General Health

A study published back in 2012 by the Conference Board of Canada revealed that smoking is the cause of over 45,000 deaths in Canada each year, accounting for almost 1 in 5 (18.4%) of all deaths in the country. Smoking also results in annual direct healthcare costs of 6.5 billion dollars and total economic costs of 16.2 billion dollars, including healthcare expenses.

High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke and a major contributor to various cardiovascular diseases. According to a recent survey by Statistics Canada, nearly one in four adult Canadians has high blood pressure. That’s about 4.6 million people. This is why regular blood pressure monitoring is so important. High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer” — it typically has no symptoms.