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: Should you take non-prescription codeine?
Codeine isn’t actually a good pain reliever. Non-drug therapies are often better
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: 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: Topical corticosteroids — use them wisely
Before opting for topical corticosteroids, be sure to check for any environmental factors that may be causing your rash
Reading Time: 3 minutes Steroids in the body are normally produced by your pituitary gland and regulate your body’s growth and functioning. They have a common carbon-based structure and range from substances like estrogen and testosterone to cortisol and prednisone. First identified in the late 1850s, oral formulations were developed by 1933 and topical versions by 1973. Topical corticosteroids […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
