The heart muscle is your body’s blood pump. It uses the circulatory system to supply oxygen and nutrients to all tissues and vital organs while also removing carbon dioxide and other wastes. Keep your heart tip top with healthy lifestyle choices that include eating whole foods and avoiding overly salted and fatty processed foods, consuming plenty of green tea and garlic, losing excess weight, increase physical activity, quitting smoking, and drinking alcohol only in moderation. Heart-happy supplements include: Multivitamin/mineral, Extra Magnesium, Omega 3 fatty acids, Coenzyme Q10 (age 50+), L-Carnitine and Hawthorn Berry.

To quit smoking for good is not easy! Nicotine substitutes (patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers) or a prescription medication can help. Your pharmacist can offer support along the way and recommend the best choice according to your needs and state of health. Smoking can interfere with certain drug treatments. When you quit smoking, speak to your pharmacist to see if your treatment needs to be adjusted. Very few smokers are able to quit for good on their first try. Don’t get discouraged. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! Ask your pharmacist for help, and remember—it’s never too late to quit smoking.

Your hearing is vitally important as you navigate your relationships and the world around you. If you have trouble hearing or are dealing with tinnitus, it can make life more difficult. Tinnitus is characterized by a ringing or buzzing sound in the ears. Over 360,000 Canadians report suffering from chronic tinnitus, and almost half of those are severely affected. The use of a hearing aid to amplify sounds has proven effective in minimizing the distraction caused by tinnitus. If you or a family member are concerned about hearing loss or tinnitus, be sure to schedule a hearing test.

Pneumococcal Pneumonia, caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, is the most common bacterial type of pneumonia. It can be life-threatening and may require admission to hospital. Bacteria can be present in your nose and throat without symptoms however, you can still infect others. Like the flu, it can be passed on from person to person through talking, coughing and sneezing. Risk factors for Pneumococcal pneumoniae are *Increased age, *Medical conditions such as chronic lung, heart or liver disease, Diabetes, and cancer, *Lifestyle factors including smoking, alcoholism and living in long-term care facilities. If you are 50+, talk to your pharmacist about the Prevnar 13 vaccine.

It is January, often a difficult winter month, and we all may be feeling a bit sluggish. Along with eating a clean and balanced diet, getting daily exercise and doing things that make you happy, there are a few safe and healthful supplements you can add into your fitness and energy regimen. * Green tea extract to rev up your metabolism and energy *L-Carnitine for energy production and utilization of fat consumption *Chromium picolinate for help with blood sugar issues and appetite regulation *Green coffee bean extract to help lower blood sugar, burn and utilize fat and carbohydrates. Happy, healthy, and energetic New Year to you!

Hearing loss may be a risk factor for a huge public health problem: Falls. A study led by Frank Lin, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that people with a 25-decibel hearing loss, classified as mild, were nearly three times more likely to have a history of falling. Every additional 10-decibels of hearing loss increased the chances of falling by 1.4 fold. If you or a family member are concerned about hearing loss, visit NexGenHearing.com to take a free online hearing test.

It’s that time again, the beginning of the New Year; yet things look very different than last year. 2020 is officially over, and we are embarking into 2021, hoping for a very different year. Let’s work on making resolutions that will help us through. Focus on that all-important Self-care (and Community-care)! Find the things in life that are enjoyable (and able to do within the constrictions of the pandemic), and make a resolution to commit to them on a regular basis. Be specific yet flexible, and most importantly, make them enjoyable (not just healthy)!