As a lifelong concert-goer, I was excited to spend my summer catching my favourite bands at crowded venues. But after my first show of the season, I woke up the next day with a raging hangover-like headache, even though I hadn’t had any alcohol all night. Could the music volume and screaming fans (myself included) be the problem?

To find out, I wore a pair of silicone ear plugs at my next concert and was surprised to discover the immediate difference they made. The ear plugs felt as comfortable as having my AirPods on—plus, they muted the crowd’s screams and crystallized the artist’s voice. Instead of hearing the sobs and screams of my fellow fans, I could fully enjoy the music. The next morning, I was headache-free and didn’t have ringing in my ears.

Almost a dozen concerts later, my ear plugs continue to be my go-to accessory. I’ve even begun wearing them in loud bars and clubs. But now that I feel so much better on those mornings after, I wonder if I should wear them in other loud environments, too. In other words, how important are ear plugs for your health?

We spoke to Mahsa Mosstaghimi-Tehrani, an audiologist and owner of Toronto Family Hearing clinic, to find out.

Do concerts and other loud environments damage hearing?

They certainly can. According to Mosstaghimi-Tehrani, there are three factors that’ll help you determine if an environment is detrimental to your hearing. First, how loud it is—the easiest way to figure this out is by using apps like Decibel Pro, Decibel X and Sound Meter. Decibels are used to measure the intensity of sound. Below 70 decibels is generally considered safe while 85 and above is likely to damage your hearing over time. Second, how close you are to the sound source matters. The closer you are, the more at risk you are. (If you’re right next to the speakers, you’re much more at risk than if you were sitting back in the nosebleeds.) Third, consider how how long you’ll be exposed to the sound. The longer you’re exposed, the more damage it causes. The workplace safety standard is 85 decibels for 8 hours. For every additional 3 decibels, the exposure time has to be cut in half. Meaning for 88 decibels, the safety standard is 4 hours, and for 91 decibels, it’s 2 hours.

Concerts are a perfect storm of these three factors. Mosstaghimi-Tehrani says they can exceed 100 decibels “and within a few minutes, that can cause hearing loss.” Plus, they typically constitute at least a couple hours’ worth of exposure. And, if you’re someone who likes to hang out by the stage and speakers, you’re exposing your ears to potentially damaging levels of sound.

What are the effects of hearing damage?

Short term, being exposed to loud noises can cause temporary hearing loss that resolves in about 48 hours, says Mosstaghimi-Tehrani. You could also experience temporary threshold shifts (this is when your hearing is muffled, indicating that you’ve experienced hearing loss and your system is trying to recoup) that can become long-term diminished hearing, she says.

According to Mosstaghimi-Tehrani, being continually exposed to loud noises can cause tinnitus (ringing in your ears) that can be temporary or long-term, and you can experience permanent hearing loss. “There are receptor cells within our cochlea, and it’s the job of those cells to receive the sound and transmit the information to our brain,” says Mosstaghimi-Tehrani. These little cells can be damaged when exposed to too much sound. “And that’s what causes hearing loss—those receptors aren’t able to do their job.”

How do ear plugs protect my hearing?

Ear plugs limit the amount of decibels your ears are exposed to, which in turn protects your hearing, explains Mosstaghimi-Tehrani. Most ear plugs reduce the amount of decibels entering your ears by about 10 to 20. “So, if you’re at a concert for a couple of hours and it exceeds 90 decibels, that’s enough that could cause noise-induced hearing loss,” she says. “Using ear plugs that take that down from 90 to 80, for instance, buys you more time at that level of exposure.”

What should I look for when buying ear plugs?

First and foremost, a proper fit. Try this: Insert an ear plug and cup your hands over your ear. If you experience no change to your hearing, it’s a good fit. If your hearing becomes more muffled, that means there’s space not covered by the ear plugs, and therefore won’t protect your hearing enough.

The second most important thing when shopping for ear plugs is looking at how many decibels the ear plugs reduce—10 to 30 is ideal.

Another option is to go for safety earmuffs (which look like normal headphones). They protect hearing while reducing the chance of improper insertion. “They’re easy to put on properly and there’s more material between you and the noise,” she says, which provides more protection.

Should anyone consider wearing ear plugs day-to-day?

Mosstaghimi-Tehrani says most people don’t need to wear them for everyday matters unless you work somewhere loud or you’re in loud environments often. To be sure, you can check out the decibels wherever you are by popping open your preferred app.

How else can I protect my hearing?

“Everyone should do a baseline hearing test,” says Mosstaghimi-Tehrani. This test calculates your baseline ear health and analyzes how much your hearing has been damaged so that you can modify behaviours if need be. She also says everyone should get their ears routinely checked by an audiologist to assess your hearing health and determine what measures should be taken to protect your ears. “How do you know how to protect yourself if you don’t know your baseline?”

Next: I Wear Headphones All Day When I Work, Am I Ruining My Hearing?

For many people, skin tags are simply a fact of life, especially as we age. But in the pursuit of an even skin tone, skin tags can be bothersome aesthetically. Beyond that, they can also become physically irritated, which are two reasons many people consider skin tag removal.

Unlike other growths that can crop up on the skin, such as warts, skin tags are small and benign. Also called acrochordons or fibroepithelial polyps, skin tags are non-cancerous and generally appear as lesions that are the same colour as your skin (or a little darker) and are connected to the skin’s surface by a stalk. In some cases, the stalk is visible, while other skin tags will be firmly attached to the skin. They’re typically between 2mm and 5cm in size and can crop up on their own or in a group.

Anyone can develop a skin tag, and there is no way to prevent them. So why do some people develop skin tags and not others? According to Monica Li, a double board-certified dermatologist and clinical instructor at the Department of Dermatology and Skin Science at the University of British Columbia, there’s no single explanation behind what causes skin tags—there are a few different reasons.

“The development of skin tags may be related to genetics or obesity, but [they] often arise completely spontaneously,” Li says. She explains that friction may play a role in the development of skin tags: they are often found in the parts of the body where there are folds in the skin or where skin rubs against skin, such as the neck, armpit area, under the breasts and groin. This increased amount of skin-on-skin friction is also why they are more frequently found on individuals who are overweight, pregnant or have skin laxity.

Beyond physical consideration, there are also certain medical conditions that may predispose someone to getting more skin tags. Li points to specific hormonal and endocrine disorders like polycystic ovarian syndrome, metabolic syndrome or type II diabetes as correlating to an increase in skin tags. “In these syndromes or disorders, typically many skin tags are present and evaluation and treatment of the underlying medical condition is needed,” says Li.

Skin tags are completely harmless, so there’s no reason to worry about them. Li says that, in general, skin tag removal is not necessary, unless the skin tag becomes irritated or bleeds, feels tender, or if it’s located on the eyelid and affects vision. Because skin tags generally don’t disappear on their own, removal may be necessary in the above cases.

Li explains that skin tag removal can be a simple, one-and-done treatment. However, it is a procedure that should always be performed under the guidance of a physician. And if a skin tag is located close to the eye, you may need to see an ophthalmologist for its removal.

There are three different methods used in skin tag removal. The first is a surgical excision where, after numbing the area, sterile surgical scissors or a blade are used to remove the skin tag. Another skin tag removal option is cryosurgery, where the skin tag is frozen with liquid nitrogen, causing it to scab and fall off. Finally, there’s electrosurgery, where a tiny needle zaps the skin tag, thereby destroying it.

If you’re tempted to remove the tag yourself—don’t. As Li explains, there is a risk of infection, scarring and dispigmentation in DIY skin tag removals, as well as a likelihood of incomplete removal. She also cautions against using an over-the counter-wart removal product to attempt to remove your skin tag, as this may damage the skin underlying and surrounding it.

While skin tags are generally harmless, it’s up to you if you’d like to have yours removed. The good news is that, if you do decide to go the removal route, you can rest assured that, once they’re gone, they usually don’t come back.

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I rarely make veggie burgers in an attempt to replicate meat. Instead, I like to highlight a vegetable! These beans- and- greens burgers use Swiss chard in two ways. You’ll incorporate the greens into the patties and quick-pickle the stems to create a tangy, crunchy, and colorful topping. The burgers turn out best if you chill them overnight in the fridge before you cook them. Feel free to make the pickled chard stems and the yogurt sauce in advance as well.

White Bean Swiss Chard Burgers

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and set aside
• 3 cups cooked butter beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ medium yellow onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater (⅓ cup)
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• Avocado oil, for the pan
• 6 hamburger buns

Pickled Chard Stems

• Stems from 1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped (1¼ cups)
• ½ cup diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Lemon Dill Yogurt

• ½ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill or ¼ teaspoon dried
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Desired fixings: sunflower sprouts, lettuce, avocado, sliced cucumbers, etc.

Directions

1. Roughly chop the chard leaves, place in a steamer basket, and set over a pot filled with 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a simmer, cover, and steam for 1 minute, or until the leaves are wilted. When cool to the touch, squeeze the excess water out of the leaves and chop finely.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chard with the beans, onion, garlic, mayonnaise, mustard, dill, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Use a potato masher to mash until the mixture holds together but still has some visible bean chunks. Add the egg and fold until combined. Then, fold in the panko. The mixture should be cohesive and a little wet.
3. Form the mixture into 6 patties. Place the patties on a baking sheet, cover loosely with foil or plastic wrap, and chill overnight.
4. Make the pickled chard stems: In a lidded jar, combine the chard stems, onion, lemon juice, and salt. Shake to combine and chill until ready to use.
5. Make the lemon dill yogurt: In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, dill, and salt. Chill until ready to use.
6. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Coat the bottom with oil and cook the burgers for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until browned, working in batches and reducing the heat to low as needed. Transfer the burgers to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. If desired, warm the buns in the oven during the last few minutes of cook time.
8. Assemble the burgers on the buns with the yogurt sauce, pickled chard stems, and desired fixings.

Excerpted from Love and Lemons: Simple Feel Good Food  by Jeanine Donofrio. Copyright © 2023 Jeanine Donofrio. Photographs © 2023 by Eva Kolenko . Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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This story is part of Best Health’s Preservation series, which spotlights wellness businesses and practices rooted in culture, community and history.

Masooma Aftab and her husband, Hamid Rizvi, grew up speaking Urdu at home with their families. So, when they had kids, they wanted their second-generation Pakistani Canadian sons to learn the language, too. As their children grew up, however, the couple found it increasingly difficult to stick to speaking Urdu at home. The language gap between generations became even more apparent when their kids hesitated to speak Urdu with family and friends.

Looking for ways to bridge this gap, the couple asked relatives visiting Pakistan to bring home Urdu kids’ books. But these resources weren’t always helpful—even Rizvi, a fluent Urdu speaker, struggled with reading because he hadn’t formally learned the written script. The two knew that they needed to come up with their own solution. “We thought, ‘What if we created Urdu books [for language learners] that had the English alphabet alongside the Urdu script?’” says Aftab. So, the couple started Kids Bolo, meaning “kids speak,” to help preserve Urdu in second-generation children like their own. “It wasn’t until we had kids that the realization hit—Urdu was going to fade away if something did not change,” Aftab says.

The couple self-published a set of vocabulary books and classic children’s stories in Urdu with English text. Their first run of books sold out in a week. Within a year, Kids Bolo expanded to include the Urdu reading pen, an electronic tool that allows readers to touch words and pictures in the accompanying books and receive auditory feedback, like words spoken in Urdu, sound effects and music.

Learning a new language, no matter your age, is beneficial for your cognitive health. Being able to understand and convey ideas in different languages requires the brain to recognize concepts and switch between languages, engaging a set of cognitive skills called executive functions. These include attention, working memory, switching and inhibition. Research from York University in Toronto has shown that many executive functions are stronger in bilinguals than monolinguals, which has positive impacts on academic performance.

In older adults, research found that lifelong bilingualism can protect against cognitive decline and even delay the onset of dementia symptoms by years. Speaking in different languages naturally strengthens the connections between different areas of the brain, contributing to a larger “cognitive reserve” and resilience in the face of disease as we age. In this way, language learning is on par with other activities that boost brain power over time, like physical activity, social engagement and mentally stimulating games and puzzles.

As well, research out of the University of Chicago suggests that bilingualism can help us adopt the perspective of others, leading to more empathy. And as a consequence of being able to connect with diverse groups of people, learning a new language can also improve mental health by fostering a feeling of closeness with others. “Now, our kids go to their grandparents’ houses, or to family friends’ houses, and they’re excited to say, ‘I also know how to say this in Urdu!’” Aftab says. “That sense of inclusion directly impacts their self-esteem. Before they felt they didn’t belong in the conversation. Now they have the confidence to include themselves.”

It’s those cultural connections that Aftab and Rizvi were craving for their children when they created Kids Bolo. The brain and mental health benefits are the cherry on top. “We’re bringing Urdu back to the second generation,” says Aftab.

This story is part of Best Health’s Preservation series, which spotlights wellness businesses and practices rooted in culture, community and history. Read more from this series here: 

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How One Woman Connects to Her Culture Through Gardening

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Bone Broth from This Canadian Ayurveda-Inspired Company May Help Soothe What Ails You

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“We are all guests on this planet.” That’s the mantra that drives Joyce Mah, and it informs her unusual dedication to picking up garbage wherever she goes. It all began more than 30 years ago, when she and her husband were commuting from their home in Deep Cove, B.C., to downtown Vancouver and saw a plastic water bottle rolling along the side of the highway. “My husband said to me, ‘You know, that bottle will be there for hundreds of years, and there’s nothing we can do about it.’ And that just stayed with me.” Mah decided that she would do something about it, in her own small way, and picking up litter in public spaces became reflexive. Today, it’s very much part of her daily movement regime.

There’s lots to admire about the 67- year-old Mah, including her commitment to making the outdoors a cleaner place for her grandchildren. She’s also indefatigably curious about all the ways she can move her body and willing to, as she says, “try everything.”

For much of her adult life, Mah enjoyed long-distance running. She and her husband started with shuffles around Stanley Park in Vancouver, and slowly graduated to 10K races, then half-marathons. Her husband’s work took them to Dallas, and they became deeply involved with the running community, travelling for marathons all over North America. She practised yoga to stay limber and flexible. And she quietly picked up trash during her training runs.

In 2014, Mah’s husband died of cancer. She returned to Vancouver to spend time with her sisters and grieve. She had developed arthritis in her knees while caring for husband, and at the time of his death, she couldn’t walk up or down stairs without severe pain. Running was out of the question. But Mah missed being active, so she focused on what she could do: short walks that became short hikes, and lots of work with a personal trainer.

As her body got stronger, she felt a new sense of urgency to tick off some “bucket list” trips. She worked with the goal of tackling some of the world’s most famous mountain treks: In 2019, she trekked near Machu Picchu; in 2022, it was Everest Base Camp. Over the past five years she’s been on yoga, pilates and meditation retreats in India, Nepal and Bhutan. (“I stopped overthinking whether I should go or not, and just started saying yes.”) She leads clean-up expeditions along the way, grabbing trash as she goes, enlisting the help of hotel porters and trail guides, even once flying a bag of litter from Everest to Kathmandu for proper disposal. Mah is now an ambassador for an NGO called Let’s Clean Up Nepal, but she never shirks the work in her own backyard.

Getting grounded:  Mah starts each day by meditating and doing a gratefulness practice. Last year, she did a 10-day Vipassana retreat in Pokhara, Nepal, and found the practice, which emphasizes observing your thoughts without judgement, to be very different from other forms of meditation she’d tried. “It’s an incredible way to heal yourself.”

Morning movement:  Mah streams classes from Movement by NM, a Vancouver-based online fitness platform established by mother-daughter duo Gabriela Schonbach and Amanda June Giannakos. Mah often returns to the gentle movement or high-energy boxing classes, depending on what her body needs.

Run the course:  These days, Mah is able to go for a light morning jog, but it was a long process to get here. She worked for years with a physio to strengthen the muscles around her arthritic knee joints, and she wears a special knee brace designed to help rehabilitate professional skiers and snowboarders.

Collection time: After her run, Mah heads down to the beach to collect garbage and clean catch basins. Her kit includes thick rubber gloves, barbecue tongs, sturdy trash bags and a catch-basin tool. She’ll sometimes bring a needle disposable box, too. “I’m doing this for the next generation,” she says. Plus, “I probably do 200 squats a day.”

Flip the script:  Yup, she can still do a cartwheel. Mah challenges herself to try difficult movements, whether it’s push-ups, lifting weights or high kicks. The most important criteria, she says, is that it’s something she enjoys. Listen to your body and focus on improving slowly and incrementally. Bonus: Her grandkids are suitably impressed.

Winding down:  Slow, easy stretches are an integral part of Mah’s daily routine. When Mah was a competitive long-distance runner, she practised yoga for recovery. Recently, she’s discovered Kundalini yoga, which incorporates chanting and breathwork into repetitive movements. “After practice, I feel a weight has lifted.”

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There’s one patient that SarahRose Black still thinks about. Back in 2019, the nursing team in the palliative care unit at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre asked if she could reach out to a patient who had been there for about a week. The man seemed to be struggling and was unwilling to engage with staff or be part of any activities. “They told me, ‘He’s short and grumpy with us, and we wonder if you might have an in.’”

Black isn’t a doctor or a nurse. Since 2013 she has played an important role for patients at Princess Margaret. She’s the on-staff music therapist. On any given day, she might see one person who’s anxious about an upcoming procedure, another who’s undergoing chemo and in need of a soothing moment. Or, like the man in the palliative care unit, it might be someone who doesn’t yet know they need her.

So, on a wintery Wednesday afternoon, Black approached the patient’s room and introduced herself. She asked if she could sit, and offered to play some music. In an effort to convince him, she said, “If you don’t like it, you can tell me to leave,’” she recalls.

After some gentle urging, the 70-something man, who had lung cancer, told her a few classical composers he liked and then turned away to look out the window. But as she started to play one of his favourites, Bach, on her portable keyboard, a change came over him: his arms unfolded, he turned toward Black and he started to cry.

She stopped playing. “Do you want me to continue?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” he said through tears.

“It was as if the music went places that nothing else could,” recalls Black. “He shared with me afterward that he’d been holding in so much and had been unable to talk about anything—but the music showed up at a moment when it felt like a hug.”

Anyone who has felt that spark of joy when a favourite song comes on the radio at just the right moment—or wept along with a singer who is expressing heartache—will understand the emotional resonance of music. But now, a growing body of scientific evidence is actually demonstrating that music can be medicine, too.

In a review of 400 research papers looking into the neurochemistry of music, Daniel Levitin, a psychologist and neuroscientist at McGill University in Montreal, found that playing and listening to music had clear mental and physical health benefits, including improving our immune systems and reducing stress levels.

One 2007 study from a team of Spanish researchers found that listening to music before surgery had the same effect in reducing preoperative anxiety as taking Valium—an important finding, as anxiety before a major surgery can affect post-operative pain and recovery time. Another Spanish study, conducted in 2018 in the palliative care unit of Barcelona’s Hospital del Mar, found that patients participating in a music-therapy program experienced significant decreases in tiredness, anxiety and breathing difficulties, as well as an increase in feelings of well-being.

Even major health-care institutions are embracing music therapy on a wide scale: in 2019, the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. introduced significant funding—$20 million—to support research projects in music therapy and neuroscience.

A music-therapy session can be as unique as an individual patient’s needs on a given day. With Black, who also sings (“I’m pretty much a one-woman band,” she jokes), that inevitably involves the cart of instruments she travels with. Aside from the keyboard, to create rhythms and texture she has other instruments such as a guitar, tambourine, singing bowls and more. She also brings recording equipment and an iPad for song lyrics.

If a patient’s love lies in classical music, that’s what she’ll play. Maybe it’s folk or jazz. She did a Bob Marley tune for one man’s assisted-dying process. “One woman spoke no English, but she taught me a Farsi folk song, and we had this wonderful exchange,” says Black. “She’d sing a line, I’d sing it back, and then we were singing this beautiful song together.”

She’s gentle in her approach with patients. “I make it very clear that pre-existing musical experience or training isn’t required to participate,” she says. “If I were to ask, ‘What kind of music do you like?’ that might be a difficult question to answer. Instead I ask what they want to feel, which is an easier question to answer.”

If the goal is pain management, Black might match the pace of her playing with the patient’s breathing, and then gradually slow the music down. This process, called “entrainment,” can help slow the breath and has a calming effect.

Or a session might be about helping a patient process the emotions stemming from what they are going through. It may even be about connecting with loved ones who are in the room with them. “Sometimes the patient says, ‘I’m having such a profound experience. I have no words,’” she says. “We know from so many wonderful brain studies that music can trigger memories and touch parts of the brain that other mediums cannot.”

Once a week, Carol Cameron hops on Zoom from her home in Madison, Wisconsin. She’ll be joined by a dozen or so other participants, all following along as music therapist Jason Armstrong Baker leads them through drumming exercises—sometimes clapping their hands in a distinct rhythm he’s laid out for them, sometimes tapping on their own bodies.

Like everyone taking part in the session, Cameron, 71, has Parkinson’s disease, and this drumming circle—known as Rx 4 Rhythm—is designed to help strengthen her coordination. “My tremor is on my left side, so learning things with my left hand is difficult,” she says. “But it’s really good to get this regular rhythm going—it gives you a feeling of overcoming a problem.”

Rx 4 Rhythm is just one of the programs offered at the Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine in Baltimore. The research institution is the brainchild of Dr. Alexander Pantelyat, a violin player and former member of the Penn Symphony Orchestra in Philadelphia. Today, he is a neurologist who specializes in movement disorders like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s. The centre provides music therapy and more, Pantelyat explains: they’re taking music into the “precision medicine” realm. Applying that kind of treatment to movement disorders is relatively new; previously, it was mainly the domain of cancer therapies.

“There’s a revolution in oncology and cancer research—more people are being cured, and much of it can be attributed to a very targeted precision treatment that really is individualized for the patients,” he explains. “Just listening to music activates many regions of the brain simultaneously.”

He adds that there is an understanding in the field of music medicine that there can be individualized, tailored interventions using music that a person actually likes, that speaks to them culturally, personally, autobiographically.

One study from the Center for Music and Medicine, based in Baltimore, followed a choir composed of Parkinson’s patients (called the “Parkinsonics”) to learn how singing might impact the speaking voice of those patients. After 12 weeks, the singers’ speaking volumes—which often fade as Parkinson’s progresses—grew demonstrably stronger. The Rx 4 Rhythm drumming circle program, meanwhile, came out of a 2015 study that showed that Parkinson’s patients had improved their ability to walk after six weeks of drumming practice.

The centre’s blueprint is to continue to fund these musically oriented groups, even after the studies have wrapped up. “Patients in the Parkinsonics told us that they didn’t want to stop singing when the study was over,’” says Pantelyat. The centre now funds a professional choir instructor, a music therapist and a social worker to help the choir members carry on with their classes, which rolled onto Zoom during the pandemic.

And while sessions at the centre do have therapeutic goals—working on coordination, say, or breathing techniques for anxiety management—there’s a community-building element to the groups, too. Kerry Devlin is the centre’s senior music therapist and runs an online support group for people with a broad range of neurological disorders, along with their care partners—those people in patients’ lives, usually loved ones, who are supporting them through their illness.

“There can be folks who are experiencing really intensive symptoms, like a decline in their ability to verbally communicate,” says Devlin. Music, she notes, can sometimes help such patients find ways to respond again. “I’ve had the honour of making music with people, and all of a sudden they’re coming up with new words. It turns into this beautiful improvisational moment—and a care partner is saying, ‘I’ve never seen this happen.’” It’s a powerful thing, she says, to witness someone find themselves again for a moment, and when a song is the vehicle for that shift.

Much of what Devlin does is designed to help patients feel like more than just cogs in the medical system. “Of course they want to come and receive medications and treatments, but they’re also a person,” she says. “It’s important when we’re thinking about holistic care to provide opportunities for patients to actually process the impact that a diagnosis is having on their lives.”

Music can have a profound effect on helping sick children, too. Ruth Hunston is a music therapist in the “play department” at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, England. As the U.K.’s oldest children’s hospital, it sees more than 69,000 patients a year.

“When children are in the hospital, their worlds get much smaller,” says Hunston, who explains that her program, introduced in 2019, helps give young patients back some sense of control. “They’re having so many things done to them and around them, but this allows them to create something themselves.”

Extended time in pediatric care can also affect a child’s development, says Hunston. In light of that, much of her program is designed to help them progress. “I’ve had lots of infants who have sat up for the first time at the drums, because they’re just so motivated to play,” she says. “Or they start making sounds because I’m singing to them, and they want more.”

The parents also become part of the therapeutic process. “It’s not easy being in a hospital, and it’s not easy to leave your child there,” she says. “What’s really lovely is when you go in and you start to make music, and the children invite their parents to join. There’s this beautiful interaction between everyone, and sometimes I get to step back and just watch them play—to really laugh and have fun.”

At the Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice in Hamilton, Ontario, music therapy has become an integral part of patient care in residential end-of-life settings. “The palliative journey isn’t really about someone dying,” says Doug Mattina, director of the hospice’s pediatric unit. “It’s about bringing the most joy. It’s providing the wrap-around care not only for the individual but for those impacted by it.”

Mattina himself experienced the music-therapy program when his father spent his last days at the hospice. “I remember the time the music therapist said to him, ‘Bill, what kind of mood are we in today?’ And he said, ‘Today is time to dance,’” says Mattina.

He was so moved by the whole experience that he left a career in the foreign service to work full-time for the hospice. “Even though my father was feeling like crap, and we knew that we had days or hours left, me, my sister, my brother and my mom would dance around his bed. His favourite song for this was “Rasputin,” and he would request high kicks from us as he clapped along. Sometimes he’d fall asleep as we danced.”

Sara Klinck directs the music-therapy program at the hospice, where, at a patient’s bedside, she might improvise a call-and-response song to help them open up about how they’re feeling that day, or help a resident write a song as a legacy for their family. “We might also revisit songs that have personal significance for residents and families, as a way to communicate emotion to one another,” she says. “It can feel like a whole choir as visitors and family members join in. For some people, sometimes what’s hard to say is easier to sing.”

It might also mean fulfilling a lifelong goal before a patient passes away, as she did for someone with late-stage ALS. “He had very limited movement in his hands but had always wanted to play guitar,” says Klinck. She brought in the instrument and laid it on his lap in bed. “He was able to put his hands on the strings and interact with them; often I moved the guitar, as well.” This music experience was something his family felt would be very meaningful to him.

Finding those meaningful moments is the skilled therapist’s role, but as SarahRose Black notes, people have been connecting with music for their whole lives—she is just helping them access it again at a time when they need it most.

“We have a heartbeat, so we have a drum inside us; we are wired to be musical people,” she says. She smiles softly as she reflects back on one patient, a man in his late 30s with late-stage brain cancer. “He said, ‘SarahRose, I have a lot of friends, and they’re great; they show up and they’re helpful, but they don’t really understand what’s going on here,’” she says. “He told me, ‘The music is like my friend who ‘gets it.’”

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Heads up! While summer sun can do wonders for your mood, it can also do a number on your hair. Now for the good news: Getting the jump on colour fading, dryness, frizz and greasy roots is as easy as having the proper products on hand.

Use protection

When you’re in a steady relationship with your colourist, using a shampoo and conditioner formulated for colour-treated hair is the first line of defence against fading. Using a sun protection spray regularly and wearing a hat for extended exposure will further protect your investment, says salon owner and Alterna Haircare brand ambassador Salvatore Leonetti. When used together, they’ll help maintain vibrancy and extend results between services, but a shade shift is inevitable. In fact, the pros expect it. “I’m never too concerned with a small level of fading,” says Leonetti. “That’s a normal process.”

Nourish

Sunlit activities interspersed with watery cool-downs are the ultimate summer goal. Unfortunately, that cycle can quickly alter hair’s moisture levels. “Sun and water are drying, so allowing hair to air-dry with nothing to protect it will start to strip away moisture,” says Ashley Readings, a Toronto-based hair and makeup artist and TRESquad stylist.

Treat hair with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner and have a leave-in treatment on standby. For maximum nourishment, Leonetti recommends using a hair mask—a beauty trick inspired by his Brazilian wife. “Women in Brazil will sit on the beach with a tub of hair mask,” he says. “They run in the water, come out, douse their hair in it and brush it through.”

If you have fine or brittle hair, choose a protein- or keratin-enriched mask designed to rebuild strands. “Keep it on the mid-shaft and ends because that’s usually where fine hair takes more of a beating,” says Leonetti. Coarse textures will benefit from hydrating masks with rich oils, such as argan, shea and coconut oils. Conditioning products are also the secret to overcoming frizz. “A hydrated curl is a healthy-looking curl,” he says. “Use leave-in conditioner and styling products, and be generous with them.”

Spritz after sweating

If, like Readings, your version of summer lovin’ involves two wheels, you’ll appreciate her quick fix for helmet head. “Dry shampoo is my go-to and always in my bag because I have very oily roots and my bangs get sweaty,” she says. “When I take off my helmet, it’s a hero product that gives some volume back and absorbs oil.”

It can also be used to manage greasy roots by reducing over-cleansing. “I’m a big believer in dry shampoo because you can’t wash your hair every day,” says Leonetti. Daily cleansing can send hair follicles into overdrive, producing more oil and worsening the issue. “It’s smarter to use a dry shampoo and extend longevity from one wash to another,” he says. “If that requires using a healthy amount of dry shampoo every second day and then washing hair on the third day, that’s fine.”

Shop our picks below!

Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Infinite Color Hold Shampoo $47; sephora.com

Sheamoisture Silicone-Free Miracle Styler Leave-In Treatment, $23; iherb.ca

Hair Rituel by Sisley-Paris Protective Hair Fluid, $125; holtrenfrew.com

Tresemmé Between Washes Dry Shampoo Volumizing, $3; walmart.ca

Next: Can Some Hair Products Actually Give You a Fuller Mane?

We all know that plastic is bad for the planet. And if you think that tossing your empty bottles into the recycling bin is enough to mitigate plastic’s negative effect on the earth, think again.

Only 14 percent of plastic packaging is recycled globally, and in Canada, that number is even more dismal: Just nine percent is recycled, while the rest ends up in landfills or the environment.

And then there is plastic’s role in accelerating climate change. Plastics are made of petrochemicals, which are products derived from fossil fuels. That means we’ll continue to produce fossil fuels as long as we continue to consume plastic, even if sectors like transportation and energy transition away from fossil fuel use. Plus, research shows that plastic pollution doesn’t just clog up waterways and damage integral ecosystems, it produces greenhouse gases like methane and ethylene when exposed to sunlight.

To curb plastic use, some brands are shifting away from excessive plastic packaging and looking to replace them with refillable versions. Refillable products have traditionally been the territory of bulk food stores, but more and more companies that make drugstore staples have begun to roll out refillable options for common bathroom products such as toothpaste, floss and mouthwash.

Dove, for example, recently launched a refillable deodorant, which features a durable stainless steel case that can be reused with deodorant inserts. The refills are still made of plastic, albeit 96 percent recycled plastic, in order to keep the deodorant hygienic, says Harsh V. Pant, brand manager at Unilever, Dove’s parent company. The product took two and a half years to develop and launched in Canada in early 2023. Dove is one of the world’s biggest beauty brands, so even cutting the majority of plastic from just one of their products has a big impact: Pant says that the refillable deodorants and their recycled plastic bottle initiative are reducing the company’s use of virgin plastics by more than 20,500 tonnes per year. (Unilever has, however, come under fire for their use of palm-sized single-use plastic sachets for products like shampoo and laundry detergent in countries such as Sri Lanka. The sachets are nearly impossible to recycle and aren’t biodegradable.)

Refillable products show how a circular economy—a system in which products are created to be reused over and over again, eliminating the need for new single-use products—might work. Proponents of a circular economy say that it’s a more effective way of cutting down on plastic waste, rather than relying on recycling. Switching over to refillables might not be a catch-all solution, but it’s a stepping stone to more sustainable business practices. Even if just 10 percent of all single-use packaging changed to refillables, it’s estimated that would stop almost half of all plastic waste from entering the ocean.

Fill ‘Er Up

Dove’s refillable deodorant starter kit comes with one deodorant insert and a durable stainless steel case that you can use again and again. The refillable range comes in four scents and is available at most major drugstores in Canada.
0% Aluminum Deodorant Stick Refill Kit, $23, londondrugs.com

This refillable hand sanitizer from Paume, a women-founded Canadian company, includes hydrating ingredients like aloe vera and safflower oil to counteract dry skin. Bonus: It smells of lemon and rosemary—a big improvement on the alcohol-y scent of most germ zappers.
Sanitize Trio, $82, mypaume.com

These toothpaste tablets include fluoride, an important ingredient for healthy teeth, and ship in a compostable pouch. To use, just wet your toothbrush, pop a tablet and bite down— the tablet will foam up like traditional toothpaste.
Toothpaste Tablets with Flouride, $10 for 65 tabs (one month’s supply), changetoothpaste.com

The lip balms from Rebel’s Refinery, a Toronto company, come in compostable wheat paste pods that fit perfectly in their cute ice cream–shaped cases. The flavours are reminiscent of childhood Lip Smackers, like vanilla, strawberry and fuzzy peach.
Refillable Lip Balm, $13, rebelsrefinery.com 

Next: You May Want to Swap Your Shaving Cream for a Shave Bar

One summer, I was given a standard, mass-market-type tomato. I left it on my windowsill and promptly forgot about it. When I found it two months later, there wasn’t a single spot, wrinkle or blemish on its glow-in-the-dark (well, almost) skin. It was so unnatural, I threw it out. Mass-market tomatoes just can’t compete with my favorite member of the nightshade family: the heirloom tomato. I’ve never met an heirloom tomato I didn’t want to devour. And if it has a few bumps or cracks on it, so much the better. This quiche spotlights heirlooms beautifully. If mozzarella isn’t your cup of tea, there will be another cheese out there to suit your personality.

But there’s only one kind of tomato (for me).

Heirloom Tomato Quiche

Serves 6

Ingredients

Crust (for a single pie crust, halve the recipe)

• 1 ¼  cups flour
• ½ Tbsp sugar
• ½ cup salted butter, very cold, cubed*
• 6 tbsp cup ice water

Tomato filling

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
• 1 small leek, rinsed well and thinly sliced
• 5 eggs
• 1½ cups heavy cream 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp hot sauce (I like Frank’s RedHot or Louisiana)

Directions

For the pie crust

Prepare the pastry: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar. Add the butter. Using your hands, two forks or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is the size of peas. They won’t all be uniform in size, but that’s okay: you want to avoid warming up the butter too much.

Add the ice water all at once and gently knead the dough until it just comes together (I repeat: Do not overwork the dough!).

With floured hands, divide the dough in half. Form into two disks, wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

When you’re ready to roll the dough, take the disks out of the fridge and let them rest on the countertop for at least 15 minutes, to take the chill off them. If you roll out cold dough, it will crack and leak.

Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out one of the disks to a 13-inch-diameter circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and trim the edges to fit the plate. For a double crust recipe: Roll out the second piece of pastry to a 13-inch diameter circle and place in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.

For the filling

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Prick the bottom of the prepared pie crust with a fork. Par-bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the mozzarella over the bottom of the pie crust. Layer the tomatoes on top, then the leeks.

In a blender, combine the eggs, cream, salt and hot sauce. Blend on medium-low speed for 1 minute or until frothy. Slowly pour half the blended mixture into the pie crust. Let the mixture settle into the tomatoes and cheese before pouring in the rest.

Place the quiche on a baking sheet to catch any overflow and put in the preheated oven. After 20 minutes, the quiche will start to rise. At this point, loosely cover it with a piece of aluminum foil to prevent excess browning.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the quiche is completely set.

*Cook’s note: Vegetable shortening or lard make for a traditionally tender-flaky crust, but I am a butter lover, so it is always butter for me. Much trickier to get a tender result, but once you have mastered the art of flakiness, you will be a butter convert!

Excerpted from Together at Sobo by Lisa Ahier, with Susan Musgrave. Copyright © 2023 Lisa Elaine Ahier. Photographs by Jeremy Koreski. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

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So your parent needs a financial intervention. That’s exactly what I googled when it became clear that my father was perched on the edge of a major financial disaster. At 74, he was on a trip he absolutely couldn’t afford—maxed out credit cards, zero money in the bank, calls from abroad requesting funds—and he nearly lost his car insurance, professional liability insurance and the electricity in his house in the same week. Something needed to be done.

One Tuesday evening last summer, two of my siblings and I arrived at our dad’s house ready to issue ultimatums and armed with letters explaining how his financial and behavioural recklessness was negatively impacting both his well-being and our own.

I’ve since learned that there are more advisable ways to tackle tricky money stuff with your family than our admittedly confrontational intervention approach—if, that is, you can get the conversation started. Here’s how to prevent a very stressful “Dad, we need to talk” sort of talk.

(Related: 3 Smart Ways to Manage Your Money Better)

My father has never been good with money. And while last summer’s ill-conceived trip and the ensuing financial meltdown seemed to warrant it, one big, tense conversation wasn’t going to magically make him a “good with money” guy. But it did pry open a topic people are typically very proficient at keeping bottled up.

“Money is a touchy subject,” says Neela White, a portfolio manager and elder-planning counsellor in Toronto. So touchy, in fact, that nearly two-thirds of Canadians with parents over the age of 65 haven’t touched it at all, according to a 2017 CIBC poll—and by that I mean that they haven’t had a conversation about finances with their parents, most often because they don’t want to appear disrespectful. “No parent wants to feel like they’re the ones being parented,” says White. “You have to ease into it.”

Makes sense. Unfortunately, that’s not what we did. We—my sister, brother and I—went in like a three-pronged battering ram. (Some prongs were more willing than others. My brother, with good reason, called it the “sistervention.”) But, in our defense, we were at a crisis point.

You don’t have to be in my dad’s situation to feel that money is impacting your mental health and stress levels. A 2018 Leger report found that 25 percent of Canadian seniors were worried they’ll run out of money before they die. By 2021, an overwhelming 77 percent of Canadians nearing retirement (or in early retirement) were worried about their financial security, according to a report by the National Institute on Ageing. With inflation and market downturns that are devouring nest eggs, older adults who have always been financially secure might suddenly be feeling less so.

“For people on a fixed income, the money they saved is now worth less,” says Laura Tamblyn Watts, founder, president and CEO of CanAge, a seniors’ advocacy organization. “That’s leading to uncomfortable choices for people who’ve never had to make them before, like whether to eat or to pay for heat.” In 2021, over a third of seniors who rent or pay a mortgage had trouble covering their bills, and in 2022, food bank use by older adults was up across the country.

So the money that people have saved—if they’ve had enough income to save—isn’t stretching as far. Another problem is that many Canadians are simply living longer than they, or their financial planners, expected. “Most people will save for 20 or 25 years of retirement, when in reality it could be more like 30 or even 40 years,” says Vancouver financial therapist and money coach Brenda St. Louis. “That’s a whole other lifetime.”

As my dad often says, he didn’t expect to live this long. (He’s not that old, but I think what he’s really saying is, “I never thought I’d have to be accountable.”) He also didn’t anticipate being single for the first time in his 70s, after a lifetime of cohabitational relationships.

According to Mary Ann Marriott, a licenced insolvency trustee based in Fredericton who helps people navigate difficult financial situations, a lot of the people who see her come not because of deep-rooted money issues but after a change in circumstances—like going from two incomes to one. Adapting to monthly deposits (with benefits like the Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security) instead of a biweekly pay schedule can also be hard. “Your entire working life, you’ve been paid every two weeks,” says Marriott, “and all of a sudden you have to manage your money differently.”

The other piece people don’t often plan for is needing long-term care or end-of-life health care. “All of us are guilty of this,” says Neela White. “You think everything’s going to stay the same.” But White has first-hand experience of how quickly life can take a very expensive turn.

Twelve years ago, her father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Then her mother, a five-time cancer survivor, fell and broke her neck, requiring eight hours per day of private care—well beyond the government-provided three hours per week—for the rest of her life. White, who has experience working in long-term care and a degree in gerontology, says her parents believed they were financially prepared for “any kind of health-care crisis.” Still, it wasn’t enough. Her father lived for two years after his diagnosis (he was 89 when he died) and her mother for five years after her accident (she was 87). Between her two parents, and despite all the planning, they spent almost $700,000 on private caregiving alone—not including housing costs, bills, groceries or medications.

White acknowledges that the conversation is not an easy one to start. “It’s money, it’s values, it’s end of life,” she says. “It’s sticky and uncomfortable.” There can also be a generational difference in values—you just don’t talk about money. Pride and shame are a big part of the picture, too. The older clients Marriott sees are often embarrassed to admit they have debt. “But show me where, in the book of life, it says you have to get everything right,” she says.

St. Louis points to yet another hurdle: Older people simply have a lot more practice at avoiding uncomfortable topics. But White urges families to push through the discomfort so they can normalize these types of conversations. “Deal with being uncomfortable now,” she says, “or chaos later.”

Ah, the chaos—I know it well. My father once showed up with a briefcase full of it. During his one-night visit, he wanted to somehow complete two years of back taxes. There were hundreds of pages: property assessments, unopened bills, faded gas receipts, a glazed ham recipe, bank statements from too many accounts to keep track of, insurance claims, a past-due notice from his accountant and a printout about Canadian plant hardiness zones. I had to dig through it all to find his car insurance, and it felt like peeking into his brain—not a fun or calming place to be. (I did take a photo of the ham recipe, because he is a great cook.) Given the choice, I recommend dealing with whatever’s behind the “uncomfortable now” door, even if it’s as sticky as a glazed ham.

White thinks the past three years of living with COVID—the risks, fears and high stakes, especially for older people—have given us the opportunity to recalibrate our anxiety meters. “People were concerned about dying, or their parents or grandparents dying. If that’s your biggest fear,” she says, “everything else, like talking about money, should be simpler.”

Simple, maybe, but not easy. These conversations still require a certain finesse, and every financial expert I spoke with recommended the same route: Start by talking about someone else.

And because 2023 has been a financial debacle for many of us, that someone else can be you.

“It’s one of the rare good things about a shared economic experience,” says Tamblyn Watts. Runaway prices at the grocery store are an easy in. “You can say something like ‘I used to budget $900 a month and now I have to double it. How are you and Mom doing? Any tips?’” Seniors have weathered more market fluctuations over the years and likely have some solid insight to provide, Tamblyn Watts notes. She describes this approach as coming from a place of “appreciative enquiry.”

St. Louis calls it “going in the side door.” You could talk about the conversations your friends are having with their parents, or how they saved money doing this one thing, or lost money doing another; heck, you could send them this article. “You do it slowly over time,” she says. “Too often, we go to our parents and we want to fix their situation. But it never works that way.”

You don’t say.

(Related: 5 Money Tricks That Can Help You Save $1,000 a Month)

After you’ve had the awkward conversation, you might find yourself wondering, “Now what?”

If your loved one is outliving their earnings or savings, the next step is to help identify possible solutions, and not to shame them—after all, their situation is not at all uncommon.

“Most people can’t afford to retire without having a side gig or something to supplement it,” says St. Louis. Half of retirees who worked part-time did so for financial reasons (not just to keep busy), according to 2022 research by Fidelity Investments Canada. And 60 percent of pre-retirees expect to keep working to some degree in retirement.

Tamblyn Watts says there are more options than ever for doing just that. “By now, we all understand about ageism in the workplace, but there’s also a profound labour shortage,” she says. “It’s never been more welcome to have people with experience back in the office.” St. Louis has also seen clients start a side business based on their expertise. “Then there are people who get a cashier job at grocery store,” she says. “Sometimes you just want to be around people twice a week.”

For those of us who can’t—or don’t want to—go back to work, there are options, too. “Listen to a person’s life story,” says Tamblyn Watts, “and think about where the money may be.” Abandoned company pension plans, old bank accounts and new, updated or less well-known government programs and tax benefits (such as survivor allowances, home renovation credits and disability credits) are all good places to start.

Then there’s the big one: downsizing. “This is a pain point for everyone, because a house is emotional. It’s more than just four walls and a roof,” acknowledges Neela White. But thinking about how much space you’re heating and maintaining—versus how much space you actually use—can drive the point home. “With the residual pool of money, you can rent or even buy, and still have a nest egg leftover,” she says.

That’s the path my family is currently on. My father is talking about selling his place this summer, though I have no idea if that will actually come to pass. (Remember that briefcase of chaos? Just imagine the house.) But he’s talking about it, I think, at least partly due to our, um, vigorous involvement last year. We honestly thought our dad would lose it when we confronted him. And, to his credit, he didn’t. Against all professional advice (or so I learned after the fact), we followed a traditional intervention model, so we each read a letter that started with a statement of love. Sure, he liked hearing that stuff—but it was more the relief he clearly felt at not having to confront his financial chaos in the dark, all by himself. “I didn’t know how to bring it up,” he said as we were leaving his place.

That’s the piece that Brenda St. Louis is most interested in tackling with her clients. “Let’s take money out of the closet,” she says. “Let’s remove the shame and just start talking about it.”

This is something we’re inching toward. My father hasn’t become a “good with money” guy yet—and he may never. But we sure wedged open that closet door.

Next: I Had $1.11 in Savings. Here’s How I Improved My Relationship With Money