Reading Time: 3 minutes The saying “a little dab will do you” really is true when it comes to applying creams and ointments to your skin. These creams are termed topical agents because they are applied directly to your skin where they act. At any one time, an estimated 75 per cent of Canadians are using a cream or […] Read more
Guide Health: A little dab will do you!
Creams, lotions and ointments can work wonders for your skin. But which is right for you?
Guide Health: Keep your bowel moving
Reading Time: 3 minutes Thanks to your autonomic nervous system, which regulates evacuation from your bowel, you probably take your bowel habits for granted… except when you can’t. At any one time, anywhere between two and 28 per cent of Canadians are affected by constipation, which can range from a single episode to chronic constipation. In fact, the real […] Read more
Guide Health: Don’t take your sense of smell for granted
Our brains are able to recognize over 10,000 smells, if we keep our olfactory system healthy
Reading Time: 3 minutes Linked closely with the sense of taste, your sense of smell often gets taken for granted. In general, a quarter of the population have a poor sense of taste, half have an average or normal sense of taste, and a quarter are considered “super” tasters. Our ability to smell mirrors this distribution, although one to […] Read more
Guide Health: Is it really dementia?
Too often we put off getting our forgetfulness checked out, but it may not be Alzheimer’s
Reading Time: 3 minutes Dementia is a chronic and progressive deterioration of mental capacity, and you have probably heard of Alzheimer’s disease, its most common form. In Canada, about 15 per cent of people 65-plus years old are affected, and with the growth of this age group, the numbers of people affected are sure to increase. Dementia is not […] 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
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: 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
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
