COVIDsomnia: Why The Pandemic is Messing With People's Sleep

“COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the global economy, public health systems and upended industries from tourism to summer camps. Now, doctors from around the world say they’re seeing an influx in patients with disrupted sleep patterns linked to financial anxiety, fears of the virus or a lack of daily routine.” -- CTV News

While it may come as a surprise to some that despite many of the COVID-related restrictions loosening, many people are still suffering from anxiety and insomnia, I can say first-hand that I continue to see these symptoms amongst my own patients. Financial insecurity related to job-loss or a downturn in self-owned business is particularly prevalent.

We talked about these issues & provided some practical coping strategies from other experts in webisodes two and three of our Lockdown Learning Series earlier this summer. These are available for free on-demand viewing at www.drblakepearson.org/events. I invite you to have a watch and please let us know if we can offer any additional support.

Read the full CTV article here.

Claiming Medical Cannabis as a Medical Expense

We’re just under a month out from the CRA’s new individual tax filing deadline of June 1st. While it’s never anyone’s favourite time of year, some good news is that CRA has confirmed that medical cannabis is an allowable expense. Individuals must have a prescription for medical cannabis from a qualified healthcare practitioner and have purchased from a Licensed Producer (LP).

For more information on the process and how to determine the amount you spent on medical cannabis, check out this informative blog post and video from Tilray. If you use another LP’s products, the process will likely be similar but you can always contact their customer service team for help.

Could cannabis extracts help in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19?

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.

Lockdown Learning Series: Webisode 3 (Free Virtual Event)

Join us for our next free online event: Coping with Major Life Changes & Relationship Stressors due to COVID-19

Registeration is now open - simply click HERE.

Due to the overwhelming interest in our session on Coronavirus-related chronic stress, in our next webisode, I’ll be joined by clinical therapist, Meaghan Ferguson, to dive deeper into the mental and emotional side effects the virus is having on individuals, couples and families.

Job loss. Forced togetherness. Loneliness. Fear for a loved one. Home-schooling. Working from home. Loss of freedom. Financial strain.

If any of these are causing you worry, we invite you to tune in on Wednesday May 6th at 7:00 PM EDT.

Topics will include responding effectively to increased general, health and financial anxiety & specific coping strategies for dealing with children, partners and loved ones.

Registration is always free and the presentation will be followed by an interactive Q&A session. We hope to see you there!

Sarnia doctor launching self-care webinar series

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.

Local doctor launching e-learning series to help residents cope

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.

COVID-19 Essential Services Update

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.

#Covid19 #CoronaVirus #CoronaVid19 #cannabis #cannabiscures #cannabiscommunity #cannabisculture #medical #Medicalcannabis #Education #Dispensery #CannabisIsMedicine #Canada #Ontario #Sarnia #virus #covid #WereHereToHelp #Doctor #PatientCare #Resource #CommunitySupport #Telehealth #FrontLines #PhysicalDistancing

Lockdown Learning Series: Free Virtual Event

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

COVID-19 At-Home Screening Tool

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.

Canada Post Announcement - COVID-19

For those who may have missed it, earlier this week Canada Post announced some changes to the way they complete deliveries during this time. In order to limit exposure, they've made the following changes:

They will no longer require signatures for any deliveries to the door. Instead, their delivery agents will simply leave your items in your mailbox or outside your door, as long as it's safe to do so. For any registered items or items that require proof of identity or age verification, like all cannabis products, you will receive a notice card indicating the post office where you can pick up your items by showing proof of identity. If you are sick or under self-isolation, please arrange for someone to pick-up these items in your place.

For those purchasing medical cannabis, you may want to consider purchasing a few months supply or a little more than usual to ensure you’re in good supply and minimize your need for any additional points of contact in the community. Should any current patients require temporary modifications to their medical documents to allow for larger quantities, please contact my office at 519-339-9233 to schedule a virtual appointment.

According to Leafly.ca, not all delivery companies have implemented the same rules as Canada Post. On Twitter, Purolator confirmed they no longer require signatures but that you can show a piece of government issued ID and agree to accept the packages verbally. Fed Ex and UPS appear to be following a similar approach.

More information available here.