Health Information

Increase your knowledge, lower your risks.

• Provincial Health Insurance Information
• General Medical Information
• Disease-Specific Information
• Drug Information
• Getting Help
• Health Feature: Preventing Illness

Provincial Health Insurance Information

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland & Labrador
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Nunavut
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Québec
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon

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General Medical Information

• Health Canada
  The home page for the federal government Ministry of Health.
• Medbroadcast.com
  A large Canadian health site with articles and information on most health topics.
• Men’s Health
  Health links for men from the federal government.
• Women’s Health
  A voluntary organization collecting health information for women.

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Disease-Specific Information

• Asthma & COPD
  The Asthma Society is dedicated to helping Canadians live with asthma through research and education.
• Arthritis & Osteoporosis
  The Arthritis Society is Canada's only not-for-profit organization devoted solely to funding and promoting arthritis research, programs and patient care.
• Cancer
  The Canadian Cancer Society is a national, community-based organization of volunteers, whose mission is the eradication of cancer and the enhancement of the quality of life of people living with cancer.
• Cerebral Palsy
  The Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy is a non-profit, charitable organization with a mandate to address the changing needs of people in Ontario with cerebral palsy.
• Diabetes
  The Canadian Diabetes Association promotes the health of Canadians through diabetes research, education, service and advocacy.
  
• Hearing Impaired
  The Canadian Association of the Deaf provides consultation and information on Deaf needs and interests to the public, business, media, educators, governments and others.
  
• Heart Disease & Stroke
  The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living and advocacy.
• Mental Health
  The Canadian Mental Health Association promotes the mental health of all and supports the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness.
• Multiple Sclerosis
  The mission of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is to be a leader in finding a cure for multiple sclerosis and enabling people affected by MS to enhance their quality of life.
• Vision Impaired
  CNIB is a nationwide, community-based, registered charity committed to research, public education and vision health for all Canadians. CNIB provides the services and support necessary for people to enjoy a good quality of life while living with vision loss.
• Rare Disorders
  The Canadian Organization for Rare Diseases is Canada’s national network for organizations representing all those with rare disorders.

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Drug Information

• Health Canada Drug Database
  Search by DIN number, company name, product name or active ingredient and the database will give you basic label information and indicate whether the drug is approved in Canada or not.
• Medbroadcast Drug Database
  Search by product name. The database gives a lot of information about the drug, including indicated use, side effects, known conflicts, normal dosage, etc.
• Canoe.ca Drug Factsheets
  Search by product name. The fact sheets are very complete and informative.

Getting Help

• Disabilities
  The goal of the March of Dimes is to enhance the independence and community participation of people with physical disabilities every day through a wide range of programs and services.
• Mental Health
  Advice from the CMHA on what to do if you are having trouble coping with your feelings.
• Senior Care
  Find all categories of in-home and residential senior care by location or provider name. Limited to Ontario, BC and Alberta.

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Health Feature: Preventing Illness

The best way to navigate the health care system is to stay out of it completely. Here are a few tips to help you lower the risk of developing one of the top five killer diseases in Canada. 

Heart Disease & Stroke
With four lifestyle choices you can put yourself in the lowest risk category for heart disease.

• Quit smoking
• Stick to a low fat, low cholesterol diet
• Exercise for at least 20 minutes, 3 times per week
• Maintain a healthy body weight

Cancer
The risk of dying from almost all cancers can be drastically reduced with proper monitoring and healthy lifestyle choices.

• Quitting smoking prevents lung cancer, which kills more people than any other kind
• A fibre-rich diet, exercise and regular rectal exams past the age of 50 reduces the chances of dying from colorectal cancer, one of the most common cancers
• A mammogram every 2 years reduces a woman’s risk of dying from breast cancer

Asthma & Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
COPD is almost always caused by smoking, and quitting smoking immediately reduces your chances of contracting this disease. Asthma can be controlled with careful use of controller medication and avoidance of triggers like pet dander and cigarette smoke.

Influenza
For healthy adults, influenza is not normally dangerous, but complications from influenza do result in 4,000 to 8,000 deaths every year, mostly among seniors. Influenza shots are widely available and safe unless you are allergic to them. Frequent hand washing is another way to prevent influenza.

Diabetes
Sedentary lifestyles, high fat diets, and growing obesity rates are some of the leading risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes; more than 2 million Canadians currently have diabetes. A healthy diet, exercise and maintaining a healthy body weight can help prevent type 2 diabetes, and help control both type 1 and 2 diabetes.

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