CanDrugStore Health Blog

December 8, 2011

Postpartum Depression – A Gendered Condition No More

Filed under: Depression, pregnancy — Tags: Depression, post partum depression, postpartum depression, pregnancy — jmullen @ 8:38 pm

Depression shows no prejudice – it affects all social classes and races. Knowing this, it is surprising that the media and medical professionals stereotype this mental illness as a female. A recent study confirms that as many as one-in-ten new fathers demonstrate signs of postpartum depression. Originally doctors stipulated that the postpartum depression condition was linked to hormonal changes during pregnancy; however, this new study indicates that men also experience postpartum depression, likely linked to negative environment changes, such as lack of sleep, changes in personal routine, and subsequent relationship issues. The lead researcher of the study stresses the need to treat depressed parents as soon as possible. If depressed parents are left untreated, there is the long-term risk of behavioral and psychiatric problems in said child. The child’s issues can later become a societal problem, as they may “act” out in the future.
While new father depression is just as much an issue as new mother depression, many men are less willing to seek help. Postpartum depression has always been characterized as a female issue, so men are less willing to admit that they are experiencing issues. The stigma against male postpartum depression must be eliminated! For more information about male postpartum depression, visit the following website: www.postpartummen.com

With this new awareness about postpartum depression in men, below find this detailed list on postpartum depression symptoms and treatments.

Postpartum Depression Symptoms:

Males tend to become more aggressive; women tend to be sad
Lack of interest in your baby or negative feelings towards your baby
Worrying about hurting your baby
Lack of concern for yourself
Loss of pleasure
Lack of energy and motivation
Feeling of worthlessness and guilt
Changes in appetite or weight
Sleeping more or less than usual
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide

Postpartum Depression Treatment:

So you are experiencing postpartum depression – now what? Whether male or female, there are some universally accepted self-treatment and medical treatment for postpartum depression.

Self Treatment:

Make sleep a priority. While attaining eight hours of sleep may seem impossible, you need to make sleep a priority. Enlist the help of family members while you take a nap.
Make your relationships priorities. When depressed, it is of the utmost importance to stay connected with friends and family, and lean on them for supporting. This means forming a united front with your significant other.
Make meals a priority. When you are depressed, nutrition often falls to the wayside. Good nutrition means will ensure you have more energy and better concentration to deal with your baby.
Ease back into exercise . Studies have shown that exercise is just as effective as antidepressants for treating depression, so it is important to get back on an exercise plan ASAP.

Medical Treatment

If you have sunk into a deep depression, it is important to recognize this fact and seek medical attention as soon as possible. Many counselors specialize in postpartum depression treatment. Counseling , and antidepressants if necessary, have been proven to provide effective results towards combating postpartum depression.

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December 2, 2011

Smartphone Medical Software: Cool, Or Life-Changing?

Filed under: cell phones, diabetes — Tags: best medical app for iPhone, smartphone medical app, Smartphone medical software — mjones @ 7:14 pm

What is a smartphone? If you do not know already, a smartphone is the next evolution of a traditional phone. Put another way, it is a phone with a (relatively) full operating system, enabling you to do most of what you could do on a personal computer, virtually anywhere.

There is no question that smartphones are the here and now; in fact, they seem to be the future as well. They are innovative, and surprising in the scope of where and what they can make possible when compared to their last-generation counterparts. Smartphones enable lifestyles, and because of that, they are just plain cool.

While some people are caught in the question of which mobile app is the best for business, or recreation, more and more people who live with certain physiological or psychological conditions find themselves inquiring about what the best medical apps for the iphone are, or the best medical applications for Android.

Unlike Angry Birds, or some of the more superfluous applications out there, some of the best medical apps for the iPhone or Android are literally changing the quality lives by providing services and lifestyle benefits that not even a live personal physician could offer. Now that is cool.

So, what is the best smartphone medical software available right now?

Gift of Speech: Press to Download

Take Proloquo2go, an ingenious little collection of software that allows people who suffer from verbal communication problems—such as people who have had a stroke, are afflicted by some form of Parkinson’s Disease, or Autism—to effectively communicate through a the workings of a collection of pictographs that correspond to certain words which the phone then speaks out loud.

Dr. Dr. James Aw, of the Medcan Clinic, a leading private health clinic in Toronto, has a patient, Nima, whose autistic daughter uses Prolonquo2go to great success. “This is the first thing that’s helped,” Nima says. “Before, my daughter had trouble communicating with her family. Now, we’re getting to the point that she’s able to communicate with anyone. Her world is wide open.”

Wireless Blood Sugar App

Something else in the way of smartphone medical software is called ‘Bant,’ a device intended for treatment of type 1 diabetes. Instead of using a traditional insulin syringes and needles, users prick themselves with (a) glucometer(s) several times a day, monitoring their blood-sugar levels for trends which may affect their next insulin dose. The information is sent back to the mobility medical equipment wirelessly. Bant’s name refers to Sir Frederick Banting, one of the great researchers in medicine and one of the Canadian doctors who helped to discover insulin. The application is somewhat intended for teens who can be apt to forget their testing, and Bant was credited with users conducting about 50% more monitoring in a clinical trial than the traditional alternative. (Note: possibly because participating teens who logged their tests were rewarded with credits at the iTunes store).

Smartphone Medical Software 2.0

Bant and Proloquo2go represent the next paradigm of patient care; they are the baby steps towards what could be possible someday—someday soon, in all likelihood. Even now, instead of performing body-weight calculations by hand, doctors have medical reference apps like Medscape, Micromedex, and Epocrates to help them with on-the-fly assessments. These types of tools will only get more sophisticated as next generation smartphone medical software emerges.

For instance, imagine if instead of a diabetes iPhone application there was an iPhone application that could test and monitor your entire body? What if it could give you live dietary advise, or call 9.11 if it sensed you were having a heart attack?

All this progression begs the question of whether or not computers and robots may eventually take over the role of doctors all-together?

To this point, Dr. Aw remains skeptical: “As no two faces are the same, no two bodies are alike, and no two individuals react alike and behave alike under the abnormal conditions which we know as disease.”

In other words, it would seem doctors will always represent that grey area between theory and application, but the prevalence and evolution of the tools available for them will certainly go a long way in supplementing much of the workload they are now burdened with. The end result is lifestyles that are rich in meaning and open in accessibility—and that is pretty cool.

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November 24, 2011

A Sun Protector You Can Eat And It Tastes Good!

Filed under: skin protection — Tags: protect your skin, reduce your stress, skin problems, skin protection — Kcondon @ 6:30 pm

The majority of sunscreens must be applied directly to the skin. However, there is another way to prevent sun damage: eating! This may sound unappealing, but it is quite tasty and it can be found in your convenience store or even your house. Dark chocolate is a skin protector. Who would have known? This is surprising news, since it has been stated that chocolate increases skin problems and stress. This is true for milk or white chocolate varieties, but dark chocolate does the complete opposite. Dark chocolate can actually reduce your stress levels. This is due to the flavonoids that are found naturally in most chocolate, though these antioxidants are often eliminated during processing. For dark chocolate, however, the flavonoids remain. Eating a Snickers or Caramilk bar will not protect your skin from sun damage, but eating dark chocolate will!

If you want to reduce your chances of skin damage, check the ingredients before purchasing a chocolate bar. The chocolate bars should contain more than 70% cocoa. Chocolate bars with less milk and sugar will give you the best health benefits. You must also be aware of how much dark chocolate a person must eat in order to use dark chocolate as protection from the sun. The amount that must be consumed in order to benefit your health is 2-3 ounces every week. Therefore, to prevent skin problems you must consume 20 grams (about one bar) of dark chocolate everyday for 3 months.

Remember that if you wish to decrease the chance of receiving skin cancer, use sunscreen and minimize your exposure to tanning beds. Doing this along with eating this tasty treat will definitely help you stay protected from the sun’s damaging rays.

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November 18, 2011

Young People and Heart Disease

Filed under: heart disease — Tags: aspirin, blood pressure, diabetes, healthy diet choices, heart disease, high cholesterol, Lipitor, Statins, weight loss program — jmullen @ 1:02 am

Young men and women need to be aware that they too are at risk of heart disease. A new study indicates that young men and women are often under diagnosed for heart disease. In fact, even though rates of high cholesterol among the women and younger men were similar to the rate in older men, those two groups of patients were nearly half as likely (10 percent vs. 19 percent) to be taking cholesterol-lowering drugs prior to their heart attack and were much less likely to be on aspirin for high blood pressure and other combination therapy.

Alarmingly, as Dr. Michael Miedema notes, “if you’re an older male, you’re much more likely to qualify for preventive therapy while females and younger males often do not meet criteria despite similar risk factors.” Online at-risk cardiac calculators, which weigh factors such as age and gender, usually indicate older people are more at risk for heart attacks. However, it is becoming more and more evident that young people are just as at risk!

Signs that you may have high cholesterol and may be at risk of a heart attack:

You should monitor your blood sugar levels, your blood pressure levels, and your cholesterol levels, to see if any one of these levels is high.
Obesity is strongly associated with elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
If you have a relative with heart disease, you should monitor your heart health, no matter what your age.
Some races are stereotypically more at risk for certain heart related conditions. For example, African Americans are more susceptible to both heart disease and high cholesterol.

If you fall into one or more of these categories, you should talk to your health care provider to potentially begin aggressive therapy. Therapy includes such initiatives as following a weight loss program, making healthier diet choices, and taking aspirin and Statins. The latter is a category of cholesterol drugs. The most popular drug used to treat high cholesterol is Lipitor. You can buy Lipitor at CanDrugstore.com.

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November 9, 2011

True Or False Diabetes Facts

Filed under: diabetes — Tags: diabetes, facts of diabetes, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes — Kcondon @ 6:06 pm

Diabetes is a common illness which is spreading through the nation. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. People get their energy from the glucose levels in the blood stream. Insulin, along with other hormones, works to regulate glucose levels. People with diabetes either cannot produce enough insulin to regulate glucose, (type 1 diabetes) or their bodies cannot use the insulin in their blood properly (type 2 diabetes). There are instances of a person having a combination of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Here are 5 true or false facts about diabetes. See if you can spot the false ones!

Eating too much sugar causes diabetes.

False: Type 1 diabetes is caused by the destruction of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, so the main cause of diabetes is not sugar consumption. Type 2 diabetes is the result of an inability for insulin to be used properly. This may be genetically inherited, though eating too much sugar, which leads to weight gain, can increase one’s risk of contracting diabetes. However, in both cases the main cause of diabetes is not the excessive consumption of sugary sweets.

Children with Diabetes cannot eat as many sweets as other children.

True: Children with diabetes are able to eat sugary foods, though they have to ensure their diet is balanced. This means that they have to control the amount of carbohydrates, including treats, they consume. Sweets do not provide any real nutritional value and these types of foods should be avoided. Therefore children and adults should avoid treats as much as possible.

Insulin cures Diabetes.

False: Taking insulin is necessary to manage a person’s diabetes but does not cure it. Insulin works to remove glucose out of your bloodstream and send it to your cells to be put to good use. This does not mean that the main cause of diabetes, a lack of insulin or inability to use insulin, is cured when taking insulin. It means that it is manageable through stimulating your body create its own insulin.

Increasing your dosage of insulin doesn’t mean your Diabetes is getting worse.

True: It is important for people with diabetes to eat a well- balanced diet, to exercise, and to maintain their blood sugar levels. People with diabetes need to take insulin to carry the glucose from their blood stream into cells. However, when less insulin is being produced by the pancreas, more insulin must be taken in. This does not mean, though, that your diabetes has worsened.

Children with diabetes cannot exercise.

False: Exercise is an important part of your child’s lifestyle. Every child should manage their weight and prevent obesity by taking part in a healthy dose of exercise. However, it is challenging for children with diabetes to do exercise because the glucose in their system is not being transmitted to be used as energy. This does not mean that children should not take part in exercise. It just means they need to be sure to take their insulin so that they have enough energy.

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October 28, 2011

Sleep is Your Best Friend

Filed under: sleep — Tags: insomnia, sleep, sleep relief, treatment for sleep insomnia — Kcondon @ 5:39 pm

You’re getting sleepy. Your eyes are getting heavy. You’re falling deeper into sleep … and all of a sudden you’re awake and alert! Has this ever happened to you? If so, don’t worry; you are not alone. An estimated 3.3 million Canadians age 15 or older reported having sleep problems, while according to the Canadian Community Health Survey, 18% averaged less than 5 hours of sleep a night. Dr. Phyllis Zee and Fred Turek of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago write, “the theme that emerges throughout this issue is that sleep serves as an indicator of health and quality of life.” Experts say that the amount of sleep required varies from person to person however, an adult should sleep for 7 hours each night while a child or adolescent requires 9 to 10 hours of sleep.

Sleep is very important as it helps your brain commit new information. Studies show that those who slept after learning new information did better on tests compared to those that did not.

Sleep also affects your metabolism and weight. In 2004, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago found that sleep loss reduced the body’s ability to regulate hormones that controlled hunger. This meant that many people who had a lack of sleep had an increase in appetite. Their food choices started drifting towards high carbohydrate foods. Another study presented by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that those who had a lack of sleep were less likely to cook their own food, and more likely to dine at a fast-food outlet or restaurant, or even order take out. This affected many people, causing them to rapidly gain weight.

Many people reported that they experience mood swings quite often due to lack of sleep. They felt impatient, irritable, or unable to concentrate. This is very typical in those that slept less than seven hours.

If you’re looking for treatment for sleep insomnia, try consulting your doctor to see what medications would work best for you. Experts suggest that sleeping pills for insomnia should be used only for temporary sleep relief problems, however, consult your physician to see if the medication is right for you.

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August 29, 2011

An Allergy Conscious Diet

Filed under: allergies — Tags: allergies, seasonal allergie medications, seasonal allergies, symptoms of seasonal allergies, types of seasonal allergies medications — Kcondon @ 6:20 pm

Did you know that incorporating certain foods into your diet can minimize the symptoms of seasonal allergies? There are actually a wide variety of antihistamine foods that one can eat to cope with allergies. In general, foods that contain vitamin C, quercetin, and omega- 3 fatty acids are most beneficial.

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that has many functions within the body. In addition to this, vitamin C also has antihistamine properties. It works by lowering the amount of histamine released into the body. Foods such as red bell peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and citrus fruits are high in vitamin C.

Quercetin falls under the general category of flavanoids. Flavanoids are made from plants and known for their exceptional antioxidant properties. Quercetin prevents the production and release of histamine. Some foods that are high in quercetin include: onion, garlic, apples, berries, and citrus fruits.

Omega 3 fatty acids are another of the three best components of antihistamine foods. Some great sources of omega 3 fatty acids include: salmon, flax seed oil, and walnuts.

Whatever you do, drink lots of water. Histamine is released to prevent the loss of water. If you drink water, there will be less water loss because you are replenishing the water that is lost. As a result, less histamine is released. Cutting out gluten and dairy products from your diet can also help reduce the release of histamine.

Consequently, changes to your diet can significantly improve symptoms of seasonal allergies. Instead of loading up on the meds this spring, why not just try incorporating antihistamine foods into your diet.

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July 29, 2011

Drug Treatment Improves Heavy Menstrual Bleeding

Filed under: drug treatments — Tags: heavy menstrual bleeding, menstrual bleeding, oral formula, regular menstrual periods — Kcondon @ 9:33 pm

Heavy menstrual bleeding is a fear amongst women and something they would rather never talk about due to the personal nature of it. Now for the first time there is a non-hormonal and non surgical treatment for women who have heavy menstrual bleeding. A new oral formula of tranexamic acid has been proven to have good safety and tolerance profile. Studies were taken on tranexamic acid efficacy versus placebo to see which one had a greater reduction in menstrual blood loss.

196 adult women aged from 18-49 were randomly selected to be a part of this study. Each woman had heavy menstrual bleeding with a blood loss at 80 mL per cycle. The women were chosen to receive tranexamic acid and placebo for 6 menstrual cycles. The women were prohibited to take medications such as aspirin, anticoagulants, and aminocaproic acid. They were permitted medications such as acetaminophen, analgeric opioids, iron and vitamins.

Compared to the placebo group, the tranexamic acid proudly showed significant improvements in limitations in social, leisure, and physical activity. Inclusion criteria were 3 consecutive days of heavy menstrual bleeding for about 4 the last 6 menstrual periods.

There were normal results on pelvic examination, no cervical cytology abnormalities, regular menstrual periods up to 10 days and cycles of 21 – 35 days. The tranexamic acid group had more menstrual discomfort or cramps, headaches, and back pain. Doctors are still unsure of the after effects after a patient has stopped using the medication. Also, there were no changes in blood pressure.

End results showed the placebo group had a significant reduction in mean blood loss. Reduction of at least 50 mL of blood loss occurred in more cycles of tranexamis group as well as blood loss was less than 80 mL in more cycles in tranexanic.

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July 21, 2011

Everything You Need to Know About Seasonal Allergies

Filed under: allergies — Tags: allergy medicines, allery, histamines, otc allergy medications, seasonal allergies — Kcondon @ 11:36 pm

Do you have seasonal allergies? Well if you do, you’re not alone. Every year, 36 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies. To those who don’t have seasonal allergies it doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal. But for those who do, they understand the true misery of seasonal allergies.

So what triggers these annoying allergies? Well the trigger is called allergens. There are two main types of allergens associated with seasonal allergies. These allergens are known as weed pollens and molds. Weed pollens seem to be everywhere during allergy season; in the fields, on the road, yards, gardens, and even on the sidewalk. One plant can generate a billion pollen grains in a season. These grains can travel up to 400 miles. You can imagine it as a floating mine field. Molds, the other trigger, grow in heavy in vegetation, straw, raked leaves, and hay. When it rains outdoor molds become more potent.

When an allergen enters the body, the allergen binds to the mast cells of the person which causes histamines to be released. Histamines induce the symptoms of allergies. Foods such as bananas, cucumbers, melons, zucchini, sunflower seeds, and chamomile tea can also trigger an allergic response much like weed pollen does.

You don’t have to take this, you can fight back! You can fight back by taking matters you’re your own hands. Use the following measures first before resorting to medications.

Wear a mask when outside especially when dealing with pollen hot zones
Have air conditioners in your home and remember to change those filers
Wear a hat and sunglasses to protect those sensitive parts from allergens
Exercise outdoors either in the mornings or night, or opt to exercise indoors
Wash your dog so it doesn’t track in pollen
Shower regularly to wash those pollens out of your body

Sometimes these measures aren’t enough which is when you need treatment. Start by using over the counter allergy medication. If medication isn’t working for you then move up to prescription allergy medications. Nasal sprays work well to reduce that inflammation of the nose. Generally the best ones are Flonase and Nasonex. If you don’t like the nasal route then taking oral medication might suit you better. Popular oral allergy medications include Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtec and Clarinex. If your allergies cause eye irritation it may be best for you to try eye drops. A good eye drop solution is Visine allergy eye drops because it’s safe and effective. If you’re looking for long term solutions then allergy shots might just be the thing you’re looking for. Miniscule dosages of allergens are injected into the body over time in order to build immunity. Remember allergy relief is a marathon not a 50 meter dash, it will take time so be patient.

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June 22, 2011

The Link Between Seasonal Allergies and Depression

Filed under: allergies — Tags: allergies, allergy elimination, allergy pollen count, depressed, Depression, seasonal allergies — Kcondon @ 5:17 pm

Seasonal allergies are bad enough with their physical symptoms but it doesn’t stop there. Research shows that seasonal allergies and depression are linked. The link has been enforced with research done by many doctors and even by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. This explains why the suicide rate increases during the spring, and why so many of us become depressed during the allergy season.

What happens is our immune system is weakened by the allergies and our immune system has a link to our mental state of mind. When we have an weakened immune system so is our mental state of mind. Also women are more likely to become depressed due to their allergies and men are more likely to have anxiety-type disorders from their allergies.

Since the connection between the two is so strong the only way to ride oneself of depression is allergy elimination. Of course that is almost impossible the best that can be done is to reduce the amount of pollen one is exposed to and take the right medications to relive your symptoms that lead to depression. The best ways to reduce your exposure is to avoid going out during the time of day when you’re allergy pollen count is highest, clean your house and clothes and have a air filter at home. The best medications to relieve your symptoms are Claritin, Reactine and Allegra.

Remember there are different types of depressions and just because you have allergies doesn’t necessarily mean you’re depressed or the other way around. Depression is generally described as a powerful feeling of sadness and hopelessness. So before you go telling your doctor you are depressed, really consider if you’re just annoyed with the symptoms or truly depressed. If you are experiencing depression it is critical that you not only take the mention steps to reduce your exposure to allergies and take the right medication to suppress your symptoms, but also see a doctor about your depression.

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