FreeStyle LibreLink app offers Canadians an easier way to manage diabetes

Abbott announced today that the company has received the Health Canada license of its free FreeStyle LibreLink mobile app for use with compatible iOS smartphones. Canada is the first North American country to have access to this real-time diabetes management digital health tool.

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RunGo app created for Apple Watch to enhance running experiences

By Sonya Davidson

Runners often say they don't just go for the exercise, they also get out to explore different routes and terrains to make a run more interesting. So, when it comes to this form of outdoor activity what comes to mind? We often map out a start and a finish point.

We generally have an idea in mind of a route to get to our final destination that is familiar to us. Sure we can take a run up Yonge Street in Toronto that can get a bit boring (minus that brutal hill at Yonge and York Mills) or we can head to the Beaches area but that always leads to the local coffee and bake shop.

But sometimes we want a change of scenery. I admit to sticking to my usual familiar routes so I won't get lost in unfamiliar territory, or terrain beyond my limits. But recently I had discovered the RunGo app that not only offers some interesting routes in my city, but also in other places around the world.

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Canadian designed yoga mats incorporate artistic elements

Yoga Design Lab launches it’s eye-catching yoga mats in Canada. The innovative yoga brand has been shaking up the industry south of the border with yoga mats described by Harper's Bazaar and Fitness Magazine as 'stunning works of art’. Designed in Bali by a Canadian surfer/yogi named Chad, who sold all his stuff and moved there to launch the idea in 2014. "I was seated in the back of a packed yoga class while on vacation in Ubud, Bali. Looking around, all I saw was a sea of unoriginal, massed produced, solid colored mats. My thinking was, there must be a way of creating a highly functional product that was also aesthetically beautiful. So the journey began.

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Stress Strategies online tool launches

We all experience stress in our lives and it's normal and often unavoidable. Some amounts of stress are okay and considered healthy for us. However, if not managed properly, stress can build up and impact our health. Leading up to Mental Health Awareness Week (May 4-10)The Psychology Foundation of Canada launches Stress Strategies, an online tool empowering Canadian adults to explore the sources of their stress and develop their own customized plans for managing it. 

With support from a panel of leading psychologists and experts and Pfizer Canada, The Psychology Foundation of Canada has developed this free and easy-to-use tool to walk users through the process of identifying simple and actionable strategies to manage stressors. 

In Canada, there are nearly 15 million doctor visits annual for either depression or anxiety,(according to IMS Health. Canadian Disease and Therapeutic Index (CDIT) Canada, 2009), both of which can be exacerbated by stress. Other severe stress-related health issues include increased risk of heart disease, weakened immune system, gastro-intestinal problems, headache and weight gain. The Stress Strategies is designed to help Canadians reframe the way they perceive and manage stress to live positive, productive lives. 

The site is 100 per cent confidential and designed for information, self-help and skill development purposes. Individuals dealing with acute levels of ongoing stress are advised to seek help from a mental health or medical professional. Visit www.stressstrategies.ca for more details.