Tuesday March 4th /2008

12:10: The Health Roundup with Jay McQueen.

12:12: Recently Hamilton Health Sciences launched a plan for expanding and better organizing some health services in Hamilton called 'Access to the Best Care'. HHS is now in the midst of hosting a handful of open houses featuring hospital leaders and physicians in order to help to educate the community on the subject.
Guest: Murray Martin, President & CEO, Hamilton Health Sciences.

12:20: We have a local winner of the Ontario Hospital Association's Leading Practices Award for a project called "Addressing the Healthcare Needs of Immigrant Women". Mary McDougall has established a working relationship with Women's Health Educators who are hired and trained to educate immigrant women on their female health (i.e. cervical cancer, paps, etc).
Guest: Mary MacDougall, Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Mature Women's Health Concerns Clinic at St. Joseph's Healthcare. 905.522.1155 x38306

12:35: There’s a new treatment for kidney cancer that will help extend overall survival for patients with advanced kidney cancer by 49% compared to the standard of care. Torisel was just approved by Health Canada and it’s a first of its kind. Until now, no other kidney cancer therapy provided a statistically significant increase in how long a patient lived while also maintaining quality of life.
Guest: Tony Clark, Kidney Cancer patient and co-founder and chair of Kidney Cancer Canada.

12:45: Rexall Radio Health Matters segment.
Guest: Hilton

Medicine Cabinet Cleanup Month !

In our busy lifestyles it important to keep track of your medicine cabinet and perform regular check-ups to ensure your medications and supplies are not outside of the expiration dates. Managing your medicine cabinet will ensure your household is free of dangerous or toxic products. Check for expired medications. Dispose of medications safely; never flush them down the toilet. Replenish you medications, it is usually in the middle of the night when we reach for the cough, cold or fever medications. Store medications safely and to the manufactures details. At Rexall, bring in your expired medications for safe and free disposal and receive a 10% Coupon on your next visit! Together we can work to make sure you are getting the best patient care!
Working with your pharmacist; Questions you should be asking.
• Can I take my herbal products along with my medications?
• Should I keep a record of medications I am taking?
• Are there questions I should be asking my pharmacist about my medication no matter what?
• Can Americans have their prescriptions filled by Canadian pharmacists?
• How medications for children should be taken.
• How often should I clean up my medicine cabinet?
• How do I ensure nonprescription drugs are taken safely?
• Are there some items I can leave in my medicine cabinet?
Always ask your pharmacist about taking nonprescription, vitamins, or herbal products along with any medication. Some can interact with medications. ( if you have a condition like diabetes or high blood pressure ensure to ask your pharmacist before trying a nonprescription) It is always a good idea to keep a written record of all medications and supplements you are taking, always bring it with you to Dr. appts and visiting your pharmacist. Having regular dialogue with your pharmacist is always important; it will ensure open communications regarding your medications. Take care if you thinking about buying medications via the internet. Websites can be created to look like legitimate pharmacies when in fact the sellers and the products are illegitimate. You may receive a counterfeit product, the wrong product and incorrect dose or no product at all. Note, CPhA does not support practices whereby a Canadian physician co-signs a prescription written by a physician in another country. Prescription medications that you are taking and any pain or fever medications can be kept in the medicine cabinet. It’s also a good idea to keep first aid supplies and a thermometer also in your cabinet. You should always try and keep your medicines with the container that they came in.