Author: Charmaine Szalay
The gut-brain relationship seemingly associated with autism may even begin before birth. Children with autism may not only be affected by what they eat, but also by what their mothers have eaten during gestation. In one rodent study, researchers compared the offspring of obese mothers, who consumed a high fat diet likened to those primarily related to human consumption of fast food, to healthy controls. The obese mothers gave birth to pups that displayed behavioural deficits, much akin to autism, and a different microbiota profile. The gut flora of the pups was less diverse and was lacking one bacterium known as Lactobacillus (L.) reuteri, which produces oxytocin. Oxytocin is an important chemical for promoting sociability. Normal offspring’s gut had nine times more L. reuteri. Interestingly, when mice that lacked L. reuteri were repopulated with the bacteria, sociability was detectably improved, in addition to an increase in oxytocin producing cells.
Read MoreAuthor: Erik Fraunberger, M.Sc.
“The Natural Way”, “Treat Tennis Elbow Using Alternative Medicine”, “Can Homeopathy Cure Male Infertility?”
These are a few of the thousands of search results you will find when using the terms “natural”, “safe”, and “alternative medicine”. On the surface, these articles sound completely innocuous with little cause for concern. This is most likely true of the remedies that they offer; however their efficacy is still up for debate.
Read MoreAuthor: Jeffrey Kenzie, Ph.D.
He was a physician, a father, a world traveler, and in the end, a fighter. My grandfather suffered a stroke 10 years ago, like tens of thousands of Canadians do every year, and it drastically changed his, and our family's lives. The fact that modern medicine couldn't prevent or cure his inability to walk, get dressed, or hold his grandchildren was incomprehensible to me. It made me realize that progress in science and medicine requires a continuous battle against nature, and sometimes we lose.
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