Reading Time: 2 minutes Discovered in the 1930s and with the first agent, chlordiazepoxide, marketed in the 1950s, benzodiazepines have been part of drug therapy for decades. Until benzodiazepines were introduced, barbiturates were the drugs used to treat anxiety and sleeplessness. But barbiturates were a worry with their narrow therapeutic margin (that is, their small or narrow difference between […] Read more
Guide Health: Benzodiazepines and your health
These medications can be helpful, but they should only be used for a short period of time
Guide Health: Guarding your eyesight against glaucoma
An estimated half of patients with eye drops don’t remember to use them, or don’t use them correctly
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re young, glaucoma may not even make it on to the list of health conditions that you’re at all concerned about. As you age, however, your thinking will change, especially if you experience the eyesight loss associated with glaucoma! Worldwide, glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness, and according to CNIB about 250,000 Canadians […] Read more
Guide Health: Prescription drugs and expiration dates
Hmmm… you’ve got a headache, but your only bottle of acetaminophen is expired
Reading Time: 2 minutes An expiry date is the date after which you should no longer use a product, whether that product is a drug, a grocery store item or anything else. The product can no longer be guaranteed as fresh, stable, safe or, very importantly, 100 per cent potent. Drug expiry dates are carefully calculated by drug manufacturers […] Read more
Guide Health: Steroids – essential for life
We’ve all heard about anabolic steroids and sports, but what are corticosteroids?
Reading Time: 2 minutes Steroids are a group of organic compounds that we produce in our bodies, just like many other species. As molecules, steroids are similar in their structure. Specifically, each steroid consists of a group of four chemical rings with various side chains. In the body, steroids have a variety of functions. They help to regulate your […] Read more
Guide Health: Your bowel – don’t take it for granted
Yes, your bowel habits are very personal, but get your symptoms checked sooner, not later
Reading Time: 2 minutes You don’t really think about your bowel until something goes wrong like constipation or diarrhea. Your digestive tract includes everything from your mouth to your rectum, but often the word “bowel” is meant to be your small and large intestine. The small intestine is made up of three parts, specifically the duodenum, jejunum and ileum, […] Read more
Guide Health: Take care of your nose. It’s nothing to sniff at
Abrupt loss of smell can be related to trauma, tumours, polyps or diseases like COVID-19
Reading Time: 3 minutes You probably take your nose for granted. You breathe through it and you don’t even need to think about it. Breathing is an autonomic nervous system function; it just happens. And, of course you use your nose for smelling, which you do notice, even though sometimes you wish you didn’t have to! Your nose is […] Read more
Guide Health: The scoop on cannabis
Check with your health care providers before using cannabis for any medical condition
Reading Time: 2 minutes We all know by now that cannabis is legal for recreational use in Canada. We also know there are still a number of restrictions and limitations on its use, and we know how to find out exactly what these are. However, we also hear claims about therapeutic uses for cannabis and about its effectiveness and […] Read more
Guide Health: Antiseptics and disinfectants
Always let your hand sanitizer evaporate on your skin. That’s how it works!
Reading Time: 2 minutes Antiseptics and disinfectants both slow or stop the growth of micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi, but with one difference. Antiseptics are intended for human use, while disinfectants are used to clean inanimate objects like table tops, counters and sinks. Sometimes the same product can be used for both, but the disinfectant may be […] Read more
Guide Health: Dealing with migraines
Migraines often have a trigger, whether it be environmental or lifestyle
Reading Time: 2 minutes The excruciatingly painful headaches classed as migraines are considered to be the most common type of headache. About 25 per cent of women and nine per cent of men are affected with between four and six work days lost per year for each sufferer. Migraines are thought to involve a nervous system dysfunction which results […] Read more
Guide Health: Drug contamination
As drug standards get stricter, recalls will become more common
Reading Time: 2 minutes Whether it’s a prescription drug or nonprescription remedy, when you take a medication, you would like to think that it will be effective and not cause you more problems. While adverse effects or even interactions with other drugs or foods are by far the most common reason for problems, drug contamination has recently been mentioned […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
