Dree's Notes

Being born with mousy (blondish? brownish?) hair and an ounce of vanity will lead to a lifetime of hair coloring... Unfortunately, lots of exposure to the sorts of chemicals found in typical hair dyes will lead to allergic reactions in people sensitive to such things. I started using Lush (http://www.lush.ca/) henna because I still wanted to color my hair, but didn't want the hives or scabs that resulted when I used L'Oreal or Garnier. At the time, my hair had been highlighted a little too zealously so I ended up with bright orangey-red hair. Kinda pretty yet kinda too much for me. As my hair grew out, the color softened. Henna coats the hair shaft like lacquer, so red henna over mousy gives you reddish-brown. If I had skin tones that truly suited auburn, that would've been fine. I tried Lush Caca Brun to tone down the red, but then my hair became too dark and I looked tired. With repeated henna-colorings, the only way to remove ALL the henna is to grow it out. ...

Japanese "natto" is a vitamin-rich, fermented superfood made from soybeans. It's a healthy probiotic that is good for your microbiome and modulates immune response, thereby reducing inflammation and allergic reactions. Beneficial to your liver and skin, it will help keep your arteries open and is especially rich in vitamin K2, which is of particular benefit to post-menopausal women who are prone to bone loss. There's a catch, though. It's hard to find in Calgary, and when you do, it's either really expensive or dead and dry. Really, probiotics are best consumed fresh. And why should something made from soybeans be so expensive? The bacteria that give natto all of its health benefits, Bacillus subtilis , isn't the sort of thing you can pick up at the corner store, and it's got its lifestyle preferences. B. subtilis  needs to be kept warm, around 100 degrees Fahrenheit or around 40 degrees Celsius. Unless you own a Japanese warmer, a dehydrator,...

If you have gastrointestinal (GI) problems, as so many of us who consume industrial food do, then you know what a complex and tricky issue it is to deal with. Who doesn't love cheap and tasty, "easy" food? Who isn't "too busy" to spend more time preparing meals? Most of us deny that our diets are unhealthy until issues like pain, bloating, or yeast infections alert us to the inconvenient truth that we need to make some changes. If you've been keeping up with the latest research related to the human microbiome, then you already know that conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), Clostridium Difficile infections, and Crohn's disease are the result of upsets to gut ecology. I almost feel guilty mentioning my own issues related to candida overgrowth (an excess of Candida albicans  and its waste products leading to aches, brain fog, bloating, and malaise) because my symptoms seem minor compared to what I have seen other people go through. ...

Remember the decades of denial about whether or not smoking causes cancer, courtesy of tobacco industry corporate types? Well, no one denies it now. Here's a quote to make you ponder:  As late as 1960 only one-third of all US doctors believed that the case against cigarettes had been established. (from  http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/21/2/87.full) It's good to see that glyphosate (Roundup) is finally being exposed for its nastiness, after more than three decades of denial. In 1985, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) classified glyphosate as a carcinogen, then reversed itself in 1991 under pressure from Monsanto executives. Since then, the evidence has continued to pile up: 1. Animals treated with glyphosate develop kidney, pancreatic, and other tumors. 2. Farmers who use glyphosate have higher rates of cancer. 3. Glyphosate is shown to damage DNA and chromosomes, which is one way to induce cancer. I am quoting an article (http://www.centerforfoodsaf...

Not only is it time to file your taxes; it's time to be wary of phone scammers posing as representatives of the CRA. These types of scams have been around before, as reported by Global News... http://globalnews.ca/news/2444278/cra-telephone-scam-making-the-rounds-again/ But I never expected these perps to call my mom. She had just returned to her Edmonton home after visiting with us in Calgary, and a message on her answering machine claimed to be from the CRA and urged her to call them right away. So she did. She started to get suspicious when the man said she owed $3,500 and that she needed to have the cash at her home for it to be picked up that day at 5 PM, or end up in court. I had just helped her file her taxes (yours truly used to work at H&R Block for low pay; these days I work with StudioTax pro bono) and she knew she didn't owe a cent. So she told the man: "You're a bad boy and a fraud!" Mom would know; she's raised boys, and met a...

I frequent Basha Foods in Calgary because it offers the kinds of grocery items that the larger chains don't... like Jamaican avocadoes (huge, creamy, sweet), jackfruit (fresh IS better than canned), frozen cubes of camel meat (like beef, but more connective tissue, so best when slow-cooked), and so on. Last week, I picked up a bag of Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), which are offered in the produce section for a brief period each spring. In case you haven't tried them, they really do taste like a cross between potatoes and artichokes. A North American native, the sunchoke deserves more appreciation. It's delicious, low maintenance in the garden, and although you're more likely to find it in eastern Canada, that's Canadian enough for me. Helianthus tuberosus , as it's formally called, is a healthy choice for diabetics and contains potassium, iron, niacin, fiber, protein, and minerals. Yet, it's not easy to find the tubers if you want to add th...

Lately, I've read a few books on how gut health affects your overall health, including your weight, mood, allergies, and immune system. My conclusion is that the diversity of species in your microbiome has a definite impact on your well-being, but as the authors of these two books admit, easy prescriptive advice is still a long ways away. The first book, by Giulia Enders, explains a lot about the inner workings of the small and large intestine, and provides helpful tips for an optimum toilet experience (spoiler: put your feet on a stool). Her book explores how the gut modulates immunity, and why the presence or absence of various species of bacteria affect whether or not you are allergic to particular things. Increasing the amount of prebiotics (starch and fiber that are not easy to digest and therefore nourish bacteria in the lower intestine) in one's diet can lead to a reduction in levels of anxiety and obesity. There is also the option of fighting "bad" g...

Happy Friday! And sunny weather, to boot! Since Calgarians are emerging from hibernation, I think this might be a good time to suggest greater friendliness toward much-maligned pessimists. You know, the Debbie Downers, Gloomy Gilberts, Jaded Jennys, and Depressed Dans. We tend to prefer optimists for their bright, cheery outlook, but I'd like to take a moment on the patio to reflect on the positive attributes of pessimists. Not quite what my patio looks like, but close enough. Let's focus on the pessimists in the back, the only people on the patio who are not smiling. At least they face their problems. Ever met an optimist who wanted to talk about their problems, and do something about them? Of course not. People who talk about problems are called pessimists! Meanwhile, optimists blithely ignore unpleasant things like global warming or having stepped on another person's toes because such things get in the way of being jolly. Humility is refreshing. Pessimis...

Having to cut out sugar and caffeine can be depressing. Why let go of what you love? Don't get me started about green coffee beans roasted over a fire, fresh ground and hand poured through a simple filter. Or taramisu cheesecake or black licorice candy. Giving up sweets and coffee seemed just too sad. Health problems lead to desperate measures, however, and the discovery of a pick-me-up that is actually good for you has been my salvation. First, matcha green tea is a gorgeous color: It is loaded with catechin, a powerful antioxidant, and it is anti-aging and anti-cancer, while boosting memory, concentration and endurance. It supports your immune system, detoxifies, and lowers the bad kind of cholesterol. Some say it will help you lose weight, not that I care. My best memories of matcha tea were inextricably linked to large portions of green tea ice cream. Green tea ice cream has sugar! I knooow. Now, let's bring stevia into the picture: Also ...

Yesterday after school, I took our boys to the First Robotics (http://frcwest.com/) competition in the Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary. We enjoyed the event last year, and this year's medieval theme really put the student-built robots through their paces. The photo, while not capturing the excitement that we saw in the heat of competition, nevertheless gives you a good idea of the layout: Our seven-year-old son got so caught up with the pounding music, flashing lights, and cheers, that he came up with his own chant: "TWENTY-THIRTEEN! TWENTY-THIRTEEN! TWENTY-THIRTEEN!" Older son and I tried shushing him, to no avail. It turns out that Robot 2013 was an excellent competitor, picking up the volleyball and sending it into the opposing team's castle with nearly every throw. My apologies to those around us in the stands who may have been disturbed by a little boy's exuberance - his voice does get a bit shrill and off-beat. Afterwards, while checki...

Ramachandran's Phantoms in the Brain  is a must-read for anyone who has or has known anyone who has experienced phantom sensations in a missing limb, or hallucinations due to a "scotoma" - a blank spot in one's field of vision. For science buffs, it's simply fascinating. Once you learn that your body image and sensory perceptions are formed in a sort of back-and-forth dialogue between sensory input and cognitive output, your ideas about the human mind do change. I'm going to jot down a few notes on what I will call "neurologist's party tricks" for future reference, and quite possibly use these notes to try out on a few friends. 1. How Long is My Nose? This illusion requires three participants who can concentrate and match a rhythm. Person A must sit on a chair, blindfolded. Person B must sit on a chair just in front of Person A, facing the same direction. Person C must guide Person A's hand to Person B's nose, moving Person A...

Although I signed up for a fitness club membership with the best of intentions, it just wasn't working out. Sure, kickboxing for 30 minutes (https://www.30minutehit.com/locations/gym/calgary-sw-kickboxing-boxing-fitness.html) was a great workout, but it was a little too hard on my joints and the balls of my feet. That, and too-frequent corrections from my trainer were undermining my confidence and making my form worse! No, that's not me in the picture. But enough about me. If you want to cancel a gym membership in Alberta, here are a few pointers. Alberta law says that you can cancel a direct sales contract within 10 days of receiving a copy. Therefore, if you weren't given a copy of your membership contract, it follows that you can then cancel at any time. The Fair Trading Act of Alberta, section 27, says, "A consumer may, without any reason, cancel a direct sales contract at any time from the date the sales contract is entered into until, subject to the reg...