Dr. Erika Buckley-Strobel
1309-11th St. S. V0A 1H0 Golden, BC, Canada

Hand Sanitizer Warning I know my little guy would think this is a fruit snack package... please be careful out there!

Echinacea has always been one of my favourite healing herbs and has become a symbol of natural medicine. I love how this video shows how they support the circle of life!

A community health message from our Community Paramedine Provider. Thanks for watching out for all of us.

A truly holistic approach to COVID-19 management. So well said!

Well, Im back in the clinic with a few changes for your health and safety. Heres what I look like under my mask in case your forget what my smiling face looks like!

Care for the caregiver is one of my passions in working with the Senior community. Feel free to share this great article from Family Caregivers BC to any caregivers you know that may need some extra personal care

Healing is a hard journey, but an amazing adventure of self-exploration!

When kids start telling their Play Doh to stay two metres apart you know they are listening! A great public service announcement for us all!

Please, please, please read and follow all safety instructions on any cleaning products you use! http://www.bccdc.ca//b-c-sees-a-spike-in-calls-to-poison-c

What an inspirational quote! Happy Earth Day everyone!

April 14,2020 Golden Community Update

This great mental health advice reminds me of the Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

April 2 Community Update Dr Trina Larsen Soles 1. There are an additional 55 positive tests for a total of 1121 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in BC. 121 are i...n Interior Health. 149 people are in hospital and 68 of these are in ICU. There is a new Community Outbreak at a corrections facility in the Okanagan involving 1 inmate. There remain 21 affected Long Term Care facilities. An additional 6 people have died- 3 in long-term care, 1 in Fraser Health and 2 on Vancouver Island. This is the largest number of deaths in a single day in BC so far. 641 people have recovered 2. There was some encouraging news about PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment) today. Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the federal government has shipped 10 million masks to the provinces and today they received another 1 million masks that will be distributed. 3. The rate of hospitalizations has remained steady. There is an increase every day but not a deluge as of yet. Although we currently have capacity to meet the needs in hospitals across BC, the Vancouver Convention Centre has been set up as an overflow facility with 271 beds. These would be designated for other hospitalized medical patients in the event that all our hospitals fill up with Covid-19 patients. The facility will be ready by April 8 if there is need. 4. We have been getting questions about how long to self-isolate if you are ill. The recommendation is to stay home for 14 days from the onset of symptoms. If you develop difficulty breathing or other serious symptoms please phone the clinic (250-344-2211) or the hospital (250-344-5271) and talk to us about whether you need to be assessed. 5. As we approach Easter and Passover and Ramadan, Dr. Henry urged faith leaders across the province to find virtual ways to celebrate these important holidays. This is a time of year when people come together in celebration of many traditions. This is the year when we have to figure out how to do this differently. It will be challenging, like so many of the things we are asked to do right now. But considering the commitment of our community and the innovative ways in which we are all tackling the need to socialize while staying physically apart I am confident Golden will find a way. 6. Right now the numbers of cases we are seeing remain small. But each case we see has a circle of contacts that are at risk. Each of us is doing our part by staying home and decreasing these social contacts and slowing the rate of transmission. Please be safe, stay strong, stay committed and stay home! The Physicians of Golden

This article not only helped me make sense of my emotions in this new and challenging time, but also provided some excellent and practical strategies that are effective for stress management and anxiety relief. I hope you will find it helpful https://hbr.org/20//that-discomfort-youre-feeling-is-grief

Thanks so much to the BC government for this great resource and acknowledging that for many people this is a mental health crisis as well as a public health one. https://www.stopoverdose.gov.bc.ca//covid-19-mental-health

March 27 Golden Community Update Covid-19 Dr Trina Larsen Soles 1. There are an additional 67 confirmed cases in BC for a provincial total of 792. There are ...2 more deaths in Vancouver Coastal for a total of 16 deaths. 70 cases are in Interior Health. 73 patients are in hospital. 2 more long term care homes in the lower mainland have positive cases. 2. Today the province released modeling to track the progress of the virus in BC. There is cautious optimism that social distancing measures have slowed the rate of increase in cases. Essentially they are comparing the rate of rise seen in South Korea, Hubei, Italy and Northern Italy with BC. There appears to be some early flattening of the curve- bearing in mind that we are looking at cases from a week ago and our social distancing measures have only been in place for about 10 days. 3. The approach of the BC government is to put measures in place to try to achieve the best outcome- a curve more similar to South Korea- while preparing capacity for the worst-case scenario, which would be northern Italy. In the worst-case situation EVERY hospital bed and ventilator in the province would be full, and non-Covid cases would be treated in alternate locations like community centres and gymnasiums. In the best-case situation we do have the capacity to treat all patients who need admission in our hospitals. This is why it is so important to continue rigorous efforts at social distancing. 4. What you are doing- what we are doing as a community- is vitally important. Over the next 2 weeks we will see the results of our efforts. There will be an increase in cases, and more patients in hospital. But we have the hope of keeping the rate of increase slower so the health system can look after all of us should we become ill enough to need to be in hospital. Please keep up the good work and stay at home. We can do this together by continuing to stay apart! The Physicians of Golden

March 24 Community Update Covid-19 Dr Trina Larsen Soles 1. There are an additional 145 confirmed cases over the last 2 days for a provincial total of 617 pos...itive for Covid-19. 41 of these are in Interior Health. 59 patients are in hospital and 23 are in ICU. There are no new deaths reported today, although there is a dentist who died in North Vancouver who attended the dental conference in Vancouver Mar 5-7. His death is under a coroners investigation and has not been confirmed as Covid-19 yet. 32 people in BC who attended that conference are confirmed cases. This is the biggest cluster outside of the Lynn Valley Care Centre. 2 more long-term care facilities have identified positive cases in the last 24 hours. 2. The province has launched a new self assessment app for your phone. It is called BC Covid-19 Support and can be found on the App Store or Google Play. It has the same tool found online at bc.thrive.health and includes the latest updates on the BC situation as well as links to trusted resources for those who want more information. It also has details on self-isolation and social distancing. 3. We do continue to test for Covid-19 according to the public health guidelines. This includes people who have been exposed to a known cluster, people ill enough to require hospitalization, health care workers, and symptomatic residents in long term care. At this point we are no longer tracking to see where the disease is coming from, but focusing on containing the spread. We assume the disease is everywhere, and you need to act accordingly. 4. We applaud the community for self-isolating when appropriate and staying close to home as much as possible. It is easy to get bored and start going stir crazy when all your usual activities are on hold. However it is more important than ever to physically distance yourself from everyone other than your immediate household. If people do not follow the orders your activities will be even more restricted than they are now. 5. We are seeing an increase in stress and anxiety as the pandemic progresses. Everyone is worried and many have physical symptoms as well as mental distress. It is important that you take time to look after yourself both physically and mentally. Exercise is still a great idea unless you are sick. Going outside for exercise or walking is still ok as long as you practice physical distancing. Going for a drive is ok as long as you have a limited number of people in your car. Getting outside in nature is an excellent stress reliever and we have many beautiful places to go without being in a crowd! 6. Some excellent online resources include Mindshift CBT, Calm, Headspace, and Breathe. These are all available as apps for your phone or iPad. Some are completely free, some have a monthly charge after the first month However even for the paid apps there are a number of resources being offered free within these platforms during the global crisis. The clinic is open and we continue to see patients in crisis. Our virtual access is going well. 7. The government has stated that you do not need a sick note to self isolate for travel or illness. You do not need a note to access EI. We will not be writing sick notes and your employer cannot require one. 8. Please realize we are in this for the long haul and it will be weeks before the public health orders are eased. Do not lose heart. Your actions of staying close to home and helping keep our community safe are making a difference. The Physicians of Golden

Tonight's post from Dr Larsen Soles: May 19 Community Update 1. BC now has 271 confirmed cases of Covid-19. 12 are in Interior Health. There was another death... in the Lynn Valley Care facility. 2. The clinic remains open but most appointments are now over the phone or computer. We will see patients in person who need to be examined but prefer to screen everyone first. We will be deferring any routine physical exams and non-urgent appointments until we have a better sense of how affected our community will be over the next few weeks. Please be patient as we focus on the most urgent cases. Some conditions should not wait, such as cancer patients who continue to receive treatment and maternity patients who continue to have babies. And of course we continue to assess patients who are acutely ill or injured. 3. Symptoms of Covid-19 can vary. Most common are dry cough, fever, sore throat, and achy muscles. Some people have nausea and upset stomach and bowels as well. The people who develop complications have difficulty breathing and the severe cases are related to worsening lung problems. It is primarily a respiratory virus and it is spread by droplets in the air or deposited on surfaces when you cough or sneeze. That is why hand washing and keeping distance between you and other people is so important. 4. We are hearing from more and more people who are feeling significantly anxious as we deal with the uncertainties around Covid -19. It is normal to be anxious when we do not know what to expect. People are worried about going to work, especially those of us who deal with the public face to face. Each of us will have to decide how much risk we are willing to accept. Each of you will have to decide how much you are willing to put others at risk.. You can help by limiting your social contact even if you are well. 5. Unfortunately not everyone is being responsible about social distancing and this puts all of us in essential services at risk. Please, please, please stay at home if you are ill. Keep distance between each other when you are out, and only go out for necessary things. Do not congregate in crowds. 5. The people who work in our grocery stores deserve mention. They are helping all of us get food and basic necessities. Dont go into the store if you are sneezing or coughing. It puts everyone at risk of exposure. 6. Please be considerate when you need to come to the hospital or clinic. Call ahead. Our doctors and nurses and care aides and cleaners are all showing up at work every day so you can have the care you need. If we become exposed and need to self-isolate there are fewer of us to look after you. 7. We are in this together, and there is a long road ahead of us. This is the time to look after each other. Be kind. Look out for your neighbors. Take time to care for your mental as well as your physical health. Get out in the sunshine. Listen to music. Breathe. And for now, just stay at home! The Physicians of Golden

Social distancing does not equal quarantine! Get outside and enjoy some fresh air an sunshine Call and have a good catch up with a friend Rekindle a long lost hobby Its good for your mental health

Todays Golden update from Dr. Larsen Soles... March 17 Community Update 1. BC has declared a public health emergency. This gives the Provincial Health Officer ...the power to issue orders rather than recommendations. More on that below. 2. There are now 186 confirmed cases in BC. The large jump was explained as being due to increased testing with a lag in confirming results. There have been 3 more deaths, 2 from Lynn Valley Care Home and 1 in the Fraser Health region. There are 7 people in hospital, 4 of them are in ICU. There are 7 confirmed cases in Interior Health. 3. We now have confirmed cases in Golden. There are most likely cases in every community. Our focus needs to shift to managing the spread. Our containment procedures have been effective and neither the hospital nor the clinic have yet been directly exposed. Social distancing is more important than ever. No one has yet been hospitalized here. 4. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. If you are ill, self isolate at home. This means stay home and DO NOT BE IN CONTACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE. Do not go to the grocery store. Get someone to shop for you. 5. Schools are closed. Indefinitely. 6. By order of the Provincial Health Officer all bars are closed. Restaurants may only remain open if they can ensure social distancing. 7. We ask that all patients going to the hospital for routine lab work or imaging talk with your doctor about whether your tests can be postponed. Some tests must be done regardless such as pre-chemo blood work and prenatal ultrasounds. Some tests can be safely deferred. 8. We have an amazing supportive caring community. We will get through this challenging time together. Be kind. Look out for each other. We will do our best to keep you safe and look after the needs of the community.

Happy Womens Day! So excited to be able to share it with my fellow women in business in Golden!

So proud to finally hang this on my office wall! Seniors health and Naturopathic medicine, what a great fit!

Name that bug bite...

A great local initiative to get kids active!

Are you a senior or have a senior in your life? Attend this great event that can help decrease stress and worry down the road.

Your inspiration to get moving on a Tuesday after the long weekend! I aspire to have this much vitality when Im a senior!

Some medical humour for your morning

A great saying that shows holistic health is a community affair

Do you have challenges with transportation to/from medical appointments? Counsellor Chris Hambruch is listening!

How to create wisdom and meaning as we age!

Time to refresh your CPR? This may help you get the beat!

Wow! Perspective IS everything!

Now this is what I call a healthy win-win!

A great opportunity to practice some "Emotional Nourishment!"

In a world of fad diets and nutritional sensationalism, here is a great research-based article to help you cut through the hype.

Some people sees Nature's devestation. . . I would rather look for Nature's amazing gifts!