Local Life
Viva Vitality: Celebrating World Oral Health Day
By Kaleigh Southwell on March 27th, 2026
March is the beginning of spring, but also a time to celebrate one of your greatest assets: your smile! March 20 marked World Oral Health Day, a global campaign that reminds us how important it is to care for our mouths and, in turn, our overall well-being. The mouth and body connection Your mouth is ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Common Sensed Health: Leading the life you want
By Diana Gifford-Jones on March 27th, 2026
There’s something quietly heartbreaking about waiting too long to start living the life you might have had all along. An 83-year-old reader wrote to me recently. For decades, this person lived with social exclusion, low self-esteem, and fear. Then, just last year, they did something about it. They signed up for modern line dancing at ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Service Above Self: Child and maternal health – Good news, really bad news
By Kitt Brand on March 24th, 2026
So, which do you want first, the good news or the bad? OK, good news first. Child mortality (death) and morbidity (near death) in children have improved greatly since 1830, when one third of all children born in Alberta failed to live to their fifth birthday. That’s 333 deaths per 1,000 births. With vaccinations and ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!By the Way: Check it out
By Rev. Nancy Cocks on March 21st, 2026
I’m one of those annoying people who ‘googles’ topics mid-conversation in case ‘facts’ can inform our chats. When I checked a health topic recently, the AI assistant admitted “AI is not always accurate.” Such humility! This footnote called to mind a prominent investigative reporter who explained that she had to document everything reported as ‘fact’ ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!All Psyched Up: Hold on!
By Linda Hancock on March 21st, 2026
When I was growing up my uncle had what we thought was a big boat with a 60 hp motor. His three children were all wonderful skiers, and I wanted to learn how to ski like them. I tried and tried and tried without success. My uncle instructed me to sit in a fetal position ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Science Smarts: Air currents
By Patty Rooks on March 21st, 2026
It is a big weekend for Praxis and so many of the students in southeastern Alberta – it is Regional Science Fair time! We will be at Medicine Hat College all day judging projects, and this year we will have some hands-on STEM activity tables for our participants to take part in when they have ... Read More »
1 responseCommon Sense Health: Does your doctor care?
By Diana Gifford-Jones on March 20th, 2026
If doctors depended like actors do on an ability to connect with their audience, the medical profession would get better reviews. But most patients will tell you the same thing about their doctor: they don’t make that connection at a human level. They are elusive – virtually impossible to reach for a discussion. When they ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Viva Vitality: Rethink what poison means
By Melissa Schlenker on March 20th, 2026
Every March during National Poison Prevention week, Canadians are invited to pause and reflect on a danger often hiding in plain sight. When we think of poisons, most people picture a bottle with a skull and crossbone. But in fact, poisons can be far more ordinary than you might think. Medications, vitamins, cosmetics, personal care ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Heritage in the Hat: Scouting for success
By Sally Sehn on March 19th, 2026
St. John’s Presbyterian Church can lay claim as host of the first Boy Scout troop in Medicine Hat. Originating in England, the Scout movement quickly spread across the pond. In an age before airmail, radio, television, and the internet, how did the movement get established in Medicine Hat? It began with books. The founder, Robert ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!All Psyched Up: Where do you live?
By Linda Hancock on March 14th, 2026
When I first started working at Alberta Mental Health, I made a comment in the staff meeting that resulted in raised eyebrows. It was about how our diagnoses seemed to fit into the times of our life where we focus our attention. Let me explain: 1. Past – Those who are constantly thinking about the ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Science Smarts: Thermometer
By Patty Rooks on March 14th, 2026
I do not know about you, but I often look at the weather before I leave in the morning. This helps me know what I should wear so I am prepared for anything – especially this time of the year. The weather can be quit unpredictable. Of course, when I looked out the window this ... Read More »
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