You’ve probably heard the saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. In reality, eating an apple a day won’t guarantee fewer trips to the doctor, but apples are still nutritious and an important part of diets globally. The nutrition provided by apples is in part due to high levels of phenolic compounds. Phenolic […]
Another program of research I’ve been actively involved in since my undergraduate studies has been around health psychology and self-compassion. In this blog, I will dive into the psychology of self-compassion, and how it differs from mindfulness. Most of us have heard about “mindfulness,” as it remains quite the buzzword for self-care nowadays. However, self-compassion […]
As the summer heats up and travel restrictions lift, more people are visiting the beach, going for a paddle or a coastal hike, or taking in an ocean view. There’s no question that people value those experiences, especially after a year of being stuck indoors. But can we quantify that value? How much are those […]
This article discusses the recent discoveries at the sites of the former Indian Residential Schools. In May, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation revealed that it had found the remains of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Only weeks later, the Cowessess First Nation announced that they had found […]
The ever-increasing mobility and interconnectedness that we enjoy today have an enormous impact on our lives. We have grown accustomed to freedom of movement and technology that allow us to visit places and interact with people regardless of distance. We enjoy products and services manufactured and sold all over the world. Globalization has enabled unprecedented […]
In Canada, much of our national pride comes from the ways that we are unlike the United States. Canadians, for example, overwhelmingly disapproved of Donald Trump—and it is hard to imagine that even this country’s most shameless elected officials would stoke open insurrection, such as occurred in Washington, D.C., in January. In American politics, the […]
For part 2 of my “It’s a Generational Thing” series, I interview an elder in my Ugandan-Canadian community. There were some similarities to my responses in my previous blog: we both emphasized the importance of alcohol in Ugandan culture, and touch on the taboo topic of women drinking. I also learned a pretty shocking fact […]
A hospital is one of the most significant reservoirs for antimicrobial-resistant organisms and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) contributing genes. This is due to the intensity of antibiotic use for treatment and prophylaxis (i.e. prevention) and the vulnerability of patients in hospital settings. There are different types of antimicrobial prophylaxis, including the use of antimicrobials to prevent […]
“Nexus” is one of those words that is somewhat easy to define, but then expands to present more difficult conceptual challenges. Stemming from the Latin nectere meaning “to bind,” a nexus is a connection or link, a causal connection, or a connected series or set of relationships. A spider web is a kind of nexus. […]
So far, we’ve focused on metabolism as it relates to human health. Now, let’s talk about a metabolic process that has nothing to do with health (well… directly at least), but that has been a central component in nearly every civilization throughout human history: alcoholic fermentation. Humankind has taken advantage of fermentation for centuries, with […]