Health and Wellness Blog

Where to find reliable health information in other languages?

Living in an information explosion age like today, our challenge is not having limited access to information, but "separating the wheat from the chaff". For example, googling "diabetes", yields up 333 millions hits (as of May 3rd, 2012). So which ones can you trust?  If you are looking for a recipe for banana cake, it is ok to just take a look at the first couple of them. But if it's your health, you can't take it so lightly. Fortunately, there is help! Sites like MedlinePlus, and the Medical Library Association's website_ tell you how to find and evaluate health information on the web.

As for reliable free online health information in other languages than English, here are some useful sites:

• Canadian Cancer Society: Cancer information in other languages
• Heart and Stroke Foundation: Multilingual resources
• MedlinePlus: Health Information in Multiple Languages
• nnlm.gov: Consumer Health Information in Many Lanugages Resources
• NSW Multicultural Communication Services: Resources by language
• Stanford Health Library: Multilingual Health Information
• Tufts University: Selected Patient Information Resources in Asian Languages (SPIRAL)
• University Health Network: Resources in Other Languages - Multilingual

Moreover, don't forget your Toronto Public Library! To find out which branches have your language collection, click here.

Or you can search our catalogue and order the materials you want before you go. Here is how to search the Toronto Public Library website for multilingual materials.

There are two different ways to search.

The easiest way is to search in your own language. For example, to find some Chinese diabetes materials, _ simply type Hanyu Pinyin Tang Niao Bing in the search box from our library home page, and click Search. 20 results turn up (as of May 3rd, 2012).

Another way is to search in English for materials in your language, here is how to:

1. click Advanced search (it's on top of our home page, right next to the Search button)
2. type keywords/subject in the search box (leave All fields unchanged),
3. select Type of material that you prefer (books, movies & video, audiobooks, etc.)
4. select Language 
5. select appropriate branch from At library branch (we have 98 branches) You can select any one from the list but since we have limited multilingual materials, it's better not to limit this at all. If an item is not available in your branch, _ it can be transferred to your local branch for pick-up. So it's best to select any branch
6. select Age level (children/Teen/Adult)
7. select Include [Reference Materials (in-library only)/Circulating Materials (take-home)/Fiction-Books/ Non-Fiction Books]
8. click Search

Here is an example: a customer wants to find some Chinese materials on diabetes in the Toronto Public Library that she/ he can borrow.

Go to Advanced search, type "diabetes" (leave All fields unchanged), choose "any type" from Type, choose "Chinese" from Language, choose "any branch" from At library branch,  choose "Adult+Teen+Children" from Age level, choose "Circulating Materials (take-home)+Non-Fiction Books", then click Search. Viola! 17 items (as of May 3rd, 2012) show up.

Look through the 17 items and choose the one you want to borrow. Then click the green button Place Hold under each item to reserve them (If you didn't log in to your account before the search, you will be asked for your library and PIN number), then choose the branch from which you want to pick up the materials, finally click Place Hold again.

Then just relax and wait for the Library's notification (phone/email). Normally it takes 4-5 business days for the material to be transferred from branch to branch (if the material is available in the branch). Upon the notification, you got 7 days to pick-up your items.

Never too early to take good care of yourself - teen health

According to Statistics Canada and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more people die from heart disease and cancer than any other disease and condition. What's more, these two share a common cause - smoking.

A bad habit like smoking which you pick up mindlessly when you are young might worsen your health and even cost you your life later on (seriously!!! ). The good news is - it is preventable if you start to take care of yourself early.

The key is to

• understand your body (you are its owner!), and know how it works
• foster good behaviour/habits
• adopt a healthy lifestyle suitable for you as early as possible
• talk to your parents or health care provider if you have any concerns

And check out some books from the Toronto Public Library to inform yourself:

    

More free online information for you:

• MedlinePlus: Puberty, Teen Development,  Teen Health, Teen Sexual Health
• HealthyChildren.org: Teen
• TeensHealth.org: For Teens

Toxic Trespass: a Film About Children's Health and the Environment

 

In Toxic Trespass, filmaker Barri Cohen launches an investigation into the effects of the chemical soup around us.  She meets passionate activists working for positive change, along with doctors and scientists who see evidence of links between environmental pollution and health problems.  And she learns how barriers can go up when authorities are questioned about the connection between toxins and serious health problems.  This film is essential viewing for anyone concerned about the effects of pollutants on our --and our children's -- very DNA.

 

 

This free film screening and discussion takes place:

• Thursday, April 14, 2011 from 6:30 p.m.
• At the North York Central Library, Concourse
• 5120 Yonge St.
• Phone: 416-395-5630 or 416-395-5649
• North York Centre subway station

Check out the Library's recent books about children and pollution for more information.  To see which branch has a copy of the book and to place a hold, click on the cover or title link; 

Children and Pollution: Why Scientists Disagree	Dangerous or Safe?: Which Foods, Medicines, and Chemicals Really Put Your Kids at Risk	Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects Our Health

Looking for Health Statistics?

Good news! Most health statistics are available online for free. The best sources are health/medical professional organizations and Government agency websites. Here are a few popular ones:

Canadian health statistics

If you are looking for information on certain diseases or conditions the speediest way to go is to the professional organization's websites:

• Allergy/Asthma Information Association: Statistics (Asthma, Food Allergy, and Allergic Rhinitis)
• Asthma Society of Canada: Asthma Action Study, Asthma at school, Asthma Facts and Statistics
• Autism Society of Canada: Prevalence
• Canadian Cancer Society: Cancer Statistics
• Canadian Diabetes Association: The prevalence and costs of diabetes
• Canadian Lung Association: Statistics
• Canadian Mental Health Association: Mental Health Statistics
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Board: Health and safety statistics
• Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada: Statistics

For other topics or greater details visit the following websites:

• Statistics Canada: Health
• Public Health Agency of Canada: Surveillance
• City of Toronto:  Communicable Disease Surveillance: Statistics and Reports

American health statistics

American information is easier to find than Canadian one. The best way to find a particular disease or condition's statistical information is to go to MedlinePlus, choose your topic from Health Topics (either from List of All Topics, or Body Location/System, or Disorders and Conditions, or Demographic Groups), then under this particular disease or condition you will find its statistical information. 

Example:  after you choose  cancer, you will find "Statistics" under Reference Shelf (MedlinePlus organizes each disease/condition under 6 categories: Basics, Learn More, Multimedia & Cool Tools, Research, Reference Shelf, and For You). For cancer, it includes 6 links from different Government agencies (Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute) and the American Cancer Society which is a professional organization.

You can also start with MedlinePlus' Health Statistics, or go directly to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Data & Statistics.

International health statistics

• WHO: Data and statistics
• UNICEF: Childinfo: Statistics
• European Commission: Eurostat: Health
• Office for National Statistics (UK): Health
• Cancer Research UK: CancerStats
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW): Australia's national agency for health and welfare statistics and information
• New Zealand Health Information Service: Health Statistics

How to Talk with Your Doctor

 
We all have to visit our doctor's office at some point in our life. Nobody likes it - in fact, I don't know anyone who enjoys to see a doctor at all. It's just something we have to do, especially as we are getting older.

Research shows that patients who have a good relationship with their doctor receive better care and are happier with the care they receive.

So your health is not just in your doctor's hands but in your own as well. Here are some tips on how to improve your relationship with your doctor and get the best health care possible from your doctor. 

Prepare for your visit:

• Make a list of concerns
• Take information with you
• Make sure you can see and hear as well as possible
• Consider bringing a family member or friend
• Find an interpreter if you know you’ll need one
• Plan to update the doctor on what has happened since your last visit

 Ask questions:

• Ask every time you don't understand something.
• If you have questions before the appointment, write them down and ask them during the exam. Be sure to list the most important questions first to make sure they get answered.
• Tell your doctor if you need more time to talk about something.

For in-depth information, check out some books from the Toronto Public Library on your topic:

More information on patient-doctor relationship:

• MedlinePlus: Talking With Your Doctor
• National Institute on Aging (US): Talking With Your Doctor: A Guide for Older People
• College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario: Complaints
• Government of Canada: Patient's Bill of Rights

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the eye's optic nerve and result in vision loss and  blindness. It's the second most common cause of vision loss in seniors in Canada.

There are different types of glaucoma. The most common one is open-angle glaucoma (more than 250,000 Canadians have it). Most glaucomas involve the drainage system within the eye: the fluid drains too slowly out of the eye - when the normal fluid pressure inside the eyes slowly rises glaucoma occurs. If the pressure isn't controlled, it may cause damage to the optic nerve and other parts of the eye.

Anyone can develop glaucoma, although some people are at higher risk than others. Glaucoma risk factors include:

• Elevated internal eye pressure (intraocular pressure)
• Age
• Ethnic background
• Family history of glaucoma
• Medical conditions
• Other eye conditions
• Nearsightedness
• Prolonged corticosteroid use

Glaucoma has no symptoms at first. People with open-angle glaucoma will slowly lose their peripheral (side) vision without treatment - they seem to be looking through a tunnel (tunnel vision). Over time, straight-ahead vision may decrease until no vision remains.

There is no cure for glaucoma. If it is detected early, glaucoma can be managed before irreversible vison loss occurs. For high risk people after age 35, it is recommended to have eye exam every year or two. Glaucoma treatments include medicines, laser trabeculoplasty, conventional surgery, or a combination of any of these.

Check out some books and DVD from the Toronto Public Library on your topic:

 

More information on your topic:

• CNIB: Glaucoma
• MedlinePlus: Glaucoma
• National Eye Institute: Facts About Glaucoma
• Glaucoma Research Foundation: Diagnostic Tests, Alternative Medicine
• Glaucoma Foundation: Doctor I Have a Question about Glaucoma: A Guide for Patients and Their Families, How Glaucoma is Treated
  
  

Goodnight Insomnia: Getting a Good Night's Sleep

Do you have trouble getting to sleep?  Staying asleep? Do you consistently feel sleepy, irritable or depressed during the day?  These are all symptoms of insomnia.

 

Who is most likely to get insomnia?  As many as half of adults have occasional bouts of insomnia. Women are twice as likely as men to experience chronic insomnia and those who are 60 or over frequently have difficulty sleeping.  A mental health disorder such as depression may disrupt sleep.  Shift workers and those under a lot of stress also are more likely to experience chronic insomnia.

Two good introductions to insomnia including healthy sleep habits and lifestyle changes are the MayoClinic.com article on Insomnia and the Cleveland Clinic Insomnia information sheet.

The National Sleep Foundation provides several good fact sheets on specific sleep topics such as Aging and Sleep, Shift Work and Sleep and Women and Sleep.  Print off brochures about sleep in women, children, the aging and shift workers as well as many other topics related to sleep and sleep disorders at the Canadian Sleep Society website.

For more information, Ask a Sleep Specialist at the Canadian Sleep Society website.                                                                                                                                                

This Sunday November 7 at 2:00 a.m. you set your clocks back one hour.  But will you use that extra hour to sleep?  Dawn light filtering through the bedroom window an hour earlier may cause some to wake earlier than planned and lead to daytime sleepiness. 

What can you do to adjust to the time change? Try going to bed at the same time you normally do, awaken at the usual time on Sunday morning and keep the sleeping area dark.

Check out the Library's recent books about insomnia and sleep disorders.  To see which branch has a copy of the book and to place a hold, click on the title link;



Quiet Your Mind & Get to Sleep	Restful Insomnia	Say Good Night to Insomnia

Wide Awake: a Memoir of Insomnia	The Cleveland Clinic Guide to Sleep Disorders	Insomnia and Other Adult Sleep Problems

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

 Age-related macular degeneration (AMD, also called macular degeneration) is the leading cause of vision loss in North America - it affects one million Canadians and 10 millions Americans.  

 We need central vision to see objects clearly and to do common daily tasks such as reading and driving. AMD is a disease associated with aging that slowly destroys sharp, central vision.

 What causes AMD? Age is the greatest risk factor - people over age 60 are at a higher risk than other age groups. Other factors include: smoking, obesity, race, family history, and gender.

There are two types of AMD: dry and wet.

Dry AMD is more common. It is associated with drusen (small yellow deposits) in the macula. Dry AMD causes the macula to lose its function. The most common symptom of dry AMD is blurred central vision that deteriorates gradually. Dry AMD has three stages: early, intermediate, and advanced. Once dry AMD reaches the advanced stage, no treatment can prevent vision loss. However, treatment can delay and possibly prevent intermediate AMD from progressing to the advanced stage.

Wet AMD accounts for about 15% of all cases of the disease. In wet AMD, abnormal blood vessels beneath the macula start to leak fluid, causing the retina to become distorted. A common symptom of wet AMD is that straight lines appear wavy, and central vision degrades quickly. Wet AMD can be treated with laser surgery, photodynamic therapy, and injections into the eye.

There is no cure for AMD yet, so early detection is very important. If in doubt, talk to your doctor. The earlier AMD is diagnosed, the greater the chances of preventing vision loss.

Your lifestyle can also make a difference in reducing your risk of developing AMD, for example:

• Eat a healthy diet high in green leafy vegetables and fish.
• Don't smoke.
• Maintain normal blood pressure.
• Watch your weight.
• Exercise

 Borrow some books and DVD from the Toronto Public Library on your topic:

    


More information on age-related macular degeneration:

• AMD Alliance International: Rehabilitation
• CNIB: Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
• Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology: Acupuncture for Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Antioxidant Supplements and Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
• mayoclinic.com: Dry macular degeneration, Wet macular degeneration
• MedlinePlus: Macular Degeneration
• National Eye Institute: Age-Related Macular Degeneration: What You Should Know

Bedwetting

Children are usually ready to use a potty around 12-24 months. Most are fully toilet trained by age 4, but  there's no target date for developing complete bladder control. Bed-wetting remains a problem for only about 15 percent of children by age 5.

What causes bedwetting? No expert knows the answer yet. A mix of the following factors may play a role:

• A small bladder
• Inability to recognize a full bladder
• A hormone imbalance
• Stress
• Urinary tract infection
• Sleep apnea
• Diabetes
• Chronic constipation
• Anatomical defect

How to help your child? Keep in mind that your child's bedwetting isn't voluntary - don't punish him or her. Help your child with some simple steps: skipping drink before bedtime, using the washroom before bed, etc.

If your child is 7 years old or older and wets the bed more than two or three times in a week, a doctor may be able to help. If both day and night wetting occur after age 5, your child should see a doctor before age 7.

Treatments include waiting (many children overcome bedwetting naturally without treatment as they grow older), dietary modification, moisture alarms, medications, and bladder training.

Borrow some books from the Toronto Public Library on your topic:

 

      

More information on bedwetting:

• familydoctor.org: Enuresis (Bed-Wetting)
• KidsHealth: Bedwetting
• MedBroadcast: Bedwetting
• MedlinePlus: Bedwetting
• National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: What I need to know about My Child’s Bedwetting

Infertility

Canada's fertility rate (the average number of children per woman) is 1.66 - well below the replacement level fertility rate of 2.1 (the level of fertility the population needs to replace itself from one generation to the next).

Some people choose to be childless due to their lifestyle, others just can't get pregnant naturally or even with medical assistance - that is infertility. In a nutshell, infertility means not being able to become pregnant after a year of trying. It isn't uncommon: there are about 7% Canadian and 10% American having difficulty to get pregnant.

There are various causes of infertility.

• In about 20 percent of cases, infertility is due to a cause involving only the male partner.
• In about 30 to 40 percent of cases, infertility is due to causes involving both the male and female.
• In the remaining 40 to 50 percent of cases, infertility is due entirely to a cause involving the female.

See more details in Merck Manual.

Although Infertility isn't life threatening like cancer, it can be very emotional, and take a toll on your family relationships. Take a deep breath, calm down and check out what options are available out there: treatment or adoption.

Borrow some books from the Toronto Public Library on your topic:

      

More information on infertility:

• Infertility Awareness Association of Canada: Adoption
• MedBroadcast: Infertility
• MedlinePlus: Infertility
• New York Online Access to Health: Infertility