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Drug dispensing fees need to be explained
Many patients express their disdain over medication dispensing fees. All Canadian pharmacies charge this fee. I too had some misgivings about the fees but did not have the necessary background to draw any firm conclusions. Further enquiry to determine their origin and their original purpose was needed. Do people get value for their money? Why…
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Doctors not paid as much as you think
Originally published in The Ottawa Citizen July 9, 2002 Original Title: Who Wants to be a Millionaire How much are doctors paid? It varies depending on the medical specialty. Certainly some specialties provide a greater income for its practitioners but on average most physicians are not pulling in the big bucks as perceived by the…
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Images designed to shock can cause needless harm
Parents are forever vigilant protecting their young children from some of life’s harsher realities. It is indeed frustrating and indeed infuriating when parents encounter unexpected situations that expose their children to potentially deleterious actions and images. Their child-rearing timetable explodes. They have to now enter damage-control mode.
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How to avoid mosquito bites – DEET Repellents Must Be Used With Care
Every summer our skin is subject to the mosquito onslaught. Young children’s skin tends to react more strongly from bites. A young child’s immune system has not had the pleasure of the hundreds of times adults have been exposed to mosquito saliva. With age we develop antibodies so that by adulthood our response to these…
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Ordinary people experiencing extraordinary challenges
How patients and health care providers handle illness can be a source of inspiration for many. Their stories are seldom told. Bad news tends to pique our interest more so than good. Many of these people are true heroes.
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Great variety of drugs helps treatment of diabetics
Last week’s column outlined how type 2 diabetes develops and causes harm: the liver produces too much sugar, the muscle, liver and fat cells poorly absorb sugar because they are less responsive to insulin and the insulin producing beta-cells of the pancreas eventually burn out.
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Dealing with diabetes means understanding how it works
At Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital, the chief of emergency medicine, Dr. Marc Afilalo always emphasized the importance of knowing the pathophysiology of diseases. ‘Pathophysiology’ refers to the abnormal physical processes that cause disease: in short, how things work.
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Which is worse: cigarette or joint?
You walk a fine line at times when responding to teens’ questions. One frequently asked centers around comparisons between marijuana, cigarettes and alcohol. For example, a common question is, “What is worse, smoking a joint or smoking a cigarette?”
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Teens and the weed issue
‘Just say no’ won’t work when it comes to talking to your teenager about the dangers of smoking marijuana. Much more will be achieved with rational discussions about responsibility