In the world of health, information is changing all the time. Scientists are constantly researching cures for diseases, conducting studies that help us better understand the human body and sifting through current health advice to see what strategies are actually going to help us live longer, healthier lives. It can be hard to keep up on it all. That’s why I’ve decided to check in on the latest in health news once a week to round up the most relevant studies that you need to know to keep yourself well. Here are three of this week’s most important stories. 1. Wait times in Canada are killing women. Startling findings from a new study conducted by the Fraser Institute estimate that wait times are at least partly to blame for the deaths of over 40,000 Canadian women between the years 1993 and 2009. That’s about 2.5 percent of all women's deaths during this time. As wait times for treatment and doctor referrals increase, so do deaths among women, says the report. Interestingly, there was no significant relationship between wait times and male deaths. Learn how to advocate for your own timely health care with our tips on avoiding health care delays. 2. More evidence proves that vaccines are not the cause of autism. An Australian review of 10 international studies involving more than a million children has confirmed what doctors have been saying for years: There is no link between vaccines and autism. Vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) are all safe, and the report says that other vaccine ingredients have been proven safe too. Researchers are hoping that this review will calm the fears of parents who might be avoiding vaccines that could greatly improve their children’s health and safety. Find out more about vaccines and the shots your child needs. 3. E-cigarettes really can help you quit. According to a recent study from University College London, smokers are 60 percent more likely to quit successfully when they use e-cigarettes than they are when they use other methods, such as chewing nicotine gum, wearing the patch or going cold turkey. This is promising news for smokers. Despite the controversy surrounding e-cigarettes (in part because they still contain nicotine and some chemicals in the vapour), they are still far less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, which are related to a huge number of diseases. Learn more about the safety of e-cigarettes. (Photography: Thinkstock)