Depression is a major mental health problem. Health Canada and the Public Agency of Canada have stated, “About 11% of men and 16% of women in Canada will experience major depression in the course of their lives.” This is significant. Depression affects all aspects of a person’s life. The greatest worry is suicide. If you are feeling suicidal, please reach out for help. Crisis Services Canada is a click away. Did you know that 90% of your serotonin is produced in the digestiv

The 20-minute rule with regards to food satiety was mentioned in an interview with Dr. Z. Andrews in The Huffington Post. It takes at least 20 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is full of food. I was unable to find the original study. However, I did find a study of people with Type 2 Diabetes. It compared feelings of fullness in people with Type 2 Diabetes eating a meal over a 30-minute timeframe or five-minute timeframe. The 30-minute group had greater fee

This presentation from Out of the Doldrums had an interesting point. Alcohol consumption can change the microbiome. This can contribute to intestinal hyperpermeability-also known as leaky gut. Alcohol can make heartburn and ulcers worse. Please consider your relationship to alcohol. Your gut is one aspect of your health that can benefit from reducing your alcohol intake! Thanks for reading! #lifestylemedicine #olderadults #microbiome #healthyliving Unknown person on Pixabay

Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in North America. Atrial fibrillation, where the heart beats irregularly, one of many types of heart disease. I want to believe that Lifestyle Medicine is beneficial for all medical conditions. However, as a pharmacist, I need evidence to back my claims. Otherwise, I am stating an opinion instead of a fact. I have some evidence to share about atrial fibrillation. Thanks to Dr. Maria Theodorou for posting this five minute video by Dr

I am reading the Torah. It contains the first five books of the Jewish Bible which God gave to Moses. I read about how the ancient Israelites made unleavened bread before they left Egypt. This piqued my interest. So, I thought that I might try to make some myself. I found this recipe on the Internet. I milled fresh hard wheat and used it right away. I did not wait for the flour to dry. I decreased the water slightly to compensate. The bread was good. Very dense, but satisfyin

I watched an Out of the Doldrum presentation about the estrobolome. This refers to how estrogen in the body reacts to the microbiome. Estrogen circulates in the blood stream. The liver attaches a molecule called glucuronic acid to estrogen to excrete it into the intestines. This is a natural function of the liver. No problem here. A group of bacteria, called Bacteroides, can remove the glucuronic acid from the estrogen. This allows the estrogen to be reabsorbed into the body.

I listened to Dr. Chatterjee’s interview Dr. Jenna Maccicohi, an immunologist. She stated that excess fat around the organs (visceral fat) may impair the immune system. Studies have shown that excess body fat creates a chronic state of inflammation and affects the circulation of nutrients and metabolic hormones. Having a healthy immune system is especially important during a pandemic and heading into flu season. Minimizing your consumption of processed and foods high in satu

Dr. Jenna Macciochi, an immunologist, was interviewed by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee. She explained that immune responses require a great deal of extra energy from your cells. This is the reason for feeling tired when your body is fighting an infection. High blood sugar impairs neutrophils - cells of the immune system - from working properly. My mother always gave me flat ginger ale when I was sick as a child. However, ginger tea (without sugar) or plain ginger would have been a be

I watched Dr. Chris Miller talk about stress and breast cancer on Radiant Health Dialogues. One of the interesting points that he raised was how the brain via the vagus nerve could alter the intestinal microbiome. With that statement, I had to investigate! I found an article which verified this idea. This adds evidence that mind-body practices like yoga, can help your health. Yoga, meditation, qigong, and tai chi reduce the impact of stress on the body and the brain. Stress r

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” is an old saying. I read Dr. Bulsiewicz’s book, “Fiber Fueled”. He talked about how an apple has its own microbiome. This was a mind-bending realization for me! I thought that washing my apple would remove all harmful bacteria. I never thought that bacteria existed inside the fruit! I wanted to find a reference to substantiate this claim. And voila, here it is! This means that an apple is a prebiotic AND probiotic food! Indeed, the old

My healthcare professional colleagues and I are troubled. Clients have spent a great deal of time making appointments, rearranging their day’s activities, and arriving for their COVID-19 vaccine. Just before vaccination, they inquire about which vaccine they are receiving. Once they are told that it is either the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or the Moderna Vaccine, some people refuse the vaccination because they received the other for their first dose. This is not only a

Atrial fibrillation, “a. fib”, is a common heart condition. The electrical system of the heart is dysregulated which causes irregular and excessive heartbeats (arrhythmias). This condition is serious. The irregular heartbeat can create blood clots which cause heart attacks and strokes. “The more you drink, the more likely you are to develop a. fib”. ~ Amy Leigh Miller, MD, PhD Alcohol has been associated with a higher risk of atrial fibrillation. Please click here for an expl

I am starting to hear from people who are hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. I have been investigating their reasons. I found a post by Dr. Philippe Legacé-Wiens, an infectious diseases specialist in Manitoba. He mentioned that Dr. Byram Bridle, a researcher at the University of Guelph, has been creating doubt about the current COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Bridle has appeared in numerous television news segments. It turns out that he is creating his own COVID-19 vaccine!! S

The definition of a human being is changing. Research exists that humans are not merely organisms, but rather holobionts or superorganisms depending on the research discipline. These two concepts refer to the idea that numerous organisms exist in one being. For example, fifty percent of cells in a human being are actual human. The remainder are microorganisms. There are probably more microbes in a compost pile than in any human being! Humans have effectively created more gene

Resistance training is an important component in the physical activity pillar of lifestyle medicine. The American College of Sports Medicine defines resistance training as “a form of physical activity that is designed to improve muscular fitness by exercising a muscle or a muscle group against external resistance.” They recommend 8 to 12 repetitions of an exercise in 2 to 3 sets performed 2 to 3 times/week. Resistance training can be more difficult during the pandemic because

Metformin, cholesterol medications called statins, and acid lowering medications called proton pump inhibitors (PPI) can cause diarrhea. Some prescribers will prescribe an antidiarrheal medication such as loperamide. This creates a prescribing cascade. As I talked about in a previous blog, a prescribing cascade happens when the side effect of one medication is treated as a new condition with another medication. A lifestyle medicine approach gets at the root cause of the probl

The ancients understood health. A quote that is attributed to The Buddha stated, “Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.” What story are you writing with your lifestyle choices? Thanks for reading! #lifestylemedicine #seniors #olderadults Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash

I watched an interesting segment on Marketplace about N-95 respirators. They have scientifically tested commercially available masks and found that some brands failed! The story starts at Minute 15. Please skip the story about eggs. They compared conventional grown to an organic small farm and failed to talk about the downside of eating eggs - higher cholesterol levels and TMAO! Oh well, they tried! #n95 #lifestylemedicine #MaskUp #covid19 Photo by visuals on Unsplash