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Wednesday, October 16, 2019
By Maria Pranschke, M.Sc., Department of Neuroscience Can having a pet improve your health? Ask any pet owner with a close relationship to their dog or cat and you’ll probably get a resounding “Yes!” Many researchers will also tell you that the scientific findings regarding the association between having pets and health look pretty... More
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
The issue: Loneliness and social isolation among older adults. Social isolation and loneliness are two issues that have been identified as common among older adults, including those living in long-term care (LTC) or retirement homes (Theurer et al., 2015). Indeed, estimates may be as high as half of all residents feeling lonely (Drageset,... More
Monday, August 14, 2017
By: Miski Dahir Growing up, one of my favourite trips was to the doctor’s office. We would get in the car and drive to the doctor’s. I would sit in the waiting room, eagerly waiting for the moment the receptionist called out my name and said “please follow me to your room”. The doctor... More
Thursday, August 10, 2017
By: Jyllenna Wilke At least once a week, I make the mistake of looking at videos of dogs on Instagram and promptly text my boyfriend to tell him that I want a dog. When I drive by someone walking a dog, I seriously consider pulling over and asking to pet the dog. The biggest challenge... More
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
By Sarah Zutrauen, Department of Health Sciences Revenge. It often seems to be the first thing to cross someone’s mind when they are wronged. It can seem satisfying in the moment. Even justified. But is revenge actually sweet? Although vengeance may provide immediate satisfaction, it can also have unanticipated (and unwelcome) consequences... More
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Breaking the code: How seeking help can save lives By Andrea Poncia Health promotion campaigns often highlight the negative impacts of a harmful behaviour, and then provide information about healthier alternatives. It’s an approach that assumes the audience is capable of changing habits and behaviours, and it works best for things that are... More
Saturday, April 9, 2016
By Susan Braedley, Associate Professor, School of Social Work Is it truly a sunnier day for health equity in Canada? It seems so. On Sunday, April 3, 2016, a packed hall at the War Museum listened attentively as Jane Philpott, federal Minister of Health, outlined her plan to address health inequities through a social... More
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
By Hymie Anisman, Dept. of Neuroscience, Carleton University In Dante’s Inferno, the ninth circle of hell is reserved for those who engage in treachery Most of us spend about half of our waking hours at the workplace. For some people work is a positive experience and even acts as a buffer or coping method... More
Friday, September 4, 2015
The end of the season always comes. And it always seems to be raining. And as I get closer and closer to my contract’s end, crewmembers seem to pitter out of the system. It’s a weird end, because not everyone ends on the same day. There’s no final hoo-raw, or goodbye. Some people are... More
Thursday, July 9, 2015
By Frank Welsh, Director of Policy, Canadian Public Health Association Your health and quality of life is determined by a wide range of factors. These social determinants of health (SDH) are broadly defined as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age” and include education, income, housing, gender, physical... More
Friday, July 3, 2015
By Anna Tomczak, Department of Health Sciences, Carleton University For many years the environment has been considered to have important effects on human well-being. Feng shui, for instance, is a Chinese philosophical system that aims to harmonize everyone with the surrounding environment through orientation of buildings and other structures. You... More
Monday, June 15, 2015
By Sarah Zutrauen, Department of Health Sciences, Carleton University Most of us think that we understand what it means to be “healthy”: eat the right foods, get enough exercise, lose weight. What is less obvious is how belonging to social groups can protect and enhance health and well-being both physically and mentally. For example,... More
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