Dr. Christine Guptill (she/her)

A data centre in Etobicoke was approved to consume 1.2B litres/year. This World Water Day, governments must address the imbalance between AI data centres and the water security of our communities, including 37 First Nations communities under long-term boil water advisories. unifor.org/news/all-news/…

Researchers at UC Irvine took saliva samples from a choir before and after performing Beethoven. One antibody, the most abundant in your entire body, spiked 240%. That antibody is called secretory immunoglobulin A. Mouthful of a name, but it does a simple job: it coats your throat, gut, and airways and acts as your body’s first barrier against every cold, flu, and respiratory virus you breathe in. Your body makes more of it than all other antibody types combined. The 2000 study found this antibody rose 150% during rehearsals and 240% during the live performance. A separate 2004 study from the University of Frankfurt tested what happens when choir members just listen to the same music instead of singing it. The antibody barely moved. And their mood actually got worse. Marathon runners show the exact opposite. A study of 98 competitive runners found this same antibody dropped 21 to 31% after the race. 17% came down with colds or throat infections within two weeks. Cross-country runners tracked over a full season saw it fall to 40% of their starting level by November. Running was suppressing the same antibody that singing was tripling. It works through the vagus nerve, the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your brain down through your chest to your gut and controls your “rest and digest” mode. When you sing, your vocal cords physically vibrate against it where it wraps around your voice box. You’re also breathing from deep in your belly with long, slow exhales, which tells your nervous system to calm down. Your stress hormones drop. Your immune system responds. A 2016 study from the Royal College of Music and Imperial College London tested 193 cancer patients and carers across five choirs in South Wales. One hour of group singing lowered cortisol (the body’s main stress hormone) and raised five different immune signaling proteins. The people with the worst depression scores improved the most. You don’t need to be good at it. The boost comes from the physical act, the vibration and the breathing, not the melody. Trained soprano or shower singer, your body responds the same way. One caveat: that 240% number came from a live performance, where adrenaline and emotional intensity were at their peak. Singing along to the radio probably produces a smaller spike. And these are temporary boosts, not permanent changes. But the 193 cancer patients in the 2016 study weren’t performing Beethoven on stage. They were just singing together for an hour in community choirs.

🚨Doug Ford didn’t “run out of money.” He spent it just not on you. Billions → bailing out developer buddies $2.2 BILLION → luxury spa at Ontario Place $1 BILLION → relocating the Science Centre Billions → Highway 413 through the Greenbelt $1.4 BILLION → booze in corner stores Millions → ripping out bike lanes & government ads But when it comes to healthcare? Now patients may have to pay out of pocket for basic care. That’s not a funding problem. That’s a priority problem. Enforce the Canada 🇨🇦 Health Act. Public healthcare is a right not a user fee.

This is also why the Covid Inquiry report has been crystal clear in its findings that “it is no longer appropriate” to rely on the dichotomy between droplets & aerosols. You can’t have droplets without aerosols. Failing to guard against aerosol transmission puts people at risk.

@broadwaybabyto @GhostOfSocrates Sorry to hear Kelly! This is Betty and Judy - named after the “Sisters” act from White Christmas. Hope their love brings you some cheer.

I’m in a dark place with no one to talk to. Appreciate any cute photos or encouragement and you can also message me via my website. My DMs aren’t working so if you’ve messaged and I didn’t reply I’m sorry! I’m so grateful for this community & sorry I can’t be online more!

“The impact would not be confined to the walls of the classroom. As parents of…children know well, infectious diseases that spread at school quickly make their way home, infecting parents, who go on to infect their colleagues, their friends, & their broader social networks.”🎯

@MarkJCarney I realize rebuilding the nation is the top priority. Would you please assign someone with some authority to put an end to privatization in Ontario and ensure future healthcare transfers are applied to healthcare. Ford has betrayed Canada with many contracts and I am

Ford♥️🇺🇸. LifeLabs is now owned by U.S.-based Quest Diagnostics. "Critics noted ON govt could have intervened earlier by opposing the sale of LifeLabs to a foreign corporation or by leveraging its funding contracts, but chose not to." #ONpoli #DougFord @fordnation #healthcare

Kathleen Wynne did this a decade ago. The Ford Government paused it. You've been paying more for your tickets since 2018 because of Doug Ford.

@LazarusLong13 @markdixontweets 👋

I'm curious - any other LongHauler advocates like myself who do NOT have LongCovid? (But, my advocacy is born out of self-interest/survival, because I recognize I am advocating also for a possible future me who could have LongCovid.)

🚨Distinctions between droplet & aerosol “were and are wrong.”🚨 Do NOT skip this 🧵 from @Mark_Ungrin detailing key points from module 3 of the UK‘s public inquiry on the (mid)handling of COVID-19 .👇

After Ford said, “There’s no bigger promoter of the U.S. to Canada than Doug Ford,” Ford finalized a $140 million contract partially outsourcing Canada’s largest healthcare project to a U.S. firm.

Aaarrrghh! The cover-up begins… The WHO page about Meningococcal Meningitis & its modes of transmission (including the word ‘AEROSOL’) has just been removed from their website. Original link: who.int/teams/health-p… Thankfully there’s an archived page: web.archive.org/web/2026012701…

This is it. This is the critical It is (would argue was for some time) appropriate to rely on this dichotomy. AND THE PRECAUTIONS REQUIRED AS A RESULT WERE AND ARE WRONG.

Absolutely NOT. Alberta’s teacher Ed program is already 4 years right out of high school, while other provinces are 5-6. Pretty sure the length of the training isn’t the barrier. Try adequately funding the system and addressing student violence appropriately.

I'm a doctor. Here are five overlooked ways the Ontario government is making our ERs more crowded, not less thestar.com/opinion/contri… via @torontostar

Edinburgh Castle lit up tonight for Long Covid Awareness Day. A huge thank you to the Castle team and Helen at Long Covid Kids for helping shine a light on Long Covid. #LongCovidAwarenessDay #LitForLongCovid

*** Ontario Virus & Variant Update | Mar 14 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID have gone down from 190 to 138 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations remained stable around 49 and RSV decreased slightly from 194 to 184. 🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #Variant #COVID #RSV #Influenza

Back in January, Global News reported on Premier Doug Ford losing a court challenge over an FOI into his personal cell phone records. The decision would have compelled him to disclose those logs to the IPC. Changing the FOI laws = killing the FOI. #onpoli

let me get this straight a team will not be playing in the FIFA World Cup because they are currently being bombed by the FIFA Peace Prize winner