This Friday, March 8th is International Women’s day upon us. Around the city there are a number of events being planned to celebrate women. One such event taking place at McMaster University is the conference entitled “Women & Their Microbes”. An international conference looking at the microbiome or community of micro-organisms living in our body. Medical Clinicians will be sharing and learning how to help pregnant women manage these micro-organisms which can have an impact on the health of mom and baby.

The two-day conference wraps up with a FREE event for the Public.

“Love your Bugs! The female microbiome and prevention of disease”

When: March 7^th 2019 7pm-9pm (doors open at 6:30pm)
Where: David Braley Health Sciences Centre Auditorium
McMaster University, 100 Main St W Hamilton

Celebrate the women around you this week. Think of those who may benefit to learn about the female microbiome and pass on the details of this free event.

Kerry Roberts has practiced pharmacy in the Halton and Hamilton Regions for 14 years, and recently joined the Charlton Health Pharmacist Team. Kerry specializes in various areas of pharmacy, such as diabetes, medication scheduling and education, compounding, and smoking cessation. She is a Certified Menopause Practitioner with the North American Menopause Society. 

As Valentines Day was celebrated last week, we thought it would be good to take time to  reflect on the importance of loving your own heart. Many chronic diseases can increase the risk of heart attacks, including: diabetes, high blood pressure and many types of inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.  Women are at increased risk of heart disease after menopause as estrogen plays a heart protective role.  The most valuable thing anyone can do to reduce heart disease is quit smoking.

No medication can replace the value of eating well and regular exercise (at least 150 minutes/week).  Knowing the signs of a heart attack (chest pain/pressure, sweating, nausea, upper body pain (jaw, arm, back), light headedness and shortness of breath) is very important as treatment is the most effective when acting quickly.  Remember that women don’t always experience chest pressure with a heart attack.  The first step is to call 911, stop all activity and sit or lie down, use nitroglycerin if available to you, chew two 81mg ASA (Aspirin), rest, and wait for help to arrive and keep a list of your current medications available for emergency responders.

Click here for more information on heart and stroke prevention.

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.

• light in weight
• adjustable
• spacious to allow for enough length and width when in a standing position
• no inside seams
• removable insoles to provide room for custom-made orthotics as needed

This week, we wanted to take some space to discuss the Opioid Crisis in Canada and more specifically, how it has affected Hamilton, ON.

Last week, Public Health released the following statement:
February 1, 2019: Purple Heroin Alert – Public Health Services has received reports of overdoses due to Purple Heroin, a highly toxic synthetic laced heroin, circulating the community. People say it can cause confusion, and speech problems. People also say it can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea for several days after. This serves as an important reminder to the community that street drugs continue to be cut (mixed) with toxic substances.

There is no easy way to know what is in your drugs. You can’t see it, smell it or taste it. Substances such as fentanyl and carfentanil can be cut (mixed) with other drugs. Even a very small amount can cause an overdose.

As of February 3, Hamilton Paramedic Services have responded to 65 incidents related to opioid overdoses this year. This number is evidence that this is a very real problem in our community.

Public Health recommends the following steps to stay safe:

• Careful Use – Don’t use alone, go slow by testing the effect with small amounts first.
• Carry naloxone – Get a FREE naloxone kit, and training at the following locations:
  City of Hamilton Public Health Services Harm Reduction program: 905-546-4276.
  Participating local pharmacies by calling the Drug and Alcohol Helpline: 1-800-565-8603.
• Call 9-1-1 for every overdose. You, your friend or family member needs hospital care to survive.
• CPR. Push Hard, Push Fast.

If you wish to learn more information about the Opioid Crisis in Hamilton, click here.

Bones can lose density with age making them more likely to break when having a fall.  Loss in bone density and quality can also occur due to certain medical conditions (ex. rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) and certain medications (ex. prednisone). This bone weakening can progress to osteoporosis, requiring prescription treatment to reduce the risk of a fracture.  Beyond prescription treatments, along with calcium and vitamin D, preventing falls is one of the best ways to reduce fracture.  With the influx of snow and ice over the last couple of weeks, this is a good time to review strategies to prevent falls.

Autoimmune diseases are more common and may also progress at a greater rate amongst those who smoke tobacco. Treatments such as biologics don’t work as well in people who continue to smoke. At Charlton Health we are happy to assist people in quitting smoking.

Heart disease is greater in those who smoke and in conditions with high inflammation, heart disease is also higher than in the general public. Many of the conditions we treat also have potential lung complications, and of course smoking increases lung damage.

For all these reasons, quitting smoking is the best thing a person can do for their health, and even more so for people with the conditions listed above.

This week, as National Non-Smoking Week, is a good time to think about quitting. If you need assistance or strategies, or a better understanding of the treatment options available, please reach out to us. We look forward to working with you.

Learn more about National Non-Smoking Week here.

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.

Well, we are officially 1 year into our Hepatology program and treatment for Hepatitis C continues to be a very exciting area for us at Charlton Health.  With EVERYONE now being funded for the cure of hepatitis C, we continue to accept new patients and referrals to our program.

Are you living with Hepatitis C or know someone who is??  Everyone is now funded and offered the cure for this virus as Canada works hard to eradicate Hepatitis C completely.  If you have Hep C or know someone who does, please have the family doctor send a referral to one of our Hep C programs to discuss treatment.

Hamilton– Dr. Marco Puglia

Phone 905-526-7002 x 1104

Fax 905-522-7477

Brantford– Dr. Stephen Somerton

Phone 519-756-3830

Fax 519-756-6315

Jennifer Heipel has approximately 12 years of experience working as a hepatology nurse/clinical research coordinator for several gastroenterologists, hepatologists, infectious diseases and addiction specialists. She is trained in the treatment of Hepatitis B and C therapies as well as general hepatology and pre/post liver transplant follow up. Jennifer serves as Charlton Health’s full time Hepatology Nurse and manages the Hepatology Program. She has worked and continues to work with Dr. Puglia at McMaster University and other area Gastroenterologists to develop a comprehensive, in-house Hepatology program and Hepatitis C program here at Charlton Health.

Happy New Year! With 2019 just beginning and countless year-end lists from 2018, we thought we would share our Top 5 Blogs of 2018. Here they are, in case you missed them!

5. The use of Fibroscan to determine if you have liver disease
4. Fatty Liver Disease: Part 1
3. New Treatment on The Horizon For Ulcerative Colitis
2. Raynaud’s Phenomenon is more than cold hands and feet
1. The Ontario Government Extends Coverage of Prolia to Men

We hope you enjoyed learning with us throughout 2018. We’re excited to bring you lots of new helpful information in 2019!