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.

Cannabis Proven to Help Insomniacs Sleep

Australia has always been a special place for me and as those who follow my page know, I spent several weeks there last year providing cannabinoid medicine education to Australian physicians. There are many parallels between the Australian medical system and our own, so I aim to keep up with the research coming forward, which led me to this new study.

Completed by the University of Western Australia, this world-first study has “ shown that medicinal cannabis can be used as a treatment for adults suffering from chronic insomnia.”

The researchers found statistically significant improvements in a range of objective and subjective sleep measures, including total sleep time, wake time during the night, time to sleep, quality of sleep and feeling rested after sleep. Participants also reported a significant improvement in subjective measures of stress, fatigue and social functioning.

Lead researcher, Professor Peter Eastwood said: “Positive patient experiences with minimal side-effects are critical to the success of any insomnia drug and highlights the potential for this treatment to address a key area of unmet need.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Full article available 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!

Managing Anxiety & Insomnia - Paul's Story: Part 2

Managing Anxiety & Insomnia

Paul’s Story: Part 2

Living with long-term anxiety can have significant effects on your quality of life, impacting your ability to maintain relationships, perform in your work and it can even impact your physical health.

In part two of Paul’s story, he tells us how cannabinoid therapy improved his overall cognitive function and physical health: “Out of everything I’ve taken, it is the only thing that has worked for me in 30 years.”

Like any therapy, results vary from person to person. However, given the low side-effect profile of cannabinoid medicines and positive clinical outcomes I see regularly, it’s important for patients and physicians to know that this is a valid treatment option in the right circumstances.

Managing Anxiety & Insomnia - Paul's Story: Part 1

Paul’s Story: Part 1

Although we’re into another week of isolation, I think it’s important to break up the COVID-19 news and bring some positivity to your feed. Let me share Paul’s story:

Paul developed PTSD, anxiety and insomnia, following his time as a police officer in Belfast, Ireland and a corrections officer in Canada. He was referred to my clinic to try to help with his anxiety and insomnia after trying many other therapies without any benefit.

After coaching Paul on the benefits of non-medical therapies including mindfulness, exercise, sleep hygiene and healthy eating, we introduced cannabinoid therapy. Paul’s anxiety has lessened and he is now sleeping 7-9 hours a night. Seeing this kind of quality life improvement in my patients is the reason I began practicing medicine and why I’ll continually love what I do. Thank you for sharing your story, Paul!

Kristen's Story

Despite everything going on in the world around us, life continues to go on. In an effort to bring some positivity, I wanted to share a patient testimonial that always brings a smile to my face.

There is nothing that brings me more satisfaction than seeing the monumental changes that some patients experience after beginning cannabinoid therapy. It is such a privilege to be playing a role in helping patients get their quality of life back. Thank you to Kristen for sharing her story.

“When I first started out working with the doctor to get off my fibromyalgia meds I was a bit of a skeptic. However, my goal of getting off the meds came with great success. I feel like I did years before ever being diagnosed with this terrible condition. Dr. Pearson and his staff have helped give my husband and kids their wife and mom back and for that I am forever grateful. Cannabinoid therapy has changed my life for the better, no doubt.”

• Kristen B, 39, Fibromyalgia

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.