Health and Wellness Blog

Need help filling out the Ontario Health Study questionnaire?

Representatives of The Ontario Health Study (OHS) will be at the Volunteer Fair for Boomers & Beyond at the Toronto Reference Library on Friday, May 27, 11 - 4:30 pm. There will be also a presentation on the Study at 11:30 am in the Beeton Auditorium. Following the presentation, you can get help filling out the online questionnaire and get answers to your questions.

What is the Ontario Health Study all about? In a nutshell, the OHS is a long term study that will help researchers understand the causes, prevention and treatment of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, asthma, diabetes ...

Why should you join? This is a great opportunity to make a difference in your and your loved ones' health for generations to come. With the scrapping of the mandatory long-term census last year, the OHS may prove to be a valuable resource for future health policy decisions.

Who is funding and sponsoring the study? OHS is funded primarily by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Cancer Care Ontario, the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion and the Canadian Partnership against Cancer. Scientists and clinicians at universities, hospitals and research centres are overseeing the Study.

Who is eligible to participate? All Ontarians 18 years and older - regardless of their health status - are invited to take part in the Ontario Health Study. So do your share... join now!

Nutrition and Stress

Let's face it, stress is part of everyday life. It's a normal psychological and physical reaction to life's demands.  Even happy events - like wedding preparations or buying a house - leave a stress footprint. When our brain detects a threat - a.k.a a stressful situation, hormones are released to trigger our 'fight-or-flight' response. Once the threat is gone or diminished, our bodies should return to normal but that is often not the case given our nonstop stressful lifestyles. If our bodies stay on high stress alert for extended periods, it can lead to serious health problems and that's where stress management comes into play.

Stress management provides us with the necessary tools to cope with everyday stress. Coping strategies include getting enough sleep, being physically active, meditating and relaxing, doing fun activities, sharing feelings and reaching out to others, and eating well.

While healthy eating won't get rid of everyday stress, it helps us respond better to stressful situations.  To find out more about nutritious foods that can reduce stress levels, come to a lecture by Carolyn Barber, a registered dietitian, next Wednesday, March 23rd at the Toronto Reference Library. Click here for full details. 

 

 

Check out also some books on the subject of stress management: