In the age of COVID-19, everyone keeps talking about flattening or bending the curve. But what the heck kind of curve are they talking about? Epidemiology looks at the patterns of diseases across populations. This is a fundamental part of public health. Epidemiological curves, also known as epidemic curves or epi curves, are used to… Continue reading What’s This Curve We’re Flattening?
Tag: health
Spanish Influenza: The Last Big Pandemic
Alberta Board of Health/Public Domain It was 102 years ago that the last major global pandemic happened, known as Spanish influenza, and in many ways, COVID-19 pales in comparison. The Spanish influenza pandemic that began in 1918 didn't actually originate in Spain; that's just where it was first publicly reported. Its origins are unclear, although… Continue reading Spanish Influenza: The Last Big Pandemic
Is Chiropractic What It Claims To Be?
Let's say your back hurts. You go to a chiropractor, over a few visits they crack a few joints, and that's all she wrote, right? That's certainly what I used to think about chiropractic. The thing is, though, there's some modern back cracking practice built on some rather out there origins. Traditional/straight chiropractic Chiropractic was… Continue reading Is Chiropractic What It Claims To Be?
Coronavirus (COVID-19) – The Facts
Note: This post has not been updated since March and thus some of the information contained here may not reflect the current state of knowledge. Please refer to the World Health Organization or your local public health agencies for the most up-to-date information on COVID-19. Coronavirus has caught everyone's attention and emptied store shelves… Continue reading Coronavirus (COVID-19) – The Facts
Are Colon Cleanses Useful?
Image by Elionas2 from Pixabay There are a lot of weird alternative health interventions out there, but colon cleansing, also known as colon hydrotherapy or colonics, has got to be one of the weirder ones. Apparently this is something that's been around since the time of the ancient Egyptians, but it only appeared on my radar a few… Continue reading Are Colon Cleanses Useful?
Are Essential Oils a Placebo or Something More?
I'm a big fan of aromatherapy. I have a diffuser and use a number of different essential oil blends, and I'm perfectly happy if they're just a pleasant placebo. Essential oils smell nice and they're a great way to practice self-care. But do they live up to the assorted health claims that are made about… Continue reading Are Essential Oils a Placebo or Something More?
Year in Review 2019 – Life & Health
Blogging and other writing take up a huge amount of my life, but I covered those in the last couple of days, so this is the assorted leftovers. I started off the year with two casual nursing jobs. In the spring I started finding that the patient visits I was doing for one of the… Continue reading Year in Review 2019 – Life & Health
How to Spot Pseudoscience
One of my major pet peeves is pseudoscience, which Google defines as "a collection of beliefs or practices mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method." There's a lot of pseudoscience out there in the world that can spread easily and quickly via the internet, and it often astonishes me what people will believe. There's also… Continue reading How to Spot Pseudoscience
I have a pre-existing condition
As a Canadian, the fact that I have a pre-existing health condition doesn't affect my ability to access basic healthcare. Our health care system certainly isn't perfect, but our publicly funded system costs a heck of a lot less than the privatized system in the United States. Unfortunately, things look like they could get a… Continue reading I have a pre-existing condition
2018 year in review: Health
Depression does a number on my recall ability, so I turn to my bullet journal to help me look back on 2018 from a health perspective. The chances of my illness ever going back into full remission seem very slim at this point, so I think it's probably better if I set aside hopes of… Continue reading 2018 year in review: Health