Health and Wellness Blog

Improving your memory

No matter whether you are young or old, most of us have experienced a moment like this: somebody was introduced to you at a party, but just as turned your head, you forgot this fellow's name. If you are a senior, you probably excused yourself: Oh well, I'm old, it is natural that my memory is declining.

Scientists however have discovered that the human brain has the ability (neuroplasticity) to adapt and change, even into old age. It means, with the right stimulation, our brain can form new neural pathways, alter existing connections, and adapt and react in ever-changing ways.

So what stimulation or things are good for your brain/memory? Here are some tips from HelpGuide.org:

• Physical Exercise can not just help you maintain a healthy weight, delay and prevent diabetes, some cancers and heart problems, but even more - it can increase oxygen flow to your brain and reduce the risk of disorders that lead to memory loss
• Healthy Relationships: research shows that having meaningful relationships and a strong support system are vital not only to emotional health, but also to brain health. In one recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health, for example, researchers found that people with the most active social lives had the slowest rate of memory decline
• Stress Management: one of the brain’s worst enemies is stress. Chronic stress destroys brain cells and damages the hippocampus, the region of the brain involved in the formation of new memories and the retrieval of old ones
• Nutrition: a diet based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and “healthy” fats can not only provide lots of health benefits, but also improve memory. The following are helpful for your brain,
  
  • Get your Omega-3s
  • Limit calories and saturated fat
  • Eat more fruit and vegetables
  • Drink green tea
  • Drink wine/grape juice in moderation
• Brain Training: anything new, challenging and fun that can give your brain a workout will do the trick

Need more information to empower yourself? Check out some books from the Toronto Public Library by following the links below:

Free online resources:

• HelpGuide.org: How to Improve Your Memory
• HowStuffWorks: How Your Brain Works
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Brain Basics
• WebMD: Improve Your Memory

Relieve Anxiety and Depression Naturally... Free Health Talk at TRL

 

Join Paul Demeda for a free lecture to learn how to improve your mental health without medication. Paul, a registered Orthomolecular Health Practitioner, will discuss the complex relationship between mental health, nutrition, stress and the environment and will show you what steps you can take to modify these conditions.

                               

     

              Where: Toronto Reference Library, Beeton Auditorium, Toronto

 When: Tuesday, April 02, 2013  2:30 to 4 pm

    What:  Free lecture. All welcome! Wheelchair accessible

                       For more information call Answerline at 416-393-7131

Colour your world green...on St. Paddy's Day!

How about starting St. Patrick's Day with a tall glass of a healthy green smoothie? And while you are sipping your green smoothie think more green...  Lunch could be a plate full of baby spinach and arugula, or perhaps a kale or swiss chard quiche. And don't forget the enchanted world of broccoli and rapini! Not to speak of the myriad of green herbs that entice our palates. For ideas on how to 'colour your world green from the inside out' check out one of our books on the subject...

 

... and yes, have a healthy, happy St. Paddy's Day!!

 

         

       

Bill Clinton's Secret of Weight Loss and Reversal of Heart Disease

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2009-2010 data show that more than 35.7% of U.S. adults are obese vs. approximately 17% of children and adolescents (aged 2-19 years). As for Canadians: Statistics Canada 2007 - 2009 data indicate that 24.1% of adults in Canada were obese, and CBC recently reported that 31% of Canadian kids were overweight or obese. Yes, the obesity pandemic is upon us...

Obesity isn't just about looking-good but is a very serious health issue. Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, most leading causes of preventable death.

To former U.S. President Bill Clinton this was especially true. He was asked by his daughter Chelsea to lose 15 pounds for her wedding. Clinton was well-known for loving junk-food e.g. McDonald's. He had already undergone a couple of heart procedures since 2004. It must have been a tough assignment for him. However he did not just make it for his daughter's wedding, he has achieved so much more: He regained his high school weight and reversed his heart disease... is it not amazing? So what is his secret?

Watch the video below (CNN Wolf Blitzer interviewed Clinton) and discover his secret:

 

"The short answer is, I went on essentially a plant-based diet,” Clinton said in the interview. “I live on beans, legumes, vegetables, fruit. I drink a protein supplement every morning. No dairy. It changed my whole metabolism and I lost 24 pounds, and I got back basically to what I weighed in high school.”

Clinton also disclosed why he chose the diet. His "due diligence" led him to the key players who advocated this diet based on solid scientific evidence:

• Dr. T. Colin Campbell finds "People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease ... People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease. These results could not be ignored". You can find more in his book The China Study

• Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn tells his 20-year study proving changes in diet and nutrition can actually cure heart disease in his book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

• Dr. Dean Ornish wrote Dr. Dean Ornish's program for reversing heart disease as early as 1990. And more: Eat more, weigh less, The spectrum : a scientifically proven program to feel better, live longer, lose weight, and gain health, etc.

Take these books and DVDs home with you from the Toronto Public Library for more in-depth information on this topic:

 

Why junk food is not cool...

Would you argue that obesity, heart disease and diabetes are cool? Didn't think so. Yet many of us indulge in junk food every single day even though we know that junk food is a major culprit for chronic conditions like obesity, heart disease and diabetes. What's more alarming is that one in three Canadian children is overweight or obese and three quarters of these overweight children will remain so in adulthood with dire health consequences. No wonder the Ontario Medical Association calls for drastic measures to combat the obesity epidemic. But will a sin tax and explicit graphics on food packaging deter people from eating junk food? Proponents point to the success of earlier anti-smoking campaigns.

So why are we addicted to junk food?

Dietitians define junk food as empty calories... calories that do nothing good for our bodies and have little or no nutritional value.

Reasons why we gravitate to junk food are convenience, cravings, habit and advertising. 

In our fast paced society, we want everything fast. So no wonder we fall prey to the fast food industry. While not all fast food is necessarily junk more often than not they coincide. With our fast paced society comes inevitable stress kindling our cravings for... you guessed... salty, sweet, over processed junk food. And if that isn't enough, we are constantly bombarded by advertising telling us how cool (junk) food is. Ever wondered why unprocessed nutritious food isn't front line news?

For ideas on how to get off the junk food roller coaster and eat healthier here are some books from TPL's collection:

           

              





 

 

 

 

 

 

Doing good can heal you?!

More and more people are conscious about their physical health than ever before.

We are serious about what we eat. Just take a look at the flourishing health food stores in our neighbourhoods, organic food sections in grocery stores, the vegetarian options on restaurant menus. If these don't impress you enough, how about this - Canada's Food Guide is the most requested Canadian government publication (only second to the income tax forms).

We are careful about our exercise routine as well. You can see people jogging/ biking, walking dogs, working-out in gyms, or carrying yoga mats down the street all the time... 

How about our mental/spiritual health? Are we mindful of what we think and how we feel? Do we cherish it the same way as we do our physical health?

Consider this old wisdom from the Bible - A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Apparently the mind/body connection is nothing new. Remember our heavy-hearted moments when we went through enormous stress (lay-off, divorce, loss of a love one, loss of investment etc.), we had sudden onset back pain, chest pain, high blood pressure, trouble sleeping ... or sometimes just out of emptiness/loneliness, we got depression. 

Sure that we can go to our doctors for help, and chances are we get some prescribed drugs. But not many of us want to take medication that easily... so what other options do we have?

Research done by Allan Luks shows that doing good has the power to heal. The finding in his book The Healing Power of Doing Good confirms that when we care for other people we care for ourselves: 95% of the volunteers reported that personal helping on a regular basis gives them an immediate physical feel-good sensation, including warmth, increased energy, and a sense of euphoria, called 'helper's high.'  And it is the process of helping others that is the healing factor, regardless of the kind of help offered or its outcome.

If you are interested to read his book, follow the link underneath to place a hold. And check out more books from the Toronto Public Library on this topic available for you at your fingertips:

    

Wonder where to find a volunteer job? Here is a few websites might interest you:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters.ca: Become a Mentor
• Charity Village: Find Jobs
• City of Toronto: One on One Mentoring Program
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre: Volunteers
• The Salvation Army: Volunteering with the Salvation Army
• Toronto Public Library: Volunteering 
• University Health Network: Volunteering at Princess Margaret Hospital
• Volunteer Toronto: Find a Volunteer Position

Never too early to take good care of yourself - teen health

According to Statistics Canada and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more people die from heart disease and cancer than any other disease and condition. What's more, these two share a common cause - smoking.

A bad habit like smoking which you pick up mindlessly when you are young might worsen your health and even cost you your life later on (seriously!!! ). The good news is - it is preventable if you start to take care of yourself early.

The key is to

• understand your body (you are its owner!), and know how it works
• foster good behaviour/habits
• adopt a healthy lifestyle suitable for you as early as possible
• talk to your parents or health care provider if you have any concerns

And check out some books from the Toronto Public Library to inform yourself:

    

More free online information for you:

• MedlinePlus: Puberty, Teen Development,  Teen Health, Teen Sexual Health
• HealthyChildren.org: Teen
• TeensHealth.org: For Teens

More Popular Medical Books to Read

It's the holiday season.  Maybe the weather is getting you down or it might be a cold or flu and you find yourself at home with time to read.  The following books are filled with adventure, mystery, suspense and even danger and answer questions you might have like:

• What are some of the more bizarre medical cases physicians see?
• How does the human mind work?
• What do the volunteers of Doctors Without Borders do?
• Who are the Elite Medical Detectives and what do they do?

 

 To see which branch has a copy of the book and to place a hold, click on the title or cover link;

 

The Tell-Tale Brain Using unusual and baffling cases, Ramachandran, a neuroscientist, explains how a normal human brain works.	The Yipping Tiger and Other Tales from the Neuropsychiatric Clinic Features ten case histories of common neuropsychiatric disorders including golfer's yip, Tourette syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia nervosa and phantom limb.	What Disturbs Our Blood:a Son's Quest to Redeem the Past A riveting story of addiction and mental illness in a prominent Canadian family spanning three generations.

 

 

 

Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Doctors Without Borders Fascinating and harrowing tales of the medical professionals who deliver emergency care in war-torn countries and areas where natural disasters have occurred.  Read the News updates from the Canadian website.	Inside the Outbreaks: the Elite Medical Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service Follow the officers of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, a section of the Centers for Disease Control, as they investigate outbreaks of Ebola, smallpox, rabies, anthrax and other deadly diseases.  To see recent investigations, go to the Epidemic Intelligence Service website.	The Deadly Dinner Party & Other Medical Detective Stories Fifteen gripping stories including a typhoid outbreak in the Catskills, a building-related cluster of hypersensitivity pneumonia, and a case of Vitamin A toxicity.

Medical Mysteries and Histories: True Tales of Forensic Medicine

 

 

Nothing but holiday specials on TV?  Missing your favourite forensic medical mystery shows?

 

 

The dark days of winter are approaching when sitting in a big, overstuffed armchair with a good true forensic medical mystery book while the snow falls seems somehow inviting. Here are some titles sure to make you shiver but not from the cold!

 

Blood on the Table: the Greatest Cases of New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Headline cases including a 1922 tale of Becker and Norkin who acuse each other of murdering Becker's wife, a surgeon who kills his rival's patients and the murder of a violinist backstage at the Lincoln Center.	Blood Work: a Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution A 17th century tale of French physician Jean-Baptiste Denis who was found guilty of murder after he tranfused lamb's blood into a human who died several days later.  But it was later discovered that the patient was poisoned likely by a cabal attempting to discredit Denis.	Cranioklepty: Grave Robbing and the Search for Genius In 1809 in Vienna the head of the just-deceased composer Haydn was grave robbed.  The skulls of many other famous people including Beethoven, Mozart, Goya and Swedenborg were also stolen, sold, studied or put on display.  It was a time when the dubious science of phrenology, identifying genius through the study of bumps and ridges on the human skull,  was developed.

 

 

Post Mortem: Solving History's Great Medical Mysteries Fascinating medical cases of 12 famous people including Alexander the Great, King Herod, Joan of Arc, Beethoven, Mozart, Akhenaten, and Christopher Columbus.  A panel of experts attempt to use modern medical knowledge to diagnose their illnesses based on the medical evidence of the time.	Tales from the Morgue: Forensic Answers to Nine Famous Cases Including the Scott Peterson & Chandra Levy Cases Pittsburgh pathologist Wecht lends his expertise on the John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and the airline crash in Gander, Newfoundland cases.	The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York Witness the birth of forensic toxicology  through the monumental careers of New York City's chief medical examiner Charles Norris and toxicologist Alexander Gettler in the 1920s as they solve chemical crimes.

Natural Childbirth

   

Natural childbirth is a choice some women with low-risk pregnancies make to give birth without medications for pain or medical interventions such as continuous fetal monitoring or episiotomies.  Most natural childbirths happen at home or in a birthing centre and often include a midwife or a doula.

Natural childbirth isn't right for everyone. A hospital setting is the safest place for higher risk pregnancies such as a woman who is carrying multiple fetuses, has high blood pressure, or gestational diabetes. 

What are the advantages of natural childbirth?

• A feeling of empowerment or accomplishment
• No loss of sensation or alertness
• Freedom to move around, find the most comfortable positions and to eat and drink
• Fewer medical interventions

To learn more, read the article on Natural Childbirth at KidsHealth.  Visit Babycenter and read more about the advantages and disadvantages of Natural Childbirth.  If you are considering home birth, consult The Facts About Home Birth in Ontario from the College of Midwives of Ontario.

Studies have shown that having a baby at home with a registered midwife versus a hospital delivery with either a midwife or physician was comparably safe.  Read Outcomes of Planned Home Birth with Registered Midwife Versus Planned Hospital Birth with Midwife or Physician, a study by Patricia A. Janssen, Lee Saxell, Lesley A. Page, Michael C. Klein, Robert Liston, and Shoo K. Lee.

Midwives are trained professionals in home birth, emergency skills, laboratory testing and breastfeeding counselling who provide primary care during pregnancy, labour and birth in a hospital or home setting.  In Ontario, midwives attend approximately 3,000 home births each year.  They have been regulated in Ontario since December 31, 1993.  Read more About Midwifery from the College of Midwives of Ontario.

Go to Finding a Midwife in the Greater Toronto region from the College of Midwives of Ontario.

A doula provides physical and emotional support to a woman during labour and delivery.  Doulas are not regulated in Canada though optional certification is available through several private schools.  To learn more about what a doula can provide, visit What is a Doula? from Doula C.A.R.E.

Check out the Library's recent books about natural childbirth for more information.  To see which branch has a copy of the book and to place a hold, click on the cover or title link;

 

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering	The Complete Idiot's Guide to Natural Childbirth	Your Best Birth	Better Birth

Orgasmic Birth	The Birth Partner	Husband-Coached Childbirth	The Art of Giving Birth