Louise Hidinger, PhD

Not one government has told Israel to stop kidnapping their citizens in international waters and let them bring baby formula to starving babies. What a shameful time to be alive

Scientists develop first ‘accurate blood test’ to detect chronic fatigue syndrome Research could offer hope for ME patients – but some experts urge caution and say more studies needed

ME/CFS is a devastating condition that has long been denied, dismissed, psychologised and underdiagnosed. Research is at last starting to catch up with it, with glimmers of hope for those who have been left untreated for so long.
There's a huge BUT coming ...🧵
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

The Effect of Air Purifiers in Schools The Effect of Air Purifiers in Schools

Here's the link to working paper mentioned above:

The Effect of Air Purifiers in Schools (June 11, 2025)
www.rff.org/publications...

Screenshot of a study summary. It says air purifiers were installed in primary school classrooms to reduce children’s exposure to air pollution. The intervention reduced indoor PM₂.₅ by 32% and student absenteeism by 12.5%. It notes larger effects for students with higher absence before treatment, stronger impact when outdoor air pollution was lower, and smaller impact when outdoor pollution was high. Students reported fewer breathing problems and greater awareness of air quality. The cost per avoided missed school day was about €11, with a cost-benefit ratio of one-to-nine.

Air purifiers cut missed school days by 12.5%. 💪

YouTube video by Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care Displacement Ventilation: Rethinking Indoor Air for Health and Climate

New from Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care:
Displacement Ventilation: Rethinking Indoor Air for Health and Climate

This moment from our latest episode with science writer @edyong209.bsky.social is 🔥

We asked Ed — how do we talk up the benefits of science in the face of government cuts? He told us that's the wrong approach. 🧪

Listen wherever, or watch on Spotify 👇

open.spotify.com/episode/7Evh...

Do not succumb to gaslighting. If you are protecting yourself and others from C-19, you are being smart, compassionate, grounded in reality, and equity-supportive. If you’re not…

Association of air pollution exposure and genetic susceptibility with increased risk of thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection - Nature Cardiovascular Research Ma et al. demonstrate that air pollution is associated with an increased risk of thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD), and that genetic susceptibility to TAAD amplifies this risk through multiplicative and additive interactions.

New: The link between air pollution and aortic dissection/aneurysm, adds to genetic susceptibility
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

IMPORTANT: Healthy indoor air has become a human right.
⬇️ 🧪 #healthpolicy
Thanks @luckytran.com

You're sick.
You go to a clinic.
People are coughing, sneezing & blowing their noses.

...and no one is wearing a mask.

Time to bring masks back into healthcare facilities.

🎧 8 min listen
www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

Fundamentally, the reason I avoid Covid is because all - all - of the elements of my life that bring me joy and fulfillment rest on my cardiovascular fitness and / or my cognition. I'm not going to risk a virus wrecking that, as I've seen happen to way too many people I know.

FYI: I'll be at North York Central, Toronto Public Library
this Sat Sept 13, 2 pm, talking about adapting #skincare practices to suit changes in skin that commonly occur with age, especially as cooler weather approaches! To register: www.eventbrite.ca/e/no-filter-...
#antiageing #perimenopause

The October Story That Outlined Exactly What the Trump Administration Would Do to the Federal Bureaucracy Historians have hindsight when they look into the past; journalists have the facts on the ground and context to help them look ahead. That means we can sometimes be surprised by how prescient a story…

In October, we published secret recordings of Project 2025 architect Russell Vought discussing plans to eviscerate entire agencies and decimate the morale of federal workers if Trump won a second term.

It's hard to imagine a more prescient piece of journalism.

Summer of the climate emergency Canada is on fire.

www.thewhig.com/opinion/summ...

“Canadians have endured extreme heat and drought in many parts of the country. Farmers have witnessed reduced agricultural yields. And the temperatures of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River are comparable to bath water. None of this is normal.”

The media has lost the plot. How bad does it have to get before they wake up? (answer: so bad, really bad, the worst).

#Ontario Canada's current #covid lab testing surveillance of those at higher risk (blue line) continues to show a lower level of activity compared to previous Omicron-era seasons (red and gold). That said, we are starting to see a slow build up in % test positivity as we approach Fall.
chart: PHO

timely and important topic

ncceh.ca/events/upcom...

Gaza doctors ‘becoming too weak to treat patients’ as hunger crisis deepens Malnourished medical staff say they are struggling to provide care to injured civilians, while recovery rates are also hit by

Gaza doctors ‘becoming too weak to treat patients’ as hunger crisis deepens

Oh no!! I hope you are okay now. I am so sorry.

Let's take a look at the needs inside of a typical inner city #OntEd elementary school classroom with a 6.5 billion dollar per pupil funding gap in Ontario for the upcoming school year.

Let's do the math.

Four pictures of a wall thermometer in a classroom show temperatures of over 29°C at different times of the day.

These photos from my Grade 1/2 classroom last June are a reminder that Toronto schools don’t have air conditioning and these are the learning conditions many (most?) students will be in this week.

#FixOurSchools

"Did you know? Infants and young children face special risks from wildfire smoke for several reasons. In very young children, their lungs, brains and other organs are still developing and may be sensitive. Children also have smaller lungs than adults, breathe more quickly, and are usually more active than adults, especially outdoors." Illustration of a father with dark hair with a toddler on his shoulders.

Under heavy smoke conditions, everyone is at risk regardless of their health or age.

However, some are at higher risk of health problems when exposed to #WildfireSmoke. 🔥 💨

For more information: donatemask.ca/shield-me-from-smoke

#Wildfires #WildfireSeason #CanadianWildfires

Look beyond Trump and Musk's public blowout to the bigger problem: the infiltration of Big Money in our politics. It has corrupted our democracy — creating a vicious cycle that funnels more wealth and power to those at the top while drowning out the needs of regular Americans.

He's right. "Nothing short of devastating"
By @holdenthorp.bsky.social @science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

"We’re at a point where Israel is still preventing almost all aid from entering Gaza and using starvation as a weapon of war."

‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides

"We’re talking about nearly half the tree of life disappearing in one human lifetime. That is absolutely catastrophic.”

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A New COVID Variant, NB.1.8.1, Is Starting to Spread in the U.S. What Are Its Symptoms? NB.1.8.1 recently caused surges in China and other parts of Asia. Will cases spike in the US this summer? Here's what we know about the new variant so far.

The media have been complicit with the government in covering up the threat of the ongoing Covid pandemic and the risks to the public.

If they’re recommending N95s, we should pay attention.

They don’t suggest masks lightly.

1. Considering that a 2nd generation vaccine with high efficacy against infection and high durability may be several years away, it's worth remembering that the most important element of any personal risk mitigation strategy against SARS-CoV-2 infection is *sustainability*.

Characterizing Long COVID Symptoms During Early Childhood This cohort study evaluates which prolonged symptoms in early childhood are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The symptom complex of #LongCovid in young children (infant/toddlers) is different that older kids
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

1/
"Endemic" is indeed used to reassure.

The relief was palpable when governments announced that #COVID would soon be endemic (predictable & manageable). But just because we currently treat COVID as #Endemic, doesn't mean that it is.