Author: Brooke Belanger PhD
Chances are you know someone who has died of an ‘aneurysm’. This common phrase is incorrect, and it is actually the rupture of an aneurysm that can cause death, not the physical presence of one. But what actually is an aneurysm anyways?
Read MoreBefore the rabies vaccine was invented people were so scared of the horrible disease progression that they would end their own lives upon getting bit by a rabies-infected animal. Here we will discuss how can one get infected with the virus, who is at risk and what the rabies virus will do to an infected person or pet.
Read MoreAddiction to opioids has reached epidemic proportions in North America. Fentanyl is an opioid, which are a class of painkillers that includes morphine, oxycodone. Fentanyl has proved to be particularly insidious. The beloved musician Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose last year at the age of 57. In Alberta, six people died from fentanyl overdose in 2011. In 2016, this soared to 343 deaths.
Read MoreHave you ever been inside a drug or natural health store and wandered into the herbal remedies section mixed in with all the vitamins? I’m not talking about the herbal teas and spices that have a tangible taste or smell. I am referring to the remedies with interesting names in Latin and dosages in the c-scale instead of milliliters. These are not your ordinary remedies: these are homeopathic. Unfortunately, whatever clinical efficacy homeopathic remedies may display is hidden within highly theoretical and, some would say, implausible science. How do we separate fact from fiction? Let me take you through the underlying ideas and science-surrounding homeopathy and see what we can find.
Read MoreThey say that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. I am currently experiencing my second cold this year, so I did the only logical thing: I bought a bag of apples. Now that I started to religiously eat my daily doctor-deterrent I am wondering what’s so good about them, and if the fuss about apples is based on facts or fairy tales.
Read MoreImagine you are a woman in her 30s and have spent your whole life in Alberta. You have a range of health concerns that are unpredictable, and you are beginning to experience muscle weakness, numbness and tingling in your limbs, loss of coordination and balance, loss of vision, and you feel your memory and cognitive abilities have declined in recent years, beyond what is expected for your age. You go to your doctor and get diagnosed with a disease called Multiple Sclerosis, also known as MS. Your doctor explains to you that MS is a neurological autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the protective insulator (myelin sheath) that is wrapped around your neurons. This protective layer functions like the protective insulator around electrical wires, which allows signals to pass through faster and more efficiently. When this protective insulator is lost or damaged, like in MS, this is termed as demyelination, which causes your nervous system to malfunction.
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