Every day your immune system is hard at work, defending you from infectious bacteria, viruses and parasites and more. This complex system is made up of a variety of cells and signalling molecules that work together to help keep you healthy. Most of the time you don’t even notice that your immune system is at work. That is of course until pesky microbes slip through the defenses and your immune system goes into overdrive to try to catch up.  In fact, many of the uncomfortable symptoms you experience like fevers, runny nose and sneezing are actually your immune system’s strategies

After the fun and sun of summer, back-to-school season is here again. For students, the return to bedtime and homework routines and new academic and social challenges can result in increased stress, combined with the change in environment, meeting and interacting with new people. All together these changes can mean increased exposure and lower our defenses to flu bugs, viruses and other infections, that can spell sick days for the whole family if we aren’t careful. Stacking the Immunity Odds There are some natural and straight-forward ways to ensure your family’s immune system is up to the test of the

Getting your kids to eat a healthy meal can feel like summiting Mount Everest. Many children will go through one or many ’picky-eater’ phases. Every child is different and it’s totally normal to encounter times where they’ll only eat one food group or food colour. While you might worry that they’re not getting enough nutrients, they almost always grow out of these phases. While you’re waiting for this to happen, we have a few tips that might help get your kids more interested in trying new things. This will definitely take time and patience – so pick your battles. If

What is incontinence? Urinary Incontinence (UI) is the unintentional passing of urine. Loss of bladder control is a common condition among women in midlife with reported prevalence ranging from 28% to 47%. Severity ranges from an occasional leak with a cough, laugh or sneeze, to an urgent need to pee that is so sudden (where the person needs a trip to a toilet ASAP). The risk of incontinence increases incrementally from the age of 40 to 60, with prevalence nearly doubled by age 55. Men also experience incontinence, though reported rates (3% to 11%) are much lower than that of

There are seven core indicators for cardiovascular health according to the American Heart Association: physical activity, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting glucose, weight and smoking. Socioeconomic status and lifestyle factor in as well. Do hormones also play a role? The endocrine system is the network of glands located throughout the body that produce hormones. Hormones are released into the bloodstream or the fluid surrounding cells and receptors in various organs and tissues recognize and respond to the hormones. They act as chemical messengers to which only target cells with compatible receptors are equipped to respond. Over 50 different hormones have

You often hear the phrase you are what you eat, but have you ever thought that you are what you breathe? The air we breathe is composed of particulate matter (PM) from an array of sources. These particles can include dust, dirt, soot and smoke generated from wood stoves or forest fires, or can come from gases emitted by power plants, factories, construction sites and everyday traffic. Particles can travel hundreds to thousands of miles downwind, affecting people far from the source. Breathing in this particle pollution can pose problems for those looking to protect the health of their heart. 

Approximately 2.5 million Canadians are living with heart disease and 160,000 are newly diagnosed each year. It affects all genders and risk factors increase with age. Statistics like this can be scary but heart conditions aren’t inevitable. There are steps you can take to reduce your risk even if you’ve already had issues with your heart. The link between dietary fibre and heart health may surprise you but it is an important one. The recommended daily intake of fibre is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. However, only about 5% of people follow these guidelines. This is

The idea that our bodies are inhabited by trillions of bacteria is no longer a farfetched Sci Fi scheme. We now know that our colon is home to critters of all kinds – friendly and not so friendly microorganisms doing their part to stay alive. Moreover, they help us survive, aiding everything from our digestion to immunity. Studies have linked our gut microbes to mood regulation, tendency towards obesity1, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular health2, colon cancer3, Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome4. On a daily basis, these microbes help us metabolize foods and ascertain key nutrients, producing their very own

Many of us have had to take antibiotics for one reason or another. They are often necessary to avoid or treat a serious infection. While they are great at targeting the bacteria that can harm us, they are unable to differentiate between the good bacteria and the bad. Millions of good bacteria live in our intestines and are vital to the digestive process. These bacteria colonize in the gut shortly after birth and are comprised of approximately 1,000 different species. They supply and synthesize essential nutrients like vitamin K, aid in the breakdown of various foods and play an important

In the arena of stress relieving herbs, ashwaganha is having a moment in the limelight (with good reason) and cannabis stores are popping up everywhere. But the botanical world is overwhelmingly bountiful and provides a plethora of healing herbs shown to reduce anxiety, alleviate symptoms of stress, and get relaxation vibes going.   May we introduce you to some lesser-known stress relieving herbs shown to have promising results in the reduction of mental anguish:   Valerian: https://aor.ca/raw_material/valeriana-officinalis-root-extract/  For those familiar with valerian, it can smell funky. Like sweaty socks according to some. However, for those looking to alleviate anxiety, combat stress and get to sleep quicker at night, valerian can help. For centuries (since ancient Greek and Roman times), the herb valerian has been used as