Sleep - December 2010 - Volume 2 Issue 9

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Are you getting enough sleep? At this time of year, it may be unlikely – the holiday season is the busiest time of year for many of us. But we need to understand how important enough, good quality sleep is to our health, and to minimize sleep deficits as much as possible.
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Sugar - November 2010 - Volume 2 Issue 8

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“Added sugars have become such a predominant feature of the North American diet that we can’t help but recognize their major contribution to excess calories,” says Linda Van Horn, a professor of preventive medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. The naturally occurring sugars found in fruits and vegetables are not the problem. It’s the refined white sugar, the high fructose corn syrup, the glucose-fructose, the liquid invert sugar and other manufactured forms of sugar that are the real problem. This is an especially big problem because sugar is everywhere in our foods. There have been 146 reasons that sugar ruins our health documented! Rest assured that I don’t intend to cover all of them – I do, however, want to outline some of the more major health risks posed by too much sugar.
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Dementia - September 2010 - Volume 2 Issue 6

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The front page of the Globe and Mail on September 16, 2010 announced, “Dementia: Confronting the crisis - Every five minutes, another Canadian faces life robbed of memories, skills, relationships and independence.” “More senior citizens are in Canada’s future, and more of them will be living longer. Dementia will loom increasingly large. Already there are 100,000 new cases each year, and rising. An estimated 1.1 million Canadians will suffer from dementia in 2038, up from 480,000 now. The direct costs of caring for them today are $8-billion a year; between now and 2038, the total spent directly on care will be $92-billion. The loss of an individual’s ability to contribute to herself, her family and society is, on a community-wide scale, impossible to calculate.” (Globe and Mail, September 18, 2010) Most of us have been taught that how well we function mentally is a characteristic that we’re born with and that we can’t do much about. Happily that’s far from true! There is just as much we can do to improve and protect our cognitive functioning as there is to prevent something like heart disease. In fact, many steps we can take to prevent heart disease will also prevent a decline in mental functioning as we age.
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Aging - August 2010 - Volume 2 Issue 5

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Many of us have been conditioned to believe that life ends, or at least begins to quickly erode, at around 75 to 80 years. Only the lucky hang on to their health into their 80’s. So as the years advance we just accept that we’ll succumb to poor health, lack of vitality and wasting away until death. How sad it is that many aging (and younger!) Canadians believe this to be true. Sad indeed, especially since more research in nutrition and longevity suggests that we humans can conceivably live to 120 years with healthful lifestyle and dietary practices. The beneficial effects of a healthy lifestyle and diet can even add years to those who are already older. Understanding the aging process and having a positive attitude towards aging will help us not only live healthier and longer, but also help us enjoy this period of life to its fullest. Those who are experiencing healthy aging will agree that it can be the best time in one’s life. Aging involves more than our body. It is a process that affects our mind and soul as well -essentially our entire person is involved in aging. Aging can be compared to the ripening of fruit: as the fruit ripens it changes in texture, flavour and appearance. We consider fruit to be at its best when ripe. Our attitude towards aging needs to change if we expect to age successfully; like the ripened fruit we need to see ourselves at our best during this time.
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Cancer Prevention - July 2010 - Volume 2 Issue 4

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Cancer. It’s the diagnosis no one wants, and everyone fears. But often cancer can be prevented. In the past 30 years, millions of dollars have been raised for research with the ultimate aim of curing cancer. During the summer we have different marathons and fundraisers. However, we have not made much progress and are still far away from curing the many different types of cancer. Therefore, it is time to take a closer look at what we may do for our health, and how we can be active and prevent cancer. The adage “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is nowhere truer than with cancer. At least 50% of all cancers can be prevented through healthy living.
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Physical Activity - May 2010 - Volume 2 Issue 3

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Spring is here, the weather is getting nicer all the time! It’s a time of year when many of us resolve to turn over a new leaf with plans for outdoor activities, and generally becoming more active than we might have been in the winter. Physical activity is another very important component of good health – both for maintaining our health and preventing disease.
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Water - April 2010 - Volume 2 Issue 2

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As they say, April showers bring May flowers – so I thought it would be a good time to discuss the water we drink. I’ve mentioned a number of times that drinking plenty of good quality water is very important to our health. I’d like to look at that fact in more detail this month.
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Fueling Your Body - March 2010 - Volume 2 Issue 1

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Is your fuel tank empty? This is a time of year when we seem to need a break – maybe you’ve already taken one, maybe you have one planned. We need to recharge our batteries at regular intervals, or we risk becoming tired, irritable, and even ill. We need to be aware of what is draining us, and take action to keep all parts of our life in balance. Very simply, we need to take good care of ourselves.
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