In December of 2016, pharmacists  in the province of Ontario who have received injection training were given the authority by the Minister of Health to administer additional vaccines. Until this time, pharmacists could only administer the annual flu shot. From 2012, Ontario pharmacists have administered over 1.8 million flu shots and it is the success of this program has led to this expanded scope of practice for pharmacists. Beyond the flu shot which is publically funded, the additional vaccines that pharmacists can administer will be ones that are not funded by the government, meaning there will be a charge for both the vaccine itself and its administration. Some private insurance plans may pay for these vaccines. Physicians will still need to prescribe these vaccines, while pharmacists will be able to fill and administer them. This is extremely helpful for travel vaccines where timely administration is so important.  The Shingles vaccine is an example of one which is publically funded for residents aged 65-70 only.  Therefore if you are in this age bracket, you would receive your vaccine from a publically funded supply in your doctor’s office.  Anyone wishing this vaccine who is outside of this age range would have a prescription written by their physician and then could have it filled and administered by the pharmacist.  

It is estimated  that allowing pharmacists to administer these vaccines would result in an additional 4.3 million vaccines administered for pneumococcal diseases, approximately 7.6 million additional vaccinations for shingles, and 275,000 additional HPV vaccines by 2045. This represents a reduction in the number of cases of pneumococcal diseases and shingles by 17 per cent and eight per cent respectively. Increasing the immunization rates for HPV could prevent 37 per cent of the cases of genital warts, 50 per cent of the cases of cervical cancer, and 14 per cent of the cases of anal cancer in Ontario.

Before receiving any vaccines our pharmacy team is happy to guide you on which ones can be administered while receiving immunosuppressant therapy.  We have established a protocol for patients on which vaccines are highly recommended before treatment initiation and can share this with you.

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.

Some medications can affect the way our nutrients are absorbed from the stomach.  One class of medications known to have this effect are called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).  These medications lower stomach acid production and are commonly taken with anti-inflammatory medications to reduce stomach irritation.  Many people use these medications to reduce reflux of acid which causes heartburn.

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The issue with lowering stomach acid is that some nutrients require acid for absorption.  In the presence of low acid, magnesium, vitamin B12, and iron are all poorly absorbed.  This can have many effects such as low energy, restless legs, and leg cramps.  Our pharmacists can help suggest the best types of supplements to restore these levels.  Whenever possible, supplements that can be dissolved on or under the tongue are preferred over those that must be swallowed, as it allows for direct absorption into the blood stream instead of requiring absorption through the stomach.

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.

The cold dry weather can certainly have its impact on everyone’s skin. Those who have psoriasis need to be vigilant about moisturizing their skin on a regular basis.

Here are some helpful tips:

1. Use tepid rather than hot water when showering or bathing.
2. When finished bathing, gently pat the skin dry leaving some residual moisture. Apply your moisturizer to the slightly dampened skin as this will enhance its benefit.
3. When participating in vigorous activity that may cause sweating, whether in a gym or outside,  be sure to wear breathable clothing to avoid skin irritation.
4. Shaving the skin with a multi-blade razor or using products which cause hair removal can both lead to irritation of sensitive skin. An electric razor may offer the gentlest approach.
5. When heading to the south for a winter holiday, remember that although the sun can provide benefit to the skin, a burn can cause a flare of psoriasis, so sun protection is a must. Moisturize your lips and skin and don’t forget to protect your eyes with sunglasses.

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.

Carolyn, along with other health professionals, is a contributor to Psoriasis Busters, which has features lots of great tips for dealing with psoriasis. 

We know winter can be tough on a lot of people. Here are some tips on beating the winter blues courtesy of our Nurse Lead, Evelyn Gilkinson.

Keep active

Research has shown that a daily one-hour walk in the middle of the day could be as helpful as light treatment for coping with the winter blues.

Get outside

Go outdoors in natural daylight as much as possible, especially at midday and on brighter days. Inside your home, choose pale colours that reflect light from outside, and sit near windows whenever you can

Keep warm

If your symptoms are so bad that you can’t live a normal life, see your family doctor for medical help. Being cold makes you more depressed. It’s also been shown that staying warm can reduce the winter blues by half.

Keep warm with hot drinks and hot food. Wear warm clothes and shoes, and aim to keep your home between 18C and 21C (or 64F and 70F degrees).

Eat a healthy diet

A healthy diet will boost your mood, give you more energy and stop you putting on weight over winter. Balance your craving for carbohydrates, such as pasta and potatoes, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

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See the light

Some people find light therapy effective for seasonal depression. One way to get light therapy at home in winter is to sit in front of a light box for up to two hours a day.

Light boxes give out very bright light at least 10 times stronger than ordinary home and office lighting. Some people find that using a dawn simulator [a bedside light, connected to an alarm clock, that mimics a sunrise and wakes you up gradually] as well as a light box can enhance the beneficial effect.

Take up a new hobby

Keeping your mind active with a new interest seems to ward off symptoms of SAD. It could be anything, such as playing bridge, singing, knitting, joining a gym, keeping a journal, or writing a blog. The important thing is that you have something to look forward to and concentrate on.

See your friends and family

It’s been shown that socializing is good for your mental health and helps ward off the winter blues. Make an effort to keep in touch with people you care about and accept any invitations you get to social events, even if you only go for a little while.

Talk it through

Talking treatments such as counselling, psychotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you cope with symptoms.

Join a support group

Sharing your experience with others who know what it’s like to have SAD is very therapeutic and can make your symptoms more bearable.

Seek help

If your symptoms are so bad that you can’t live a normal life, see your family doctor for medical help.

Evelyn Gilkinson is the Nurse Lead for Charlton Health Inc. Before devoting herself solely to Infusing Biologics, Gilkinson worked at Toronto General Hospital, Flinders Medical Centre (Adelaide, Australia), and the London Health Science Centre in Thoracic Step Down, neonate, pediatric and adult Intensive Care, Recovery Room, and Emergency Medicine. Evelyn has done research for The Canadian Cervical Spine Study and with the AIM Health Group. She established the first out-of Hospital Infusion Centres in London and Waterloo. For the last twelve years, Evelyn was the Nurse Supervisor for South Western Ontario for many infusion sites until joining the Charlton team in the summer of 2016.

Quitting smoking is the most important thing a person can do to improve their health. It is well known that smoking increases the likelihood of a person getting an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis or Crohn’s disease.

In addition, smoking causes these conditions to advance at a greater rate and reduces the full potential benefit that our most advanced and successful treatments can offer. Smoking also increases the risk of heart and lung disease both of which are  risks already found with chronic inflammatory conditions. Regardless of how long you have smoked, quitting offers benefits to your health.

Another important point to consider is the risks of smoking at the time of a surgical procedure. Research  has shown that when a person quits smoking 6 to 8 weeks before surgery,  they reduce the risk of wound complications by 83% and breathing problems by 21% over those who continue to smoke.   The pharmacists at Charlton Health are trained in smoking cessation and happy to support you in quitting.

Let us help you make 2017 the year you quit smoking for good!

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.

With January being such a popular time to think about one’s health, we thought we would share some healthy breakfast tips with you.

Steel-cut oats are highly recommended to use as an easy breakfast food. Made by slicing whole oat groats rather than rolling them, the steel-cut variety retain a larger surface area, increasing their fiber content and making them a healthier choice than the regular variety used in instant oatmeal. For a refreshing twist, steep the oats in a crock pot alongside fresh cherries, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. I recommend fresh cherries: not only will their high water content keep you fuller for longer, but their natural melatonin will also help regulate your sleep cycle.

Image from Wikipedia

Cherries contain substances known as anthocyanins – purple and blue pigments that give the cherries their colour. According to the NYU Langone Medical Center, these compounds reduce pain related to inflammation. Cherries are also used to relieve the pain associated with arthritis and gout, though the extent to which they relieve pain needs further investigation. Cherries also contain boron, which helps increase bone health when consumed in conjunction with magnesium and calcium.

Evelyn Gilkinson is the Nurse Lead for Charlton Health Inc. Before devoting herself solely to Infusing Biologics, Gilkinson worked at Toronto General Hospital, Flinders Medical Centre (Adelaide, Australia), and the London Health Science Centre in Thoracic Step Down, neonate, pediatric and adult Intensive Care, Recovery Room, and Emergency Medicine. Evelyn has done research for The Canadian Cervical Spine Study and with the AIM Health Group. She established the first out-of Hospital Infusion Centres in London and Waterloo. For the last twelve years, Evelyn was the Nurse Supervisor for South Western Ontario for many infusion sites until joining the Charlton team in the summer of 2016.

Researchers have long known of the relationship of sleep to our overall health, but the findings of the direct role sleep plays in our immune system function have some surprising implications. Of course, weakening our immune system through sleep deprivation makes us more likely to get colds or other garden-variety illnesses but it also plays a role in more serious conditions. For instance, it turns out that sleep deprivation even allows cancer to spread faster. Researchers from the University of Chicago and the University of Louisville found when mice were injected with cancer cells, those with sleep disturbances and poor sleep quality had more aggressive tumors and quicker growing cancer. “It’s not the tumor, it’s the immune system,” explained study director David Gozal, MD, an expert on pediatric sleep disorders and chairman of pediatrics at the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital. “Fragmented sleep changes how the immune system deals with cancer in ways that make the disease more aggressive.”

On a happier note, according to a study by the Sorbonne University in Paris, even short, 30-minute naps were found to lower stress and boost the immune system.

Sources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150210141734.htm?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24448240

Evelyn Gilkinson is the Nurse Lead for Charlton Health Inc. Before devoting herself solely to Infusing Biologics, Gilkinson worked at Toronto General Hospital, Flinders Medical Centre (Adelaide, Australia), and the London Health Science Centre in Thoracic Step Down, neonate, pediatric and adult Intensive Care, Recovery Room, and Emergency Medicine. Evelyn has done research for The Canadian Cervical Spine Study and with the AIM Health Group. She established the first out-of Hospital Infusion Centres in London and Waterloo. For the last twelve years, Evelyn was the Nurse Supervisor for South Western Ontario for many infusion sites until joining the Charlton team in the summer of 2016.

Wise Words Wednesday Blog

This series features answers to some of the most frequently asked questions our pharmacists receive, as well as information on all the latest research surrounding biologics and the conditions they treat.

Below this post, you will find all of our blogs in chronological order, with the newest blogs posted first.

You can also find the blog each week on Facebook and Twitter/X.

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As we enter a new year, people often reflect on their goals/resolutions. One person shared with me that they like to think of these in terms of 4 different “buckets”:

• Health and fitness
• Strengthening relationships
• Enhanced learning (reading, visiting museums, courses, etc.)
• Creativity (music, drama, art, etc.)

Have you thought about what might fill those buckets in your life? In regards to health and fitness, we often put others before ourselves, leaving little time to focus on our own goals. Regardless of our physical limitations or disease state there is something we can each find to put in these four areas.

We wish everyone the best of health and happiness in the year to come and look forward to supporting you in your health and wellness.

A full day session at the American College of Rheumatology conference was dedicated to how inflammatory arthritis affects patients throughout their lifespan.  Various types of arthritis are diagnoses in children generally referred to as Juvenile Inflammatory Arthritis.  Although some children may go into remission and not have these conditions in adulthood, many do continue to require treatment throughout their life.

We often think of people being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in midlife, however some people develop the condition when they are over age 65.  It was greatly encouraged that these patients receive the same level of treatment as those diagnosed younger.  Treatments are effective at any age and the risk of side effects was not seen to be greater in this age group, although some dosage adjustments may be required based on the person’s kidney and liver function and  other medications they are taking.

Our pharmacist, Carolyn Whiskin, recently returned from The American College of Rheumatology Conference, the largest international meeting held for rheumatology. Over 15,000 health professionals from around the world specializing in research and the care of people with arthritis were in attendance. Today’s blog post is one several to come with information Carolyn learned at the Conference.