春季大掃除 - 我們應該如何丟棄過期藥品？

為了迎接中國新年，我們很多人會做一次春季大掃除。在我們清理周房子時，別忘了也清理我們的藥箱。檢查一下家裡的藥，是否還在有效期範圍內。一般來說，我們不應該服用過期的藥品，即使是剛剛過期的。

此外，有一些特定的藥物是需要特別注意的。例如，已經打開的眼藥水不應使用超過1個月以上，即使在包裝上的日期還沒到。這是為了減少使用污染了的滴眼劑而刺激眼睛或者感染的風險。

部分患者可能有以前抗生素治療未完成的幾粒膠囊或藥片。在一般情況下，我們都建議患者在進行抗生素治療時要服完整個療程的藥。留下幾粒抗生素膠囊或片劑用於下次生病再服用不是一個好主意：首先，剩下的抗生素膠囊或片劑是不夠一個療程的。其次，新的疾病可能需要不同種類的抗生素治療。因此，最好是生病了就去看醫生，醫生會根據你的病情開新的處方給你的。

我們應該如何丟棄過期藥品？

如果你家裡有過期的藥品，請不要扔到垃圾筒里或沖到廁所里。因為這會污染我們的環境和傷害與接觸到垃圾筒里藥物的動物。

美健藥房請了一個專門收集和處置醫藥廢物的公司來妥善丟棄過期藥品。

你可以把你的過期藥品送來美健藥房，我們會幫你妥善丟棄，這項服務是免費的。

對於新的一年，我們希望每個人都身體健康和好運連連。為了維護您的健康，每年到您的家庭醫生那裡進行身體檢查也是很重要的。有句俗話：“預防勝于治療”。有很多人只有生病了才去看他們的家庭醫生。但實際上，每年的身體檢查更有助於預防疾病。

程航醫生是在萬錦市的家庭醫生。要預約每年的身體檢查,請致電 416-291-0033

Chinese new year house cleaning - don't forget to clean up your medicine cabinet!

To prepare for Chinese New Year, many of us will do some traditional house cleaning. While we are cleaning around the house, we should also remember to clean up our medicine cabinet. Make sure you take a look at the bottles and vials at home and check to see if the expiry date is still good.  As a general precaution, we should not be taking expired medicines, even if the expiry date has just passed recently.

Furthermore, there are specific drugs that require special attention. For

example, eye drops that are opened should not be kept for more than 1 month, even if the expiry date is in the future.    This is to minimize the risk of using a contaminated eye drop and causing eye irritation or infections.

Some patients may have a few capsules or tablets of antibiotics that were left unfinished from a previous treatment. In general, we should complete a full course of antibiotic therapy when prescribed. It is not a good idea to keep the residual antibiotic capsules or tablets for another episode of sickness because of the following two reasons: First of all, the remaining capsules or tablets are not a full course of therapy. Secondly, the new sickness may require a different kind of antibiotics or treatment altogether. Therefore, it is best to seek a doctor’s assessment and obtain a new prescription for the new sickness.

How should we discard expired medicines?

If you have expired medicines at home, please do not throw them in the garbage or in the toilet.  This can contaminate our environment and potentially hurt animals that come in contact with the medicines in the garbage.

Custom Care Pharmacy hires a professional pharmaceutical waste collection and disposal company to properly discard any expired medicines.  

You can bring your expired medicines to Custom Care Pharmacy and we will properly discard them for you, free of charge.

For the new year, we wish everyone good health and good fortune. To maintain your health, it is important to get a yearly check up with your family doctor. There is a saying in English: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.  There are many people who will only visit their doctor when they are sick, but in fact, it is more helpful to get a yearly check up and talk to your doctor about preventing sickness.

Dr. Hang Cheng is a family doctor in Markham. He is currently accepting new patients. To book an appointment for a yearly check-up, please call 416-291-0033

如何在冬季提升你的心情和動力？

當天氣多雪寒冷，很多人都會覺得早上很難起床。白天的時候，有些人甚至可能發現自己缺乏能量和動力。有些人即使晚上盡量早睡，但第二天他們仍然感到疲倦。有些人可能會發現自己吃得更多和體重增加。

許多人把這些症狀稱作“冬季抑鬱”，因為它們往往發生在冬季。然而，人們體驗到這些症狀的程度會不同。如果你發現這些症狀影響到你的日常生活中，你應該告訴醫生。季節性情感障礙 (seasonal affective disorder) 是一種在每年的同一季節期間發生的抑鬱症。

對於剛從溫暖氣候的國​​家移居來加拿大的人來說，他們可能從來沒有經歷過這些症狀。任何人都會得季節性情感障礙，但它更常見於在冬天日照時間很短的地區的女性。它也可以發生在與季節性情感障礙病人的親屬身上。

目前還不清楚究竟是什麼原因導致季節性情感障礙，但也有一定的科學證據表明，缺乏陽光可能會影響到我們身體的某些控制我們的心情和睡眠模式的激素的分泌。

如果過了冬季，你的症狀還在持續，或者你不確定你是否患有季節性情感障礙，最好去您的家庭醫生那裡檢查一下，以排除其他疾病的可能性。

季節性情感障礙的常見的治療方法是光療。你可使用日光燈，將它放在一個跟您有一定距離的桌子上。每天使用。

有些醫生可能會建議使用補充劑，如褪黑激素 (melatonin)，以幫助恢復你的睡眠模式，或者復合維生素B，有助於你的身體將你吃的食物轉化成更多的能量。

在某些情況下，醫生可能會開抗抑鬱藥。

晨練也可以幫助我們醒神和開始我們的每一天。最後，即使在寒冷的日子，每當艷陽高照時去就去外面曬太陽也會對冬季抑鬱有幫助。

我們如何從食物和其他天然資源獲得更多的能量？我們詢問註冊營養師，Rowena Leung, 以下是她的建議。

我們住在加拿大,每天是沒有得到足夠的陽光。結果大多數加拿大人需要每天補充維生素D，以幫助維持足夠水平。即使您在冬季旅遊溫暖的地方，這並不一定不需要維生素D的補充。因為我們使用防曬霜，保持陰涼處，戴帽子等，這些都阻礙我們吸收最佳的維生素D。因此，全年服用維生素D仍然是一個好主意。

鎂 (magnesium)

鎂最好的食物來源包括：豆類，堅果，種子，魚和全穀物。尤其是黑眼豆, 往往是含有最高的鎂。其次是大豆。南瓜種子是種子類最豐富鎂的一種。

B族維生素

通過肉源（如魚，雞肉，牛肉，海產）得到維生素B是吸收最好的方法。如果你是一個素食者，往往嘗試營養酵母！如果你不是一個素食者，並希望尋找一個替代的奶酪，也可以嘗試營養酵母！它有芝士的味道，但不包含乳糖和/或乳品成分。

歐米加-3 (omega 3)

不僅是歐米加-3脂肪酸有益大腦發育，心臟健康和眼睛的健康，但歐米加-3脂肪酸還可以提高能量水平。每週不要忘了包括至少2份歐米加-3豐富的魚。 歐米加-3豐富的魚包括：鮭魚，北極紅點鮭，鮭魚（野生太平洋或大西洋），金槍魚（黃或鰹魚），沙丁魚，鯖魚和鯡魚。

如果你不喜歡正常進食魚類，嘗試加入一些蒔蘿 (dill)！

試試這個容易煮的醃鮭魚/金槍魚/鱒魚。它美味，不需要很多成分。

主料：

2湯匙醬油

1湯匙grapeseed油

2湯匙楓糖漿

方法：

1.烤箱預熱@350oF。

2.將所有的配料混合在一起作為醃料。

3.將魚片混合於醃料

4.醃〜10-15分鐘。

5. 將羊皮紙蓋上烤盤

6.將醃好的一塊魚放上烤盤

7. 烘烤20分鐘。

8. 完成!

How to beat the winter blues?

When the weather is snowy and cold, many of us will find it hard to get out of bed in the morning. During the day, some of us might even find ourselves low in energy and lacking motivation. Some might try to sleep earlier at night, but they might still feel tired the next day. Some might find themselves eating more and gaining weight. 

Many people call these symptoms "the winter blues", because they tend to come and go with the winter season. However, people can experience different levels of these symptoms. If you find these symptoms affecting your daily lives, you should talk to your doctor about it. Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that occurs during the same season each year.

For people that have recently moved to Canada from a warmer climate, they may never experienced these symptoms before. Anyone can develop seasonal affective disorder, but it occurs more commonly in women living in regions where winter daylight hours are very short. It can also occur in people who have a close relative with seasonal affective disorder. 

It is not clear exactly what causes seasonal affective disorder, but there are some scientific evidence showing that the lack of sunlight may affect certain hormones in our bodies that control our mood and our sleeping pattern. 

If your symptoms persist beyond the winter season or if you are not sure if you have seasonal affective disorder, it is best to check with you family doctor to rule out other diagnosis. 

A common treatment for seasonal affective disorder is light therapy (or phototherapy), which consists of using a fluorescent lightbox by placing it on a table at a certain distance from you.

 

Some doctors may recommend using supplements such as Melatonin, to help restore your sleeping pattern, and Vitamin B complex, to help your body make more energy from the food that you eat.  In some cases, doctors may prescribe antidepressants. 

Early morning exercises may also help us feel less tired and more motivated to start our day. 

And finally, going outside to catch the sunlight whenever the sun is shining, even on a cold day, will help too!

How do we get an energy boost from food and other natural sources? We asked Rowena Leung, a registered dietitian, to explain:

Vitamin D

Due to the fact that we live in Canada, we don’t get enough sunshine per day. As a result, most Canadians require a daily Vitamin D supplement to help maintain sufficient levels. Even if your lifestyle includes a winter escape, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t need Vitamin D supplementation because of sunblock, staying the shade, wearing hats, etc. It is always a good idea to get 1000 IU of Vitamin D in the summer time and 2000 IU in the winter time. If you require a higher dosage, please get bloodwork done & seek the advice of a physician before proceeding with a higher dose.

Magnesium

Best food sources of magnesium include: legumes, nuts, seeds, fish & whole grains.  Of particular interest, black eyed peas tend to be highest in magnesium from the legumes category

followed by soybeans. Pumpkin seeds are richest in magnesium from a seed perspective.

B-Vitamins

It is best for humans to obtain b-vitamins through meat sources (E.g. fish, chicken, beef, seafood) as it is best absorbed the human body. If you are a vegetarian, do try nutritional yeast! If you are not a vegetarian and want to look for an alternative to cheese, try nutritional yeast! It has a “cheese-like” flavor but does not contain lactose and/or dairy components.

Omega-3

Not only is omega-3 fats good for brain development, heart health and eye health but omega-3 fats can also improve energy levels. Don’t forget to include at least 2 servings of omega-3 rich fish per week. Omega-3 rich fish include: trout, Arctic Char, salmon (wild pacific or atlantic), tuna (yellowfin or skipjack), sardines (packed in water), mackerel & herring.

If you don’t like to normally eat omega-3 rich fish options, try adding some dill! Dill is a lovely herb that pairs well with fish.

Try this quick marinade for salmon/tuna/trout. It’s quick, delicious and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp              light soy sauce

1 Tbsp              grapseed oil

2 Tbsp              maple syrup

Method:

1.       Preheat oven @ 350^oF.
2.       Mix all the ingredients together to serve as the marinade.
3.       Put the filet of fish in.
4.       Marinade for ~10-15 minutes.
5.       Put the marinated piece of fish on a baking tray which is lined with parchment paper
6.       Bake for 20 minutes.
7.       Enjoy! 

如果腳下一滑而跌倒該怎麼做? + 如何從蛋殼獲取鈣?

在冬季，道路往往濕滑。如果您或您的家庭成員不小心腳下一滑而跌倒，你知道要做什麼治療，以及如何防止再次跌倒? 除了治療急性損傷外，你也應該找出可能會導致你經常跌倒的原因。

有一些危險因素是可能導致你跌倒的原因。例如，藥物引起的頭暈或嗜睡有時可以增加你跌倒的風險。因此，告訴你的家庭醫生和藥劑師有關跌倒次數和受傷是非常重要。他們可以幫助您確定是否有什麽具體原因令你跌倒。

有些患者可能會覺不小心滑倒是沒有必要去看醫生，他們可能只是用一些藥膏擦一下以緩解疼痛。然而，這樣做並不總是最妥當的。

在這個月的博客里，我們質詢了程航醫生有關跌倒後應立即如何處理及如何防止再次摔倒的技巧。

他說“評估摔倒造成傷害是複雜的，每個人都不同。例如，20歲的健康成人與體弱的80年有很多健康問題的老人家要做的測試是不同。有任何疑問，你都應該去看醫療專業人士，盡快做一個完整的評估。

你的身體狀況是在進行摔傷評估時需要考慮的重要因素。一般來說，健康狀況越差，越需要獲得醫療評估。例如，如果你是65歲及以上，有骨質疏鬆，或者你正在服用抗凝血劑，如Wafarin或Pradaxa，你摔倒后就更需要做醫療評估了。

另外，怎麼跌倒在進行摔傷評估時也是需要考慮的重要的因素。例如，你從高處掉下來或者是從樓梯上掉下來比你站著摔倒更需要看醫生做評估。如果你摔倒在堅硬的表面，如在冰上或在浴室的地板比摔倒在柔軟的表面更容易受重傷。

最後，身體摔到的部位也是要考慮的重要因素。如果是你的頭或脊椎著地，你更應該考慮去看醫生。當然，如果你失去了知覺，起不來了，或者如果你看到身體的任何部位有骨折，你或其他人應立即叫救護車。同樣，如果你懷疑身體有任何異常或斷裂，你都應該去看醫療專業人士，盡快做一個完整的評估。

預防勝于治療。該規則同樣適用於摔傷。您可以通過做練習來加強你的大腿肌肉，通過提高你的平衡能力來降低跌倒的縫隙（如：打太極拳是一個行之有效的運動，以改善身體的平衡能力），通過使用適當的援助（例如：舒適的防滑鞋，手杖，每年矯正視力），通過調整你的藥物，以防止眩暈和/或低血壓;最後，保持均衡的營養，從膳食中攝入足夠的鈣。”

程航醫生 目前正在接受新病人。如果你正在尋找一個家庭醫生，請致電

416-291-0033與醫生預約!

我們經常聽到病人講要增加鈣的攝入量，但他們不喜歡服用鈣片。在這個月的博客里，我們質詢註冊營養師 Rowena Leung 介紹如何獲取更多來自天然來源的鈣。

獲得鈣的一個簡單而獨特的方式是將蛋殼研粉，加到我們的餐飲食里。1茶匙含有約800-1000毫克鈣。下面教你如何做到這一點：

•將蛋殼放到開水鍋里煮10分鐘，然後瀝乾水，並將蛋殼放到烤盤

•將蛋殼放入烤箱在華氏200度烤約10分鐘

•從烤箱中取出蛋殼并用咖啡研磨機或研缽磨碎成粉末

•粉末儲存在密封罐里

最後, 美健藥房祝大家節日平安，快樂！

Preventing slip and fall accidents + Tips on getting calcium from eggshells!

During the winter months, the roads are often wet and slippery. If you have a slip and fall accident, you might have some questions about what to do for treatment and how to prevent further episodes of falling. Aside from treating the acute injuries, you should also determine how frequently you fall and what might be causing you to fall. 

There are some risk factors that can put you at risk for falling. For example, drugs that cause dizziness or drowsiness can sometimes increase your risk for falling. Therefore, it is very important to have your family doctor and pharmacist be aware of your falls and injuries.  They can help you determine if there are specific causes for your falls.

Some patients might feel that it is unnecessary to go see a doctor after a simple fall. They might choose to use some ointments and rubs at home to ease the pain. However, this is not always the best thing to do. 
For this month's blog, we asked Dr. Hang Cheng to give us some tips on what to do immediately after a fall and also what we can do to prevent future episodes of falling.

“Fall evaluation is complex and is different for every person. For example, considerations to do extensive testing are different for a 20 year-old with no health conditions compared to a frail 80 year-old with many health issues. In any doubt, you should see a health professional as soon as possible for complete evaluation.

Pre-existing conditions are important to consider when evaluating a fall. In general, the poorer the health status, the lower the threshold to seek medical evaluation.  For example, if you are 65 years and older, if you are osteoporotic, or if you are taking an anticoagulant such as Coumadin or Pradaxa, your threshold to see a doctor after a fall should be much lower.

Also, the mechanism of fall is important. For example, your threshold to see a health professional should be much lower if you fall from height or from stairs than if you fall from your own height. The suspicion of serious injury is also higher if you fall on a hard surface such as on ice or in bathroom floor compared to soft surfaces.

Last but not least, the point of contact is also important to consider, if you fall on your head or on your spine, your considerations to see a doctor should be greater. Of course, if you lose consciousness, cannot get up or if you see any bony deformity, you or someone else should call an ambulance immediately. Again, if you suspect any abnormality or fracture, seeing a health professional is always advised.

As always, the best way to treat a disease if to prevent the disease. The same rule applies to falls. You can reduce your chances of falling by doing exercises to strengthen your lower extremities, by improving your balance skills (ex: Tai Chi is a proven exercise to improve balance), by using appropriate aid (ex: comfortable, non-slippery shoes, cane, vision correction on a yearly basis), by adjusting your medications to prevent dizziness and/or hypotension and lastly, by having a balanced nutrition to provide enough calcium.”

Dr. Hang Cheng is currently accepting new patients. 
If you are looking for a new family doctor, please call 416-291-0033 to book an appointment. 

Patients often tell us that they want to increase their intake of calcium, but they do not like taking calcium pills. For this month's blog, we asked registered dietitian, Rowena Leung, for special tips on getting more calcium from natural sources.

One simple and unique way of obtaining calcium is by crushing eggshells into powder and adding the powder into our meals.  1 teaspoonful contains approximately 800-1,000 mg. of calcium.  Here’s how to do it:

• Put eggshells into a pot of boiling water

• Cook for 10 mins and then drain the water and let the shells dry on a baking sheet

• Put the shells into the oven and bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 mins

• Remove shells from the oven and grind up the shells into powder by using a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle
• Store powder in a tightly sealed jar

Custom Care Pharmacy wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday!

我可以先看醫生才決定簽署成為家庭醫生的病人吗？

對於許多家庭醫生診所，病人必須首先簽署協議成為家庭醫生的病人才可以預約看病。

有些病人可能會擔心：“假如我與醫生相處不合, 但已經簽署的協議，該怎麼辦？” “我簽署了協議可以切換家庭醫生？”

雖然安大略省是允許病人簽署協議後更改家庭醫生，然而，病人可能要支付一定的費用，将舊的診所文件轉移到新的診所。因此，更改醫生很多次可以說是相當昂貴的。

在程醫生的診所，病人可以無需簽署任何協議看到他。病人可以稍後才決定是否希望更改家庭醫生。

程醫生診所的另一個好處是，即使沒有預約你也可以來診所看醫生。因为诊所也提供Walk-in服务。這對需要及時治療的患者非常有幫助。

當我們感到不舒服的時候，往往很難在同一天，甚至是第二天約見我們的家庭醫生。有時候，當我們終於能看到我們的醫生時，我們的病已經好了。即使你已經有一個家庭醫生，你還是可以去Walk-in診所看醫生。當你去看Walk-in診所看醫生時，你只需要帶上你的OHIP（健康）卡。

年幼的孩子往往有輕度發熱，不能上學。他們也可以馬上到Walk-in診所診治，這對家長尤其有幫助，特別是當他們無法在同一天約見兒科醫生時。

有時候，病人可能會在他們的家庭醫生外出度假時發現他們的藥吃完了而需要看Walk-in診所的醫生。程航醫生建議這些患者應該把他們平時服藥的小瓶帶上，好讓他知道你正在服用什麼藥物。

程航醫生目前正在接受新病人。如果您還沒有家庭醫生，或者如果你已經搬家，遠離你的家庭醫生，可以直接來診所或致電 416-291-0033 預約與醫生見面。

這一個月由註冊營養師 ROWENA 提供的的健康食譜!

藜麥或莜麥杯子蛋糕（12人用）          

主料：

2杯藜麥（煮熟及冷卻）或莜麥（熟和冷卻）

¼杯葡萄籽油

2杯發芽的全麥麵粉

1.5茶匙泡打粉

1茶匙鹽

半杯蔓越莓幹 (CRANBERRIES)

¾杯牛奶（脫脂，1％或2％）

1個大雞蛋

1茶匙香草 (vanilla)
¾杯黄糖

方法：

1.烤箱預熱至350F。使用油少量均勻塗於蛋糕盤。

2.使用一個中型碗，一起攪拌麵粉，糖，發酵粉，食鹽，小紅莓和藜/莜麥。

3.在另一個碗，一起攪拌油，牛奶，雞蛋和香草 (vanilla)。

4.讓2碗混合在一起，攪拌，直到剛剛合併。

5.將混合物倒入12蛋糕杯均勻分佈

6.烤25-30分鐘

發芽的藜麥和燕麥有什麼好處？

提高消化率

這是因為，發芽產生高濃度的澱粉降解酶，更容易被我们的消化系统吸收。出于这个原因，很多人与小麦的敏感发现，吃发芽谷物产品可以替代传统的谷物和面包，使他他们没有疼痛或不适。研究显示发芽谷物产品带来更好的矿物质吸收。

如果您想了解更多关于使用發芽的藜麥和燕麥有什麼好處，今天来美健药房，问我们的药剂师 905-305-0111