Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan named Canada’s newest chief of the defence staff

Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan named Canada’s newest chief of the defence staff

The federal government has named Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan as defence chief. As CBC News first reported last week, Carignan’s appointment makes her the first woman to hold the Canadian Armed Forces’ top job. She is currently the military’s chief of professional conduct and culture, a position created following the sexual misconduct crisis. Several high-ranking leaders were forced … Read more

A brain implant reduced this boy’s epilepsy seizures by 80%. And he charges it with headphones

A brain implant reduced this boy’s epilepsy seizures by 80%. And he charges it with headphones

As It Happens6:21A brain implant reduced this boy’s epilepsy seizures by 80%. And he charges it with his headphones Before he got his new brain implant, 13-year-old Oran Knowlson’s whole life revolved around his seizures. The British boy has a rare, medicine-resistant form of epilepsy that caused him to have hundreds of seizures a day,  … Read more

Pharmaceuticals in our waterways affect wildlife. This researcher says it’s a big problem

Pharmaceuticals in our waterways affect wildlife. This researcher says it’s a big problem

The Current11:38How our discarded drugs are sparking sex changes in fish What do fish act like on anti-anxiety medication? According to Karen Kidd, “they get bolder” and don’t rely on their usual survival skills — and that’s part of a big problem. “Fish are swimming around in the soup of drugs … and a drug … Read more

U.S. surgeon general wants warning labels on social media platforms

U.S. surgeon general wants warning labels on social media platforms

The U.S. surgeon general has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes. In a Monday opinion piece in the New York Times, Dr. Vivek Murthy said that social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people. “It is … Read more

‘They were pretty much everywhere’: This Cambridge couple pulled over a dozen ticks off their dog

‘They were pretty much everywhere’: This Cambridge couple pulled over a dozen ticks off their dog

Hike up your socks and check your pets — tick season is already in full force. Rob and Kathy Bull of Cambridge, Ont., are warning others to check themselves and their pets. After the couple took their four-year-old Jack Russell terrior, Roxy, for a short walk through Dumfries Conservation area, they had to pick about 20 ticks … Read more

Why deathbed dreams and visions can be a comfort for the dying — and those left behind

Why deathbed dreams and visions can be a comfort for the dying — and those left behind

The Current23:09What dying people see in their dreams As Charlotte Good was dying of pancreatic cancer in a Toronto hospital in 2007, she experienced a dream or vision of her own mother — who had died years before. Charlotte’s daughter, Cynthia Good, was staying over that night and sensed that she’d sat up. “I got … Read more

Shoppers Drug Mart faces proposed class action for alleged ‘unethical corporate practices’

Shoppers Drug Mart faces proposed class action for alleged ‘unethical corporate practices’

A former Shoppers Drug Mart franchise owner has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the Canadian retail pharmacy chain, and its parent company Loblaw, alleging the companies imposed “unsafe and unethical” corporate practices on franchise owner pharmacists to increase profits. The claim was filed in Ontario Superior Court last week and intends to cover … Read more

How exercise might help treat depression better than counselling or leading medications – and a runner who says it saved her life

How exercise might help treat depression better than counselling or leading medications – and a runner who says it saved her life

“I was not paying attention to my physical and mental health and I just crashed and burned. I found myself with depression and ignored it for the longest time, and then almost came to the end of the road with a suicide attempt,” she says. Grisoni (centre) during the gruelling HK100 ultra race in January. … Read more

The pharmacare bill is coming today — here’s what you need to know

The pharmacare bill is coming today — here’s what you need to know

The Liberal government is expected to table its pharmacare legislation today — possibly the biggest expansion of publicly funded health care in Canada in decades. Because Canada is the only country in the world with a universal health care system that doesn’t have universal drug coverage, the move would take Canada one step closer to parity … Read more

Heal your broken heart with science — plus ice cream and good wine

Heal your broken heart with science — plus ice cream and good wine

Anyone who’s experienced the heartbreak of a relationship ending knows it can be emotionally devastating. But scientists have found that a breakup also has physical effects on our brains — and our bodies.  In Love Hurts: The Science of Heartbreak, a documentary from The Nature of Things, Anthony Morgan speaks with researchers and scientists to … Read more