Atlantic Canadians of a certain age will remember taking cod liver oil in the winter to ward off colds, reduce arthritic symptoms and generally keep the doctor at bay. But since there was no way to camouflage the fishy taste of the oil (which inevitably turned rancid), the cure was often worse than the ailment.
Fast forward-the last several years have produced vast amounts of research documenting the beneficial effects of fish oil, and ways of rendering it palatable. 

Those 10 years had been a rough emotional ride, by any measure. At the age of 24, Joanne had achieved her goal of becoming an RCMP officer. A year later, she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. "My first MS attack was pretty big," she says. "I had double vision for eight months, seizures for six, and no speech for four." Joanne has a relapsing/remitting form of MS in which symptoms appear and resolve in cycles. But they don't always resolve entirely. "Every single time I take an attack, I don't know if I'm going to get better; I don't know if my nerves are going to scar, so usually at the beginning of an attack, I'm freaking out. It's a scary time."

Like the vision test that precedes it, shopping for corrective eyewear can be a real eye opener. Once sold only by optometrists and major department stores, prescription glasses and contact lenses are now widely available at specialty optical stores, big box stores, grocery stores, and over the internet. Price isn't the only factor in deciding where to shop, but for most of us it is a major one.

Ten years ago Halifax resident Doug Jennex retired from his job as a manufacturer's agent.Two years ago he had congestive heart failure and almost died.

Now 67, Jennex is working hard to eat right and keep fit. You might say that he has taken it to heart.
 

Lynne FitzGerald hadn't even hit her 55th birthday when she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. It was devastating news. A single mom with stage four cancer (meaning the cancer had spread from her colon and multiple tumours now riddled her liver) she was given a year to live.
"My life had just been turned upside down," says FitzGerald. Unable to work through debilitating rounds of chemo and recovery from surgery, FitzGerald was forced to cash in her RRSPs and ended up on welfare.  Four years later, she has beaten back the cancer and is now surviving on a disability pension and hoping to return to work. Even with all the pain and heartache associated with her story, she still says she's one of the lucky ones. "I was a no-hoper and I'm still alive."

Experts on drug therapy, interactions and side effects, pharmacists are now also taking on expanded professional advisory roles. Following the lead of their colleagues in Alberta, pharmacists across Atlantic Canada are in the process of receiving limited prescribing rights. Pharmacists may not diagnose or prescribe new medications, but are recognized as primary health-care providers and drug experts who may be able to provide you with refills of certain prescriptions.

Early January saw the QEII Health Sciences Centre welcome the region's first Intra-operative MRI - the PoleStar® Surgical MRI System from Medtronic Navigation. Made possible by funding through the QEII Foundation from Medtronic and other donors, this revolutionary compact system provides surgeons with real-time, high quality images before, during and after neurosurgical procedures.

On school days, Ellie Scott, a Grade 8 student at Central Kings Rural High School in Cambridge, N.S., tries to remember to leave home with $3.50-in case it's "spaghetti day" at the cafeteria. "I just love it," she enthuses about the whole-wheat pasta with tomato, meat and vegetable sauce.
If it's not spaghetti day, Ellie might have made a ham sandwich or green salad, or perhaps
she'll buy a turkey burger at the cafeteria. What she can't purchase is pop, hot dogs or french fries, because according to the Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Public Schools, Central Kings isn't allowed to sell junk or fast foods.

They arethe unsung heroes who make a difference every day in the lives of QEII Health Sciences Centre patients and resident veterans at the Veterans' Memorial Building. Nurses, technicians, care-givers and support staff, physicians and porters - the list is lengthy, and so is the commitment to helping those who need it most.