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Articles by Gail Johnson.

Probiotic supplements are growing in popularity

Probiotic supplements are growing in popularity

By Gail Johnson | August 24, 2010
Also known as “friendly” or “good” bacteria, probiotics are microorganisms that live in the human gastrointestinal tract.
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With seniors come new health-care jobs

With seniors come new health-care jobs

By Gail Johnson | August 19, 2010
An aging-population boom is a boon for health-care careers that focus on old folks.
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Vancouver's Adesso Bistro does its pasta proud

Vancouver's Adesso Bistro does its pasta proud

By Gail Johnson | August 5, 2010
At Adesso Bistro, in the hands of chef Sean Sylvestre, pesto is perfect: a mellow blend of the finest, freshest ingredients—just five; you know them if you love pesto—nothing more, nothing less, all pure and simple.
Know the risk factors and symptoms of tularemia

Know the risk factors and symptoms of tularemia

By Gail Johnson | August 3, 2010
People who hunt or trap animals, skin carcasses, or handle wild animals need to familiarize themselves with tularemia risk factors and symptoms.
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Gay brains may be different

Gay brains may be different

By Gail Johnson | July 29, 2010
Do the brains of gay men more closely resemble those of straight women than those of straight men? Magnetic resonance imaging suggests so.
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Fighting cancer on all fronts

Fighting cancer on all fronts

By Gail Johnson | July 22, 2010
Integrated care harnesses a patient’s mental, physical, and spiritual energy.
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Aphrodisiac cookbook makes dinner foreplay

Aphrodisiac cookbook makes dinner foreplay

By Gail Johnson | July 13, 2010
If food is the way to a man’s heart, then “aphrodisiac cooking” is most certainly the way to his bedroom.
Effects of chronic pain go far beyond the physical

Effects of chronic pain go far beyond the physical

By Gail Johnson | July 12, 2010
The power of the mind can, in fact, play an enormous role in the treatment of chronic pain.
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A proper warm-up is key to avoiding soccer injuries

A proper warm-up is key to avoiding soccer injuries

By Gail Johnson | June 28, 2010
Soccer might not have the body-checking brutality of hockey or rugby’s fierce headbutting, but it’s still a sport that causes many of its players to be sidelined because of injury.
Urban cycling education is key to bike safety

Urban cycling education is key to bike safety

By Gail Johnson | June 22, 2010
Besides its health benefits, cycling is good for the planet, being an environmentally friendly method of transportation. Nevertheless, plenty of people opt not to travel by bike.
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Misconceptions abound regarding eating disorders in men

Misconceptions abound regarding eating disorders in men

By Gail Johnson | June 15, 2010
Men are under increasing pressure to conform to unrealistic physical standards, and they’re also susceptible to eating disorders like anorexia.
Growing Ucluelet has its own unique charms

Growing Ucluelet has its own unique charms

By Gail Johnson | May 27, 2010
Turned off by Tuff City’s throngs of tourists, more visitors are heading to Ucluelet for its laid-back, working-town atmosphere and lower prices.
Students for Mental Wellness use YouTube to raise awareness of mental disorders

Students for Mental Wellness use YouTube to raise awareness of mental disorders

By Gail Johnson | May 25, 2010
Three SFU students are determined to change the face of mental health.
Embryo testing zeroes in on genetic diseases

Embryo testing zeroes in on genetic diseases

By Gail Johnson | May 20, 2010
A boon to parents who don’t want to pass on serious diseases, a test that spots gene abnormalities in fertilized eggs draws fire elsewhere.
Clowns, puppeteers bust genres at the Vancouver International Children's Festival

Clowns, puppeteers bust genres at the Vancouver International Children's Festival

By Gail Johnson | May 13, 2010
If the word circus brings to mind the image of a red-nosed clown tossing bowling pins up in the air, think again.
Men's health goes beyond prostates and penises

Men's health goes beyond prostates and penises

By Gail Johnson | May 13, 2010
Guys tend to avoid going to the doctor—despite men’s many elevated health risks—so a B.C. initiative aims to give them a healthy hand.
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North Vancouver's Fishworks is quite a catch

North Vancouver's Fishworks is quite a catch

By Gail Johnson | May 13, 2010
Not only does this stylish restaurant offer consistently appetizing food from the sea, it has also caught on to the sensible culinary concepts of local fare and sustainable practices.
With May flowers, fitness is no longer an indoor activity

With May flowers, fitness is no longer an indoor activity

By Gail Johnson | May 6, 2010
Getting back in shape after hibernation doesn’t need to be complicated.
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Handling hormones is a balancing act

Handling hormones is a balancing act

By Gail Johnson | May 6, 2010
Health experts and others are paying increasing attention to the important role they play in wellness.
Family finds hope in the face of Hunter syndrome

Family finds hope in the face of Hunter syndrome

By Gail Johnson | May 6, 2010
Hunter syndrome is a disease caused by a lack of enzymes that normally eliminate unwanted substances in the body’s cells. As a result, deposits accumulate in the cells, which end up damaged or unable to function efficiently.
Book teaches how to go raw the right way

Book teaches how to go raw the right way

By Gail Johnson | April 29, 2010
The idea of consuming nothing but uncooked meals could be enough to perplex even the most open-minded meat eater.
Dodging toxic bullets helps cleanse your life

Dodging toxic bullets helps cleanse your life

By Gail Johnson | April 22, 2010
Having worked as a leading environmental lawyer for the past 20 years, David R. Boyd is all too familiar with the countless toxic chemicals that exist in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.
Hungry maggots crawl into modern medicine

Hungry maggots crawl into modern medicine

By Gail Johnson | April 15, 2010
Also known as debridement therapy, maggot therapy is remarkably effective and incredibly cheap. But in Canada, the use of the insect larvae is also caught up in bureaucracy.
Satisfying sampling at North Vancouver's LoLo

Satisfying sampling at North Vancouver's LoLo

By Gail Johnson | April 15, 2010
It was on a recent dark and windy night at LoLo, which takes its name from Lower Lonsdale, the neighbourhood the restaurant calls home.
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Get back to cleaning basics to avoid toxins

Get back to cleaning basics to avoid toxins

By Gail Johnson | April 8, 2010
Nowadays, the only thing more noxious than the coal-fire fumes of generations past are the chemical concoctions that make up so many modern cleaning sprays, powders, and liquids.
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After back step, dance star Ashleigh Di Lello returns to Burn the Floor

After back step, dance star Ashleigh Di Lello returns to Burn the Floor

By Gail Johnson | April 8, 2010
Burn the Floor is a fresh take on classic dance, featuring performers with strong technique and bold personalities who are encouraged to put their own spin on everything from the tango to the jive.
After Her Brain Broke documents a family's struggles with a child's schizophrenia

After Her Brain Broke documents a family's struggles with a child's schizophrenia

By Gail Johnson | April 1, 2010
Susan Inman has been through a lot over the last several years, watching the terrible grip of schizophrenia on her youngest child.
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Good mental health starts with education

Good mental health starts with education

By Gail Johnson | March 18, 2010
Reaching people before they hit desperate lows is the goal of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Bounce Back: Reclaim Your Health program, a free service that is now being offered to British Columbians in Cantonese and Mandarin.
Aeriosa Dance Society touches library skies with In Situ

Aeriosa Dance Society touches library skies with In Situ

By Gail Johnson | March 11, 2010
For rock climber and dance artist Julia Taffe, Vancouver’s Library Square is a spot for her to scale like it’s the Stawamus Chief and a platform to push off from—literally—in her heart-stopping aerial choreography
Paddlers find strength and peace in a kayak

Paddlers find strength and peace in a kayak

By Gail Johnson | March 11, 2010
Unlike jogging and many aerobics classes, paddling is a low-impact form of exercise, meaning it doesn’t involve intense wear on the body’s weight-bearing joints.
Crutchmaster Bill Shannon mixes it up

Crutchmaster Bill Shannon mixes it up

By Gail Johnson | March 4, 2010
Bill Shannon is perhaps best known for his unique dance style, which has earned him the nickname Crutchmaster: he incorporates sturdy metal objects that are associated more with broken limbs than graceful choreography.
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Choreographer Jennifer Mascall's White Spider scales wild heights

Choreographer Jennifer Mascall's White Spider scales wild heights

By Gail Johnson | March 4, 2010
More and more of those who call the studio and stage their workplace can execute a breadth of forms, from classical ballet to contact improvisation, modern dance to martial arts. But mountain climbing?
UBC MS group wants to test Italian professor's treatment claim

UBC MS group wants to test Italian professor's treatment claim

By Gail Johnson | March 4, 2010
The treatment of multiple sclerosis could change dramatically if the results of a controversial approach by an Italian doctor can be backed up by rigorous study.
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Even the best skiers bend to knee injuries

Even the best skiers bend to knee injuries

By Gail Johnson | February 25, 2010
It’s no wonder that knee injuries are the most common affliction among skiers and snowboarders alike, and the most dreaded.
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World's interest in Cultural Olympiad arts is mixed

World's interest in Cultural Olympiad arts is mixed

By Gail Johnson | February 18, 2010
If all eyes are on Vancouver, then there’s no doubt that some of them will be casting their gaze on the city’s Cultural Olympiad.
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Acupuncture starts to penetrate sports world

Acupuncture starts to penetrate sports world

By Gail Johnson | February 18, 2010
Acupuncture as a treatment for sports ailments gained widespread recognition during the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, when the service was offered for free to athletes and officials in the Olympic Village.
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Stephen Lewis values sport's power for good

Stephen Lewis values sport's power for good

By Gail Johnson | February 11, 2010
Stephen Lewis admits that he has, in the past, doubted the contribution the Olympics can make to society’s greater good. That all changed in 1996, when the humanitarian and AIDS activist attended the Games south of the border.
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Mixed martial arts a kick to get fighting fit

Mixed martial arts a kick to get fighting fit

By Gail Johnson | February 4, 2010
Besides the obvious physical benefits from martial arts training are the positive psychological effects.
Cross-train your diet with good food as fuel

Cross-train your diet with good food as fuel

By Gail Johnson | February 4, 2010
Olympic athletes might spend every waking moment preparing for the Games, but there’s more to their regimen than strength training, cardiovascular conditioning, and mental discipline. Equally important is chowing down.
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MOVE: the company resurrects dance's past with the Legacy Repertory Project

MOVE: the company resurrects dance's past with the Legacy Repertory Project

By Gail Johnson | February 4, 2010
Josh Beamish and Andrea Gunnlaugson might represent different generations, but the two make a strong team with a unique vision.
Rocky Sleep Study helps sleepless babies to get shuteye

Rocky Sleep Study helps sleepless babies to get shuteye

By Gail Johnson | January 28, 2010
Despite the vast amount of existing information, there is a void when it comes to easily accessible, affordable, and practical support for parents who are sleepless in Vancouver.
Joni Mitchellâs The Fiddle and the Drum nothing short of astonishing

Joni Mitchell’s The Fiddle and the Drum nothing short of astonishing

By Gail Johnson | January 25, 2010
Choreographer Jean Grand-Maître doesn’t just make contemporary ballet accessible. He makes it thrilling.
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Runners can get a grip on winter's challenges

Runners can get a grip on winter's challenges

By Gail Johnson | January 21, 2010
Although Vancouver has had an unseasonably warm winter so far—pity the poor Olympic organizers at Cypress Mountain—avid runners don’t always have it so easy here.
The Fiddle and the Drum takes a balletic leap into the heart of Joni Mitchell

The Fiddle and the Drum takes a balletic leap into the heart of Joni Mitchell

By Gail Johnson | January 21, 2010
Jean Grand-Maître, artistic director of Alberta Ballet, says nothing could have prepared him for what he calls his most daunting and rewarding creation to date: The Fiddle and the Drum, a collaboration with legendary musician Joni Mitchell.
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Fitness inspiration from Olympians

Fitness inspiration from Olympians

By Gail Johnson | January 7, 2010
On the eve of the 2010 Games, Vancouverites can learn what many athletes already know: do what you love and the waistline will follow.
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Push to Prescribe book reveals lack of drug research on women

Push to Prescribe book reveals lack of drug research on women

By Gail Johnson | December 23, 2009
It’s not uncommon for drugs to be promoted for use by both sexes even if the medications in question were tested mostly or exclusively on men.
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Goh Ballet's Nutcracker is a gift

Goh Ballet's Nutcracker is a gift

By Gail Johnson | December 18, 2009
Not only does the monumental effort let us finally have a holiday production we can call our own—for years we’ve brought in touring companies to mount the Christmas classic—but it also blows away so many versions of the chestnut.

Artist Joey Mallett angered at extended Main Street mural

By Gail Johnson | December 17, 2009
A local muralist is alleging that her design on the Mid-Main Community Health Centre has been appropriated.
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Shining a night-light on breast cancer hazard

Shining a night-light on breast cancer hazard

By Gail Johnson | December 17, 2009
Obesity and high-fat diets have long been known to be risk factors for breast cancer. But recent research is pointing to an altogether different hazard: the artificial light that shift workers are routinely exposed to at night.
Goh Ballet brings Vancouver a Nutcracker of its own

Goh Ballet brings Vancouver a Nutcracker of its own

By Gail Johnson | December 10, 2009
After years of preparation, the Goh Ballet readies dancing mice and exquisite sets in an effort to launch a local holiday tradition.