Bonefit is a program that was designed by health professionals in cooperation with the Osteoporosis Society to “reduce fractures, morbidity, mortality and costs from osteoporosis through an integrated and comprehensive approach aimed at health promotion and disease management.”¹ The program has three self directed modules and a workshop component. Specialists in rehabilitation medicine must complete a certification course to be instructors. The Bonefit website lists where instructors can be found anywhere in Canada. There are several in southern Ontario in a range of settings, from private clinics to the YMCA.

Learn more about this program by contacting:
Phone: 416-696-2663 ext. 2290
Email: bonefit@osteoporosis.ca

Maintaining the goal of 150 minutes of exercise per week is important for all Canadians. However, doing it in a way that is safe and offers your the most benefit is important. Using this resource can help you make sure any exercise you’re doing is done safely.

This week on our blog, we are continuing our theme of looking back at some of our more popular posts from the last few years. Today, we bring you a very popular one, “Raynauds Phenomenon is more than cold hands and feet.”

Here is the original text:

In our cold winter weather, many people complain of cold hands and feet with reduced circulation to these areas.  Often the skin will be whiter than normal and quickly normalizes once warmed.  Raynaud’s Phenomenon is a level beyond this whereby blood vessels constrict to a greater extent than normal as a result of cold temperatures or stress. There are three phases to the colour change of the skin. Initially, the restricted blood flood causes the skin surface to feel cold and the skin has a white colour, then the skin turns to a purple-blue colour, followed by a pink or red colour as the blood flow eventually returns.

There are prescription medications which can swallowed to promote blood flow that often cause a lowering of blood pressure.  A variety of prescription ingredients can also be prepared in a prescription cream and applied to the affected areas.  Feel free to ask our pharmacists about these options.  Raynaud’s can exist on its own or happen as a result of a pre-existing autoimmune condition.  Be sure to speak to your physician if you are experiencing the symptoms outlined above.  If severe and not treated, lack of blood flow can result and ulceration and the skin and serious consequences.

Keep tuning in to our blog for more of our favourite blogs. If you have a burning question, get in touch with us!

We often get questions as to why medications have such long complicated names and people wonder if the names have meaning.

In actual fact, the naming of prescription medications is based on international nomenclature regulations. When a new category of medications is introduced, certain groups of letters will be assigned to represent an aspect of how the medication works. Any other medication that is introduced in that category will have to incorporate that same group of letters within their name. For example, medications ending in “olol,” such as atenolol, bisoprolol and propranolol are all referred to as beta blockers and slow the heart rate. Medications ending in ‘zole” such as omeprazole and pantoprazole are acid lowering medications.

In the family of biologic medications which mimic proteins in the human body, several letter combinations have been assigned to indicate how the biologic works and what type of biologic it is. For example…

• “Mab” at the end of the name means it mimics a monoclonal antibody, such as adalimumab (Humira)
• If there is an “xi” included in the name, it means the cell used to produce the biologic is chimeric or mouse based such as; Infliximab or Rituximab
• When the antibody being mimicked by the biological treatment is humanized in origin then “zu” is included, such as tocilizumab.
• When a biologic is treating a tumour, “tu” is in the name. Such as tratuzamab.
• Biologics used to treat bones have “os” such as denosumab (Prolia).

There are many more examples of this. The next time you look at a medication’s name, you’ll realize there is a lot of meaning behind those letters.

This blog post was written by Charlton Health specialist pharmacists Vishnu Dyal and Carolyn Whiskin.

For many of us September feels like the start of a new year, even though we are still in 2019. As we reflect back over the last 2 1/2 years we have been writing our Wise Words Wednesdays blog, there are posts that generated great interest that are still quite applicable today. In our next few weeks we will highlight some of the top viewed posts and encourage you to use the search bar on the charltonhealthcare.com website to find answers to many of the common questions we receive from our patients.
As an example, I was recently asked about magnesium supplementation from a patient who is on an acid lowering medication. I knew I had written on the topic. We searched “magnesium” in the search bar on our website’s homepage and voila, here is the post that was displayed. It is still great information and I have added a little more…

#WiseWordsWednesday: Do medications affect nutrition?

See the original blog here.

Every day we get questions in our infusion clinics. Today’s blog features one of those questions…

Rituximab (Rituxan) is a biologic therapy that depletes a specific type of B cell in the immune system. This B cell is responsible for generating antibodies that will promote long term protection against the virus or bacteria the person is being vaccinated for. When available, any needed vaccines should be given two weeks before receiving rituximab as this is the time needed for a vaccine to be effective. Alternatively, you must wait until 5-6 months after the dose for vaccination, as it can take this long for a person to replace their B cells after a Rituxan infusion.

If you are just getting an infusion now and the flu vaccine for this season is not yet available, then you will need to wait until the New Year (5-6 months from now). This will leave you more vulnerable to the flu until that time. Therefore, ensuring your family members and close contacts receive their flu vaccine is very important. Hand washing is one of our best protections from the spread of infection.

Carolyn Whiskin is the Pharmacy Manager for Charlton Health.  Carolyn specializes in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, pharmaceutical compounding, women’s health, pain and smoking cessation. Carolyn has won provincial and national awards for her commitment to patient care and public service.

• Ensure you have eaten a full meal prior to your infusion.
• Drink plenty of water to be well hydrated. This should begin the night before your infusion.
• Always bring a current list of medications to each infusion. New medications or a change in your health status must always be reported to your infusion nurse.
• If you are unwell and are unsure if you should come for your infusion, please call ahead.
• Wear a loose-fitting shirt. This allows the nurse to easily and properly monitor your vital signs.
• Bring a blanket and/or sweater.
• Bring something to help pass time (book, laptop, tablet, handiwork). Ensure you have earphones if listening to music/movie so you can be mindful of others in the clinic.
• Please refrain from wearing perfume or other fragranced products.
• If you receive Benadryl or Gravol as a pre-medication, it is the policy of the clinic that you do not drive yourself. Please arrange transportation in advance.
• Kindly inform us of any allergies.