Time to Take Your Shot
By: Steve Bond BScPhm, RPh, CDE For the past two winters we have focussed on the virus that causes COVID. We have heard little about the dreaded flu. Influenza or “the flu” is a respiratory infection caused by...
Canadian Intensive Care Week; Critical Care Nurses
By Ken Ye, PharmD, RPh Critical or intensive care units (ICUs) are invaluable to healthcare in Canada. They are the last hope for many as their specialist teams manage medically unstable patients and complex cases. There are three...
Brain Cancer: A Step Toward Recovery
By: Leena Thomas, Registered Pharmacist at Yurek Specialties. Brain cancer is a devastating diagnosis. Most people who receive that news are overwhelmed with confusion, anxiety, fear, and isolation. But they have some idea of what to expect can...
Respiratory Therapist: the Unsung Pandemic Hero
By Jeff Yurek, BScPhm While many were able to safely stay and work from home during the pandemic, respiratory therapists (RT) were increasing their hours and directly facing the COVID virus. Scientists had little understanding of how the...
Not Seeing and Believing- Invisible Disability Awareness
By Steve Bond, BScPhm, RPh, CDE The expression “seeing is believing” is often used to validate something that is unlikely. It was originally quoted by clergyman Thomas Fuller, but his full quote is “Seeing is believing but feeling...
Occupational Therapy
“Medicine adds days to life, occupational therapy adds life to days.” - Unknown By: Vishal Mehta, B.Pharm, RPh Occupational therapy (OT) is a branch of healthcare that helps to overcome interference with everyday tasks, be it brushing your...
Thrombosis; Identifying Dangerous Blood Clots
By: Daria Horbal, Pharm.D, RPh Blood clots (thrombosis) kill one in four Canadians each year. If you didn’t know that, you’re not alone. According to a 2018 Thrombosis Canada survey, VTE (a blood clot that forms in the...
An At Home Covid-19 Treatment?
By: Andrea Neilson, Pharmacist at Yurek Specialties You may have heard that there is now a Covid-19 treatment that can be taken at home to reduce complications. Yes, there is, and it is called Paxlovid. Who should get...
Telephone and Internet Scam? No thank-you ma’am
By: Steve Bond, BScPhm, RPh, CDE There is an old saying that if it looks too good be true it probably is. Take for example the Nigerian prince who had to leave his country in a hurry leaving...
Pressing Play on Safety Conversations
By: Vishal Mehta, B.Pharm, RPh We have faith in our healthcare system. When we need medical attention, we put our well-being in the hands of professionals. Trust is well-placed, but blind faith can sometimes be dangerous. After all,...
Pressing Play on Safety Conversations
By: Vishal Mehta, B.Pharm, RPh We have faith in our healthcare system. When we need medical attention, we put our well-being in the hands of professionals. Trust is well-placed, but blind faith can sometimes be dangerous. After all,...
Is it a Medication Allergy or Intolerance?
By Eric Tran, RPh, PharmD We’ve all been asked by a health provider, if we have allergies to any medication. Is it a true allergy to a medicine, or is it an intolerance? How you answer this question...
How Plants Help You Feel Better
By Peter Yurek, BSc.Phm As any avid gardener will tell you, plants are therapeutic. Being around them taps into a human phenomenon called biophilia—our innate need to connect with nature. The benefits are undeniable. Research shows that plants...
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: The Boys’ Disease
William Hur, PharmD, RPh Duchenne (DMD) is a rare disorder but is one of the most frequent forms of muscular dystrophy impacting 1 in 3500 male births world-wide. Because the mutation that causes DMD occurs on the X...
Ovarian Cancer: What you Need to Know
By Chantal Orchard, a Dispensary Assistant at YSL Ovarian cancer is the most fatal gynecological cancer in Canada. More than half of the 3,100 women diagnosed annually will not live beyond five years of their diagnosis. All women...
