An organ once deemed “useless” may play a role in Parkinson’s disease
(Katherine Ellen Foley/ Quartz) — For years, medical scientists have suspected the appendix—a tiny organ tucked away near our large intestines—lacks a real purpose in our bodies. They believed it was a vestigial organ, that might have been a part of the digestive systems of our ancestors, but did nothing for modern humans except …
Anti-depressant use has tripled among teens in a decade
(CTV Montreal) — The use of anti-depressants among teenagers in Quebec has tripled over the course of the last ten years.
What has yet to be determined, though, is whether this is a result of an increased frequency in mental illness or whether it is merely a reflection of more people seeking treatment.
In an interview with CTV Montreal, …
WHO says air pollution kills 600,000 children every year
GENEVA (Reuters) – Air pollution kills an estimated 600,000 children every year and causing symptoms ranging from loss of intelligence to obesity and ear infections but there is a limited amount parents can do, a World Health Organization report said on Monday.
Parents should try to avoid household air pollution by using less …
Quebec’s free flu shot program to be restored for healthy infants, seniors
(Montreal Gazette) — Less than a month after the provincial government decided Quebec would no longer provide healthy infants and seniors with free flu shots, Quebec Health Minister Danielle McCann on Friday reversed the decision, saying that authorities want to offer “this protection against the consequences of the flu virus to …
Not exercising worse for your health than smoking, diabetes and heart disease, study reveals
(Wayne Drash/ CNN) — We’ve all heard exercise helps you live longer. But a new study goes one step further, finding that a sedentary lifestyle is worse for your health than smoking, diabetes and heart disease.
Dr. Wael Jaber, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic and senior author of the study, called the results “extremely …
Why do we stay in relationships that make us unhappy?
(Maria Cohut/ Medical News Today) — At some point in our lives, we may find ourselves in a romantic relationship that makes us unhappy, yet we still choose to stick it out. Why persist in a joyless romance when we could simply break up? A new study has found a surprising answer.
Unfortunately, happy romantic relationships are very …
Can eating organic food lower your cancer risk?
(Roni Caryn Rabin/ New York Times) — People who buy organic food are usually convinced it’s better for their health, and they’re willing to pay dearly for it. But until now, evidence of the benefits of eating organic has been lacking.
Now a new French study that followed 70,000 adults, most of them women, for five years has …
Fast food: It’s what’s for dinner … and lunch … and breakfast
(Nicholas Bakalar/ New York Times) — More than a third of adults in the United States patronize fast-food restaurants and pizza parlors on any given day. And the higher their income, the more likely they are to do so.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released data on fast food consumption gathered from 2013 to 2016 …
Young drivers who use cannabis at higher risk of collisions for at least 5 hours, McGill finds
(Isaac Olson/ CBC News) — Young people who use cannabis and drive are at greater risk of being involved in a vehicular collision even if five hours have elapsed since inhaling it, according to a McGill University study published Monday.
The research, published just two days before cannabis is legalized across the country, found …