Nima Nahiddi
SHEC

Going through SHEC’s SEX 101 pamphlet, I was surprised by the fact that 40% of university students have not had sex within the past six months. Movies and TV shows give us a picture of high school and university students having frequent – if not outrageously unrealistic – hook ups. And although I know that real life isn’t anything like Glee or Gossip Girl, maybe all this time I’ve been subconsciously influenced by the media into thinking that many of my peers are like the actors I see everyday on screen.

I decided to look around for more statistics about the sex lives of Canadian university students and get a better picture of what really makes up the average student’s lifestyle.

The most recent survey I found was a joint publication by Trojan Condoms and SIECCAN (The Sex Information and Education Council of Canada), which was full of mixed signals. Trojan Condoms is a huge corporation, with a specific agenda to sell more products. But, SIECCAN seems like a reliable scholarly journal that specifically publishes research on Canadian sexual health. Assuming they’re reliable, here are some of the statistics that I thought were particularly interesting:

• 67% of men and 80% of women surveyed said they were ‘happy’ or ‘very happy’ with their sex lives.
• 34% of students described their most recent sexual encounter as being casual.
• 25% of participants never had sex.
• Only 51% of those engaging in sexual activities were using condoms.

It is nice to know that the majority of participants felt good about their sex lives (this includes those who choose not to have sex) and thought that having or abstaining from sex positively affects their overall health. These numbers paint a picture of a very sex-positive environment in Canadian universities.  Moreover, the number of ‘casual’ sexual encounters was surprisingly lower than I had expected (maybe I need to change what kind of TV I watch).

At first, I thought the fact that only one half of participants use condoms was a very low statistic. Perhaps this was Trojan’s ploy to get us all to buy more condoms?

The study notes that the main motivation for condom use is birth control, and so I can understand that there are other methods of birth control. I personally know a few couples in monogamous relationships that choose a hormonal contraceptive method over condoms. If most people who are having sex are exclusive, then why is this cause of concern?

As many news articles around the study suggest, condoms are not only for birth control but the best method of STI prevention. With the recent rise of chlamydia and gonorrhoea – both of which don’t often have signs or symptoms – it seems as though condom use should be on the rise for Canadian university students. At this point, I realized Trojan’s marketing campaign has worked very effectively on me. However, there’s also an alternative message that I received from the study: get an STI check before you stop using condoms with your partners. Even if you only have one partner at the time, you can still give or get STIs from past experiences. You can also never be certain that your partner is only engaged with you – especially since you can both have different definitions of the term “exclusive relationship.”

I decided to go check out Trojan’s website to get more information on condoms. Underneath the flashy condom and sex product advertisement, there’s a link to their website “weknowsex.ca”. This turned out to be an amusing and informative experience. I recommend it for individuals who want very basic information about sex and STIs. The website is also very easily navigable.  It felt very honest that the first fact to appear was “only way to stay 100% safe is to not have any type of sex. Otherwise, stay protected.” Even if the Trojan-SIECCAN study was commissioned to boost sales, I feel as though their goal of “be safe, instead of sorry” also benefits those who choose to buy their product.

P.S. Remember to visit SHEC if you want more information about birth control methods, STIs, condom use, free lube and free condoms!

Lavinia Tofer
SHEC

A relationship requires trust, communication, honesty and patience.

A long-distance relationship requires a triple dose of all of the above.

I used to be a strong supporter of such relationships, believing that when there’s a will, there’s a way. Lately, I have been discouraged by seeing those around me fall into the unforgiving traps set out by the distance that separates partners.

Being in fourth year and not knowing where I will be in the next two years, the possibility of having to be far away from my significant other is very real. Yet I still believe long distance relationships can and do work, if both parties put in the required effort.

Usually it is the case that one person moves away while the other stays at home. This in and of itself is an extreme obstacle, and I don’t know which end I would prefer to be on. If you are close to home, you have the comfort of your friends and most likely family. That being said, it is very difficult not knowing what type of environment your significant other is in. What is his or her new life like and how can you fit in it? Being the one who is going away can be exciting and terrifying at the same time. Your only source of comfort until you make new friends will be electronic renditions of your partner, friends and family. And once you start to make new friends, how do you balance the demanding requirements of a budding friendship with those of your girlfriend or boyfriend?

Probably the most difficult aspect of long-distance relationships is the lack of physical contact with your loved one. Physical intimacy is usually an extremely important part of a loving relationship, and losing that can make you feel like you have lost a special connection.

Jealousy leads to the demise of many relationships but it is especially prevalent in long-distance relationships. Your partner will be spending a lot of time with people you do not know and when you are so far away this can be very difficult to deal with.

In order to make a long-distance relationship work it is important to first and foremost be true to yourself. Are you the type of person who requires face-to-face communication and physical contact to feel connected to someone? If so, then maybe this sort of relationship will not work for you.

Working on a long-distance relationship is hard but it is infinitely more difficult when only one person is putting in an effort. Both partners need to agree on the boundaries of the relationship, and this needs to be discussed before the separation. It is important to always try to make time for your partner and include each other in all your activities as canadian pharmacy viagra much as possible. A long distance relationship requires consistent communication between partners. In the end it is most important to be honest and trusting. If you feel that the relationship is a lot harder than you expected, share your concerns with your significant other.

Alon Coret
The Silhouette

Living a thankful, grateful, appreciative life has numerous benefits.

It was found that people who are thankful tend to perform better in school, have fewer mental health problems, sleep better, and build stronger relationships.

The holiday we call Thanksgiving is celebrated in various ways and at different times around the world.

In sixteenth century England, various days of fasting and Thanksgiving were an integral part of the English Reformation; celebrated by the Puritans, these special days sought to replace the various existing church holidays – including Christmas and Easter. The American version of Thanksgiving is generally traced to a celebration of good harvest, which took place in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. This initial celebration, inspired by Puritan pilgrims who immigrated to the United States, became a regular holiday in New England by the late 1660s.

In Canada, the roots of the Thanksgiving holiday are unclear. Some attribute it to the explorer Martin Frobisher, who, in 1578, celebrated his safe journey across the North Atlantic. Others claim that early French settlers, who held harvest feasts throughout the fall and winter, inspired the holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday is also celebrated in Germany (Erntedankfest), Japan (Kinro Kansha No Hi), the Netherlands, and Liberia. Although celebrated differently, Thanksgiving is a universal holiday, at least in terms of its name: Gratitude. Appreciation. Recognition. Indebtedness. A sense of humility…

I think everybody could celebrate it as a very human holiday. The notion of Thanksgiving calls upon us to look beyond ourselves, and say ‘thank you.’ Whether that appreciation is directed at a family member, at a friend, at oneself, or whoever and whatever else – it’s important that we express it somehow.

Being thankful should be a daily practice, something beyond plain etiquette. It is a quality that often needs to be nurtured, dusted off; you could even argue that the ability to feel thankfulness is a talent. During stressful and difficult times, being thankful becomes difficult; it is simply so much easier to fixate on the problems (real or ‘first-world’), and it can be far more fun to bitch and complain than to take note of all the good things taking place around us. Thanksgiving teaches us to celebrate the full half of the glass – as should be done in the remaining 364 days of the year.

A quick Google search can show you that living an appreciative life has numerous benefits. For example, it was found that people who are thankful tend to perform better in school, have fewer mental health problems, sleep better, and build stronger relationships. Of course, one could argue that these are reversible causations and instead say that people who perform better in school, experience good mental health, sleep well, and have close friends tend to be more thankful in life. It would be difficult to disagree.

So for the more skeptical readers, consider the following examples. The first is a study on gratitude conducted by Emmons and McCullough, who asked groups of participants to write a few sentences each week. One group wrote about things they were grateful for, a second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had upset them, and the third group simply wrote about events that had affected them (in a neutral tone). After ten weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. They also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation. Another study showed that managers who remember to say "thank you" to workers tend to have more motivated employees. Researchers at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania randomly divided university fundraisers into two groups. One group made phone calls to solicit alumni donations in their usual way. The second group received a pep talk from the director of annual giving, who expressed her gratitude for their efforts. During the following week, the university employees who heard her message of gratitude made 50% more fundraising calls than those who did not.

Although neither of these studies necessarily points to cause and effect, they certainly show an association between thankfulness (whether to oneself or to others) and positive outcomes. Thus, I encourage you to make thankfulness a greater part of your daily life. Whether you say ‘thank you’ explicitly, think appreciative thoughts or write them down, pray, or practice mindfulness or meditation – it all counts.

Palika Kholi and Katie Ferguson
Student Health Education Centre

Every year Canadian Blood Services comes to McMaster University to set up mobile blood donor clinics. And if you heard the buzz last week, they're back!

Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the supply of blood and blood products in all provinces and territories outside of Quebec. Canadian Blood Services operates more than 20,000 donor clinics annually, including clinics on campus at the McMaster University Student Centre (3^rd Floor, CIBC Hall) and Ewart Angus Centre. At these clinics, units of "whole blood" are collected, which consist of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. One unit of blood is approximately half a litre (or one pint). Transfusions to patients in need sometimes consist of whole blood (with the white blood cells removed) and other times the blood is centrifuged and separated into its different components.

Approximately every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood and it is students like YOU who can make the difference and save lives.

If you’re interested in donating, visit www.blood.ca where you can view basic eligibility requirements. After you’ve checked your eligibility, you can book your appointment at the Student Health Education Centre (SHEC: MUSC Room 202), online (https://donatenow.blood.ca) or by calling 1-888-2-DONATE.

In 2010, to demonstrate support of blood donation and to help recruit students to become new donors, the McMaster Students Union (MSU) joined the Canadian Blood Services Partners for Life program and exceeded the donation pledge of 450 units of blood! The MSU continues to strive to encourage new and repeat donors and has pledged 1,500 units to be donated by the end of 2013.

To ensure your donations count towards the MSU pledge, register as a member of the McMaster Students Union:

1. Go to www.blood.ca/partnersforlife.
2. Click on “Join Partners for Life” then click on “Member”.
3. Click on “Sign me up to donate with my team!”
4. Fill out the secure form and click “Submit”.

Your Partner ID is MCMA011297.

See below for a list of upcoming clinics dates in CIBC Hall, on the third floor of MUSC. Bring a friend to donate and your two units of blood can help treat one patient for internal bleeding!

Thursday, Sept. 26 from 11 AM - 5 PM

Tuesday, Oct. 8th from 11 AM - 5 PM

Thursday, Oct. 24th from 11 AM - 5 PM

Tuesday, Nov. 5th from 11 AM - 5 PM

Thursday, Nov. 21st from 11 AM - 5 PM

Donate with your friends, classmates, residence floor or club! To book your group appointment, contact katie.ferguson@blood.ca.

Yashoda Valliere / Student Health Education Centre

If you can think back to your ninth-grade sex-ed class, you’ve probably heard of human papillomavirus (HPV). There are more than 100 strains of HPV – over 40 of them can infect the genital area (these same strains can also infect the mouth and throat). Some strains can cause genital warts, and others can even cause cancer.

What if I told you that you’ve probably already been infected with HPV?

At some point in our lives, around 75 per cent of us will have an HPV infection without knowing it, but 90 per cent of infections go away by themselves within two years. So why should you care? HPV is the most commonly transmitted STI and, sometimes, it can have deadly consequences. Infection rates are the highest among people in our age group. It can be passed on through contact between genitals, or between genitals and the mouth. Health problems that can be caused by HPV include:

• Genital warts (harmless, medically speaking)
• Cervical cancer
• Oropharyngeal cancer (in the back of the throat, including the tongue and tonsils)
• Less common cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, scrotum, or anus
• Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis – which is essentially like having genital warts in your throat

Thinking about HPV protection is not limited to heterosexual intercourse and applies to anyone who is sexually active in general. So, what can you do to protect yourself? Using condoms and dental dams is a good idea, but these methods are not 100 per cent effective, especially considering that the infection can exist in the surrounding groin area. Another option that you might consider is an HPV vaccine. Two brands of vaccine are currently on the market: Gardasil and Cervarix. They both help prevent infection by certain strains of HPV associated with cancers and those associated with warts. People of any sex can use Gardasil, while Cervarix is specifically for people with a cervix.

If you’re in your late teens to mid-twenties, you may have already been given Gardasil for free in grade eight or grade nine due to a government-funded program. Gardasil is given in three injections over six months, and these injections in our early teens were only administered to girls at the time. It is now known that Gardasil is safe and effective for people of any sex, and it can help prevent not only cervical cancer, but also genital warts, anal cancers and precancerous lesions. Gardasil protects you from four strains of HPV: two of those cause over 70 per cent of cervical cancers, and the other two cause over 90 per cent of genital warts. So, if you’re interested, it might be worth checking out whether you’ve already had the vaccine or not. Until June 2013, females born in 1993 and 1994 can get the vaccine for free from Toronto Public Health. Everyone else must pay for the vaccine – it is not covered by OHIP, but it may be covered by your parents’ health insurance plan. If you would like to have the vaccinations done at the Student Wellness Centre, drop in to MUSC B101 to book an appointment.

At the end of the day, vaccinations and anything else that affects your body is 100% your personal choice. No matter what you decide, it’s good to have the facts to make an informed decision and keep yourself and your partners safe.

Alon Coret / Student Health Education Centre

The other day, I attended a yoga class for the first time in my life. I made this decision for a few reasons: a personal challenge for myself (escaping my comfort zone), the fact that my mother keeps telling me about how much she enjoys it, and curiosity. I had no idea what I was going into, but I can definitely say it was a worthwhile experience. This was essentially my first workout in months. Yes, a workout indeed. The class I went to was Dahn yoga, a Korean form of yoga that focuses on energizing the body. Dahn yoga sees the body as composition of chakras, or energy centers. The various stretching exercises are meant to tap into our bodies’ potential and strengthen our core (dahn jon).

We started by standing around in a circle and doing basic stretches and breathing exercises. Gradually, things became more intense. I found myself having to do sets of pushups and abdominal bicycle crunches. Embarrassingly enough, the lady beside me was doing everything far better than I was, even though she could easily be my grandmother. “I have been doing this for months,” she said. The class continued for an hour and a half, going through a series of stretches and moves for every muscle in the body. At the end, we all lied down in the “Sleeping Tiger” position, which is far less comfortable than it sounds (Suffering Tiger, I thought to myself). Marek, our instructor, told us to internalize our negative thoughts and self-judgement as we were doing this exercise. He then let us relax for a few minutes, and I nearly fell asleep from getting too comfortable.

Overall, I was not too surprised by the physical exercises – except that they were more difficult than anticipated. What I was surprised by was the immense focus on mental and spiritual well-being. Marek was smiling, and had a positive attitude for the duration of the session. He constantly reinforced the importance of happy, constructive thoughts and in making everyone feel like a part of something greater than themselves. He laughed with members of the class, complimented them and corrected their positions. He made us greet the people standing beside us both at the start and finish of the session with “Ban-gap seum-ni-da” (nice to meet you), and “Chun ha haseyo” (be the fulfillment of your soul). (I claim no expertise in Korean, so I apologize if my transliterations and translations are incorrect.)

One poster I noticed in the studio was called “Map of Consciousness.” It shows a ranking of different levels of consciousness, or brain energies, measured in LUX. I am not certain about the science behind the theory, but the main point is this: it takes far less effort to think negative thoughts, and have emotions of guilt, shame, and regret. Reaching happiness, peace, and joy is a higher level of consciousness we should (and can) all strive for. “Love yourself, and respect yourself,” said Marek. “Then you will be able to receive love and enjoy life.” This may not sound like anything new, but it is a life lesson we seldom keep in mind.

I would like to conclude with a verse from another poster I saw in the studio, called “Prayer for Peace.” This poetic prayer was written by Ilchi Lee, the originator of Dahn Yoga, and was read at the United Nations’ 2000 Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders.

“I offer this prayer of peace, with all my fellow earth people; For a lasting peace on earth”.

Theresa Tingey / Student Health Education Centre

The sex positive movement has promoted safe, consensual and open sexuality for decades. Proponents of this ideology celebrate the healthy and pleasurable aspects of safe sexual activity among consenting adults. In an article for “Health Promotion Atlantic,” Lisa Tobin of Planned Parenthood Metro Clinic of Halifax explains that sex positivity includes having an open-minded, inclusive and comprehensive definition of sexuality, viewing sexual health as a human right, and focusing on both the positive as well as some of the possible negative consequences of sexual activity to allow people to make their own informed decisions about sexual activity. Though many would agree nowadays that this perspective is more than reasonable, the sex positivity movement has not been without its share of opposition.

One particularly interesting and ardent opponent of this idea of sex positivity was John Harvey Kellogg, of Kellogg’s cereal. Besides building a breakfast empire, Kellogg also wrote about his very conservative views concerning sexuality in his books “Plain Facts about Sexual Life” and “Plain Facts for Old and Young,” which were published in the late 1800s. For example, Kellogg was especially concerned with masturbation. He believed that masturbation degraded the moral integrity, physical and mental health of both male and female practitioners and resulted in cancer, urinary tract infections, impotence, epilepsy, loss of vision and even death. Modern scientists, however, would tell you that not only does masturbation not cause these illnesses, regular masturbation has been linked to decreases in the risk of prostate cancer, increases in libido and mood and possible immune system benefits.

In any case, Kellogg supported some especially drastic procedures to dissuade people from masturbating. Such procedures involved applying carbolic acid to a female’s clitoris, circumcising males without anesthesia and literally suturing male genitals in place to prevent erection. In each case, Kellogg suggested that to truly discourage masturbation, individuals were to associate pain with otherwise pleasurable sexual activities.  He even designed corn flakes to decrease interest in sex through his flawed notion that their high carbohydrate content would reduce sex drive. Interestingly, the creator of Graham Crackers, Rev. Sylvester Graham, also shared this belief that a bland diet low in protein would minimize libido.

Kellogg was just one of many opponents of masturbation around in the Victorian era. At this time, females were also discouraged from riding bicycles, as the combined activities of straddling the saddle and vigorous pedaling were thought to lead to sexual arousal and masturbatory tendencies in females. Special bicycles were even created that had a depression in the seat to avoid contact with a female’s genital area. Again, the reasoning behind this ridiculous modification was that bicycling would not only arouse women, but that this arousal was immoral and should be prevented.

Though we’d like to think we’ve come a long way since the Victorian era, some ideas concerning sexuality and positive sexual behavior still seem taboo. It was not until 1973, for instance, that homosexuality was no longer classified as a mental illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Moreover, as of January 2013, same-sex marriages had only been legalized in 9 states.

This brings up some of the important reasons for having positive attitudes towards sex and sexual practices. Not only does this mindset support equal rights, it advocates for creating spaces for talking about safe sexual practices.  Having non-judgmental and open-minded conversations that use inclusive language to discuss sexuality can help people express themselves in ways that are not only enjoyable, but are also safe and respectful of their partners.

So next time you eat a bowl of cereal or ride your bike to campus, maybe consider some of the ways that you can have a more positive attitude towards sexuality. You can also stop by the SHEC office in MUSC if you have any questions, comments or concerns about your own sexual health.

Palika Kohli
Student Health Education Centre

Last summer I had what I’ve now termed my “mid-undergraduate-crisis.” Until then, I hadn’t realized how stressful figuring out my future could be. It was always a vague haze, far away from my present, and I gave it an equally vague, hazy title that would somehow sound concrete. I realized that not only the path I had always imagined myself taking was one of many, but also that I basically knew nothing about that initial path in the first place.

It was all very confused. I switched my projected career path about three times, gave my parents conniptions and took the mandatory trip to Europe to “figure myself out.”

How I determined my future path might not be how you choose to consider yours. But what I realized is that it’s never too early to think about your future. The worst that can happen is that you’ll change your mind.

And if you don’t know where to start, here are some tips and resources that I have found to be pretty useful.

Matthew Greenacre / Student Health Education Centre

One of the best pieces of advice given by a professor must have been when Dr. Valliant told his first year chemistry class about to take a midterm to “think by the seat of your pants.” Though it seems like an odd phrase, it makes sense. Often when students come to a question they find unfamiliar, something that they cannot remember studying, they get anxious and waste time sweating and fumbling to search their memory. Instead it helps a lot more to sit back, breathe, and think about the question. Just wing it. After all, it’s just a question, and this way you might reason through it.

Test anxiety, or simply worrying about presentations, papers, and readings can be absolutely debilitating. Students can easily become overwhelmed, fret about doing their work and wind up watching seasons and seasons of online TV instead of beginning a paper or cracking their textbook open. Then when there is no other option but to frantically pour over their notes, or pull an all-nighter writing, the student often winds up unhappy with their work. Finding yourself in this situation is not simply about intelligence, or a matter of having a poor work ethic. Indeed, it’s quite the opposite. It is the difference between striving for success and being driven by the prospect of failure. The subtle difference between these two states is all about one’s attitude to work. Being able to see it as a challenge that one will enjoy taking on, like a puzzle, or it can just be, well, hard work.

Making the switch can be much harder for some than others. For many students, it can be as simple as taking a deep breath during our exam, being okay with not knowing the answer, and then giving “thinking by the seat of your pants” a try. However, those who might find this unthinkable, and who have a lot of trouble quelling their anxiety on a day-to-day basis could really benefit from taking the time to sit back and actually clear their mind.

A long history of studies going back to pioneering work of Jon Kabat-Zinn (a professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School) in the 1970’s and ‘80’s have found that meditation reduces stress and anxiety, and even chronic pain. Now, before dismissing this article as a sneaky attempt to get you into saffron robes, lighting incense and hanging around with hippies, please note that meditation does not have to involve any of those things, unless you really want it to. It is really is more about taking a deep breath, letting go of your worry and being able to deal with your problems. Also, for most of us, stress is mental, not physical pain like as hunger, so it makes sense that we should be able to use our minds to release this stress.

Mindfulness-meditation in particular is about being able to let go of your fears by focusing on the moment. Because, when you think about it, fears are just a manifestation of the feeling that something bad will happen. By being in the moment you do not make those pessimistic assumptions in the first place. That does not mean that you no longer think the thoughts that worry you, but rather you just calmly choose not to follow these trains of thought. What is known as focused attention meditation is the painstaking practice of focusing on a single thing or sensation, noticing when you’ve been distracted by something else, and then bringing your attention back to what you are supposed to be focusing on. By practicing this, you train yourself to see the problem in front of you clearly, helping you figure out how to solve it, while learning not to automatically get nervous about the “what if’s.” Research at universities in Beijing, Oregon and Dalian have found that meditation effectively improves one’s attention and self-discipline, which is not surprising if one is spending an appreciable amount of time focusing intently on something very boring, such as breathing.

So given that, it’s understandable that meditation is not everyone’s cup of ginseng infusion, but if you are having trouble with stress it is important to take the time to deal with it. This time is never wasted, because less stress lets you focus and be more productive when you are doing work. Exercise is one of the best ways to relieve stress, as is spending time with friends. However, if you are interested in meditation resources to learn more about it and help you get started are posted on the SHEC Blog, which you can visit at www.shecmcmaster.tumblr.com.

Alon Coret / Student Health Education Centre

During this past Reading Week, I participated in the Mac Serve Program, right here in Hamilton. The six days were densely packed with learning opportunities and exposure to some shocking realities.

Our group explored issues surrounding food (in)security and youth poverty, volunteering at places such as the Good Shepherd, Living Rock (youth center), community healthcare clinics, food drives and more.

One theme that seemed to thread throughout the week was the relationship between health and poverty, and how each affects the other. What I realized more than ever before was that poverty shapes our health in terms of our access to proper nutrition, sanitation and a safe place to live. At the same time, our health affects our financial situation; succumbing to disease and disability may prevent us from being able to work and integrate within society, and treatments can be costly.

A 2010 study known as the Code Red Series (Hamilton Spectator) shows the health-wealth connection better than any other. To determine the health status of different areas in the city, the average age of death was compared among Hamilton‘s neighborhoods. One West Mountain area had an average age at death of 86.3 years (2006-2008), while another near Wellington and Barton stood at 65.5 years. This staggering 21-year difference represents nearly a whole generation, and the main cause for the disparity is income. To put this in context, the West Mountain neighborhood’s life expectancy is five years higher than Canada’s national average. Meanwhile, the low-income North End neighborhood’s life expectancy is comparable to Nepal, Pakistan and Mongolia.

While visiting a community health center on Rebecca Street (Hamilton Urban Core), we learned about issues pertaining to medical services, specifically within the homeless and welfare-dependent demographic. It turns out, universal healthcare is not always so universal: most family physicians are paid on a fee-for-service basis, and often choose not to deal with more ‘problematic’ patients – the elderly, the homeless, the mentally ill or the severely handicapped. These groups mean more work for the physician, so it’s more efficient to take on young, healthy patients. Moreover, many Hamiltonians living in deep poverty do not have health cards. The majority of these are homeless individuals who could not replace a lost card, simply because they have no permanent address. To assist this demographic, the Hamilton Urban Core provides monthly health card replacement sessions (through the Ontario Health Ministry), and allows the homeless to use the center’s address as their own. Additionally, the staff working at the Urban Core are salaried, meaning they are paid the same amount irrespective of the number of patients they see. This is an important difference that separates them from other healthcare providers as there is no incentive to quickly ‘process’ as many patients as possible. Instead, the staff can tend to the complex problems of their target population. Common issues include mental illness, intellectual disability, physical handicaps, STIs, addictions or perhaps a combination of these.

Another key health-wealth connection was evident in the food banks we visited. Despite the immense quantities of food being donated, quality and variety appeared to be major issues: it’s always the same brands, the same foods and the obvious lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. Food banks house piles of Kraft Dinner and canned tuna, but these nonperishables do not meet our nutritional needs. It is not easy, of course, to supply fresh produce and dairy products given quick expiry and the need for refrigeration. Nevertheless, I could not stop thinking about the lack of quality food for populations in need. Even the hot meals served by food banks seem to play variations on a theme: pizza, pasta, tasteless salad, some meat and pastries (carbs, carbs, and a bit of protein). Clearly, living off the food bank diet is not good for long-term health.

Our minds, our bodies, and our social position are all intertwined; taking away from one can have serious ramifications on the others. The Romans were keenly aware of this connection – mens sana in corpore sano (a sound mind in a healthy body). When thinking about poverty, it is important to keep in mind its consequences beyond material well-being.