Reading Time: 2 minutes Fingernails and toenails are composed of skin cells, with the nails growing from specialized epithelial cells in the region of the nail’s half-moon shaped base, called the nail matrix. The cells become keratinized and harden into strong natural proteins as they grow over the nail bed. The pink colour of the nails is due to […] Read more
Guide Health: Why you should take better care of your fingernails
Protect your nails. Wear gloves and avoid perfumed products
Guide Health: Cold sores — why don’t they just go away?
Early treatment will give you better control
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cold sores, technically knows as herpes labialis, are caused by herpes simplex virus type 1. (Note: it is herpes simplex virus type 2 that is responsible for genital herpes infections). Across Canada, 90 per cent of us are exposed to herpes infection by the time we reach adulthood, although only 20 to 40 per cent […] Read more
Guide Health: Snoring and sleep apnea
Medical conditions often contribute to sleep apnea
Reading Time: 3 minutes Snoring can be more than a nuisance. It can have negative consequences too, and it is important to know it may be a sign of sleep apnea. Sleep relaxes the soft tissues in the roof of the mouth (i.e. the soft palate) and in both your throat and your tongue. Snoring is the sound that […] Read more
Guide Health: Taking care of your teeth is always a good idea
Some people have an increased risk for poor dental health. Are you one of them?
Reading Time: 3 minutes The saying is that everyone takes their teeth for granted unless they have a cavity. This underscores a very real problem. It is too easy to think that dental care is only useful for preventing tooth pain. Instead, it boosts our overall health too. Between one- and two-thirds of Canadians have had a cavity or […] Read more
Guide Health: Drugs for your brain’s health
Reading Time: 2 minutes Everyone worries about memory loss, but keep in mind that losing keys is not memory loss. Everyone misplaces their keys sometimes! The Alzheimer’s Society’s 2020 numbers have 569,600 Canadians living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and almost two-thirds are women, but women live longer than men and Alzheimer’s disease is a disease of older […] Read more
Guide Health: Travelling with medication
Take a copy of your prescriptions. This will help at the border, and also if your medications get lost
Reading Time: 2 minutes For the past several years, no one has been travelling, but now that it seems safer to do so, many people are visiting friends and relatives or just vacationing away from home. For anyone who takes medication regularly, passing through security at airports or even answering border security agents’ questions at a land crossing can […] Read more
Guide Health: Drug shortages
A multiple of factors can lead to a shortage in medications
Reading Time: 3 minutes The news these days often brings us reports of drug shortages, but sometimes we don’t hear about them until we’re at the pharmacy counter, expecting to pick up our prescription. At one time drug shortages were uncommon, but we should keep in mind that, historically, there were fewer drugs than we have today, as well […] Read more
Guide Health: The ache of osteoarthritis
Individuals who use their joints a lot — i.e. farmers — can be at higher risk
Reading Time: 2 minutes Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. According to Arthritis Canada, about one in seven adult Canadians are affected. Slightly more women than men are affected, although it is unclear why. It is also thought that metabolic diseases may contribute because of their association with inflammation, although this too is unclear. Osteoarthritis is considered […] Read more
Guide Health: Sweating. Not pleasant, but necessary!
Sweating plays a critical role in regulating body temperature
Reading Time: 2 minutes We all sweat during hot weather, especially if the humidity is also high. In fact, though, some of us do sweat more than others. Should you be concerned? On average, individuals have two to four million sweat glands made up of a combination of eccrine, apocrine and apoeccrine glands depending upon the body location. Children […] Read more
Guide Health: Nasal sprays and allergies — just a squirt!
Nasal sprays are good options as they deliver medication directly to nasal tissues
Reading Time: 2 minutes Statistically, seasonal allergies (technically known as allergic rhinitis) affect about one in four Canadians, although many more individuals may be affected; they just don’t seek treatment. Also known as hay fever, seasonal allergies occur when plant pollen is breathed in and the body’s immune system is activated to fend off the foreign particles or allergens. […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
