Health Concerns

As widely covered in the media, 13-year old Jemma-Louise Roberts passed away last winter from Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), which is thought to have come about from using tampons to help her prepare for swim meets.

TSS is a rare bacterial infection - typically by Staphylococcus aureus but sometimes group A streptococcus bacteria - that can quickly travel through the body via one's bloodstream. Toxins associated with this infection can damage and disrupt all organ systems, making TSS a life-threatening medical emergency. Toxic Shock Syndrome can affect men, women, and children of all ages. Beyond recent tampon use, major risk factors include skin wounds and recent surgery. Read more

Starbucks in Canada recently began providing coconut milk as an alternative to dairy and soy. Curious to know the makeup of their coconut milk, I went to a local shop and gave it a try.

I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed. It felt quite artificial to my palate, and I don't consider myself to be a connoisseur of fine foods and beverages, not by a long shot.

Curious to know what was giving their coconut milk a chemical-like feel to me, I took note of their ingredients: Read more

Originally published in March of 2009

I definitely agree that forgiveness is often more about freeing oneself from limiting, painful emotions than it is about releasing the person who hurt you from responsibility for their actions.

Many times the people who hurt others are so unconscious of their own inner processes that they will continue to behave in the same or similar ways throughout their lives. They are simply too damaged and too ignorant to be able to do what it takes to recover and become sane, caring human beings. Read more

My wife and I haven't agreed on every little thing over the years, but there is one thing that we have always agreed on: the best experiences of our lives so far have been the home births of our two sons.

I still remember both home births as though they occurred a few hours ago.

Margaret's labor with our firstborn was about six hours long. With the help of three midwives, we sweated and huffed and puffed our way through every hour. And I mean we.

About halfway through the labor, I distinctly remember thinking, I'll never say no to this woman again...whatever she asks for from now on, my answer will be yes. I know this is a bit of a funny thought to have had while she was crushing my hands during each wave of contractions, but the point that shouldn't be missed is this: I felt some serious respect and awe for my wife as I witnessed her giving birth to our firstborn. Read more