Canadian Pharmacy » Archives for August 2010

Due to a growing misuse of prescription painkillers in Canada, prescriptions for drugs like morphine, codeine, and oxycodone are now “rationed” by Canadian doctors. Experts have recently created specific guidelines that test patients who ask for painkillers. Doctors are now more careful about who they prescribe hard painkillers to.

Canada is now thought to be the third-largest opioid consumer per capita in the world. There was a 50 percent increase in the use of painkiller drugs between 2000 and 2004.  The proper use of opioid painkillers is to be effective in patients with chronic pain (that persists for more than 6 months). These drugs are very strong and easily addictive and are even being sold by drug dealers on the street.

The guidelines in the article published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal are meant to help doctors safely prescribe medications to patients who need them, and prevent patients who abuse them from obtaining a prescription.  The goal of the article is to reduce the diversion and addiction problems associated with these heavy painkillers.  When used properly these drugs are good medications and help many people who suffer from long-term pain.

The guidelines include advice on which medications are effective for which types of pain, the recommendation that patients give urine tests to test for the use of painkillers, dosage recommendations that start with low doses and gradually increase to test for effectiveness, signs of possible drug abuse and how to spot prescription fraud, and guidelines for patients who are stopping the use of opioids.

Let’s chat about something important—fraudulent pharmacies.

It’s a sad fact that thousands of people have lost millions of dollars to these online pharmacy scams.

But here’s the kicker: it’s not just about losing money. Lately, some crooks have been pretending to be FDA (Food and Drug Administration) officials. They’ve been calling up folks who’ve bought meds online and telling them that buying from an online pharmacy is illegal, demanding hefty fines. Sneaky, right?

Now, here’s the real deal: the FDA won’t be calling you for money. That’s a big red flag. So, how can you protect yourself from these pharmacy shakedowns?

Check out these tips:

1. Verify Contact Info: First things first, check if the pharmacy’s contact info is legit. Test those phone numbers and email addresses they give you. It’s a way to make sure you’re dealing with a legal online pharmacy, not a scam.
2. Word of Mouth: See what the grapevine has to say. Check if others vouch for the website. Look for recommendations or folks warning that the site might be a fake online pharmacy on a list of scams.
3. Certificates Matter: Take a peek at the certificates on the website. Check the links too. Trust your gut – if something looks fishy, it probably is. Legit online pharmacies usually have all their certificates in order.
4. Watch for Blacklists: Some experts keep tabs on fraudulent pharmacies and create blacklists. If you stumble upon a pharmacy that’s on one of these lists, double-check with another source to be sure it’s accurate before you steer clear.
5. Be a Hero – Report Them: If you do spot a shady site, report it to the authorities. You’ll be helping others stay safe from fake prescriptions online and online pharmacy scams.

Related – Two Sources to Check Legit Online Pharmacies in the U.S.

Signs of an Illegitimate Online Pharmacy

There are many illegitimate online pharmacies that sell drugs that may have dangerous ingredients or inaccurate dosages, which poses a worrisome health risk.  According to one Canadian official website, an online Canadian pharmacy may be illegitimate if it:

• Does not require a valid prescription
• Offers drugs that claim to have a “miracle cure” for serious conditions
• Offers drugs at very low, discounted prices
• Can ship drugs worldwide
• Does not provide a “bricks and mortar” business address
• Is located outside of Canada

Now, speaking of reliable pharmacies, check us out. We’ve been doing our thing for over 11 years, earning the trust of more than 200,000 customers. If you want to learn more about us and our safety service guarantee, go ahead and give us a look.

Stay safe out there, everyone, and make sure your online pharmacy is legit!

If you ever disregarded health talk on the dangers of things like tanning, junk food, and other luxuries it is time to listen and learn how to stop the negative impact these things have on your health.

Tanning – Every summer you go outside and frolic in the water, spend time at the beach and forget to bring your sunscreen. Some people may even invest in a few visits to a tanning salon. Besides skin cancer, exposure to light rays from both the sun and tanning beds or lamps can cause skin aging. If you already have skin damage it is recommended you see a dermatologist. You should always use sunscreen over 30 SPF. Try to avoid too much sun exposure at peak time: 10 A.M. to 4 P.M.

Poor dental hygiene – Not brushing and flossing leads to gum disease, cavities, inflammation, gum recession, and eventually tooth loss.  Ignoring the bacteria in your mouth will let them spread and cause problems. Even if it seems it is too late you can still stop further damage. First of all, get a new toothbrush (any old toothbrush is probably filled with bacteria, or the bristles may be damaged, so start fresh). Brush after breakfast and after dinner. Make an appointment with the dentist as only a professional will be able to remove the tartar buildup that brushing and flossing will not remove.

Junk food – Everyone loves a treat once in a while, but when it becomes a daily splurge it is dangerous to your health. First, look at the body mass index and see if you are at a healthy weight. Next, check your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Make a list of your usual snacks, and then a list of the healthy alternatives. For example, rather than a bag of chips has an apple and cheese slices. Try to add more physical activity to your daily routine.

Unprotected sex – Having multiple sexual partners and not using protection puts you and your partner at many risks. HIV and other STIs are just a few of the risks of unprotected sex. It is recommended adults get tested for HIV once in their lives. There are free tests available at clinics and community organizations. A blood test is also recommended to check for Hepatitis B, and genital rash or sores.

Heavy drinking – Risky drinking is more than four drinks a day for men, and three a day for women. Having more than recommended even just 12 times a year can significantly increase your risk of alcohol disorders, alcohol abuse, and alcohol dependence. Thankfully, if you drink excessively in your twenties you are at less of a risk of any alcohol disorders. If you used alcohol when you were stressed you may find yoga helpful rather than relying on alcohol. Stay attentive: know how much you are drinking and why.

If you’ve ever wondered why some people can go to the gym for only a month, but manage to come out with muscles you didn’t know a person could have, then University of Oslo physiologist, Kristian Gunderson may have the answer you have been looking for. Gunderson headed a study on muscles and how exercising can cause indefinite changes in the muscles.

A recent study demonstrated how your muscles are able to ‘remember’ their former strength, thus making it easier for a person to regain the muscles they previously had. This means that if you worked out in high school or University, but let yourself go for a few years, you may be able to regain that former muscle in less time than you could have imagined.

However, researchers are not certain how long this new kind of ‘muscle memory’ will last. Gunderson makes it clear that the structural changes that occur in the muscle may be very long-lasting, and potentially permanent.

During the study, the researchers put mice through strength training for their hind legs to build muscle. The researchers then took the mice off their training regimen to examine some of the muscle nuclei. What Gunderson and her team observed was that, although the mice lost muscle mass, the nuclei remained. This would give the muscle an extra advantage, a head start if you will, if the mouse was trained again.

For those wanting to stay fit and be able to maintain or regain muscle further into life, the earlier you exercise appears to be better for you. Gunderson explains that your muscle’s ability to develop this kind of ‘memory’ becomes weaker over time. This means, that if you exercise while you are young, it will be much easier for you to receive the benefits of your work when you are older.

Gunderson also discovered something that could impact all of sports. It seems that athletes, who use steroids to train also receive this advantage, as steroids also give you more muscle nuclei. This means that even though an athlete may have stopped using the illegal steroids, they may still be receiving an unfair advantage from it.

This could affect the way doping punishments will work in sporting events. For example, if the effects of these changes to the structure of a muscle are permanent, should the ban become permanent? Officials in charge of sporting events may need to discuss the findings in order to determine if any potential rule changes will be required.

It happens at the worst time possible; sweating, stomach growls, bladder problems, and other body problems can be terribly embarrassing. Thankfully, there are ways you can reduce and prevent these badly timed body issues. (If you’re looking for more at-home ideas, browse our natural health remedies A to Z.)

• Body leak – Small leaks when you laugh, cough, or exercise are very common, especially in women who have given birth. There are conditions that may be causing your bladder leaks, so the first step would be to go see a doctor. Some exercises can help you to gain control of your bladder. One of these is to stop the urine flow every time you go to the bathroom. Instead of just letting your bladder go, try to start-stop and control it. Practicing this will help you to have control in sticky situations. Disposable panty liners can help if the problem is unstoppable. Instead of using pads meant for menstruation, look for an incontinence section, as those products are more effective. If urinary symptoms are frequent or painful, it may help to read about what cystitis is (symptoms, causes, prevention & treatment) and what you can do to prevent it.
• Burps, hiccups, and growly stomachs – Burping and growling are due to the consumption of gassy foods. Hiccupping is caused by an irritation to the diaphragm, which can increase when you eat gassy foods. Burping and hiccupping can increase due to anxiety. When you are nervous or anxious, you tend to swallow excessive amounts of air, and this is what causes stomach problems. Cut down on gassy foods like cruciferous veggies and fried foods. For those with lactose intolerance, you should also cut down on dairy products. Drinking lots of water and limiting alcohol also helps. If your burping is paired with a burning feeling, you may want to review the important symptoms of acid reflux and these easy tips for heartburn prevention.
• Excess sweating – Sweating can be a medical condition, but normally just attributed to stress. Stress hormones cause an increase in sweat. Try an antiperspirant rather than a deodorant, and try to prepare for stressful situations ahead of time. Limit caffeine intake, chocolate, and spicy foods. These types of foods increase your heart rate and breathing, and can increase sweating. Keeping a glass of cold water handy is also a good trick. Holding it on your wrists can help stop sweating. Since stress is often the trigger, try these ways to reduce stress or practice how to calm down in the moment.
• Yawning – You hate to look uninterested, but mid-conversation, you have a burst of yawns. There are two causes of yawning: a lack of sleep or anxiety. If you are anxious and breathe shallowly, you can stimulate yawning. Sucking on hard candy can help, because as it melts, you swallow the liquid and it’s impossible to swallow and yawn at the same time. If you have a cottonmouth, the candy will help keep the saliva flowing. Avoid chewing gum in this situation as it causes you to swallow more air and can lead to more yawning and belching. Sipping water slowly can also help with yawning problems. If sleep is the issue, consider these tips to improve sleep quality at night or solve minor insomnia.

In today’s world, everyone lives a very busy lifestyle, making it seemingly impossible to fully commit to a healthy meal plan. Many people end up succumbing to fast food or freezer food (myself included). As a result, obesity is continually increasing in the United States, making it more important to establish healthy living so that the coming generations can change this growing trend of obesity. If you’re trying to make healthier choices with a packed schedule, these healthy living strategies for busy lifestyles can help.

Despite all the obstacles we face in everyday life, if we commit to eating well, then nothing should be able to change that. There are many techniques that can be used. If you want a simple way to build momentum, you can also start with these easy steps to get started with a healthy diet plan.

Organize a Meal Plan

Plan out what you are going to eat for the rest of the week or half of the week, whatever you prefer. In your meal plan, incorporate the meals you are going to eat out (try to make healthy choices). Your meal plan should include the time or meal of the day, the name of the dish you will cook, the ingredients needed, and where to find the recipe. For example, on page 212 in “Healthy Cooking”.  Having a meal plan will allow you to be faster and more efficient. No more time spent dwelling on what to eat. If you’re looking for simple guidelines you can actually stick to, check out these easy healthy eating tips.

Make a Grocery List

As you walk through a grocery store, the more things you look at, the more you want. You will end up buying many items that you probably hadn’t initially thought you would. If you have a grocery list handy with all the things you need, then you will be able to head straight over to these items and avoid scanning the shelves for other unnecessary items (in most cases, junk food).

Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast

Breakfast is undoubtedly the most important meal of the day. However, many people end up skipping this meal because of their busy lifestyle. Breakfast should never be missed, even if you have to wake up a little earlier for it. You could even prepare your breakfast the night before so that you do not have to rush in the morning. Another great idea is to take something on the go, like a fresh fruit smoothie or a healthy baked muffin. If you want to understand why it matters (and how it supports your energy and focus), read more about the importance of breakfast.

Don’t Eat Late

For many people, working late is a part of their day-to-day life. The best thing to do is to take a break at around 7:00 pm and have your dinner then. If you feel hungry when you go home, grab some fruit or veggies to eat. Nuts would also be a nice, tasty little snack. If it so happens that you cannot get a break at the said time and have to eat a meal at night when you come home, it is recommended that you eat something light. Soup is a good choice as it is not too heavy but yet fills you up. Homemade soup is the best. You could prepare some and even freeze them in separate containers (one serving size each) so that you can use them when needed. Now that’s good freezer food! If you have to rely on a can buy something very low in sodium and fat. (And if late nights are also impacting your rest, you may want to look into ways to improve sleep quality at night.)

Family Participation

As a family, there is so much you can do to facilitate healthy living. Cooking together is a great way to bond within a family and have everyone work together as well. For those who have children, having them help you prepare dinner or lunch would be a great way of teaching them the right types of food to eat and what a balanced diet is all about. This is probably the best way to pass it on to other generations. For example, if your children always see you eating chips or what I call lazy food, such as chicken nuggets and frozen pizza, then in the future, they too will lean towards those types of foods. If you’ve fallen into that routine, these ways to break the fast food habit can be a helpful reset.

Diabetes is a fairly common disease that millions of people in the United States are living with each and every day. While diabetes is manageable, the cost of medications to do so can often become difficult to afford. However, results from researchers at Johns Hopkins University may be very promising to certain people suffering from diabetes.

Researchers observed 2,235 adults living with Type 2 diabetes, which is generally associated with being overweight, who received stomach-reducing surgery. What these researchers discovered was that after only 6 months, almost 75% of those who received surgery were no longer taking their diabetic medications. Furthermore, 2 years following the surgery, 84.5% of those who received surgery were now free of their diabetes medication or in many cases, multiple medications.

Not only were many of these patients able to experience a significant decline in their weight after the surgery, they were also able to experience a significant decline in their healthcare costs. With the price of medications in the United States being as high as they are, reducing or eliminating the dependence of medications can make such a difference in a person’s life.

However, researchers made another interesting discovery while observing these patients. While they found that stomach-reducing surgery allowed patients to stop taking their diabetic medications, they found that this became possible even before patients began to experience weight loss from the surgery. This could support theories that suggest that surgery actually alters the stomach hormones, allowing them to control blood glucose levels more effectively.

While there are certain risks associated with this surgery, for diabetics, the benefits may heavily outweigh the risks. In the end, a person should discuss the options with their doctor, and family, then weigh their options and decide what will be best for themselves.

It’s a good idea to seek a second opinion when seeing a doctor. 40 percent of doctors’ mistakes are misdiagnoses. Because multiple diseases share similar symptoms it is difficult to differentiate what illness a patient may have.

Case 1:

The symptoms are headaches, ringing ears, backaches, neck pain, and toothaches. Most commonly this is diagnosed as a migraine or ear disorder, but in reality is probably TMJ. The temporomandibular joint syndrome is when the joint keeping your skull and jaw together becomes inflamed. A dentist is the best person to get to treat this! If it doesn’t go away you should visit the dentist as they have more knowledge in this area.

Case 2:

The symptoms are numbness on the side, dizziness, headaches, loss of balance, impaired vision and speech. This is most commonly misdiagnosed as vertigo, migraines, or an inner ear disorder. It is probably a stroke. Numbness on one side is practically enough for you to go to the hospital already! Especially when accompanied by pain or any other symptoms. 14 percent of people under the age of 45 are misdiagnosed in this area. You should get this treated immediately. If a stroke is left untreated it could lead to a worse stroke and can progress to brain damage.

Case 3:

The symptoms are difficulty breathing, chest pain, fatigue, and an abnormal heartbeat. Normally this is diagnosed as a panic attack or a lot of stress, but is often actually a heart attack or cardiovascular disease. Women are more commonly misdiagnosed in this case. You should try to make an appointment with a cardiologist.

Case 4:

Sadness, tiredness, weight gain, muscle aches, stiffness, and difficulty sleeping. This is most commonly diagnosed as depression. Hypothyroidism has the same symptoms as this. When it doesn’t make enough hormones it can affect your emotions and add deserted and alone feelings. Hypothyroidism is dangerous and can lead to other life-threatening conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Ironically, hypothyroidism can also lead to depression.

Being obese almost doesn’t feel out of the ordinary anymore. In 2009, it was found that approximately 2.4 million more people were suffering from obesity than in 2007. This number is still growing to date. In Canada which is neighboring to the United States, the percentage of obese people is less than half of what it is in the United States.

The US is composed of 50 states. Each of which has an obesity rate of more than 15%. Also, nine of the 50 states have an obesity rate of over 30%! From this one can see that not one part of the United States is suffering from this but rather the whole entire country.

The only way to get rid of this health condition would be to raise more awareness. Healthy eating ad regular exercise should be promoted and incorporated into one’s everyday life. In the past years, this has been happening. Many fast food chains are now displaying how many calories one gets from eating their foods and many “light” versions of different foods are available in grocery stores.

I think many people who are currently suffering from obesity would agree with me when I say that once a person gets to the point of obesity, it is extremely difficult to lose weight, and takes a lot of determination. The best thing to do is take all precautionary methods and establish healthy living before it is too late.

5 Ways to Prevent Obesity

1) Eat a balanced diet: Incorporate all the food groups into your meal plan. Do not go on any diet that deprives your body of certain nutrients that are necessary for your body. Also, try to limit the intake of fast food. Taking daily multivitamins is also beneficial for most people.

2) Stop consuming junk food:  Instead of munching on salty chips try out some fruits or some veggies with dip. Orange and dark green vegetables will benefit you greatly.

3) Exercise on a regular basis: In order to exercise you do not need to be an athlete. Even something as little as going on a walk will do a lot for your body. Exercise will not only benefit your physical health but also your mental health.

4) Drink water: Water is a great means of cleansing your body. It is recommended to drink about 6- 8 cups of water a day.

5) Shop Effectively: When at the grocery store, do not let your cravings get the better of you. Purchase items without refined flour, or refined sugar, and with minimal amounts of additives.

Generic drugs are drugs that contain the exact same active ingredients as their brand-name counterpart but have a different name.  For example, the generic form of Advil is ibuprofen.   The FDA considers generic drugs to be identical to a brand name drug as far as dosage, safety, strength, quality, and intended use is concerned.   Both Advil and ibuprofen contain 200mg of ibuprofen (NSAID) and are both effective in their performance.

One difference between generic and brand-name drugs is that the law only requires that the active ingredients are the same and that the drugs must look different from one another.  Therefore, the generic version might be a different color, a different shape, a different taste, or they can contain different inactive ingredients. The big difference between generic drugs and brand-name drugs is the price. Generic drugs tend to be less expensive and many people choose generic drugs to keep their wallets at bay.

It has recently been announced that Canadian prescription drugs will undergo a price reduction. Generic drug prices will be dropping from 65% of brand name prices to 35% of brand name prices in the province of British Columbia. The public will benefit from the reduction as a result of the agreement between the BC Pharmacy Association and the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores. The new agreement will result in savings of up to $380 million annually for the province and private and public drug plans.

Reduced costs will result in lower prices at Canadian pharmacies for British Columbians consuming Canadian prescriptions regardless of whether they are covered by health care, an employer or union, or if they are paying out of their own pocket.