Jiminy Cricket! Why Bugs May Soon Be On The Menu

From our western perspective, crickets do not look appetizing, but neither did lobsters at one point in time, and in fact they used to be known as the cockroaches of the sea. Now lobster is considered a scrumptious delicacy.

The World Health Organization recommends limiting “free sugars” to less than 10% of our total energy intake. This equates to around 12 teaspoons a day for an average adult.

The proportion of adults with diabetes around the world has risen from 4.7% in 1980 to more than 8.5% today.

Day after day, we’re bombarded with so many media messages that rarely do we stop to think about what they’re telling us to think, do or feel.

We’re all attracted to a beautiful face. We like to look at them, we feel drawn to them and we aspire to have one.

People who are unable to tan and who have moles on their skin are among those at heightened risk of developing melanoma

Graphene is something of a celebrity in the world of nanoscale materials. Isolated in 2004 by Nobel Prize winners Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov

The heart, so integral to life, sits in its protective cage in the chest, going about its work without any external sign to the owner. In the West, where one in four people die of cardiovascular disease, the importance of keeping the heart in good working order is hard to overstate.

If you take up exercise later in life, as a treatment for joint or hip pain, you should expect a small, temporary increase in pain.

The misuse of opioids has reached crisis levels across North America. Every day in 2016, 116 Americans died from opioid-related drug overdoses. And almost 1,500 Canadians died from such overdoses during the first half of 2017. Meanwhile, health-care providers continue to prescribe opioids — to try to help people suffering from chronic pain.

In the last few decades scientists have been discovering the many uses of vitamin D and the possible effects of not getting enough of it.

With nearly 40% of the world’s population now classified as obese, and increasing evidence pointing to sugar as the culprit, people are turning to foods that contain low-calorie sweeteners to give them the sweet taste they enjoy, without the risk of gaining weight.

While preparing food at home, or while buying prepared food from grocery stores and restaurants, salt tends to find its way onto our plates. Does our love for salt come at a cost? How much salt is too much, and should we be concerned? These are the questions that not enough people are asking.

Sound is an exceptionally powerful energy. It has the ability to stimulate the release of hormones in the body, to reduce the stress response and induce relaxation, to penetrate to body and affect us at a cellular level, to rearrange molecular structure, and to shape matter itself. 

Not long ago, fat was the evil dietary villain. Before that it was salt. Now the sugar-free diet has exploded onto the health and wellness scene

Canadians love meat. Many of us have been dedicated to our favourite protein source for years. But other sources of protein are emerging as potent alternatives to animal protein.

The world is obsessed with fad diets and weight loss, yet few of us know how a kilogram of fat actually vanishes off the scales.

Do you ever wonder why you do things specifically the way you do? Whether I’m reading a patient’s echocardiogram or loading the dishwasher, I have “a way” to do it, which is different from someone else’s “way.” How does this happen?

For older adults, slow and speedy brain waves must sync up at exactly the right moment during sleep to move new memories into long-term storage, according to a new study.

In the wake of mass shootings and other tragedies, a frequent refrain is: Why don’t we get those dangerous people off the streets?

The tradition of sending a telegram to every British citizen on their 100th birthday was started just over 100 years ago by George V, who sent out just nine letters. Last year, the Queen had to sign over 16,000 birthday letters.

One of the great secrets of a long, satisfying, and happy life, according to Eastern wisdom, is to focus on health instead of disease. This is the psychological basis of the art of radiant health. Develop the attitude of radiant health, and radiant health can be attained surprisingly easily.

Do vegan bodybuilders have the edge? A recent study was reported as showing plant-based protein was more effective for building muscle than that from animals.

In nutrition, sugar refers to simple carbohydrates consisting of one or two basic carbohydrate units such as glucose, fructose and galactose.

A high-fiber diet may boost a group of gut bacteria that can benefit people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

Curcumin, a component of the spice turmeric, may be able to reverse some of the effects of Gulf War illness (GWI), according to a new study

Evidence shows that the health risks from sugars, such as tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain, are related to consuming too many free sugars in the diet, not from eating sugars that are naturally present in fruits or milk.

“He is wired differently to you and me, this child of mine. He doesn’t like loud noises, or dark spaces, or strangers touching his head”.

As many as 70 million Americans may not be getting enough sleep. Men get fewer hours of sleep than women. A Sleep Foundation poll of parents suggested that American children are getting one hour of sleep or more per night less than what their body and brain require.

In many places in the world when a person is ill, a song is sung to heal. The notion of singing a person to wellness and health may sound strange. You may think it irresponsible of me, a trained physician, even to mention it. But I am not talking about a New Age or alternative treatment. I am speaking of the medicine ways of my tribe...

People with stage III colon cancer who regularly eat nuts are at significantly lower risk of cancer recurrence and mortality than those who don’t, according to a new study.

Witnessing and hearing stories about racism can impact your health. The feelings evoked can make you ill if not processed.

A lack of essential nutrients is known to contribute to the onset of poor mental health in people suffering from anxiety and depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and ADHD.

In Australia, almost 6,000 deaths a year can be attributed to alcohol, as well as around 400 hospitalisations a day.

The mid-1980s was the era of cocaine and marijuana, when “Just Say No” was the centerpiece of the war on drugs and the government’s efforts to stem drug use and addiction. Since then, prescription opioids have become the nation’s drug scourge.

Caffeine is one of the most researched substances reported to help athletes perform better and train longer and harder.

The researchers looked at cancer occurrence in those exposed to higher intakes of ultra-processed foods, compared to lower intakes.

Eating a doughnut now seems more rewarding than the nebulous concept of “better future health”.

The “obesity epidemic” deserves much more serious attention than it is getting. It is, after all, thought to be killing nearly 3m people a year worldwide.

Mental strength is so important to martial arts that researchers have found karate experts’ stronger punching force may be down to a better control of muscle movement in the brain, rather than increased muscular strength. Other studies have also found that children who practice Taekwondo improved in maths test scores, and behaviour.

When most people think of cannabis users, they probably think mainly of the younger generations. But it’s actually the 45 to 64 age group who show the highest proportion of household spending on cannabis.

Once a respiratory virus like influenza has entered your home or workplace, it is wise to treat the space like a hospital and practice infection prevention and control.

Clinical depression is an affliction of the mind, body, and spirit that affects over 17 million Americans. If you are the partner, parent, child, or friend of someone who is undergoing a depressive episode, your understanding of the illness and how you relate to the patient can either support or deter his or her ability to get well.

Hearing loss can create chronic stress that can lead to depression, but high levels of social support—from family, friends, and others—can help alleviate depression, according to new research.

The current political climate has been difficult for Americans of all political stripes. People have been so stressed that, just before the 2016 presidential election, the American Psychological Association released a list of coping strategies to help adults deal with election-related stress.

We all have that one friend whose eating habits and body shape simply don’t add up. While enjoying the unhealthiest of meals and a sedentary lifestyle, somehow they effortlessly retain a slender figure.

Someone asked me what living with cancer for thirteen years is like, never knowing whether the disease will remain under control. I said, “It’s like being hurled into a classic 1950s horror movie where you know terrible things will happen but you don’t know when they will occur.”

Iron deficiency is the most common nutrient deficiency in the developed world, affecting around one in three women of reproductive age.

Anxiety caused by exposure to pollution may make people more prone to cheating and unethical behavior, according to new research. And that can be a driver behind the higher crime rates in high-pollution areas.

Standing rather than sitting burns, on average, an additional 0.15 calories per minute — a small increase that could add up to a weight loss of nearly 6 pounds per year.

The search for autism’s causes is a daunting task — but researchers are investigating a variety of factors that might play a role.

Obesity was designated a disease in 2013 by the American Heart Association and American Medical Association. Obesity, defined as a body mass index of 30 or higher, had long been identified as a health condition

“Rampant” and “elderly” are words rarely used in the same sentence, unless we are talking of the percentage of people over 65 years old worldwide

From the way you move and sleep, to how you interact with people around you, depression changes just about everything.

Cancer may not be life-ending, but it usually is life-changing. A cancer diagnosis instantaneously turns life upside down for patients and families.

Circadian rhythm disruptions common to Alzheimer’s disease occur before memory loss and other symptoms in people whose memories are intact but whose brain scans show early, preclinical evidence of the condition, according to new research.

This has been a particularly bad influenza season, starting early especially in the South and West Coast in the U.S. This follows a severe season in Australia during our summer.

The school holidays are over but summer isn’t, and we’re bound to have more hot days before the season ends. So how can you avoid making yourself or your kids sick when packing picnics or school lunches in the heat?

Doctors haven’t known why some babies are born with thin, spongy heart muscles. New research links the disease to poorly developed blood vessels around the heart.

Alternative nicotine products like e-cigarettes are emerging as a promising option for people who are trying to quit smoking, a new article that focuses on harm minimization and smoking cessation suggests.

The drink kombucha was previously only popular in hipster cafes, but is now vying for space on the supermarket shelves. Many claims are made about the health benefits of drinking kombucha, but what does the science say?

During a healthy pregnancy, women gain weight as the baby grows. This is normal and necessary. But recent research indicates that excessive weight gain during pregnancy increases health risks for mothers and their children.

When you google “weight loss” the challenge to sort fact from fiction begins. These five supplements claim to speed up weight loss, but let’s see what the evidence says.

Did you know that your morning cup of coffee contributes to six million tonnes of spent coffee grounds going to landfill every year?

What if we could go back in time to heal an illness at an earlier, less-advanced stage? Or go back even further to the moment right before an illness took hold in our bodies? A number of researchers, Helmut Schmidt being one of the earliest, have studied the...

While plant-based milk beverages like soy milk have been on the market for a couple of decades and are advertised as being healthy and wholesome for those who are lactose-intolerant, little research has compared the benefits and drawbacks of the various kinds of plant-based milk.

Antioxidants seem to be everywhere; in superfoods and skincare, even chocolate and red wine. Products that contain antioxidants are marketed as essential for good health, with promises to fight disease and reverse ageing

Heart disease stubbornly remains one of the biggest killers in the UK, where there are 7m people living with the condition. During the past 60 years, the management of cholesterol has become an important weapon in the fight against this – and drugs called statins are often used in treatment.

You may be familiar with that feeling of overwhelming sleepiness during the mid-afternoon. It’s common, occurs whether you’ve eaten lunch or not, and is caused by a natural dip in alertness from about 1 to 3pm.

People over the age of 65 make up a larger percentage of the global population than ever before. As this ageing of society only really took off in the last century, it’s unsurprising that much of what we think we know about ageing is untrue.

What is your fatigue trying to tell you right now, this very moment of your life? This is an important question that I want you to ask yourself right now. At different times of the day, you'll have different answers, and at different times of your life, you'll have different answers...

According to a recent report, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia have the worst health in the U.S. These states have higher rates of premature deaths, chronic diseases and poor health behaviors year after year.

While the recent outbreak of E. coli infections linked to romaine lettuce has been declared over, Canadian public health officials are still working to determine the cause of the contamination.

Wholemeal, wholegrain, multigrain, sourdough, rye, white, high fibre white, low GI, low FODMAP, gluten free. With so many choices of bread available, how are we to know which is best for our health?

Following our annual Christmas overindulgence, many of us have set ambitious goals for the year ahead. But eating healthy shouldn’t just mean cutting down on snacks; given the environmental impact of food production, a more sustainable diet should feature high on everyone’s list of New Year’s resolutions.

Researchers have developed a blood test that can detect the presence of eight common cancers. Called CancerSEEK, the blood test detects tiny amounts of DNA and proteins released into the blood stream from cancer cells.

People who are overweight may be at higher risk for overeating in the evening hours, especially when experiencing stress, a new study suggests.

Remember that whatever the source of your energy leaks, you are the one who is best able to make changes that will bring about improved energy levels in your life. As tempting as it may seem to blame someone or something else for past injustices or handicaps in your life, you will gain...

Every day, more than 10 million people take a flight somewhere in the world. While flying is relatively safe, the unique environmental conditions can put passengers at risk if they’re taking certain medications.

Theresa May’s new environment plan sets ambitious goals for plastic waste reduction. But there’s lots of room for slippage. One goal is to eradicate all “avoidable” plastic waste, though it’s not clear how “avoidable” will be defined.

We are so conditioned to using our five physical senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell), that we expect intuition to be something equally tangible. It is not. Intuition, the "sixth sense," requires us to trust, not to know.

Certain types of stress interact with immune cells and can regulate how these cells respond to allergens, ultimately causing physical symptoms and disease, a new study suggests.

With the rise in food allergies over the last ten to 20 years, parents are understandably concerned about what – if anything – can be done to reduce the chances of their child developing a food allergy.

On January 4 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Cole memo, a 2013 document that limits federal enforcement of marijuana laws. This opens the door for a crackdown in the nine states with legal recreational marijuana.

A common herbicide is ending up in our food, thanks to the growing practice of using it to dry crops in preparation for harvest. In addition to speeding crop drying, glyphosate can help synchronize ripening in plants at harvest time.

Researchers have developed a new way to attack cancer: using a non-toxic dose of sodium formate—found in nettles and ants—to trigger an organic-osmium compound.

Supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry. But, unlike pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers of these products don’t have to prove that their products are effective, only that they are safe – and that’s for new supplements only.

Using prescription drugs or over-the-counter products like gums, mints or patches won’t increase your chances of quitting smoking a year later, according to a new study.

Coeliac disease, an allergy to gluten that causes damage to the intestine, affects 1% of Australians. But more than ten times this number, or around 11% of the population, follows a gluten-free diet by choice, and up to 30% of people in the United States try to reduce their gluten intake.

Humans have built high-rises since ancient Roman times, but it wasn’t until the 20th century that they became the default work space for a significant slice of the world’s workers. While these buildings are certainly efficient, they can cause real health issues.

The Wizard of Oz promised results he could not deliver but was convincing in his presentation. Diet wizards have done the same for decades

After cigarettes, alcohol is perhaps the most common carcinogen that humans voluntarily expose themselves to. How this simple substance promotes cancer, though, has not been clear. But our latest study sheds some light on the possible mechanism.

People who have a sense of purpose in their life tend to make healthier lifestyle choices and report feeling better about their own health status, according to a new study.

A 30-minute daily or alternate-day facial exercise program sustained over 20 weeks improved the facial appearance of middle-aged women, resulting in a younger appearance with fuller upper and lower cheeks, report researchers.

It’s January, so it’s likely that you have set yourself goals to be more physically active and less stressed in 2018. Paradoxically, better goals would be to stop worrying about how much exercise you’re getting and to stop worrying about being too stressed.

The mind of addiction goes like this: “So I need to stop playing computer games. I will take up marathon running instead.” Keeping away from the addiction does not stop the need for addiction and the need to look at the underlying pain or unhappiness...

Runoff from melting snow carries road salt into streams and lakes, and causes extraordinarily high salinity.

Milk had a rather bad press in the 1970s and 1980s. In the UK, for example, there has been a marked decline in milk consumption from about 2,700ml per person per week in the early 1970s to 1,400ml per person per week in 2014.

Gyms across the country will be packed in the new year with people sticking, however briefly, to their New Year’s resolution to lose weight. Most of them do not know that the cards are stacked against them and that weight loss is much more complicated than working out and not eating dessert.

You don't have to be a scientist to know that energy is all around us and inside us. In fact, when we get down to it, energy is all that exists. In high school science class we learned that energy is never created nor destroyed. It is simply transformed from one form...