-Be conscious of the amount of time spent unproductively in a day. You can’t deny that 30 minutes of exercise will only serve to make you more focused for the rest of your studying
– If you start by changing into your workout gear, you’ll feel foolish not working out
-Keep in mind that exercise has been repeatedly shown to reduce stress levels
-Tell yourself you’ll only go out for 10 minutes (and chances are you’ll be out longer once you’ve gotten started)
-Psych yourself up – with music or self-motivation – for the most wonderful break from studying you’ll have all day; then go tackle your work
-Ensure yourself a reward for consistency and perseverance through exam season!

So create a workout schedule, find an exercise buddy, and use these tips to maintain your fitness!

The post Active Learning appeared first on The McGill Daily.

It’s the classic situation: with an imminent exam and a carefully planned cramming schedule, you awake one morning with the all too familiar symptoms of a common cold. Feeling sorry for yourself between sniffles and coughs, you self-medicate with the usual blend of OJ, vitamins and copious amounts of water, fervently hoping for a rapid recovery.

Most of us who catch a cold end up taking desperate measures to fix the situation, regardless of whether such measures are founded on scientific truth. Increased vitamin C intake? Not only is there zero proof that it prevents colds, there’s also none that it expedites recovery, according to a paper in Evidence-Based Child Health. Herbal remedies like echinacea? Hot liquids? Beyond the latter’s ability to provide temporary relief, neither will provide much help.

Indeed, the most powerful panacea of them all is our own gullible mind. Once convinced of the effectiveness of a cold cure through a lifetime of anecdotal accounts and lore, many of us will start feeling better after a day of downing orange juice even though it serves as much of a medical purpose as twiddling your thumbs. And while juice manufacturers don’t proclaim cold-fighting abilities on every carton, another highly lucrative industry relying heavily on the placebo effect does assert a claim: that antidepressants cure depression.

Beginning in 1998, a series of studies have repeatedly questioned the difference in efficacies between antidepressant drugs and placebos. Pioneering analysis work done by University of Connecticut researchers Irving Kirsch and Guy Sapirstein confirmed the effectiveness of antidepressants – but also their inert counterparts. In 38 studies conducted with over 3,000 depressed patients, placebos improved symptoms 75 per cent as much as legitimate medications.

“We wondered, what’s going on?” said Kirsch in a 2010 interview with Newsweek. The medical community, skeptical of his analysis, asked him to instigate a more comprehensive study with the results of all clinical trials conducted by antidepressant manufacturers, including those unpublished – 47 studies in total.

Over half of the studies showed no significant difference in the depression-alleviating effects of a medicated versus non-medicated pill. With this more thorough analysis, which now included strategically unpublished studies from pharmaceutical companies, placebos were shown to improve symptoms 82 per cent as much as the real pill.

Now also consider that any apparent advantage of the genuine medication might be more the mind’s handiwork than chemical effect. Patients in double blind clinical trials, where neither experimenter nor patient know if a placebo or real drug has been taken, may easily determine which is the placebo. The obvious side effects of the genuine pill, such as headaches or nausea, may alert the patient to which study group they’ve been placed in, and the knowledge that their pill is medicated may be enough to alleviate their depression.

Are antidepressant drugs really “a triumph of marketing over science,” as researchers have claimed? Kirsch and other experts are convinced that antidepressants do not chemically cure depression. A British agency charged with determining which treatments are effective enough for government funding has stopped endorsing antidepressants as the default treatment for anything but the most severe forms of depression. And drug manufacturers themselves don’t deny Kirch’s data. A spokesperson for Pfizer, producer of  Zoloft, has alluded to the existence of a “wealth of scientific evidence documenting [antidepressants’] effects,” yet the fact that treatment “commonly fail[s] to separate from placebo” is “well known by the FDA, academia, and industry.”

However, if experts and antidepressant manufacturers are aware of this, the general public certainly isn’t. Which is precisely why antidepressants work. Without the knowledge that even manufacturers of medications aren’t completely convinced of their product’s superiority, antidepressants will continue to be effective. This not a recommendation for current users to halt taking the pills; abrupt withdrawal is extremely dangerous, and there is still a range of perspectives on the topic of antidepressants versus sugar pills.

But you have it. Millions of people every year feel better, simply because they believe they’ll feel better. We’ve recovered from colds, headaches, pain, and depression, courtesy of the placebo effect. After all, there’s something to be said for feeling better.

Correction: The title of this article was changed from “False peace of mind.”

The post A cure of the mind appeared first on The McGill Daily.

Relations of trade have come to be defined by multilateral trade agreements that liberalize the trading process through measures such as tariff reduction. One key agreement – the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) – exists explicitly to guard against the creation of policies that would hamper access to markets between the tri-nation bloc of Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Canada is also a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and a signatory of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which binds countries to a set of international trade rules. Thus far, certain stipulations on NAFTA exempt “social services established or maintained for a public purpose” from the kinds of regulation other industries are subject to – and certain public sectors can be excluded from GATS’ jurisdiction. This means that at present, our markets are not open to competitiveness from private health care providers. Our current medicare system – one that guarantees a basic minimum, and relatively equal, access to healthcare – is still strong.

However, these binding trade agreements may soon threaten our 70 per cent publically funded health services sector in the future, as policy changes force Canada to comply with rules it had previously signed onto.  Already, the Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights agreement that all WTO members must comply with has forced Canadian governments to extend patents’ rights – from 17 years to 20 – to pharmaceutical companies. This means that these corporations hold exclusive rights to drugs for longer. With generic drug companies unable to manufacture more affordable alternatives to critical medications, it will become increasingly difficult for governments to afford prescription drug support for their citizens.

Also, changes to health policies that open the marketplace to certain private health care providers – and in turn foreign investment – may subject Canada’s health sector to international trade agreements. The WTO states that, “wherever there is a mixture of public and private funding…the service sector should be open to foreign competition.” Provinces like Alberta, which has already begun privatizing portions of their health services, could be opening a Pandora’s box by “commercializing” health care.

Once one part of health care delivery has been contracted out, American companies wanting a larger slice of the multibillion-dollar Canadian healthcare industry could leverage trade agreements to further penetrate the market. When for-profit health care providers come into place, can the industry really be exempt from trade regulations by masquerading as a “social” service? And when one health delivery service is opened up to competition from private companies, how far behind is the entire system?

Our health care structure is not immune to the influences of an increasingly globalized world. To protect a system that many Canadians value (and indeed, are proud of) requires strategic alliances with other countries and vigilance in ensuring we can evolve our policies without incurring unwanted consequences. Although Canada’s economy benefits from its position as a nation heavily engaged in trade our health care sector on these same global markets threatens a foundational facet of Canadian identity.

The post Public purpose, private goal appeared first on The McGill Daily.

Once you wade through this sea of information, a new challenge emerges: eating nutritious food on a student budget.  Instant noodles are cheap; anti-oxidant-rich blueberries are not. What foods can we afford that pack a nutritional punch? I sat down with U3 Food Sciences and Nutritional Sciences student Rebecca Hartley, an avid runner and long time nutrition enthusiast, to compile the following list of ten cheap, healthy foods. Of course, variety is key to ensuring an adequate intake of the myriad of essential vitamins and minerals, but incorporating a few of these suggestions into your routine will spare your wallet and contribute to a healthier diet.

Eggs

Buy them in bulk at Costco! Packed full of minerals, with some types even a source of essential fatty acids, eggs are economical and fool-proof to prepare. For the busy student on the go, hard boil several to last a few days, and toss them in your bag for a protein-rich breakfast or snack.

Milk

Besides being an obvious and very good source of calcium, milk contains protein, and vitamin D, which many of us may be deficient in, particularly during the winter.  During our cold, dark northern winters, Hartley suggests a daily supplement of vitamin D (take note, those who hibernate inside during the winter months).

Low-sodium canned tomatoes

According to Hartley, the average student intakes 3,500 to 4,000 mg of sodium each day, far exceeding the 2,500 mg recommended upper limit. Ensure the canned tomatoes are indeed low sodium. It doesn’t get much cheaper than this, people. Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C and lycopene, whose antioxidant properties have been associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Chick peas (garbanzo beans)

Great for “digestive support,” chick peas supply 50 per cent of your daily-recommended fibre intake per cup.  This means your colon is happy and you’re less hungry, helping to control calorie intake. It also includes protein, and has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels.

Walnuts

Not all nuts are created equally. Walnuts are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E, and have been shown to have significant cardiovascular benefits. They’re portable and delicious (and calorie rich).

Cruciferous vegetables

The most common types are broccoli and cauliflower, but this vegetable family also includes bok choy, brussel sprouts, and rapini. These different vegetables all offer unique nutritional contributions, but expect tons of vitamin C, vitamin A, fibre, and even calcium in the broccoli.

Oatmeal/Oatbran

Dirt cheap with a long shelf life, oatmeal is well known for being high in soluble fiber, but did you also know it contains a significant amount of protein? Ten per cent of your recommended daily intake in a cup of cooked oats!

Apples

Such a quintessential food item is doubtless already a staple in many student diets, but there are literally hundreds of varieties out there that can differ significantly in taste. As they are all comparable in nutritional value, stray a little from the proverbial sidewalk, and ditch the Red Delicious for another variety next time.

Canned salmon

A more economical way of reaping the health benefits of salmon, this particular fish is preferable over tuna, which may contain mercury. Canned salmon boasts Omega 3, protein, and potassium.

Multivitamins

Yeah, I kind of cheated. It’s not a food item, but it’s a daily component of Hartley’s diet. As long as you have a balanced eating plan, a normal multivitamin will complement your diet, filling in on those days when you’re a little under in some departments.

Special thanks to Rebecca Hartley, whose expertise and passion for educating less nutrition-minded individuals made this article possible.

The post Nutrition for (almost) nothing appeared first on The McGill Daily.

We grudgingly stopped whatever we were doing for a mandatory two-hour long chat with strangers about topics that, while we acknowledged were important, weren’t on our list of “fun things to talk about this evening.” But, ever so obedient and respectful, fresh-faced, eager first years delved into the world of transgender issues, respect, and sexual consent. And consent, it turns out, is never implied. It must be stated verbatim (i.e. “yes”) for the sexual act to be considered consensual under Canadian law.

Such defined conditions are why the ongoing debate over pre-consenting to sex is drawing so much controversy in Canadian courts. According to a recent CBC news story, the case of an Ottawa woman consenting to sex prior to being voluntarily choked unconscious has escalated to the Supreme Court of Canada. While this may on the surface appear to be an isolated, abnormal incident, the true implication is the notion that you can say “yes” to sex in the future, and that sexual acts committed at a future date can be guaranteed consensual.

Of course, any eventual decision made in favour of sexual pre-consent would have to be accompanied by strict conditions, lest this be a window of opportunity for sexual assault. But consider the situation of elderly couples, where one spouse may be mentally incapacitated through any one of a myriad of age-related cognitive diseases. Could a long-time husband continue to have sex with his wife with Alzheimer’s, who may not even recognize him?

According to Isabel Grant, a law professor at the University of British Columbia, consent is “do you want to have sex this time with this person? And we can’t imply that from the fact that you’ve had sex with him before.”

Geriatric centres across the nation contend daily with the fine balance between emotionally healthy intimacy and sexual acts that might cause distress in a resident. Individuals with dementia, according to Mary Schulz, director of education for the Alzheimer Society of Canada, have a “need for intimacy, including sexual intimacy, [that] doesn’t change with age or the onset of dementia.” The challenge, thus, is in differentiating between desired and forced intimacy, which likely would need to be determined on a case-by-case basis by staff sensitive to minute, indicative changes of behaviour in residents.

If we can sexually pre-consent, can we also refuse in advance? Under the influence of certain mind-altering substances, many young adults become sexually promiscuous, and wake up regretfully the next day to the consequences of their drunken escapades. Should one be allowed to say no ahead of time, essentially deferring responsibility and imparting it on the other person, who’s then forced to ensure abstinence? The concept may seem preposterous, as we are interminably responsible for the decisions we make at every moment in time. But is there merit in the argument that if it possible for us to be unable to say no, once we’ve pre-consented, we should be unable to say yes as well?

In the upcoming months, the Supreme Court will be making its decision regarding the case of the Ottawa woman who pre-consented to sex, simultaneously setting a precedent for all other pre-consent cases that follow suit. Despite what the official laws assert individuals will always hold personal beliefs regarding such sensitive matters. For a certain Ontario man in his seventies, who asked his name not to be used, sex with his wife with late stage Alzheimer’s was never an option.

“I thought if I was to do that, it would be like raping somebody. And I could not rape my wife.”

The post No is no, yes is no appeared first on The McGill Daily.

If the processes behind human behaviours are too complex to understand, can we study the processes behind the behaviour of animals to shed light on that of humans?
At the September Cutting Edge science lecture titled “Dissecting the Components of Animal Behaviour as a Window into the Human Mind,” Yogita Chudasama, associate professor of psychology at McGill, discussed compelling evidence to support the viability of researching animal behaviour to shed light on that of humans.

Chudasama, whose main area of research is behavioural neuroscience, explained that the belief that animals are incapable of exhibiting complex behaviour akin to humans is quickly losing ground. Proof that rats are capable of performing intricate behavioural tasks suggests that we can in fact use animal models to “decompose” the causes of compromised brain function.

A region of the brain that controls a specific behavior in rats is likely to control the same behavior in humans. For example, the OFC region of the frontal cortex in both humans and rats is responsible for higher cognitive functions such as decision making. Chudasama’s research has found that damage to this region impairs a rat’s propensity for “reversal leaning.” If a rat with OFC damage were to learn to associate choosing a door with a triangle on it with a reward, it would be nearly impossible for the rat to forget the correlation. Even when choosing the door with the triangle no longer yields the reward, the rat will compulsively continue to choose that door.

Chudasama explained that humans with OFC damage also exhibit difficulty in reversal learning, as was shown in the Wisconsin card sorting experiment. The experiment tested the speed at which an individual can catch on to a change in rules in sorting a special set of cards. When the experimenter changes the rules, a subject with OFC damage will not alter their method of sorting even if they are repeatedly informed they are sorting the cards incorrectly. This behavioural correlation between animals and humans with OFC damage supports the idea that animal models can be used to accurately gauge human behaviour.

Further experiments in Chaudasuma’s lab use primate models, and have drawn parallels between damage in the pre-limbic system with memory impairment, as well as the connection between emotional reactions and the ability to adapt to an environment.

Chaudasuma thinks that information about the correlation between brain function in various mammals and humans will be invaluable in the ongoing quest to decode the enigmatic mystery of the human mind.

The post Rats, monkeys, and the human brain appeared first on The McGill Daily.