Beware the Siren Call: Addiction and WCB claims
As legend has it, before sailing past the alluring Sirens, Homer’s Odysseus had himself bound to the mast of his ship. Odysseus well knew he couldn’t be trusted to resist the Siren’s Call. Various drugs and addictive behaviors affect the brain and body in different ways. For some, cravings manifest in a singular dimension, as […]
Bill 30’s WCB Implications
Unfortunately for Alberta employers, a large number remain unfamiliar with the monumental responsibilities thrust upon them by recently enacted Bill 30. And perhaps the least understood aspect of Bill 30 is the employer’s duty to inquire into the physical and mental health of employees. Case in point: how does an employer respect privacy rights (PIPA) […]
Shift OHS supervisor training is indispensable in the COVID era
I say this with respect, but a majority of employers seem unaware of the monumental responsibilities thrust upon them by recently enacted Bill 30. And perhaps the least understood aspect of Bill 30 is the employer’s duty to inquire into the physical and mental health of employees. Case in point: how does an employer respect […]
Obesity and COVID-19
If you’ve been putting off whipping yourself into shape, it’s time to get serious. According to a renowned cardiologist at Johns Hopkins, fatty tissue has a high amount of the “docking” protein that COVID uses to break into cells — allowing fat to “serve as a viral refuge and replication site, thus prolonging virus shedding.” […]
The role of the body in psychotherapy
The aphorism, “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he,” speaks to the power of thought in molding and shaping our inner lives. According to the masterful James Allen, “as a being of Power, Intelligence, and Love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains […]
COVID-19 Support: Your mental wellbeing
In this second coming of COVID, business outcomes will hinge on how well, both physically and mentally, employees ride out the remainder of this storm. This is why we teamed up with BEACON, Canada’s leading provider of digital therapy, to add another dimension to Blue Collar’s disability program. To date, BEACON’s service has already helped […]
WCB, disability, and genetic testing
Antidepressant prescriptions have spiked 34% during the pandemic. And WCB recently reported a 2700% PRE-pandemic rise in complex psych claims. SSRIs (i.e. Prozac, Celexa, etc) account for the majority of these antidepressant prescriptions, dominating antidepressant volumes across Western societies. And while SSRIs are undeniably effective, it takes the typical mental health sufferer three tries to […]
An integrated disability program for the COVID era
An holistic approach to the mind/body interface requires careful contemplation of all relevant factors. The psychological, physical, and pharmacological dimensions of wellbeing are complex unto themselves, each of them interacting with and feeding back on the others. Failure to account for these dependencies can drive short-term benefits but at the cost of long-term equilibrium. At […]
Add a fully-integrated OHS provider to your team
Why hire five providers when you can hire one? Health and safety, mental wellbeing, and disability management should be approached holistically, never in isolation. The psychological, physical, and pharmacological dimensions of overall health are complex unto themselves, each of these factors interacting with and feeding back on the others. Failure to account for these dynamics […]
Disability management and the stoic roots of CBT
It’s uncommon knowledge that the most effective form of psychological therapy was handed down by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an approach with philosophical origins harking back to ancient Stoic philosophers. And some two thousand years later, CBT is now widely considered the most efficacious treatment for anxiety, depression, and substance […]