria did improve, slowly but steadily and over the last few weeks she has got better and better.

“I can now stand up straight, hug my kids and can cook using both hands. I can use a knife and fork, tie my own shoelaces, ride my exercise bike, peddling with both legs and can lift weights.”

Some things that the rest of us take for granted such as yawning, coughing, breathing, sleeping soundly are all new experiences for Maria.

“The cogfog is gone, the fatigue is gone, the depression is gone, the ADD is gone and I have much better control of my bladder and bowel. The stiffness in my neck and shoulders is gone, the L’Hermittes and tinnitus is gone. Also my left side is now as strong as my right and my vision is clear with no burning sensations in my eyes. My tolerance of heat and cold is also much better.”

Maria still uses a walker, however her husband had to buy her a new heavier model as she was too strong and rough for the old one. For extended shopping trips she uses her scooter as it is more convenient but says of her wheelchair “Nah, that’s for sick people.”

“I have energy” she says full of emotion. “I am improving little by little and all this in just a few weeks. I am still amazed at how well I feel – I finally have my life back.”

Read how Yvonne Anderson from Truro Nova Scotia is campaigning vigorously for the rights of all Canadians

Read more real life stories about MS and CCSVI treatments

Steve Garvie is now in the process of setting up The CCSVI Foundation whose mandate is to help people get the angioplasty treatment they need – Read Steve’s story here

The study, published today in The Lancet medical journal, is an initiative of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership (ICBP), an international partnership of clinicians, academics and policymakers seeking to understand how and why cancer survival varies between countries. As its first area of focus, the ICBP explored survival rates for four cancers – lung, breast, colorectal and ovarian – in six developed countries.

Based on the voluntary participation of four Canadian provinces – British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario – the study data show that Canada’s survival rates for these four cancers are among the highest, along with Australia and Sweden, of six countries that also include Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The study is based on population data for 2.4 million adults diagnosed with colorectal, lung, breast or ovarian cancer between 1995 and 2007. Countries were invited to take part in the study based on comparable wealth, universal access to healthcare and the nature of cancer data available.

International study shows Canada among top countries in survival rates for lung, breast, colorectal and ovarian cancers

“Overall, Canada is performing well internationally when it comes to cancer survival – and the survival rates for all participating countries show improvement over time,” said Dr. Heather Bryant, Vice-President of Cancer Control at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and a senior author of the study. “Canada will continue to contribute and learn from international data as this study continues, while also working within our own borders to reduce cancer’s significant burden on our population, our health system and our economy: 174,000 cancer diagnoses and 76,000 cancer deaths every year is still very high.”

“The provinces in this study have organized approaches and systems to provide their citizens with world-class cancer care,” said Dr. Terry Sullivan, President and CEO of Cancer Care Ontario and a member of the study’s International Programme Board. “Having both an interprovincial context and international comparisons allows us to understand our strengths and gaps, and to focus our improvement efforts. The international benchmarking findings are heartening for Canada, and a reminder to continue to strive for optimal care.”

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and provincial cancer agencies are among the many organizations involved in a national cancer strategy. Such strategies exist in several countries to bring a coordinated approach to reducing the impact of cancer on their populations.

Canada’s national cancer control strategy was funded by the federal government in 2006, and the Partnership opened its doors in 2007 to begin implementing it. Working with partners across the country – many of whom were instrumental in developing the cancer strategy – the Partnership is helping to improve the consistency and coordination of the cancer system across Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories.

One example of the Partnership’s collaborative work with Canada’s cancer community is the System Performance Initiative, which collects cancer data from a number of sources — including StatisticsCanada and provincial cancer organizations — to provide a series of snapshots about the performance of Canada’s national cancer control system across a range of areas like prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment. Two system performance reports have been released to date, and findings will be deepened over the next year through ongoing collaboration.

About the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer is an independent organization funded by the federal government to accelerate action on cancer control for all Canadians. Bringing together cancer experts, government representatives, the Canadian Cancer Society and cancer patients, survivors and their families through the Canadian Cancer Action Network to implement the first pan-Canadian cancer-control strategy, the vision is to be a driving force to achieve a focused approach that will help prevent cancer, enhance the quality of life of those affected by cancer, lessen the likelihood of dying from cancer, and increase the efficiency of cancer control in Canada. For more information about the Partnership and Canada’s cancer control strategy, visit partnershipagainstcancer.ca. The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer is also the driving force behind cancerview.ca, an online community linking Canadians to cancer information, services and resources.