A recent study found that nearly 75% of employees in underrepresented groups — women, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ employees — do not feel they've personally benefited from their companies' diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. As many executives re-examined their organizations' diversity and inclusion initiatives, they discovered a reinvention...
Promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, once considered a worthy goal, now has become imperative to employee experience and organizational success. More than half of employers say DEI would be a high priority for them this year. The following is a guest blog post from CloudAdvisors, Canada's Employee Benefits Marketplace,...
A randomized controlled trial showed that people suffering from depression and anxiety recovered faster when their medications were optimized using Pillcheck pharmacogenetics testing (also known as pharmacogenomics or PGx testing). The study evaluated the impact of pharmacogenomics-guided prescribing versus standard antidepressant treatment of depression and anxiety in three large...
The concept of pharmacogenetics, that is, a link between genetic variations and drug response, is over 70 years old. The first paper on the topic was published in 1957 by Arno G Motulsky. Werner Kalow published the book “Pharmacogenetics. Heredity and the response to drugs” back in 1962. Since...
Over 10% of people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus experience acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and require supportive treatment with oxygen and even mechanical lung ventilation. Multiple COVID-19 complications occur because SARS family coronaviruses can cause extensive heart and lung damage. SARS-CoV-2 viruses can easily penetrate deep into these...
What if you or one of your parents experience depression later in life, and the doctor prescribes an antidepressant? It’s important to understand the health risks and take careful steps to minimize them, especially if other medications are being taken as well. As we get older, medication management becomes...
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a complex chronic disease of the gastrointestinal tract. Multiple factors are known to influence predisposition to UC, including genetics, gut microbiota composition, and diet. A recent genetic analysis of gut epithelial cells in UC patients revealed unique patterns of mutation that drive disease progression. Mutations...
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive autoimmune disease affecting the brain and spinal cord, leading to weakness of limb muscles, tremors, poor coordination and electric shock sensation from certain movements. MS also causes chronic fatigue and can affect vision, memory and speech. The causes of MS are still unknown,...
Chronic pain is notoriously hard to treat. Affected individuals endure pain for months or years, trying desperately to find a remedy to take the pain away. Unfortunately, less than 30% of patients respond, even with the best treatment. It may take several months to reduce the pain to tolerable...
Hypertension is a risk factor for developing dementia later in life. Effective blood pressure control and prevention of age-related hyper and hypotension, or high and low blood pressure, is vital for reducing dementia risk. Several medications might be needed to reduce your risk of heart disease and vascular dementia,...
