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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: What Puts the “Super” in Superfoods, Part I – PHYTOCHEMICALS
The term “superfood” gets used a lot these days. One day it’s blueberries. Then it’s açaí. Then come the walnuts and flaxseeds, the green tea, the broccoli, and the avocados. A cavalcade of nutritious foods, to be sure, but what makes a food “super” anyway? Does it cure disease? Does it make you stronger or…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: Aging Parents – Taking care of yourself
As you embark on the journey of caring for your parents, your life may become very stressful. In order to ensure you are able to continue to fulfill your obligations as parent, spouse, and employee, you will need to take care of yourself. Maintaining your health and good humour will require effort, but it’s an important…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: Aging Parents – Early steps in caring for your parent
So far, things have been going pretty smoothly with your parent and you haven’t had too many concerns. But you know the time is coming when you’ll need to be involved in a more direct way. Just as it’s important to talk with siblings and your own family members about the changes ahead, there are…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: Caring for Aging Parents – How do you know when to step in?
Your involvement in your parents’ care may start very suddenly with an illness or an accident. Chances are, it will be clear at that time what you need to do. But if things progress more gradually, it can be difficult to know when you should step in and how much you should do. This can…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: Caring for Aging Parents
Prepare everyone emotionally well in advance Caring for an aging family member can be enormously stressful, both for you and for the person you’re caring for. Most people caring for aging parents are women who are also managing careers and raising a family. Your own children may be just entering or just leaving high school. It…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: Tips on Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
Do you wake up feeling refreshed, alert, and ready to meet the challenges of the day? If not, here are some tips to help you get there: Keep regular hours. Try to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day, including weekends. Avoid taking long naps during the day. These could make it harder…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: Sleep Disorders
If you’ve tried everything and still don’t seem to be getting enough sleep, speak with your doctor. Your sleep problems may be due to a medical condition or one of the medications you are taking. Most sleep problems can be diagnosed and treated safely and effectively. Some of the most common sleep disorders are: sleep…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: Problems Caused by Sleep Deprivation
Some people choose to “get away” with less sleep, and this attitude is often rewarded in our society. But lack of sleep can actually make you less productive, even if you feel as though you’re getting more done. And sleep deprivation can do much more than hurt your productivity – it can damage your health as well. Sleep…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: Are You Getting Enough Sleep?
How much sleep do you really need? In general, most adults need about 7 hours of sleep per night. Children and adolescents need even more – around 9 or 10 hours per night. However, the amount of sleep people need varies widely, ranging from 5 to 10 hours per night. The important thing is to find…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: Can’t Sleep a Wink?
It’s estimated that about one-half of all seniors have some sleep problems. As we age, we tend to have more “fragile” sleep, meaning we’re more easily awakened, and deep sleep stages get shorter. Some of these sleep changes are hormonal, but various illnesses, pain, psychiatric conditions, and medications can also interfere with rest. Whatever the…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: Where to Find Help in Dealing with an Addiction
Help is out there. Knowing where to find it when you need it makes a difference. The following is a small sample of available services. For further resources, refer to the Community Support or Support Groups section of this website. Or search online for services in your region – or consult your doctor, pharmacist, teacher,…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: Overcoming an Addiction
Overcoming an addiction is not easy. But it can be done. Treatment will take on different specifics depending on the particular habit or substance used. But all treatments share one characteristic: they must be long-term in nature. Wende Wood and Sam Waldner agree that an addiction is a chronic disorder and that there is no…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: When Addiction Hits Rock Bottom
The term “rock bottom” is often used to describe the point at which a person with an addiction is forced to acknowledge that he or she has a problem – which can lead to their seeking help. But where is rock bottom? And how do people get there? Wende Wood points out that “rock bottom”…
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Healthy Hints from Pharmasave: Availability and Addiction
What leads one person to depend on alcohol and another to shop compulsively? Factors such as one’s environment and one’s genetic disposition can play a role, according to Wende Wood. For example, if one’s parents are smokers, then exposure to role models who smoke can play a role in establishing this behaviour as acceptable –…
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Happy Canada Day, Everyone ~ Black Diamond Pharmasave
Jason, Deirdre, Abby and all the Staff at Black Diamond Pharmasave wish our entire community a Happy Canada Day!