July 2020

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Longevity

Michael J. Fox, Incurable Optimist

MICHAEL J. FOX had it all, or so it seemed. At age 29, the Canadian actor had a resume to die for: A succession of TV and move hits, a shelf of awards, a beautiful wife and loving family at home. One of the perks of fame—the people he wanted to meet wanted to meet him. Fox was working on the film Doc Hollywood with Woody Harrelson. He woke up after partying the night before. His little finger was twitching. He thought it was a hangover. But it didn’t stop. His life was changing. ‘You may think you are cast in a challenging role, but it’s how you play it that counts.’ – Michael J. Fox Everything starts with a concept, a vision—a dream. As the Bible says, “In the beginning was the word.” The trick is: Do we allow ourselves to dream? Or do we stay stuck in the

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David Holt July 28, 2020
Health

In future, your medicines will be custom made

The days of taking pills designed for a one-size-fits-all approach may soon be at an end. Here’s a look at the future of medicine. For women, this could be game changing. Here’s a word you’ll likely being hearing a lot more; pharmacogenomics. So what does it mean? Essentially, it is tailoring a drug medicine to your particular genetics. This could be everything from cholesterol medications through to antidepressants or blood thinners. The word combines pharmaceuticals and genomics. In this fairly new field, doctors look at two main things; 1) how much of a drug is needed to hit the target in your body and 2) how well the targeted cells, such as heart tissue or neurons in your body will respond to a specific dosage. While this has been in development for decades, the cost of sequencing a genome has been so high it wasn’t commercially viable at scale. With

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Giles Crouch July 27, 2020
Mind

5 things mindful people do differently

Mindfulness has gained a lot of attention lately, and with good reason. Being more present in our lives and developing some other habits can have a huge impact on the quality of our lives and our relationships. Several things mindful people practice provide them with more clarity and tranquility in their lives. Focusing on the present moment without judgment, and rediscovering simple life blessings lead to more happiness and joy. Let’s discuss five little things these people do differently to help you work your way toward acceptance and inner peace. 1.   They Accept and Appreciate Things Appreciation for the gifts of the present moment is an art that mindful people have mastered. It stimulates the release of hormones like dopamine and oxytocin that have a calming effect. And it is the first step toward gratitude. Mindful people know they can’t change reality, so they accept it and appreciate the people and things for what

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Rebecca Brown July 24, 2020
Health

Over 500,000 Canadian women have this invisible disease

Over 500,000 Canadian women are affected by endometriosis with the average age of diagnoses just 27 years old. What’s happening? Earlier in 2020, a research and development based biopharmaceutical company, AbbVie, sponsored a first of it’s kind only survey of 30,000 women in Canada aged 18-49. There results have been published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. One of the key findings for Canada is that women with endometriosis often experience a delay of five years in being diagnosed. This half decade delay in disease recognition indicates an important unmet need for more timely diagnosis of endometriosis across Canada. It is estimated that 7% of Canadian women will develop endometriosis. So what is this almost invisible disease? Endometriosis (en-doe-me-tree-O-sis)  is a painful disease in which tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus — the endometrium — grows outside of the uterus. Endometriosis

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Alex Hurst July 22, 2020
Health

Shake shingles away

If you’ve ever had chickenpox, you are at risk of shingles. Why? Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a viral infection that occurs when varicella zoster (or the chickenpox virus) is reactivated within your body. The virus needs to already be present for you to develop this condition. Reactivation is commonly the result of stress, illness, or decreasing immunity. Shingles itself is not contagious, meaning you can’t “catch” shingles from someone who is actively experiencing it. However, a person who has never had chickenpox and is exposed to someone with an active shingles infection may develop chickenpox. Roughly 30% of all Canadians develop shingles, with most episodes occurring after the age of 50. Shingles typically presents as a painful, red, blister-like rash that affects one side of the body. If you suspect that you are experiencing an episode of shingles, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible. Initiation of anti-viral

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Heather Cross July 20, 2020
Healthy Recipes

Zesty Mexican black beans with cumin

This recipe is filled with fibre and flavour! The potassium, folate and vitamin B6 in black beans not only zests a Mexican Bowl but gives you a nutritious boost. INGREDIENTS 1 can black beans (Organic) 2-3 fresh garlic cloves (minced or pressed) 1 spanish onion, diced 2 Tbsp minced cilantro 1⁄4 cup vegetable stock 1-2 tsp hot sauce 1 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce 1⁄4 -1⁄2 tsp Himalayan salt (to taste) 1 tsp freshly ground cumin seeds 1⁄2 tsp liquid smoke Black pepper to taste DIRECTIONS In a pot add the vegetable stock with onion and cook at medium heat until onion becomes translucent. Rinse and drain the can of beans and add them to the pot along with all other ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cool 12-15 minutes. Be careful not to dry out the beans; add more vegetable stock as needed. Cook to desired thickness and serve. More

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Alex Hurst July 17, 2020
Health

Herbal aids for menopause symptoms

First, women have to deal with menstrual cramps. Then, they have to manage life with health issues related to menopause. Whether women are working through perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause, there are herbal remedies that can improve their daily lives. Before beginning an herbal-remedy regimen, women should talk to their pharmacist or health care provider. Not all herbal remedies are regulated, and they could have varying levels of pesticides or other unnecessary ingredients. Your health care provider should be able to advise you on the best brands. Some women work with an herbalist to get the blend just right for their menopausal symptoms. Black Cohosh Stated by Your Herbal Remedies Guide, one of the most touted herbal remedies for menopause symptoms is black cohosh. Studies have given it mixed results on reducing hot flashes, but many women swear by it for relief. Despite the mixed results on its efficacy, black cohosh

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Alex Hurst July 15, 2020
Longevity

What can viruses teach us?

Viruses may be primitive—but they do a lot of experiments and adapt fast. Could we learn a thing or two from them? The biosphere is a fancy word for the container that contains all the life on Earth. After 4.5 billion years of evolution, it’s unimaginably complex. So far, a total of 1.3 million species have been identified, out of a basket of between 5.3 million to 1 trillion. This extreme range exists partly because the border between life and non-life is not so clear—and so is the definition of species. Microbes alone can be divided into six major types: bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa, algae, and viruses. Most scientists don’t consider viruses a life form. Others disagree. We humans lie at the other end of the evolutionary scale. We’re pretty smart, up to a point. Tools have made us apex predators, but physically we’re not that imposing. As the historian

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David Holt July 13, 2020
Longevity

Project England

We moved here for a change. We’re glad we did—and  now we appreciate Canada more than ever. We’ve been in England for five years, both by choice and circumstance. Life is different here. Our current address includes the term Cottage. We moved here, partly, to give our children the experience of another country, not because we found Canada unacceptable in any way. However, we felt that living abroad would educate the kids and, hopefully, give them a better appreciation for Canada. It’s done that, although English schools required a bit of adjustment for these Canadians. Arriving with three kids compelled us to quickly learn about school, GCSEs and A levels. All three were fortunate to go to the same school, which was built in 1660 and looks a bit like Hogwarts. What impressed me, though, was the church next door that was having repair work done to its roof. In

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David Swanson July 10, 2020
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