Dr. Colin McMillan
President, Canadian Medical Association

We were confident you would find Canadian Health interesting and informative and, based on the overwhelmingly positive response to our first issue, we were right.

Canadian physicians and members of the public have kindly taken the time to tell us how much they appreciate this Canadian Medical Association (CMA) initiative to strengthen the physician-patient relationship and improve the health of Canadians. Since our first issue arrived in doctors’ waiting rooms in October, we’ve received more than 1,000 comments from physicians—almost all of them positive—as well as many requests for additional copies. As one doctor told us, the magazine is "a welcome addition from a trusted source."

We embarked on this initiative to strengthen our mission of working with the people of Canada to achieve the very highest standards of health and health care. When we did so, we were confident the credibility of the Canadian medical profession and its national organization would make Canadian Health more than just another lifestyle magazine. Judging by the feedback to date, our faith in the reaction of both the profession and the public has been justified.

Here at the CMA, we are currently working to define our goals and objectives for the next five years. A large component of our strategy focuses on bolstering Canada’s health-care system and helping to ensure that the resources are in place to give Canadians the best medical care possible. This includes plans to target major public-health issues.

Almost a half-century ago, in 1961, the CMA asked physicians to warn patients about the link between smoking and cancer. Since then, we’ve been unwavering in getting out this message, helping patients to quit and hounding politicians to act. Forty years ago, almost half of all Canadian adults smoked; now 22% do.

Today it’s time to turn our attention to another serious Canadian public-health issue: 60% of adults and 26% of children are either overweight or obese. We think that some of the early lessons the CMA learned about denormalizing smoking can be applied to combatting obesity.

Canadian Health is not just about medical care. It is also about healthy lifestyles. Healthy eating is a large component of that, which is why each issue of the magazine contains a section with advice about making smart food choices and recipes to make these choices easier.

Even a large organization such as the CMA can only do so much to pressure governments and other decision makers to create an environment that will make obesity the exception and not the norm. Ultimately, it is individuals like you who will decide how you eat. Our role will be to provide information on the crucial role of nutrition in health so you can make the best decisions for yourself and your family. Physical activity is also part of a healthy lifestyle, so each issue contains an article with advice to help you stay fit.

Real benefits can result when health professionals interact with informed consumers. Knowledge is the best medicine; ultimately, it is the way we’ll improve the health of all Canadians.

Thank you for showing such strong support for our first issue. We’ll strive to keep earning it.