Back from the brink: A doctor’s struggle with depression

Here’s a disturbing fact: Medical doctors have the highest suicide rate of any profession. It may be uncomfortable to read that in the USA nearly 400 doctors take their life every year. So how does a physician find assistance in a system that seems to be clearly failing its own? I sat down recently with Dr Charles, a fitness enthusiast, soccer fanatic and dad, to...

COVID-19: Inequality and the pandemic

When confronted with the pandemic, we are anything but equals.

COVID-19: Hope ordinances and a divine governance

Fines, military ordinances, police and army patrolling the streets – this is the reality we have suddenly found ourselves living in. It is a tightening reality, a rigid corset-like structure of rules.

What organic labels do and don’t say

The production of organic food has gained increasing importance worldwide, driven largely by consumer concerns over the potential negative health effects of foods grown through intensive, conventional farming methods (Brantsæter, Ydersbond et al. 2017).

COVID-19: What people on the front line think and feel

While most of us have been staying inside for several weeks, many leave the safety of their homes every day to help us live our lives as normally as possible.

COVID-19: Forgiveness in isolation

When we are isolated with our family, problems that are sometimes easy to ignore become more acute, and the need to receive and offer forgiveness to those around us becomes increasingly evident.

The new coronavirus: what is a balanced reaction?

Who do we listen to? Who is right? Who is balanced? How should we react to the risk of the new coronavirus?

Our daily E-numbers: an epidemic of suspicion (Part II)

The first part of this discussion essentially highlighted that, despite the alarming and catastrophic claims surrounding E-numbers, these substances are generally far less harmful than many believe. In the following section, we will examine some of the most criticised and controversial E-numbers in Romanian public discourse. Let’s begin with the one often described as “the most TOXIC/CARCINOGENIC additive”: E330.

Myths about vegan diets

For some people, being vegan is part of their lifestyle, but others cannot conceive of missing out on dairy products, meat or eggs. This could be explained by several myths that revolve around these diets.

Genetic inheritance cannot be altered. True or false?

Grandpa’s eyes, mother’s wide hips, aunt’s serene gaze, father’s ambition, great-grandmother’s rheumatism—all the little traits that define us seem to come from ancestral parents who, together, should have all the genes that anyone can have today, all the possible ingredients for the recipe from which we were made.

The dangers of excessive sleep

Numerous studies have shown the negative effects of sleep deprivation. However, the problem of excessive sleep is also something to be wary of. 

COVID-19: The new mirror in which we look at our parents

How can we encourage the elderly during this time? How can we help them understand that we don't want to lose them and that, although it's hard for them, we didn't abandon them. I have an elderly mother and, honestly, it would help me a lot. Can you write for me?

Hope in the storm

This coronavirus crisis has, for me, some perplexing parallels with a well-known incident narrated in the Gospel of Matthew (14:22-33). The disciples are confined in a little boat in the middle of a terrible storm, almost as we are confined at home today by the emergency laws of our countries.

Everything natural is good. True or false?

There seems to be an obsession with the word "natural." We look for it everywhere and, if necessary, are willing to pay more for products deemed natural. If this were not the case, there would probably not be so much emphasis on advertisements and product labels that show the products' natural qualities.

The illusion of the ideal calcium source

It is widely accepted in popular belief that animal products are the ideal source for maintaining bone health. However, a study published in the US Journal of Nutrition found that populations consuming large amounts of calcium and protein from animal sources had a higher rate of hip fractures (Hegsted, 1986).