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Tips and Tricks to Living Longer
Globally, the average life-expectancy is between 71 to 72 years of age – for some, it may even exceed 100 years. However, aging is, unfortunately, something that is inevitable and cannot be reversed. As we get older, we will develop things like wrinkles, grey hair, general body aches and pains (including sore bones, muscles and joints), loss of vigour, increased risk of disease, and decreased cognitive abilities. That being said, there are certain things that you can do in order to improve your quality of life and prolong the amount of time that you get to spend on this earth, surrounded by friends, family, and doing the things you love.…
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Gallbladder Disease and Attack Prevention
The gallbladder is an important organ and crucial part of the digestive system. It stores bile produced by the liver, which helps you to digest and absorb fat, including fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, E, D and K.) The gallbladder then releases this bile into the intestines when you eat. Unfortunately, particles from the bile can sometimes stick together and form what’s known as gallstones. If you’re lacking bile, this can also make it harder for you to digest food and you may feel nauseous. In many cases, gallstones will not cause any significant symptoms. However, when they do cause symptoms or when gallstones are recurring, you may need…
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What is “Leaky Gut Syndrome”?
Do you suffer from low energy, have digestive comfort, find it difficult to lose weight, get frequent headaches, frequent colds, have achy muscles and joints, as well as skin problems? Then, according one American author and former cardiac surgeon, you may have a condition known as “leaky gut syndrome” – also referred to as increased intestinal permeability or intestinal hyper-permeability. For decades, many physicians have studied the impact that diet has on health, and it has been discovered that certain foods we consume can cause tears in the lining of our gut, which allows for harmful toxins, bacteria, and undigested food particles to enter our bloodstream and cause a wide…
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Miscarriage
You’ve just found out you’re pregnant; it’s an exciting time, you can’t wait to start telling friends and family when the time is right, you’re already thinking up design concepts for the nursery, and are looking forward to what the future has in store. Unfortunately, not all pregnancies go to term. When this is the case, this is known as a miscarriage or spontaneous abortion. Miscarriage affects as many as 15% to 20% of recognized pregnancies, while some women may also miscarry before they were even aware that they were pregnant. The risk of miscarriage is highest during the first trimester of pregnancy, which is 12 weeks. It is, however,…
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Common Causes of Diarrhea and Constipation
There are many reasons why someone may develop constipation or diarrhea. Diarrhea, which is characterized by loose, watery stools and the urge to have a bowel movement, is typically acute and only lasts for one or two days. If your diarrhea lasts for at least four weeks or more, then it is considered acute and could be due to an underlying health condition. Constipation, which is the opposite of diarrhea, is characterized by the stool that is hard, as well as the inability to have a bowel movement or having bowel movements less than three times per week. Diarrhea Causes, Treatment What causes diarrhea will differ from person to person.…
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Taking the Embarrassment Out of Erectile Dysfunction
While an embarrassing topic of discussion and therefore one that many men will often try to shy away from having, erectile dysfunction (also referred to as ED, sexual dysfunction, impotence, and male erectile disorder) affects more than 50% of males between the ages of 40 and 70, making it a much more common problem than you might think. Characterized as the inability to achieve or maintain and erection, ED occurs when something blocks the brain-nerve-blood vessel process that the body goes through in order to develop an erection. The brain controls the what we see, hear, feel, think, and smell, while the nerves pass those signals from the brain to…
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Effective Ways to Reduce Obesity
As many as 3 in 5 Canadians are overweight or obese. While British Columbia is considered to have one of the lower rates of obesity in the country, at least 16% of the Province’s population are still considered as such; while the Northwest Territories has the highest rate of obesity in the country – 33.7%. Between the years 1978 and 2017, obesity rates have also risen in children, increasing from 23% to 30%. Many organizations, such as the Canadian Medical Association, Obesity Canada, and the World Health Organization all now consider obesity to be a progressive, chronic disease. The most common causes of obesity are overeating, eating unhealthy foods, and…
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What to Do About Post-Exercise Muscle Pain
Exercise is something we should all engage in in order to stay healthy. By getting regular physical activity, we reap a lot of benefits associated with it. It can help with weight loss, can decrease fatigue, can reduce your risk of developing a chronic disease (such as diabetes and heart disease), can boost brain health, improve your memory and mood, and can even help the skin. It’s also great for your bones and muscles. However, if you’re someone who is more used to living a sedentary lifestyle and not used to exercise, then it’s not uncommon for your muscles to feel sore after a workout. In many cases, it may…
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November is Prematurity Awareness Month
An estimated 390,000 babies are born each year across Canada. While the average gestation period that is required in order for a baby to fully grow and develop is 40 weeks, there are cases where babies are born at less than 37 weeks. This is referred to as premature or preterm birth, which accounts for approximately 7.8% of births in the country. On a global scale, an estimated 15 million babies are born prematurely, with over a million of them not surviving. While there have been many strides made over the years in terms of survival rates in babies born under 37 weeks and with doctors being able to do…
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What Foods Canadians Crave the Most and Why
This past summer, Dr. Ali Ghahary shared an article on how to crush food cravings. Cravings can happen for a number of reasons. They can be hormonal (such as if a woman is pregnant or during her menstrual cycle), emotional (also known as “stress eating” or “emotional eating”), and can also be caused by a lack of water (such as dehydration), or due to nutritional deficiencies (which includes a lack of macro and micronutrients.) Healthy eating is something that Dr. Ghahary strongly promotes and encourages everyone to do – because the healthier you eat, the better you will feel. You’ll also improve your overall quality of life. In order to…