In these times of virtual meet-ups, negative news overload and widespread uncertainty, it’s fair to say it has been a tough time for our brains. If you’ve been feeling mentally subpar, you may be floating around the edges or caught in the middle of the cognition crisis. And don’t worry, you’re not alone. Our world is facing a global mental health crisis, one that is unique to modern times. Neuroscientist and neurologist Adam Gazzaley calls this a problem of “ancient brains in a high-tech world.” Our brains evolved for a very different environment, and our biological instincts are struggling to keep [...]

For at least three decades, researchers have gathered evidence that chronic stress puts pressure on the body to constantly adjust itself to restore physiological stability. This process is known as allostatic load and it creates a cascade of toxic metabolic activities that cause wear and tear on the body. Allostatic load makes people vulnerable to various types of cardiac, gastrointestinal, endocrinological, immunological, neurological, metabolic and psychiatric problems. Evidence is emerging to show that psychosocial and economic stressors influence health outcomes. But neither our physicians, nor our health-care systems, have the necessary tools and methods to integrate those social and economic factors into our [...]

Researchers have recently found that several long-lasting human-made contaminants have been building up in Arctic lakes, polar bears and ringed seals and other wildlife. These contaminants belong to a family of chemicals called polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and are used in food packaging, waterproof clothing and firefighting foams. The true number of PFAS that exist is hard to pin down, but estimates suggest there are more than 4,700 types, as industry continues to make new ones. Researchers have been concerned about this class of chemicals because they do not degrade in the environment and may carry health risks for wildlife and humans. Our [...]

Lyme disease is a tick-born infection caused by bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme carditis is an early manifestation of Lyme disease that can occur two to six weeks after the tick bite. Approximately five to 10 per cent of patients presenting to family doctors’ clinics or emergency departments with symptoms of Lyme disease may develop Lyme carditis. The prevalence of Lyme disease in Canada continues to increase year after year. Nearly 2,700 people were diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2019, but the number of reported cases may not reflect the actual number of cases. How Lyme carditis affects the heart Lyme carditis [...]

Early-onset colorectal cancer incidence among the young, defined as those under age 50, has been rising globally since the early 1990s. Rates for colon and rectal cancers are expected to increase by 90% and 124%, respectively, by 2030. One suspected reason behind this trend is increased global consumption of a Westernized diet that consists heavily of red and processed meats, added sugar and refined grains. Sixty percent of the Standard American Diet, also known as “SAD,” is made up of ultra-processed food such as industrial baked sweets, soft drinks and processed meat. SAD is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. One aspect of ultra-processed foods I’m concerned [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the precarious living conditions of the elderly in nursing homes in Canada. During the first wave of the pandemic, from March to August 2020, more than 80 per cent of Canadian COVID-19 deaths were tied to nursing and seniors’ homes, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. The pandemic put nursing homes in the spotlight in terms of how they’ve been managed, their lack of staff and COVID-19’s impact on the living conditions of the dependent elderly people who reside within them. COVID-19 and the media coverage of the crisis in long-term care [...]

It’s easy to assume that public health measures, such as taxing unhealthy foods, are most successful when they are based on the best available evidence. However, research suggests that evidence-based policy-making doesn’t always dictate public response. Researchers have also noted tensions between different types of evidence when establishing the legitimacy of a policy. We study taxes placed on foods that are deemed unhealthy, and find scientific evidence has not dominated the debates over the legitimacy of these measures. Instead, a food tax’s chances of survival are based on the ability of political interests to create a successful narrative surrounding the policy’s purpose. We compare [...]

The delivery of health care has dramatically shifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing a move from in-person visits to some form of virtual care. In support of this move, provincial governments implemented new physician billing codes. On Sept. 3, 2021, the B.C. Ministry of Health and College of Physicians and Surgeons sent a letter asking physicians to return to in-person patient visits. This was followed on Oct. 13, 2021, by Ontario’s top health officials also urging physicians to do the same. Their concern was that some physicians had not yet returned to giving their patients the option of in-person visits. The letters indicated that [...]