Health Animated

Our standards of diet, “ideal” body weight and “ideal” appearance are deeply influenced by the media that we have consumed from a young age, which often represents these standards through a Western- or Euro-centric lens. In today's episode, Gordon Ly, a Registered Dietitian, will walk us through what diet culture is and why we need to think critically about it. Join us as Gordon guides us through concepts such as diet culture, weight-inclusive care, and Health At Every Size. This episode is wonderfully reflective and we hope that it will provide you with new perspectives on how to view your relationship with food and diet. We hope that this will help to challenge some of the biases and assumptions we hold about diet and weight. To learn more about Gordon Ly, you can find him on Twitter @goodfoodgord Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question healthanimators@gmail.com

In this episode we talk about something that everyone does: Pooping. We all strive for regularity, so what helps when you get constipated? The Squatty Potty? Fiber? Laxatives? There are so many things that could help you stay regular and relieve constipation and we'll cover everything from the best pooping position to what medications will help to get you back on track. Ready to unpack a hard topic? We promise to go easy on the puns :) Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

Have you borrowed prescription medications such as topical creams or antibiotics? How about sharing your own prescription medications because you wanted to be helpful? In this episode, we'll surprise you with the number of people that share or borrow prescription medications! While it may seem like a nice thing to offer and come from a good place, we'll explain the many reasons why you may be potentially doing more harm than good. Just because a medication is safe and appropriate for one person, it doesn't mean the same for another person. Even if you and someone else have the exact same medication, you still shouldn't share! In this episode we'll unpack the many reasons why you're better off seeing a health care provider and getting a prescription filled from your pharmacist. Reference Beyene, K., Sheridan, J. and Aspden, T., 2014. Prescription Medication Sharing: A Systematic Review of the Literature. American Journal of Public Health, 104(4), pp.e15-e26. To Donate to India (COVID-19 Relief) Unicef: https://help.unicef.org/in/covid-critical-supplies Red Cross to Donate to India COVID-19 Response Appeal: https://donate.redcross.ca/page/81267/donate/1?mode=DEMO Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question healthanimators@gmail.com

Summer is just around the corner which means it is time to slide on some shades and slop on some sunscreen. In this episode we'll talk about how UV rays can damage the skin leading to premature aging and cancer and how you can protect your body's largest organ! We'll also discuss the role of melanin and why everyone needs sunscreen. We'll answer questions like: What is SPF? How much sunscreen should you apply? How long can you stay in the sun after applying sunscreen? What should you look for in sunscreens? We'll also explore the concept of reef-safe sunscreen. This is a great episode to listen to before your next beach day! Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

The topic of blood clots has been getting a lot of media attention lately. This is because there is a rare type of blood clot that has been associated with both the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccines. As new information is coming out on the daily, we wanted to take a step back and look at blood clots in general. In this episode, we will talk about things such as who's at risk, signs and symptoms, medications that can increase the risk of developing blood clots and much more. Then we'll end by talking about cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) and share what information we know to date about it's association with COVID. Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

What do windy days, masks, screen time and air conditioners have in common? They can all contribute to Dry Eye Disease (DED)! In this episode we'll look at common causes of Dry Eye Disease, tips on how to prevent dry eyes like the 20-20-20 rule, and also things to look out for when purchasing eye drops! Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

This month is Pharmacists Appreciation Month also known as PAM. So in Canada, the month of March is a time to shine a spotlight on all things related to pharmacy. There's often a lot of misconceptions when it comes to the work that we do and so today we're going to celebrate the role of pharmacists. We will be answering Google's most popular questions about pharmacists. We typed in the word pharmacist and let auto-complete fill in the rest of the question. Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

In this episode, we used Google the internet's most sought after questions about Melatonin! In this episode we'll unpack: What is melatonin? How does it affect the brain? Is it bad for you? And probably the most interesting, Why is melatonin so controversial? Have a listen to this episode of melatonin, the natural health product, that just got a lot more interesting! Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

We love our sleep, but honestly we could always use more. You can find sleep tips all over the internet and we've all heard about them from our friends, family and sometimes even our health care providers. Are all tips equal? Which tips will give us the best bang for our buck? In this episode we'll look at a study that found which habits had the worst impact on a restful sleep, the science behind their impact and what you can do to have a good night's sleep! Tune in to learn about how sleep is impacted by alcohol, caffeine, blue light and so much more! Reference Shimura, A., Sugiura, K., Inoue, M., Misaki, S., Tanimoto, Y., & Oshima, A. et al. (2020). Which sleep hygiene factors are important? comprehensive assessment of lifestyle habits and job environment on sleep among office workers. Sleep Health, 6(3), 288-298. Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

In this episode, we'll tackle some questions you may have about COVID-19 mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. We'll review the clinical trials results, look at the safety and efficacy data to date, and find out how these vaccines were developed so quickly! Please note that as this was recorded on January 21st, 2021, please refer to your local Public Health Agency for the most up-to-date information. Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the heroics of our front-line healthcare workers. Today, we shine a spotlight on Nurses by interviewing Jeff who is a recent grad working in a COVID-19 cohort unit. We know that during this pandemic, nurses have been playing a key role in the care of patients and in our vaccination efforts against COVID-19. In this episode, Jeff will take us through the day-to-day life of a nurse and share how the pandemic has changed his practice. Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

In the northern hemisphere, the January Blues is usually attributed to reminiscing about the holidays and the shorter days. But this past week, we witnessed some tragic world events and to top it all off, we're still in the middle of a pandemic. This isn't the start we hoped for! In this episode, we're going to provide tips to take care of yourself and improve your well-being in the time of COVID-19. These four tips come from an article written by Dr. Jennifer Russel and Françoise Mathieu. We also did a mini 2-week trial and we're looking forward to chat about our experiences and personal reflections with these tips. The tips begin at 7:40. References Russel J, Mathieu F (2020) Psychological PPE during COVID-19 http://thischangedmypractice.com/psychological-ppe-during-covid-19/ Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

Happy New Year! This past year has been trying to say the least, and many of us are excited for a fresh start. In this episode, we want to share some tips to give you a leg up on achieving your New Year's resolutions, look at the evidence to see how we can help bring them through to fruition. Jump to 4:48 for the tips but if you want to get nerdy with us, join us from the start where we talk about what it takes to form a new habit and take a look at what the data says about how successful these resolutions are. References Oscarsson M, Carlbring P, Andersson G, Rozental A (2020) A large-scale experiment on New Year's resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals. Lally P, Gardner B (2013) Promoting habit formation. Gardner B, Lally P, Wardle J (2012) Making health habitual: the psychology of ‘habit-formation' and general practice. Lally P, Van Jaarsveld C, Potts H, Wardle J (2010) How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the heroics of our front-line healthcare workers. In our very first interview we shine a spotlight on Pharmacists – a profession that is near and dear to our hearts. We do a bit of catching up with Sharon and Kory who are both community pharmacists. We talk about their pharmacy journey, the day-to-day life of a pharmacist and, of course, touch upon COVID-19 and how it's impacted their practice. This episode is 1 part laughter and 2 parts meaningful conversation; we explore questions like “What's the best part about being a pharmacist?” and throw in some light-hearted questions that are sure to spark debate. Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

We never knew how controversial this topic was until we recorded this episode! This holiday-themed episode that has nothing to do with health but will get you to know a little bit more about us and our holiday traditions! Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

Acne, also known as acne vulgaris, is a skin condition that affects A LOT of people – specifically 85% of people ages 12 to 24! In this episode, we'll dive beneath the pores and look at what causes acne and Maskne and how to treat it. We've answered questions from our friends and family about how often to wash your face, which moisturizers to use and if pimple patches really work! Listen to this episode before your next trip to the drug store! Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com

Hello and welcome to Health Animated: The Podcast. We're Alex and Danielle and we're pharmacists who want to empower you to learn about your health! Join us weekly to cover topics from mental health to COVID-19 in a way that makes health information accessible to you. Subscribe and Follow Us @healthanimated on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, Instagram Learn more at www.healthanimated.com Got a Question? healthanimators@gmail.com