BT Calgary Blogs

Feeling a little frisky? It’s probably Spring Fever. And yes, it’s a very real phenomenon.

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Ten thousand people right here in Calgary are living with Celiac Disease.

For Celiac Awareness Month, I spoke with Gastroenterologist Dr. Alaa Rostom for the basics on the disease. He says Celiac Disease is two-fold,  both an auto immune disease and a food allergy. Celiac disease is a medical condition where the lining of the small intestine that helps us absorb food is damaged by our auto immune system. This immune system response is triggered when a patient eats gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.

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Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects eight thousand people in Alberta. The disease affects both motor and non-motor functioning. Patients experience tremors, loss of balance, fear of falling, stiffness, fatigue, depression and much more.

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Are you trying to lose weight? Well, why not stissck to that diet for just a couple of days? A recent study out of the UK found women who followed a calorie restricted, low carb plan for just two days a week, lost more weight than those who tried dieting for 7 days!! Now that sounds doable!

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Did you know that one organ donor can impact the lives of 8 people? One tissue donor can impact the lives of 70 people! Even one eye donation can help 8 different people!

This is why for National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week I wanted to show everyone how important your gift can be. It’s really a way to put a little positive on a tragic situation.

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This is such a fun story…. the question is… will these actually work? I intend on trying them out.

Your kitchen is full of all kinds of healing tools. And they’re easy to use! Let’s start with Honey. I love honey. I have it every day in my tea and often on my toast! But who knew it could heal wounds and burns!! Many of us have tried honey in some warm lemon water to soothe a sore throat (I have, sadly I was too far gone for this to work) but honey has also been used to treat wounds for thousands of years. New Dutch research identified a protein in honey called “defensin 1″ that gives honey its antibacterial action. So, if you have a mild burn or minor cut, try applying warm honey to the wound and covering it with a sterile bandage. Change the dressing daily and you should see results!!

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This is another one of those amazing stories about cutting edge research underway right here at our University of Calgary. What if researchers at the U of C figured out how to prevent osteoarthritis? Well, they’re well on their way.

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Eleven hundred new cases of high blood pressure are diagnosed in Canada every day. Currently 7.5 million Canadians are living with the disease.

High blood pressure, or hypertension as the doctors call it, damages all the blood vessels in the body. This is why it’s one of the leading causes of death in the world! I spoke to Dr. Norm Campell, Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary about this. He says this damage in the brain can lead to stroke, in the heart it leads to heart failure and heart attack, in the kidneys it leads to kidney failure and more. And half of this damage occurs in people who don’t even know they have high blood pressure. That’s why hypertension is often called the ”silent killer.”

The best way to determine if you have high blood pressure is to get it checked at your annual visit to your family doctor. Another great way to get your BP checked is to visit your local fire station! Yup, Dr. Campbell says Calgary firefighters are some of the best trained in the world to take your blood pressure.

Dr. Campbell says it is useful to know your numbers. Normal is basically 120 over 80. Hypertension in a normal person is 140 over 90.  But for example, even if you’re normal but in the high range you can make lifestyle changes that can bring your blood pressure down. It’s what we all know: eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, don’t smoke, don’t have more than 2 alcoholic drinks a day and keep your weight in check.

Sometimes these changes mean you can stay off medication. However, if you do need meds, the good news is these medications are very safe and very effective and they’re usually just once a day medication.

For more information on hypertension:

www.hypertension.ca

I have bad news for the 25 to 30 percent of the population that suffers from seasonal allergies…. this season is gearing up to be one of the worst in years!

I spoke with Allergist Dr. Joel Doctor and he says this winter has been relatively warm and dry and if this weather pattern continues, it will be a rough ride for hayfever sufferers. Dr. Doctor explains that plants pollenate more if it’s dry, warm and windy. And that has pretty much been the case here in Calgary. Tree allergy season starts right now and runs through May, grass season runs through June and July. Dr. Doctor suggests it’s good to know when your allergies are the worst and to start taking your antihistamines before your symptoms get really bad in order to get the best protection.

Dr. Doctor suggests the second generation over the counter antihistamines like Reactine, Allegra or Claritin work great and have an excellent safety and side effect profile. Now, if these medications don’t work, you can talk to your family doctor about a prescription for a nasal spray or eye drops to help with your symptoms. And if nothing works, it’s worth talking to a specialist about your eligibility for allergy shots. These shots are labour intensive but they do provide a permanent form of protection. However, this treatment method requires numerous injections over a three year period and they do carry a small risk of triggering an allergic reaction. SO, shots are really the last line of defence.

The other thing to do is reduce your exposure to your allergy. Dr. Doctor says a good thing to do is go to the Weather Network website and check the pollen count for the day to see if it’s going to be a rough one. Or simply look out the window: if it’s dry, warm and windy it’s a better day go to a movie rather than go for a hike.

Bottomline here is there is no need to suffer with seasonal allergies. They can be well controlled with the right treatment option for you.

To check pollen counts visit:

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/pollenfx/POCSW/caab0049?ref=topnav_weather_pollenfx

Imagine waking up and not being able to move. It’s a terrifying experience and a real phenomenon called Sleep Paralysis. It’s relatively common too … almost half of us will experience this at least once in our lifetime.

Sleep paralysis is characterized by feeling that you’re awake, but you’re unable to move your body. It’s associated most commonly with people who suffer from narcolepsy, a sleep disorder characterized by extreme sleepiness, and those who are extremely sleep deprived. I spoke with Sleep Specialist Dr. Adam Moscovitz about this. He says he’s seeing more and more people who suffer from sleep paralysis because our population has never been more sleep deprived.

SP has to do with passing through the stages of sleep. There are 4 stages and in the final stage, the REM stage or the dream stage, we lose muscle tone so we don’t act out our dreams. Dr. Moscovitz explains sleep is not an inactive state. We’re doing a lot while we sleep! In fact, for some people who suffer sleep paralysis not only are they unable to move, they often hallucinate, or feel a buzz go through their body.

Sleep paralysis has been around for centuries and has a huge mythology surrounding it. In the history books or even portrayed in art you’ll see people possessed by “demons” or “incubi” … beings that sit of the chests of people sleeping. Sleep paralysis is also associated with the “old hag.” Some scientists even think sleep paralysis may be what people are experiencing when they describe being visited by aliens.

The good news though… if you suffer from this, there is help. You can talk to your family doctor about a referral to a sleep specialist. This doctor can help determine if you suffer from narcolepsy and treat you for that, or if you’re very sleep deprived they can help you to get better quality and length of sleep.