Posts tagged ‘Health’
Personal health: Lyme disease
Yesterday a friend of ours called from a local hospital having been admitted because of Lyme disease. We have heard that the scourge has come up to Southern Canada because of global warming. All that hot weather is enabling the ticks that carry Lyme disease to survive in our climate. Are you aware of the danger of this disease, how to avoid it and treat it?
We thought we would post a few information sources for our readers:
Global News (very scary article)
Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation
Be aware and be prepared next time you go for a walk in the woods!
July 24, 2013 at 1:19 pm Canadian Biotechnologist Leave a comment
McGill Researchers Identify Health Benefits of Music
In the first large-scale review of 400 research papers in the neurochemistry of music, a team led by Prof. Daniel J. Levitin of McGill University’s Psychology Dept. has been able to show that playing and listening to music has clear benefits for both mental and physical health. In particular, music was found both to improve the body’s immune system function and to reduce levels of stress. Listening to music was also found to be more effective than prescription drugs in reducing anxiety prior to surgery.
“We’ve found compelling evidence that musical interventions can play a health care role in settings ranging from operating rooms to family clinics,” says Prof. Levitin. “But even more importantly, we were able to document the neurochemical mechanisms by which music has an effect in four domains: management of mood, stress, immunity and as an aid to social bonding.”
Indeed, the information gathered as part of this first large-scale review of the literature showed that music increased both immunoglobulin A, an antibody that plays a critical role in immunity of the mucous system, and natural killer cell counts (the cells that attack invading germs and bacteria). Levitin and his postgraduate research fellow, Dr. Mona Lisa Chanda, also found that listening to and playing music reduces levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in the body.
April 9, 2013 at 3:40 pm Canadian Biotechnologist Leave a comment
First HIV vaccine being developed in Canada
Canadian-developed HIV vaccine approved for human testing
Researchers at the University of Western Ontario announced Tuesday that they are beginning clinical trials next month for the first HIV vaccine being developed in Canada, using a groundbreaking technique that relies on the entire virus.
More on that steak that your planning to eat for supper tonight
The American Meat Institute was among the first to dispute the findings. In a statement issued Monday, the industry group criticized the Harvard study for “relying on notoriously unreliable self-reporting about what was eaten and obtuse methods to apply statistical analysis to the data.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Americans eat less beef today. The intake peaked in 1976 with a per capita consumption of 89 pounds. By 2000, the amount dropped to 64 pounds, as chicken consumption rose swiftly, to 50 pounds.
The Health File – Fresh warning on red meat health risks or NOT
The Harvard Medical School recently issued a new study confirming the EVIL of red meat.
A diet high in red meat can shorten life expectancy, according to researchers at The study of more than 120,000 people suggested that red meat increased the risk of death from cancer and heart problems more than previously thought. Substituting red meat with fish, chicken or nuts lowered the risks, the authors said.
Clink: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17349712
But before you give up your streak, please note the following from MeatandHealth.com
Lean red meat (beef, pork and lamb) can play an important part in a healthy balanced diet. It contains a wide variety of essential nutrients. This includes protein, key minerals, particularly iron and zinc, and B vitamins, including vitamin B12, which is not found naturally in green plants and conventional vegetables. Many of the nutrients found in red meat are known to be in short supply in the diets of some people.
CLINK: http://meatandhealth.redmeatinfo.com/healthy-eating/red-meat-and-balanced-diet
As granny said – moderation in anything!
Canadian BioTechnologist2.0 