The cells in our bodies perform functions that have yet to be fully understood. These structures which have existed for two billion years continue to baffle the scientific community. The mitochondria, an organelle with many unique features and functions, has been a topic of widespread research ever since its discovery[Read More…]
Tag: health
Floor fellows’ naloxone training aims to counter fentanyl crisis
In September 2017, Montreal Public Health declared the increasing presence of fentanyl in recreational drugs a public health emergency. Since the beginning of 2017, 10 drug overdoses linked to fentanyl—two of which were fatal—have occurred in Montreal. To counter the fentanyl crisis, McGill Student Health Services (SHS) held Naloxone administration[Read More…]
Daylight savings affects industry and human health
On Nov. 5, Daylight Saving Time (DST) ended, and we were gifted with an extra hour of sleep. 2 a.m. reverted back to 1 a.m., and clocks were changed. Benjamin Franklin first suggested the idea of implementing DST in 1784, joking that extended daylight would save candles. He also found[Read More…]
SUS talks upcoming events and constitutional change for FUSS
The Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) held its bi-weekly General Council meeting on Nov. 1 to discuss upcoming social events, student mental health, and a motion to approve changes to the Freshman Undergraduate Science Society’s (FUSS) electoral by-laws. Gert's Event Night promotes community bonding and a possible science bar Following[Read More…]
Panel discusses possibilities of a universal livable income
“The End of Poverty” panel, hosted at Thomson House on Oct. 17, examined the possibility of implementing a universal livable income policy in Canada through an anti-racist, feminist lens. With a livable income policy, the federal government would provide residents with enough money to cover their essential needs. Panelists discussed[Read More…]
RAMQ legislation forces McGill to largely discontinue vaccine distribution
On Jan. 26, Quebec banned fees for medical services covered by the Régie de l'Assurance Maladie du Québec (RAMQ), the province’s public health insurance board. McGill’s Student Health Services (SHS) previously only charged students the cost of supplying vaccines, without making a profit. Since the ban prohibits charging fees, SHS[Read More…]
McGill Student Services announces new approach toward psychiatric care and fentanyl crisis
In a press conference on Sept. 14, Hashana Perera, director of Student Health Services, took the floor to present updates on the office’s strategy for addressing the emerging threat of fentanyl in Montreal. The deadly synthetic opioid is up to 100 times more powerful than morphine and has been found[Read More…]
Bad Blood: Changing the conversation around menstruation
“You'd think all women do is clean and bleed,” was the line that resonated with me as I read Gillian Flynn’s psychological thriller Gone Girl. Despite the fact that the shedding of the uterine lining is a natural, normal, and healthy process that half of the world’s population experiences, menstruation is[Read More…]
Quebec pharmacists should not act as gate-keepers for emergency contraception
The condom broke, you skipped a pill, or your memories are foggy from the night before. Accidents happen: Thankfully, emergency contraceptive pills are available. Since 2005, pharmacies have provided levonorgestrel pills (Plan B) without a prescription in Canada. In 11 provinces and territories, you can now find Plan B beside[Read More…]
McGill must improve the medical notes system
At 8:30 on weekday mornings, coughs and sniffles fill the McGill Health Services clinic. Sick students, looking miserable to their core, sit and wait—some for strep tests, others for a prescription. Many, however, have braved the negative temperature and icy sidewalks to wait for nothing but a medical note to[Read More…]
