Reading Time: 3 minutes Because most of us never really plan on needing them, it’s very easy not to think about that dusty box behind your workbench or the one stowed away in the tractor. Giving your first aid kits just a bit of attention, however, can help make sure your kit does its job if and when you […] Read more
Guide Health: Vital first aid for your first aid kits
Choose a day and make it your deadline every year to check all your first aid kits
Guide Health: Should you take non-prescription codeine?
Codeine isn’t actually a good pain reliever. Non-drug therapies are often better
Reading Time: 2 minutes The majority of narcotic drugs can only be obtained by seeing your doctor and getting a prescription. However, one class of codeine-containing drugs can be purchased without a prescription. These are known as exempted codeine products, and you need to ask your pharmacist for them because they are all kept behind the pharmacy counter in […] Read more
Guide Health: Getting a good night’s sleep
Reading Time: 2 minutes With the various sleep aids being advertised, as well as mattresses for beds, you probably have the impression that no one ever sleeps well. Not so! Only one to two per cent of Canadians have insomnia, that is, a chronic problem getting and/or staying asleep. However, from time to time everyone experiences a sleepless night […] Read more
Guide Health: Sex life is important
Reading Time: 3 minutes You have probably seen the ads on television about erectile dysfunction or ED drugs, and you may wonder if this is a new condition. It’s not, but many people don’t want to talk about it (so they just tolerate or ignore the symptoms) and many health care providers don’t ask about it. With the availability […] Read more
Guide Health: The world of recalls for drugs
Reading Time: 3 minutes While you often hear about automobile and food recalls, you may be less aware of drug recalls. However, they do happen. Health Canada is responsible not only for authorizing which drugs can be sold in Canada, but also to do the reverse, that is, to recall drugs from the Canadian market. To understand drug recalls, […] Read more
Guide Health: The spectre of head lice
Reading Time: 3 minutes No one wants to get the telephone call from your children’s school telling you that several children have been reported to have head lice. But keep in mind that the phone call only means your child plays with many other children, and that you are not alone. It is estimated that only one to two […] Read more
Guide Health: Uhh… all about hemorrhoids
Reading Time: 3 minutes When you even hear the word “hemorrhoids” you probably wince with discomfort. With treatment, however, you can be comfortable and prevent complications. Hemorrhoids or piles are very common, with about 75 per cent of the population being affected, most notably adults between 45 and 65 years old. Hemorrhoids are inflamed and swollen veins in the […] Read more
Guide Health: The aches and pains of arthritis
There are two types of arthritis. If you have the condition, which one are you and how is it best treated?
Reading Time: 3 minutes It can seem inevitable that if you live long enough, of course you’ll be affected by arthritis, but it isn’t always so. Arthritis is an inflammatory condition of the joints which makes movement painful and difficult, but it occurs in two types; rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis involves the immune system, with about one […] Read more
Guide Health: Breathing easier with your inhaler
Many types are available, but many people don't use their inhaler correctly
Reading Time: 3 minutes Being unable to catch your breath is certainly scary, and unhealthy. While you may think of asthma as the most common cause of breathing problems, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD accounts for most shortness of breath among older people. It is estimated that 1.5 million Canadians have a COPD diagnosis, but an equal number […] Read more
Guide Health: Which iron is the right iron?
Symptoms of iron deficiency and choosing the right supplement for your needs
Reading Time: 3 minutes You need iron in your body for your red blood cells to have enough hemoglobin to carry oxygen through the blood system to your cells. A reduced number of red blood cells (i.e. erythrocytes) is called anemia. Iron-deficient anemia is the result of low iron levels. Your body contains about 3.5 grams of iron, of […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
