Health-e Choice Pharmacy

09/12/2025

The Batter's Boxes are a home run!!
A tasty lunch for our hard-working Pharmily and a contribution to support our communities in time of need.
Thank you Mary Brown's for your generosity and excellent service from your staff, who are extremely busy but are remaining courteous and efficient, and of course for your yummy chicken!

08/29/2025

07/22/2025

We have some new products at the pharmacy. Collagen liquid, Alani shakes & bars along with specialty teas such as dandelion root and many great flavours of Good Protein powder!

Drop by to check them out!!

07/16/2025

Happy Clarenville Day!!! Please note that we are closed today and will reopen tomorrow morning at 8:30am. 🎉👏💥

06/08/2025

IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE GOOD VISION AND STILL BE FUNCTIONALLY BLIND???
It most certainly is.

Imagine you are alert and driving home one night and your eyes close. Trying with all your might, you cannot open them. Thanking your lucky stars, this lasts only for seconds and you avoid having a car accident. Over the next weeks to months, these episodes become more frequent. You cannot trust yourself to drive, walking by yourself outside becomes difficult and interacting with your family and friends is uncomfortable because of how they see you struggling to keep your eyes open and because of how you feel when they react. Eventually, you lose most of your abilities as an independent person.

Over the span of 5 years, your family brings you to every Optometrist, Ophthalmologist and Physician that will see you. You try many different eye drops and one procedure for your diagnosis of "dry eyes" but nothing helps with these episodes. Finally, you get to visit an Optometrist, who specializes in Dry Eyes, and she confirms that the amount of moisture in your eyes is not responsible for these episodes.
The path is extremely difficult to find, but from there, a referral to a walk-in-clinic, a referral to an Internal Specialist, a referral to a Neurologist and you find an answer. You have Blepharospasm and it is the reason you are functionally blind.

Blepharospasm is a disease which involves the muscles around the eyes that contract and cause involuntary closure of both eyes. This disease is not well understood. It is thought to be linked to gene mutations, stress, anxiety, trauma and other eye conditions. Although it can affect either s*x, Menopausal women between the ages of 50 and 70 are at most risk of having this disease.

Effective treatments for Blepharospasm are hard to find. According to NCBI Bookshelf StatPearls "Benign Essential Blepharospasm", "Oral pharmacotherapy for BEB has failed to show persistent relief from symptoms" and is "associated with potentially undesirable side effects".

Botulinum toxin (Botox), carefully injected by a Specialist into the muscles surrounding the eyes is a very effective treatment. This product is expensive and it has to be given every three months, but it can give patients their quality of life and independence back. With the help of botulinum toxin, our real life patient, discussed earlier, is very happy to enjoy all aspects of her life.

As Pharmacists, we see patients who have issues with dry eyes fairly often. This particular patient has lead us to investigate what seems to be dry eyes, a little more. If patients complain that they have tried every eyedrop and nothing works, can't function normally because they can't keep their eyes open, or if the Technician at the Eye Clinic physically has to pry their eyes open to perform any test, they might be suffering from Blepharospasm. Asking them to ask their Physician about this disease may start them on that hidden path.

06/02/2025

Stop by or give us a call... 709-466-1234.

04/21/2025

Our Seniors are an Incredible Gift!

Lifetimes of experiences, our Seniors are our links to our past, present and future. They are a wealth of knowledge of how things used to be, they have endured many struggles and have loved and lost. Their hard work and intelligence have paved the way for the many comforts we have today. Very importantly, they provide insight, with respect to the quality of life we can expect if we are privileged to become Seniors ourselves.

Like many Pharmacy teams, our Health-e Choice Pharmily, does our best to help our Seniors with clear advice about their medication, we blister pack medications to help ensure proper dosing, we provide vaccinations and we often deliver medications to patients who have difficulty coming to the Pharmacy. Aside from all of the medication stuff, we also listen to many of their stories and have many great chats.

Whether our Seniors live in their own homes, a Retirement or Nursing Home, or spend time in hospital, they all deserve loving care and attention.

The simplest gestures can make a big difference.

Ensuring our Seniors receive enough clean fresh water throughout their days can help them maintain good health. We all need 6 to 8 glasses of water a day to help our bodies digest food and maintain good oxygen-rich blood flow to the top of our heads, to the tips of our toes, and everything in between. Not getting enough water can lead to mental issues, such as memory problems and confusion, and physical issues, such as heart and kidney problems, aches and pains, dry mouth and skin, constipation, etc.
There are many Seniors in our lives who may not realize the importance of drinking enough water, have difficulty physically getting up to get some or are too ill or shaky to drink from a glass. We can all help them with gentle reminders and ensuring they have the personal care that they need and deserve.

Good nutrition, personal cleansing, physical activity, personal interactions, timely medical attention, feelings of safety and security, along with life preserving water, are important to everyone but are not simple or guaranteed for many of the Seniors who live around us.

As advocates for our Seniors, we hope our decision makers assess the current experiences of our Seniors in hospitals and their homes and work towards providing them with all the support they need to live healthier and longer lives.

An ounce of prevention can be worth a pound of gold in time to make memories and enjoy.

04/17/2025

Please have a safe, happy and Health-e long weekend 🌞🌈🎉💖

03/04/2025

03/03/2025

Pharmacy Appreciation Month is the annual national campaign that shines a spotlight on all things pharmacy. Celebrated each March, is a time to highlight the growing role pharmacy professionals play in our health-care system. At Health-e Choice Pharmacy, we take pride in providing personalized care, expert advice, and a friendly smile every time you walk through our doors. Your health and well-being are at the heart of everything we do, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to serve our amazing community. Thank you for supporting Health-e Choice Pharmacy and thank you for supporting local.

01/30/2025

Do you have to go to the Emergency Room if you have symptoms of a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)??

This can be a "complicated" question but Health-e Choice Pharmacists and many Pharmacists within our Province are able to help you figure it out.

Having a burning sensation and/or pain when you p*e and the need to go often with the feeling you can't finish emptying your bladder are symptoms that can certainly ruin your day.

If you are unable to see a family doctor, an assessment by a Pharmacist can lead you to fairly quick treatment or a recommendation for further investigation and diagnostic testing.

As Pharmacists, we can assess you by asking detailed questions about your current symptoms, medical conditions, personal health and review your medication profile. This provides us with the information we need to decide whether or not we can prescribe an antibiotic or other treatment for you.

Our scope of practice allows us to prescribe for simple or "uncomplicated" UTIs. These infections are usually caused by tiny bacteria that normally live in our intestines that find their way from inside the bum (a**s) to the urethra, which is the lowest part of the urinary tract, where you p*e from.

Left untreated, these pesky bacteria can move further up the Urinary Tract and cause a more "complicated" infection. Therefore, it is very important to seek treatment as soon as possible.
Fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain are symptoms of a more serious or complicated UTI which may require a trip to the ER.

Some tips to help avoid getting a UTI include:

1) Drink plenty of water to help your kidneys and flush out those bacteria from getting where they don't belong.
2) Always wipe from front to back when cleansing after #1 or #2.
3) P*e after having s*x to flush out your Urinary Tract.
?? Cranberry juice: maybe, maybe not, there is really no definite information but Cranberry juice is a nice beverage with vitamin C, which most of us can use this time of year.
?? Anti-inflammatory medications: may help with pain and inflammation but are not a treatment of any infection.

Urinary Tract Infections are just one of the more than 30 minor ailments that Pharmacists can help our patients with, to help alleviate wait times at Emergency Rooms. If you would like more information, you are always welcome to ask your Pharmacist.