Cholesterol: The Good and The Bad
May 18, 2013Posted By: igorUnder: Health News, Your Health
When you have high cholesterol, you are at a higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke. The problem is, you likely don’t feel sick. Heart disease is a silent killer, meaning there are no symptoms to warn you that you are sick. The only way to know if you have plaque build up in your arteries is to have your blood cholesterol levels measured by having a simple blood test done.
When you have your “cholesterol levels” measured, typically the doctor or pharmacist is ordering a lipid panel. The lipid panel consists of 4 main components:
1) Total cholesterol - the total amount of cholesterol in your blood, including both the good and the bad cholesterol.
2) Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) – this cholesterol is the known as the bad cholesterol. When LDL levels in the blood are too high they lead to plaque build up in artery walls.
3) High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) – this cholesterol is known as the good cholesterol. We want HDL levels to be high as HDL carries the LDL away from the artery walls.
4) Triglycerides (TG) - are the most common type of fat in your body. When elevated they appear to speed up the process of plaque build up in artery walls.
If you are found to have elevated cholesterol or triglycerides, the doctor/pharmacist will recommend changes to your diet and exercise. Dietary changes include avoiding saturated fats and refined carbohydrates and increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seed...
Alberta College of Pharmacists to Ban Inducements
Apr 26, 2013Posted By: jaclynUnder: Pharmacy Profession
Inducements, specifically rewards points and airmiles being offered on the purchase of prescription medicaions will be a thing of the past in the near-ish future. On April 18th, the Alberta College of Pharmacists announced that it would move forward with the process of banning these inducements. There is no proposed timeline for this ban, but it can’t happen soon enough. By bannining inducements Alberta will be joining Ontario, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and British Columbia who have already done so.
Why do I, along with the majority of the pharmacy profession, beleive inducements should be banned?
There are many reasons, some of which include the following:
it calls into question the integrity of the pharmacy profession
it says that the pharmacist’s clinical decision is secondary after the rules of the points program
it thereby gives a mechanism for some pharmacists employers to unduly influence the pharmacist by placing time and resource limitations on that healthcare practitioner
they contribute to medication waste, and therefore taxpayer dollars
inducements cost the health care system, and thus taxpayers; they are an opportunity cost that should be reallocated to improve the access to care for everyone
they have the potential to negatively impact treatment goals and health outcomes
they disrupt relationships between patients, pharmacists and other health team members
they erode the professional status of pharmacists
...
What Is The Real Impact of Alberta Generic Price Reductions?
Apr 10, 2013Posted By: igorUnder: General News, Pharmacy Industry News, Pharmacy Profession
Just the Facts!
The March 7th Alberta Provincial Budget introduced a number of changes that many have described as "austerity" measures. These represent a long list of spending cuts including healthcare cuts. As a healthcare professional who is also a small business owner, fiscal responsibility or economic responsibility is a term that all business owners understand. No different than a business or a family household, you can't spend more than what you make unless you have some substantial cash reserves and even then, you can only go back to those funds so many times before the cash must be replenished. Furthermore, we have asked the provincial government to maintain a balanced budget, making certain that spending does not exceed government revenues. This year's budget introduced a deficit budget 0f some $4.2 Billion.
As part of this March 7th Budget, the provincial government introduced additional cuts to healthcare that did not receive the media attention it deserves. These cuts to the healthcare budgets are not the first but instead are one more of many cuts that have taken place over the past 3 years. Although the Alberta Government has "reinvested" in pharmacy by reimbursing pharmacists for some of the valuable patient services previously provided without any compensation, the economics are still such that those dollars represent only a small portion of that taken from pharmacy and possibly more important is the timeline of these cuts. ...
Benefits of Improving Lifestyle on Disease Prevention and Management
Mar 29, 2013Posted By: igorUnder: Health News, Your Health
January 1st means the start of a New Year, and with that comes New Year’s resolutions and promises to improve ourselves. Statistics show that the #1 New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. They also show that after one month only 64% of people have stuck to their resolution plans. After six months, only 46% remain strong in their resolve. Why to poor success? Although there may be more than one factor to influence the success and failure of any therapeutic strategy, one of the key causes of those resolutions focused on weight loss is that they are focused on weight, not fat and that they employ diets instead of focusing on the improvement of some very poor lifestyle choices. This year, consider making specific changes in your lifestyle to improve your health, not merely to lose weight.
Let’s look at your lifestyle in a new light—as medicine. Did you know that the first line therapy (the best and first therapy that should be tried to treat a disease) in many cases is lifestyle change? Have you ever considered that in many instances increasing your activity level and eating healthier can prevent the need for medications?
Lifestyle changes are considered first line therapy for the following medical conditions:
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Type 2 Diabetes
Osteoporosis
Metabolic Syndrome
Cardiovascular Disease
Conditions related to aging
Obesity
In addition to the conditions listed above, lifestyle changes are imp...
WHAT IS YOUR CARDIOVASCULAR RISK?
Mar 26, 2013Posted By: igorUnder: Health Comment, Health News, Your Health
Cardiovascular disease causes one third of the deaths in Canada – more than any other illness.
Although February was Heart Month and to celebrate, we were checking in on your heart health we think this is important enough to continue this service twelve months of the year.
We offer the Framingham Cardiovascular Risk Assessment.
The Framingham Risk Assessment will tell us whether or not you have a low (<10%), medium (10-20%), or high (>30%) 10 year risk of having a major cardiovascular disease event (I.e. Heart attack). It will also determine if you need to make lifestyle changes or be placed on drug therapy to reduce your risk.
What information is used to assess your Cardiovascular Risk?
During this assessment, one of our pharmacists will check your blood pressure and assess your cholesterol levels (this may require sending you for a blood test if you have not had one recently). Using this information, along with your age, gender, smoking status and diabetes status, your 10 year cardiovascular risk will be calculated.
What happens if you are found to be at risk?
If you are found to be in the medium to high risk categories or have high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol, your pharmacist will help you to make any necessary lifestyle changes. They will also notify your family physician of the findings and make any necessary drug therapy recommendations.
Who should participate in our Heart Health Clinic?
We recommend participating in our s...
Pharmacists Reach Out To Canadians During Pharmacist Awareness Month
Mar 9, 2013Posted By: jaclynUnder: General News, Pharmacy Profession
Providing more health care than you know: Ask a pharmacist
March 2013 is Pharmacist Awareness Month, when pharmacists across the country reach out to make Canadians aware of the many services they offer to improve their patients’ health.
A 2012 survey by Environics Research Group showed that while many Canadians are willing to see pharmacists for expanded services, they simply aren’t aware of the full range of issues they can discuss with their pharmacist. The survey of over 1500 adults showed that Canadians report high levels of interaction and satisfaction with pharmacists’ services, and a full 80% of respondents indicated that they’ve received counselling or advice from a pharmacist. About half of respondents said that they would see a pharmacist for a flu shot or other vaccination, and over 75% said that they would be comfortable going to a pharmacist to order and interpret lab tests.
At Stafford Pharmacy, we celebrate Pharmacist Awareness Month to make sure that our patients know that their pharmacists are there to help, in more ways than they know. There are many health-related issues that pharmacists can work through with patients, without appointments or wait times.
Most Canadians know that pharmacists are the most equipped health care provider to help understand the best use of medications. They can help patients learn how to take medications properly, suggest alternate medications to avoid dangerous interactions...
Statins-Diabetes Connection
Jan 30, 2013Posted By: jaclynUnder: Health News
Statins are the most commonly prescribed drugs for lowering cholesterol. In fact, at one point many physicians wanted to put statins in our drinking water because thought they were a miracle cure. Thankfully that never happened, because it turns out that just like every other medication, statins have side effects.
On January 24th, Health Canada announced that it was changing the labeling requirements for all statins. Drug labels for six statins (atorvastatin, rosuvastain, simvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin and fluvastatin) will now include a warning that states these medications may increase the risk of developing diabetes. This information has the many patients on these medications wondering if they should continue to take them.
The new labeling requirements are based on a review of multiple studies which showed that statins may increase the risk of developing diabetes in patients that have other diabetes risk factors. Risk factors for diabetes include: obesity, high triglycerides, high blood sugar and high blood pressure.
It is important to keep in mind that despite these new warnings about statins, in the majority of cases the overall cardiovascular benefits of statins will outweigh the other risks. You should never stop taking your statin drug without first speaking to your healthcare professional.
If are taking a statin and you must remain on statin therapy to protect your heart, it is important to monitor for early warning signs of diabetes. The signs a...
NOx Technology: New Discovery
Jan 23, 2013Posted By: igorUnder: Complementary Alternative Medicine, Health News
The following information was extracted from a Blog, "The Cutting Edge", that we recently stumbled on at: http://drnibber.com/nox-technology-a-remarkable-discovery/
This particular Blog is focused on new developments in the sciences that often lead to many of the innovative products that are composed of those nutrients and plant based medicinals that although are not considered nor classed as Scheduled drugs, are developed with some therapeutic contributions when used alone or in combination with other regimens. Many of these products are focused on wellness from a holistic perspective, based on the theory that many diseases are shown to be chronic injury due to toxic and reactive chemicals, and/or may in fact result in sub clinical nutrient deficiencies that produce their own subset of symptoms.
The following information was posted on The Cutting Edge blog, April 2012 and offers some newly discovered technologies that a few manufacturers have incorporated into some new products. AOR is one of those companies making use of the NOx technology to provide some unique benefits to a small line of their product offering. The NOx technology discussed in the article utilizes the latest research in maximizing NO levels, rapidly and safely. This is achieved through use of proprietary technology that prevents any nitrosamine formation and promoting optimal health.
Every now and then there are discoveries that can be called true paradigm shifts in nutrition....
Remember Your Furry Friends This Year
Dec 22, 2012Posted By: jaclynUnder: General News, Veterinary Medicine
The holidays are a time of celebration and with that comes decorations, festive parties and decadent food. While these traditions pose a minimal danger to humans, there are many dangers for our furry friends during the holidays. Here are some tips to help keep your animals safe this holiday season.
#1 – Forbidden Festive Foods
The following is a list of foods that are toxic to household pets:
Chocolate
Candy Canes
Onions
Raisins and currents
Poinsettias
Holly Leaves and Berries
Mistletoe
Leftover Bones
Although not a food, the artificial sweetener xylitol is found in so many products from candy to soft drinks. Although safe for human consumption as a sugar substitute or sometimes referred to as a sweet enhancer, it is NOT safe for your companion canine or ferret. So far, cats have not shown the same response to xylitol consumption. Human metabolism of this sugar alcohol is quite different than that of your dog or ferret.
The harm done by something as simple as xylitol is a due to the release of insulin from the pancreas leading to a rapid uptake of blood sugar (glucose) into tissues and organs such as the liver, muscle and fat cells. This sudden uptake of glucose causes a sudden hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) which compounds the liver toxicity and liver damage. As little as a xylitol containing cookie or cupcake can be enough to be fatal to an animal. In fact ingesting as little as 0.5gm of xylitol per kg of body w...
Give The Gift Of Life
Dec 20, 2012Posted By: jaclynUnder: Health News, Your Health
