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.

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?

The things we suffer from are not the things that define us

At 28, the world was hers. Ellie Finch Hulme was engaged to the man of her dreams, and a lifetime of experience lay before her, like an open field in which one could run freely in any direction. Then came the diagnosis.

COVID-19: How can we transform the crisis?

Tens of thousands of articles about the new coronavirus crisis are filling news outlets around the world these days. What is the crisis, how we go through it, what to do, how to do, when to do it etc. Only one thing seems certain these days: our uncertainty about the future. We would prefer an authority to go out in public and tell...

Immunization against COVID-19: How often should the vaccine be repeated?

How long does the protection provided by the vaccine last? Should I have a booster shot after a while, or not?

Spanish flu to COVID-19: Lessons from a forgotten pandemic

The Spanish flu filled graves in almost every cemetery in the world. However, surprisingly, this tragedy had largely been forgotten until recently. A century later, the issue returned to the centre of attention, with specialists wondering if they can identify a pattern in the evolution of the COVID-19 health crisis based on the pandemic from a century ago.

Perceptions of balanced nutrition in the digital age

Attitudes toward food form a complex mosaic shaped by factors such as nutritional needs, hunger, taste preferences, socioeconomic status, demographic and emotional influences, as well as ethical, cultural, and religious values. Equally important is the level of education on nutrition (Gahagan, 2012). This plurality of factors helps explain the global diversity of dietary habits.

How to sleep well in the age of anxiety

Sleep is perhaps the most important, complicated, and misunderstood physiological mechanism that keeps us alive.

Low-carbohydrate diets may shorten lifespan

A diet based on significantly reducing the amount of carbohydrates on your plate can reduce life expectancy by up to 4 years, according to a study published in The Lancet Public Health.

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

British researcher N. W. Pirie noted as far back as 1969 that few topics give rise to as many myths as food, disease, and gardening. Given the widespread misinformation surrounding E-numbers, there is far too much to cover in just a few pages. However, it is worth clarifying some general aspects that are often misunderstood or completely overlooked.

What could console our terrible fear of death?

Along with the rising death toll due to coronavirus complications, a usually latent aspect of our fear becomes harder to ignore. Despite the fact that it is the only certainty we all share, realising that our own end is a reality we might need to confront sooner than we had thought leaves many of us fervently searching for consolation.

What diet can and cannot do for depression

Anyone who suffers from depression is likely to be fed up with advice from otherwise well-meaning friends who send them all sorts of online articles promising yet another secret to curing depression.

Vitamins, explained from A to K

We all know that vitamins are good for us. Many of us take supplements to boost the supply of vitamins in our bodies. However, it wasn’t until 1912 that Polish biochemist Casimir Funk actually came up with the concept of vitamins, which he called "vital amines."

Get your brain in shape

For a long time we’ve exercised for our physique. But studies are showing more and more the mind-blowing benefits exercise has on our brains.

COVID-19: Life in the shadow of death

I am not an expert on the phenomenon of death. But like all of us, I have to live in its shadow, and watch the restlessness and greed it causes. The same gloomy reports that circle the planet also reach me. I feel especially conscious of this as COVID-19 claims its first victims in my country.