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Live Well at this ‘anti-gym’ – Surrey Now-Leader

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The new year has arrived and you know what that means – goals, diets and overfilled fitness classes. For those looking to make longterm health and lifestyle changes, the new year often brings headaches and heavy sighs. In the flurry of discounted memberships, new training styles and demanding contracts, you can easily get lost in the noise and shy away from making the significant health changes needed in order to live a higher quality of life.

LIVE WELL is a medical fitness clinic built on the belief that exercise is medicine. With locations throughout BC, including two here in North Delta and Surrey, their evidence-based programs are designed to help those struggling with health issues such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension or heart disease. It’s also ideal for those taking a proactive approach to their health to avoid health problems down the road.

Members come to LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic for many reasons – lose weight, lower cholesterol, improve blood pressure, have more energy or combat stress. Regardless of who you are or where you come from, you’ll find an inclusive environment where all are welcome.

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So how is it doing? We asked four North Delta and Surrey residents to share how LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic has changed their lives.

Specialized training programs in a supervised setting

“I joined LIVE WELL because I needed an exercise program that would help alleviate the chronic pain of fibromyalgia and arthritis and help my body move with more freedom,” says member Connie Godfrey. “My program is built upon the exercises my body needs to heal and become stronger, while tracking and monitoring my progress.”

Connie has come to LIVE WELL for two years and now frequents the newly opened North Delta clinic. At 50, her health is more important to her than ever before.

“The incredibly fun, knowledgeable and caring staff take the time to check in with each member on a personal level. The clinics are staffed with highly trained and educated Clinical Exercise Physiologists and Kinesiologists, and sessions are fully supervised so you know you’re in a safe space where your program has been designed for your medical history and health goals.”

But there’s more here than exercise!

“I’ve been able to use tools that I’ve gained through my emotional recovery, to push myself forward in my physical recovery through exercising at LIVE WELL. I also have a lot better balance, more confidence, and feel better after exercising.”

As part of their clinically focussed approach to wellness, LIVE WELL also offers advice on healthy eating, with on-site health coaches sharing the role nutrition plays in a healthy lifestyle.

“The accountability of having a health coach keeps me honest and real about the foods I eat and my activity level,” Connie says.

The power of community

Cecilia Valenzuela joined LIVE WELL’s Surrey location in 2017, enjoying workouts designed for her unique health and fitness needs. Taking into account her abilities and limitations, her routines constantly evolve with her changing health.

“I have chronic and painful joint issues because of Lupus and Fibromyalgia. I also had liver failure in 2013 and kidney failure and pnuemonia with bilateral collapsed lungs in 2016. I couldn’t even laugh. I needed an exercise program created for my health challenges.”

Today, Cecilia’s regular exercise program has made her pain more manageable, reducing the number of flare-ups and related hospital visits.

She’s also seen other health benefits, too. “I’m more flexible and my cardiovascular health has improved. I could only walk five minutes and now I’m walking over an hour. My strength has increased, I’ve lost weight and I’ve reduced my waist and hip measurements by four inches!”

Often members enter the program as a couple or with a friend. Whether it’s someone you already know or a friend you make by joining, it’s just part of the support network built into the LIVE WELL community. In fact, only a year after Cecilia joined, her husband Victor also joined LIVE WELL in Surrey.

“I’ve had three car accidents, the last one was in 2018. My memory is still affected and I have chronic pain from my neck to my lower back,” Victor says. Since joining the program, he’s seen improvements to his pain levels, strength and flexibility.

For Victor, safety and supervision are key. “My Clinical Exercise Physiologist challenges me to do more and I know the exercises he prescribes to me are safe. I like the attention I get from the staff and I’m confident in their advice.”

Working with your Physician

After reading about LIVE WELL’s clinical approach to health, Qamrul Mohammed joined as a North Delta member even before that clinic opened last spring.

“My clinical team at LIVE WELL tracks vitals such as blood pressure, weight, heart rate and body measurements. After a baseline assessment at the beginning of the program, regular assessments let me see the real positive changes occurring in my body.”

Qamrul’s progress is regularly reported to her family physician. In fact, LIVE WELL works closely with members’ physicians to create plans geared toward improving their health – a truly unique and powerful feature of the program.

“The positive atmosphere and culture of support and encouragement all help me achieve my overall health vision: To improve my health and live the best quality of life I can,” Qamrul explains.

What keeps Qamrul at LIVE WELL? “The welcoming staff, their genuine concern for my well-being and their expertise. Today, I can garden for longer periods with no shoulder pain. I have lost weight, have more energy during the day and feel good about myself.”

If you’re trying to lose weight, reduce cholesterol or blood pressure, or simply want to get healthier, LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic can help. But because of their attentive care, LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic only accepts 300 members in each new clinic, so if you’re in North Delta or Surrey, act fast!

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Qamrul Mohammed joined LIVE WELL North Delta before the clinic even opened its doors! She loves gardening and comes to LIVE WELL for prevention and for the community.

LIVE WELL member Connie Godfrey appreciates the fun, knowledgeable staff who take the time to check in with each member on a personal level.

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Canada to donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to combat mpox outbreaks in Africa

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The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.

It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.

Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”

Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.

Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.

On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.

Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”

But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”

“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.

Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.

Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.

Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.

“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.

“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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How many Nova Scotians are on the doctor wait-list? Number hit 160,000 in June

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HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.

The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.

Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.

“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”

The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.

A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.

Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.

“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.

Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.

The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.

“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

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Newfoundland and Labrador monitoring rise in whooping cough cases: medical officer

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ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.

Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.

Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.

The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.

“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.

Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.

Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.

Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.

A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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