Many people feel a little sad when summer comes to an end and a long season of cold weather is approaching.  Seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder (otherwise known as SAD) is a type of depression that happens at certain times of the year, usually in the fall and winter.  The symptoms are pretty much the same other types of depression including less energy, irritability and loss of interest in things that once made you happy. 
 
If you’re feeling any of these symptoms already or they sound familiar from last year, there are a few things you can do to prevent SAD from getting worse and make yourself feel better.
 
Get Plenty of Exercise
Exercise not only helps to improve your physical health and reduce your risks for a number of chronic diseases, but it’s been shown to be a great mood booster. 


Try Light Therapy
This has been tested as an effective treatment for SAD because it tricks the body into thinking the days are longer and brighter than they really are.  It involves sitting under a special bright light for a certain amount of time each day.  You could ask your health care provider about this or just try to get as much sunlight as you can outdoors every day and keep your curtains and blinds open to let the light in.
 
Socialize Often
If you tend to make excuses for not going out in the fall and winter, you need to get yourself out of that habit. Keeping to yourself will only make you feel lonely and that’s what you’re trying to avoid so pick up the phone and call a friend or family member – make plans to go out for lunch and/or for a nice walk.
 
If you think you might suffer from seasonal depression and might be interested in light therapy, the Temagami FHT has a SAD light that is available free of charge for our rostered patients to use.  Just call the office to schedule a time. We also have a 24/7 fitness centre available at very low membership rates, i.e. $20 per month for an adult, $12 for a senior or $15 for students. 
 
The Temagami Medical Centre and Family Health Team
is committed to keeping you as healthy as possible!

Did you know?

• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to affect Canadian men;
• One in eight men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime;
• Over 90% of prostate cancer cases are curable if detected and treated in their earliest stages

 
Signs and Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

• Difficulty urinating
• Urgent need to urinate
• Frequent urination, especially at night
• Burning or pain when urinating
• Inability to urinate or difficulty starting or stopping urine flow
• Painful ejaculation
• Blood in the urine or semen

Risk Factors
While any man can develop prostate cancer, you may be at a high risk if you are…

• Over 50: Age is the strongest risk factor for prostate cancer. Your risk increases starting at age 50, and most cases are diagnosed in men over age 65. Depending on your risk, your health care provider may recommend that you think about testing at an earlier age – as young as 40.
• Have a family history of prostate cancer: Your risk is higher if a first-degree relative (father or brother) has had prostate cancer. Your risk increases with each additional first-degree relative who has the disease.
• African or Caribbean: Prostate cancer is more common among men in these ethnic groups. (Men of Asian descent have lower risk.)

Don’t Ignore Symptoms
The sooner symptoms are reported to your health care provider, the sooner testing to help diagnose and treat the problem can begin.  Symptoms may be caused by prostate cancer or by another health problem.
Symptoms are not always present especially in the early stages of prostate cancer.  If detected and treated in its earliest stages, the chances of survival are greatly increased.  Early detection is key! 
 
Preventative Health Care – the Easiest Way to Protect Your Future!

What is FASD?
FASD is a brain injury that can occur when an unborn baby is exposed to alcohol.  It’s a lifelong disorder with effects that include physical, mental, behavioural and learning disabilities that can vary from mild to severe.  FASD is the leading known cause of preventable developmental disability in Canada. 
Signs and Symptoms
Every unborn baby will be affected by alcohol differently. FASD is often called an invisible disorder because the majority of people with it have no obvious signs of disability. Their learning and behavioural challenges are often mistaken for other problems.
Some babies are born with facial features that are characteristic of FASD. These features are only evident when a fetus is affected by alcohol at a specific stage in pregnancy. Only a small number of people with FASD will have these features. The features include:

• thin upper lip
• little or no groove or ridge between the nose and upper lip
• small eyes or shorter distance between one corner of the eye to the other

For all people with FASD, there will be different degrees of brain damage. These may include problems with:

• learning
• memory
• attention
• language
• social skills
• motor skills
• controlling behaviour
  
• reasoning and judgement
• academics like math and reading
  

In everyday life, problems with behaviours may look like:

• being impulsive
• acting out from frustration
• not understanding consequences
• being unfocused and easily distracted
• difficulties with keeping up with classroom learning
• forgetting how to do something they’ve done before
• a hard time with handling money or learning how to tell time

An early diagnosis followed by the proper interventions and support help to minimize the disabilities associated with FASD.
If you are a patient of the Temagami Family Health Team and are concerned about the possibility of FASD, please call the office at (705) 569-3244 to schedule an appointment with your primary care provider.
 
The Temagami Medical Centre and Family Health Team ...
committed to your health and well-being!

Thousands of women are living with ovarian cancer in Canada. It’s estimated that this year 2,800 Canadian women will be newly diagnosed. Ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cancer for women.
 
Rick Factors

• Age:  your risk increases as you get older, ovarian cancer is more common in women aged 50-79.
• Ethnicity – Jewish women of Eastern European (Ashkenazi) background have a higher risk. French Canadians of certain ancestry may be at increased risk. 
• Family history – your risk is higher if your family has a history of ovarian, breast, endometrial or colorectal cancer.
• Gynecological surgery – your risk is lower if you have had your fallopian tubes and/or ovaries removed.
• Reproductive history – your risk is higher if you have not delivered a child or have had difficulty getting pregnant.
• Oral contraceptives/hormone replacement – your risk is lower if you have used oral contraceptives. Your risk may be higher if you have taken hormone replacement.
• Other factors – your risk may be higher if you have a history of a condition called endometriosis.

 
If you have a family history, it is important that you let your health care provider know.  Ask for a referral to a genetic counsellor.  This is an important step to help you understand the risks and benefits of genetic testing.


Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms associated with ovarian cancer are often vague and can be mistaken for other things.
Common symptoms include: 
1.     Bloating - increased abdominal size/persistent bloating
2.     Eating - difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
3.     Pain - in pelvic or abdominal areas
4.     Urinary symptoms - urgency or frequency
Occasionally there can be other symptoms such as changes in bowel habits, extreme fatigue or unexplained weight loss. Just because you have the symptoms does not mean you have ovarian cancer.

However, if the symptoms are:

• New – they are not normal for you and may have started in the last year
• Persistent – they have been present for more than 3 weeks
• Frequent – you notice the symptoms happen frequently

…then it is important that you see your health care provider. If you are aware of symptoms and communicate these to your health care provider, it may help you to get diagnosed and treated earlier.
 
 
Early detection is key.
Preventative Health Care – the Easiest Way to Protect Your Future!

Parents want their children to grow up healthy, happy and ready to succeed in life. But, childhood obesity is undermining children’s health. According to Statistics Canada, almost one third of Canadians aged five to 17 are overweight or obese. 
 
Many of the physical problems associated with being overweight or obese as a child – such as heart disease, diabetes, or arthritis - may not appear until adulthood, but the social and emotional problems start early. Some overweight kids are bullied at school. They often have low self esteem and suffer socially resulting in a higher likelihood that they will experience depression.
 
TIPS FOR PACKING A HEALTHY LUNCH BOX
Get your kids to help you so that healthy lunches are a family affair.

• Get out the cookie cutters – not for cookies, but for sandwiches. Kids love food in shapes. 
• Serve sliced meat rolled up into tubes and offer the bread separate. Tuna salad can be offered with crackers.
• Use leftovers. If your child liked last night’s beef stew, serve it up for lunch in a thermos after heating it up in the morning.
• Breakfast for lunch? Pancakes or a sliced boiled egg can be a hit too (remember to put in an ice pack though).
• Fruits and veggies are always a part of a nutritious lunch. To make them more fun, include a dip.

 
TIPS FOR BEING PHYSICALLY ACTIVE
On average only 4% of Canadian children take part in enough physical activity.  Children need physical activity to build strength, coordination and confidence. All of these characteristics lay the groundwork for leading a healthy lifestyle in the future.

• Children should participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day.
• Limit the amount of screen time your children have. In fact, if they are younger than 2 years of age, the Canadian Paediatric Society does not recommend any screen time at all.  If they’re between two and five years of age, the recommendation is one hour per day – that’s right, just one hour!
• Be aware of the opportunities your community offers to help your family stay healthy.

 
Physical activity is more than just organized sports. It can include everyday activities like walking the dog, planting a garden, playing tag, building a snowman or tobogganing, and even household chores like sweeping or shoveling the driveway.  Be your child’s role model and set a positive example by being physically active as a family.
 
 
The Temagami Medical Centre and Family Health Team ...
committed to keeping you as healthy as possible!

Muscle strength is important for bone health, balance and just being strong enough for daily activities, such as climbing stairs or carrying groceries.
 
Regular muscle strengthening has also been shown to help manage blood pressure, blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels, as well as prevent and control heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 
 
Did you know that every decade from the age of 30 we lose 3 to 5% of the muscle mass we naturally have, which causes us to lose muscle function?  The good news is that it’s never too late to get started, even if you’ve never picked up a weight in your life.
 
One of the most talked about reasons for strength training in women is the prevention of osteoporosis.  For most women, bone loss increases after menopause when estrogen levels drop sharply.  In fact, in the 5 to 7 years after menopause, women lose up to 20% or more of their bone density. 
 
Machines are a great option for working on strength because they control the movements, especially if you haven’t trained before – you can work hard with good control. The following machine exercises are ideal for strength training in older adults because they strengthen the biggest muscle groups:

• Seated rows
• Lat pull-down
• Shoulder press
• Leg press
• Assisted chin-up

Aim for two to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise.
 
While having big muscles might be what some of us are looking for, it’s the strength that really matters when it comes to functioning well into our older years.  Strength training enables us to maintain a level of strength so we can continue to do the things we love.
 
If you haven’t already done so, stop by the fitness centre in Temagami to check out the new universal weight machine.  Membership is available at a cost of $20 per month for adults, $15 for students and $12 for seniors.  The fitness centre is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
 
Preventative Health Care…
the Easiest Way to Protect Your Future!

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by viruses and can lead to serious health consequences.  There are a number of different forms of the virus, but the most common types of viral hepatitis in Canada are hepatitis A, B and C all of which are contagious.
 
How Do You Get Hepatitis?
The Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) is spread through contact with the feces (poop) of an infected person either directly (person to person, including sexual activity) or indirectly through food or water that’s been contaminated with the virus. Spread through infected blood or blood products has also been reported. There is no medication available to treat Hepatitis A but most people recover on their own. 
 
The Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses are spread through contact with contaminated blood, but Hepatitis B is also sexually transmitted. Both viruses can lead to serious liver damage, liver cancer and the need for liver transplantation. In Canada, about 600,000 people are living with Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. 
 
What are the Symptoms?
Not everyone who becomes infected shows symptoms. Regardless of the type of hepatitis virus infection, the symptoms are similar:

• Fever
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
• Fatigue (feeling tired)
• Loss of appetite (not feeling hungry)
• Stomach pain
• Dark urine
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Joint pain

 
What Can You Do To Reduce Your Risk of Infection?

• Wash your hands properly before and after preparing and eating food;
• Practise safe sex (such as using a condom);
• Do not share personal materials that may come into contact with blood (such as needles, razors, toothbrushes, nail clippers, etc.)

 
Changing behaviours that increase risk is key to protecting yourself from infection and to preventing the spread of infection to others. 
 
Know Your Status – Get Tested
Preventative Health Care – the Easiest Way to Protect Your Future!