Chronic disease prevention crucial for future of Canadians' health and<br>healthcare system

    
    Conventional and complementary/alternative health experts come together
    to discuss "integrative care" and chronic disease prevention strategies
    at unique educational event
    

TORONTO, Oct. 21 /CNW/ - Life expectancy has increased but we are likely to live longer battling heart disease, cancer and diabetes; disabled by osteoporosis and arthritis; or blinded by macular degeneration. Many factors, from "bad genes" to poor nutrition, environmental toxins, lack of exercise and excess stress, contribute to increasing the risk of chronic degenerative disease and their progression. What steps we can take to improve our odds for a long, healthy life and reduce the burden on our ailing healthcare system? How can evidence-based complementary and alternative therapies be integrated with conventional medicine into a more prevention-focused healthcare model?

    
    What:   The Long, Healthy Life
            Exploring Natural Strategies for Increased Longevity and Chronic
            Disease Prevention
            An educational event for the public and health professionals

    When:   Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25, 2009

    Where:  Ontario Science Centre, Toronto

    Who:    Leading physicians, researchers, naturopathic doctors, and other
            complementary health practitioners will address a mixed audience
            of health professionals and the public on a wide range of topics,
            discussing and debating essential questions such as:

    -   Are genes our destiny, or can bad genes be modified by exercise,
        stress reduction and diet?

    -   What does emerging research say about the role of Vitamin D - and the
        more than 40 other essential nutrients - in preventing and managing
        chronic disease?

    -   What do our cell's telomeres - the research subject of this year's
        Nobel Prize in medicine - have to tell us about how well we are
        aging? And how can we impact their story?

    Highlights include:

    Modifiable Influences on Health and Longevity - Dr. Aileen Burford-Mason,
    PhD, noted research analyst, immunologist, orthomolecular nutritionist
    and former cancer researcher, sifts through the evidence to provide a
    compelling case for the importance of optimal nutrition and
    supplementation in reducing or managing chronic disease.

    When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress - Dr. Gabor Maté,
    Vancouver-based physician and bestselling author of four books,
    illuminates the scientifically observed connection between emotional
    stress and the development of chronic illness.

    Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life
    Affects our Health - Dr. Rick Smith, PhD, prominent environmentalist and
    author, chronicles his personal experiment raising and lowering the
    levels of toxic chemicals in himself through everyday activities to
    demonstrate the ease with which they can accumulate in the human body.
    

Full event details are available at www.HolisticHealthResearch.ca.

The Long, Healthy Life is hosted by the Holistic Health Research Foundation of Canada, a national charitable organization dedicated to funding research, and public and health professional education in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Their vision is optimal health for all Canadians and an improved health care system focused on prevention, holism and integration.

For further information: To book speaker interviews or attend the event, please contact: Keren Brown, Executive Director, [email protected], [phone], Cell (event days ONLY): [phone]