News + Research
May is Mental Health month, so we thought it was the perfect time to launch our new Self-Care Spring Cleaning mini-series. The first webisode is tomorrow night and Sarah and I are so excited to talk to everyone about how to declutter and tune-up our emotional and mental health - including strategies we use personally and in practice. There is still time to register at www.drblakepearson.org/events
Huge thanks to Tyler Kula at The Observer for helping us get the word out.
Could cannabis extracts help in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19? Researchers at the University of Lethbridge say their data looks promising.
New research coming out of Alberta shows “cannabis extracts can modulate the levels of the receptors in highly relevant tissues, such as the mouth, lungs and intestinal cells,” which are target areas for the COVID-19 virus.
This early research (which still requires further investigation) draws conclusions that high CBD cannabis extracts can ultimately help to slow the virus by restricting their entry points into the body. I’ve shared more of my thoughts on this in this short video.
Full article available here.
A Sarnia doctor who is the mental-health lead with the local health integration network is hosting a new Lockdown Leaning webinar series.
The half-hour live webinar series hosted by Dr. Blake Pearson kicks off Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
The idea behind the series is to encourage community connection and self-care as people socially and physically distance amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Other planned topics include nutrition, relationships and medicine, while members of the public can suggest others.
“Being indoors and social distancing, it can be tough,” Carswell said, “but getting through this time, hopefully this allows us to help with that.”
Read the full article here.
A Sarnia doctor is launching a free “Lockdown Learning Series” to help people cope with the current emergency measures.
“We felt our community could really benefit from (the concept) and we’re inviting people to share their own requests for future topics on our social media channels,” Pearson said.
The first session is set for Wednesday, April 8, from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Pearson said he and nutrition and fitness expert Adam Vanhoogenhuize will share tips to boost the immune system, manage pain, and add activities to your day.
To register for our next session, click here.
For the full article click here.
In case you missed it
As of April 4th, Ontario Cannabis Stores are no longer on the list of essential services and have been forced to close. The new list of 44 essential services has been paired down from 74 released less than two weeks ago, in an ongoing effort to increase physical distancing and save lives.
This news does not impact the medical cannabis access stream, however.
You’ve often heard me talk about the reasons why people shouldn’t use the recreational cannabis stream to self-medicate. Namely, because there are contraindications, comorbidities and drug interactions that can only be assessed by a qualified medical professional. While cannabis has an excellent safety profile, like any medication, it can cause harm if used inappropriately.
If you have been using cannabis to self-manage a medical condition, now may be the time to consider booking a virtual or telephone appointment for a medical cannabis consultation. In addition to ensuring you receive a proper medical evaluation, medically authorized cannabis is also tax deductible and there is better access to the non-impairing CBD products.
Full article available here.
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Important Patient Notice
This is a reminder that for the safety of our patients and staff, all upcoming appointments will be completed through virtual video or telephone-based consultations, until further notice.
Until the COVID-19 situation stabilizes, please do not come into the clinic unless notified otherwise.
For all upcoming appointments, we will be contacting patients in advance to provide necessary instructions. Our team is available at 519-339-9233 should you have any questions or concerns.
Our phone lines also remain open for all COVID-19 related questions. Simply contact our office at 519-339-9233 to set up an appointment with our physician. These calls are completely FREE of charge and are open to the public – regardless of whether you are a current patient. We're here to answer any questions you may have as we navigate this uncertain time. Be well and stay safe. We will get through this together.
To say we're facing challenging times, may be an understatement; however, now more than ever, it's important to stay mentally and physically strong.
Last week we shared our Five M’s to help you cope with any COVID-19 related anxiety you may be experiencing.
As we head into another week of physical distancing, it’s also important to recognize the warning signs of distress in yourself and your loved ones.
Heightened levels of stress are extremely normal in times of turmoil and the Five M’s can help you keep anxiety levels at bay. However, if distress impacts your daily life for several days or weeks, don’t hesitate to contact your doctor, counsellor or local CMHA branch.
We're all in this together. Stay home & stay safe…and if you need to talk to someone, know that there are people out there to help.
As we head into another week of physical distancing and at-home isolation, it is critical to connect with others and practice self-care.
I’ve teamed up with experts in the fields of medicine, fitness, nutrition, relationships, and more, to bring you a live e-learning series that will bring us together and keep our minds and bodies strong—all while having a little fun!
In our first session, I’ll be joined by nutrition and fitness expert, Adam Vanhoogenhuize from O2 Fuel, and we’ll be sharing our top tips for boosting your immune system, managing pain, improving sleep, and adding a little activity into your day, while you’re not able to take part in your regular activities.
Learning something new and engaging in activities you enjoy are the foundation of self-care and key to helping you stay positive & healthy at this time. We can’t wait to connect with you at our first event!
To join this FREE online event, register at: www.drblakepearson.org/events
I had the pleasure of speaking with Adam VanHoogenhuize, from O2 Fuel to discuss COVID-19, and help to debunk some of the misinformation out there right now.
The goal of our chat was to discuss key information about the virus, precautions to take and to focus on strategies to stay mentally and physically healthy during this time.
We know times like these are stressful but it’s a great opportunity to look at some of the silver linings, such as spending additional time with family and creating healthy self-care routines.
We hope you enjoy our discussion and learn some helpful tips. Watch the full video here.
We will also be filming a few additional videos in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned for more!
COVID-19 At-Home Screening Tool: Click Here.
If you think you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has the virus, Service Ontario has created this helpful self-assessment tool to help determine whether you need to seek further care.
This is a great resource and we urge anyone with concerns to take the brief online assessment. It only takes a minute and once completed, you’ll know what to do next: Either stay home and continue to monitor your symptoms or call your doctor or telehealth.
Calling your own family physician is always the best choice for continuity of care – but we know call volumes are extremely high right now.
To help ease the strain and keep patients out of the ER, I will continue to offer telephone appointments 7-days a week to help people get access to the information they need and #flattenthecurve. You do not need to be a current patient. Our team is standing by to help: 519.339.9233
*Must be an Ontario resident
**This service is for informational, non-emergency information only. If you are experiencing any acute or life-threatening symptoms of any kind, please dial 911.
