Conditions and illnesses

The kidneys are powerful organs that play a vital role in keeping the human body healthy. What’s more, they perform not just one but three essential functions in our bodies.

Kidneys aren't organs you think about very often, but they are vital to our survival, because they filter waste, extra fluid and salt from the body. When the kidneys stop working properly (known as kidney failure or kidney “injury”), the person may need acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) dialysis and kidney transplantation.

When we hear the word arthritis, many of us think of adult or elderly patients with joint pain and stiffness. But did you know that arthritis is a condition that affects about one in 1,000 children and teenagers in Canada—a total of 10,000 young people?

True. Confusion can arise because the words “tumor” and “cancer” are often regarded as the same thing. A tumor is not necessarily cancer, however.

False. It’s a common misunderstanding that sugar causes diabetes. It doesn’t. The real cause has more to do with insulin—or more precisely, the lack of it.

Your son is one of many teens who are making the decision to become a vegetarian. People who choose vegetarian diets do so for any number of reasons, whether it’s a desire to get more of their nutrition from plant-based foods or a concern for animal welfare. Following a vegetarian diet is easier than it used to be. And with the growing availability of foods from other cultures, vegetarian diets have become a lot more interesting too.

Who doesn’t love a chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven? Or an icy cold soft drink on a hot summer day? These are tempting for sure, but do you know how much sugar you or your kids are eating when you indulge in one of these sweet treats?

What can I do to ensure she stops visiting them and that she is not taking the content of these sites as fact?

False. This is perhaps the most widespread misconception about eating disorders and may be one of the reasons many disordered eating conditions go undiagnosed, according to Dr. Holly Agostino, a specialist in Adolescent Medicine at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.