Tax-Free Savings Account – Coming Soon

The new Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) is designed to help Canadians save for important goals and reduce their overall tax bill. Beginning in 2009, if you reside in Canada and are at least 18 years of age, you can contribute up to $5,000 per year to a TFSA and then watch your savings grow tax-free throughout your lifetime.
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Anatomy 101: What is a Nerve Entrapment?

A nerve entrapment occurs when a nerve is “stuck” to its adjacent structures or is not sliding properly along its course due to scar tissue adhesions. Symptoms of a nerve entrapment include numbness, tingling, pain, weakness and tightness. Sciatica and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are the most common nerve entrapments. These are familiar terms to people but most don’t know what causes a nerve entrapment and that there are new treatment methods that are effective in managing them. Read more

November 2008

With federal and municipal elections just behind us, and the provincial legislature in session, there’s a lot to talk about politically. First, I want to congratulate the NDP’s Peter Stoffer on again winning his seat with such an overwhelming majority. Citizens demonstrated their confidence in Peter’s continued ability to best represent them as an MP in Ottawa. Read more

October 2008

Every winter, I get calls from people who have run out of oil, or who face a dilemma nobody should have to face: whether to heat their home, or pay their rent. Many are also unable to afford groceries. The NDP has been calling on the government to double its rebates and scrap its tax on basic electricity. We’ve had some success getting increased rebates. However, consumers of electricity will still be hard hit this winter by the Conservatives’ eight per cent tax and, if approved, Nova Scotia Power’s 2009 rate increase—its fifth increase Read more

How Can You Prevent Low Back Pain?

Patients often ask me what they can do to prevent future episodes of low back pain. My answer, almost always is physical exercise. While patients sometimes respond with a groan, frankly there is no good substitute for exercise. An anonymous physician was once quoted saying “if exercise could be capsulated in pill form, it would be the #1 prescribed drug.”

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Are Sit-ups Hurting Your Back? A Better Way to Train the Core

Many people do exercises like sit-ups, crunches and back extensions with the hope of strengthening the muscles of the back and stomach- a region commonly referred as the core. The problem is that these exercises may actually be doing you more harm than good by placing high levels of strain on the joints and discs of the spine.

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