What is Nattokinase?
Japan NattoKinase Association A traditional Japanese food “Natto” is a food made from soybeans fermented by Bacillus natto, and has been eaten since about 1,200 years ago. Enzymes that Bacillus natto produce by fermentation include protease and Dr. Oshima at Hokkaido Imperial University reported its purification and characteristics. Since then, it was investigated as a […]
Nattokinase: A Promising Alternative in Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases
Hongjie Chen et al. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the world and our approach to the control and management of CVD mortality is limited. Nattokinase (NK), the most active ingredient of natto, possesses a variety of favourable cardiovascular effects and the consumption of Natto has been linked to a reduction […]
Lack of Palliative Care is a Failure in Too Many MaiD Requests
Romayne Gallagher When a person with a failing organ, stroke or other chronic life-limiting disease has persistent suffering that goes untreated, they can become depressed and hopeless. It’s a common pathway to severe distress that can lead people to request Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). This is a medical error. The error is not in […]
How Bill C-7 Will Sacrifice the Medical Profession’s Standard of Care
Trudo Lemmens, Mary Shariff, Leonie Herx As Parliament discusses Bill C-7’s expansion of the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) Act, one issue has been conspicuously absent from public debate, even though it has major implications for medicine and for patients: the impact of the bill on the role of the medical profession in determining the […]
First, Do No Harm: New Canadian Law Allows for Assisted Suicide for Patients with Psychiatric Disorders
Mark S. Komrad Canada just passed a law that radically changes the boundary between acceptable and unacceptable medical practice and has opened a path to euthanasia for patients with psychiatric illness who find their conditions unbearable. Unfortunately, this is not a new phenomenon. Several countries allow psychiatric patients who are suicidal to voluntarily receive death […]
The State of the International Organ Trade: A Provisional Picture Based on Integration of Available Information
Yosuke Shimazono Organ transplantation is widely practised worldwide. The expansion of organ transplantation has led to a critical shortage of organs and the development of the organ trade. Many patients travel to areas where organs are obtainable through commercial transactions. Although the international organ trade is regarded as an important health policy issue, its current […]
Medical Aid in Dying: What Matters Most?
Peter Tanuseputro With the passing of Bill C-14, Canadians who are mentally competent adults suffering from a grievous and irremediable medical condition may now seek medical aid in dying. The policy has already resulted in ripples of controversy. For example, some large faith-based hospitals currently do not allow medical aid in dying on their premises, […]
Scheduled to Die: The Rise of Canada’s Assisted Suicide Program
Rupa Subramanya … When we think of assisted suicide or euthanasia, we imagine a limited number of elderly people with late-stage cancer or advanced ALS in severe pain. The argument for helping them die is clear: Death is imminent. Why should they be forced to suffer? In 2015, Canada’s Supreme Court ruled that assisted suicide […]
