Our lead columnist, Dr. Art Hister, graduated from McGill University, in Montreal, Canada, in 1970. In 1971 he moved across the country to Vancouver to become the first full-time physician with the Pine Free Clinic, the first Canadian clinic established to deal exclusively with transient youth. Dr. Hister left the Pine Free Clinic in 1977 to enter private practice.
Our
regular health columnist, Claire Sowerbutt, monitors medical news on a daily basis.
Claire is a widely published and respected health and medical writer with hundreds
of articles published on the web and in print. Her career as a medical journalist
spans more than a decade, and as a non-medical professional with a wealth of
contacts in the medical profession, she brings a unique consumer-oriented insight
to her columns. She has the expertise to know what’s relevant now, and
how it could affect you.
Guenther Krueger is a PhD Candidate at Simon Fraser University with interests in research methodologies, computer mediated communication and palliative care. With a background in nursing and counseling psychology he has spent the past fifteen years working as a freelance medical journalist. Learn more about 
Some things you need to know if you’re considering taking weight loss products
At the risk of stating the obvious, it’s January again, which means that countless hundreds of us have decided it really is time to get that extra weight off. That can mean using whatever aids might be deemed necessary, including weight loss supplements, to help shed those unwanted pounds. But reading the labels of products promoted as weight loss aids will not give you enough information to make safe decisions.
So here are some very useful tips from Health Canada about the safe use of health products – both prescription and over the counter. I’ve started with the ‘be ware of’ category, so we can finish with the good news.