Shingles - the facts

Shingles or herpes zoster (to give it its Sunday name!) is a condition caused by reactivation of the chickenpox virus.

You cannot catch shingles from someone with chickenpox.
Once you have had chickenpox (and 90% of adults in the UK will have had), the virus stays dormant in the body until it is reactivated, when it causes shingles. If you have definitely never had chicken pox, then you will not get shingles.
  What is shingles?
Symptoms of shingles normally affect one side of the body. It usually starts with a headache, fever or tiredness. Most people feel unwell with shingles. This is commonly followed by a burning pain. A few days later a rash may develop which will turn into fluid filled blisters which will eventually crust over and heal.

Most people recover fully but some people are left with nerve pain (neuralgia) for many months or even years after. This burning or shooting pain can be extremely distressing and disabling.

Treatment
Treatment in the form of antivirals are available to treat the symptoms of shingles if they are taken as soon as possible during an episode.

Care is needed if shingles affects the eye or eyelid as this has been known to affect vision and even cause permanent blindness.

Although shingles can develop at any age, it is much more likely to affect people over 50 years of age and the risk increases with increasing age.

The shinglesaware website offers some really good advice for anyone wanting more information about shingles.

Prevention
The good news is that there is a vaccine available which can prevent shingles at all.
The NHS has agreed that a shingles vaccination should be offered to people aged 70 to 79 years and this is likely to start from 2014, but you can protect yourself before then if you want to.
As you know, we at Barnton Pharmacy like to jab people, so we are delighted to be able to offer the shingles vaccine as part of our comprehensive vaccination programme.

It is not cheap at £150, but if you know of people who have had or are suffering from the pain left behind after shingles, they may say it is money well spent.

Launching our new travel clinic in Edinburgh

We all know we ought to ensure our travel vaccinations are up to date, but fitting that in to an already busy schedule before going on holiday can be difficult.

Then there is the added difficulty of trying to get an appointment at your doctors and then get a prescription and go back and get your jabs, right?

WRONG!

Our new travel clinic at Barnton Pharmacy in North West Edinburgh takes all the hassle out of getting ready for your holidays.

We offer a one-stop shop for all your travel related needs.

We can provide

• Travel Health Advice before your trip,
• Travel Vaccinations without a prescription
• Anti Malarial Medication without a prescription
• Travel Health Products

Our travel health qualified Pharmacists Leanne and Sally are able to advise you on all aspects of travel health, provide vaccinations and anti malarial medication, without you needing to visit your doctor or get a prescription.

Weekday and Saturday morning appointments available.

A consultation fee of £15.00 will be charged but can be redeemed against any vaccines, antimalarials or travel related products.

For more information on our prices, click here.

For an appointment or more information, please call 0131 339 3449 or email barntonpharmacy@btinternet.com

Once you have made your appointment, please complete the Travel Assessment Form to bring along with you

Why antibiotics aren't always the answer.

This week is European Antibiotic Awareness Week! I have some interesting dates in my diary, don't I?

It is all about using antibiotics wisely so that they will still be effective against bugs now and for future generations.

If you are still reading this, then please carry on reading the handy questions from the Scottish Antibicrobial Prescribing Group (I told you, I have an interesting life!!!) to find out what you can do to play your part in responsible antibiotic use.

How should I treat my cold?
The best way to treat most colds, coughs or sore throats is to drink plenty of fluids and to rest. Colds can last about two weeks and may end with a cough and bringing up phlegm. There are many over the counter remedies to ease the symptoms – paracetamol, for example. Ask your pharmacist for advice. If the cold lasts more than three weeks, or you become breathless or have chest pains, or already have a chest complaint, see your doctor.
What about my children, they’re always getting coughs and colds?

Why should antibiotics not be used to treat coughs and colds?
All colds and most coughs and sore throats are caused by viruses. Antibiotics do not work against infections, such as colds, caused by viruses. Viral infections are much more common than bacterial infections.
What are antibiotics?
Antibiotics are important medicines used to treat infections caused by bacteria. Bacteria can adapt and find ways to survive the effects of an antibiotic. They become ‘antibiotic resistant’ so that the antibiotic no longer works. The more often we use an antibiotic, the more likely it is that bacteria will become resistant to it. Some bacteria that cause infections in hospitals, such as MRSA, are resistant to several antibiotics.
Why can’t different antibiotics be used instead?
They can, but they may not be as effective, and they may have more side-effects. And eventually the bacteria will become resistant to them too. We cannot be sure we will always be able to find new antibiotics to replace the old ones. In recent years fewer new antibiotics have been discovered.
How can antibiotic resistance be avoided?
By using antibiotics less often we can slow down the development of resistance. It’s not possible to stop it completely, but slowing it down stops resistance spreading and buys some time to develop new types of antibiotics.
What can I do about antibiotic resistance?
By only using antibiotics when it’s appropriate to do so. We now know that most coughs and colds get better just as quickly without antibiotics. When they are prescribed, the complete course should be taken in order to get rid of the bacteria completely. If the course isn’t completed, some bacteria may be left to develop resistance.
So when will I be prescribed antibiotics?
Your doctor will only prescribe antibiotics when you need them, for example for a kidney infection or pneumonia. Antibiotics may be life-saving for infections such as meningitis. By not using them unnecessarily, they are more likely to work when we need them.

Are you ready for the first aid challenge

A few weeks ago, one of my mummy friends had a horrific experience with her youngest son. Through a freak accident at home he ended up with a fractured skull, a terrifying wait for an ambulance and a worrying time in Edinburgh's Sick Kids Hospital.

I am delighted to say he is fine and as smiley as ever, but it got us talking at one of our regular mum meet-ups about what we would do in a similar situation. Would we know what to do in case of an emergency? How would you go about giving first aid to a toddler?

I vaguely remember thinking it would be a good idea to do a refresher first aid course for babies when I was pregnant with my first child, and then I got a bit busy with the business of being a mummy, and here I am nearly four years later, and no further on with this partucular piece of self development.

 

So, I had a look around and was delighted ot see that the Red Cross are running a First Aid Challenge to encourage parents to learn first aid

There are three main ways to get involved in the Challenge:

1. Learn first aid online.
2. Take a first aid course.
3. Ask your local school if they teach first aid.


There are even discounts off courses and the chance of winning £500 in a prize draw!

What more reason do you need to learn first aid?

Ask your pharmacist.

Today is the first day of Ask Your Pharmacist Week 2012. This annual campaign aims to raise the profile of community pharmacy and the services on offer.

This year, the focus is on encouraging men to take a more active interest in their medicines, and drawing attention to the pharmacy based services available to them.

According to a new survey by the National Pharmacy Association, there are sharp gender differences in medicines behaviours and men are missing out on free professional help.

The survey of 1,700 UK adults shows:

• More men than women admit that their understanding of medicines is poor (23.1% against 15.6 women)
• Men are twice as likely than women to take a new prescription medicine without first reading the patient information leaflet or seeking professional advice (10.9% of men against 5.1 women)
• A third of men (31%) get their partner to collect their prescription medicines
• Men tend to rely on their female partners to stock the household medicines cabinet   
• Nearly nine in ten men say they don’t like to trouble a doctor or pharmacist unless they have a “serious problem”.  37% of people – men and women - worry about taking time off work to seek professional advice when they are ill.

With the help of your Barnton Pharmacyhave a private consultation areas, where you can talk with the pharmacist without being overheard.

Pharmacies are well placed for men because they are generally accessible and less formal– you can just pop in without an appointment. Men and women should feel free to ask at your pharmacy anything about your health and wellbeing – it’s not just a place to pick up pills!

Here are some examples of questions you might never have thought to ask your pharmacist. Is it time you did?

• Can you tell me about reducing my risk of a heart attack or stroke?
• I have difficulties controlling my bladder. Can you help?
• I am worried about cancer. Should I go to my GP?
• I would like to talk with someone about my sexual health.
• I am taking medicines for a long term medical condition. Please can we talk about how they work and possible side effects?
• I am a smoker. Can you help me give up?
• Is there a local self help group for people with my condition?

Coughs and sneezes...

We are all coughing and spluttering in my house at the moment. The children get it, then the adults get in, then the children get it again, and on it goes. Only the dog seems to be immune!

It is that time of year. There are more than 200 common cold viruses spread when we cough and sneeze. A normal cold passes through three distinct phases and usually include a sore throat, congestion and a cough.

The nice people at Benylin have come up with a symptom checker on their website which helps you decide which product is best suited to your needs. There is a huge range of cough and cold products available and new ones are added to the market every year. It is hard to keep on top of it and that is what I do for a living!

So although you may know what you want and that you want it now, please remember that the staff in the pharmacy are trying to help you find the most appropriate product for you by taking into account what other medication you may be on or what conditions you may have.

Did you know, for example, that  most oral decongestants may affect your blood pressure or that some cough medicines will not be suitable for diabetics or people with asthma. So when my staff ask you some questions, they are not prying or trying to hold you up. It is their training to ask the following questions every time:

• What are the symptoms?
• Who is it for?
• How long have they had them?
• Action already taken?
• Medicines being taken for other problems?

So, if you have a cough a cold or even flu, the staff at Barnton Pharmacy will help you find the right product for you and your family and keep you well this winter. Don't forget we can also help you avoid flu, with a flu jab and discuss other products such as echinacea to help boost your immune system at this time of year.

Joint Pain and Pernaton

As you probably know by now, I am pretty good at telling you about things after they have happened! So true to form, last Friday was World Arthritis Day.

This year's campaign asked people to Wave for Arthritis and take a picture to upload to the site. As of today, more than 58000 people from 84 countries have taken part. Impressive numbers, I'm sure you'll agree, but the campaign is about more than just one day and all year round the organisation aims to help and support people with  rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) by:

• raising awareness of RMDs amongst the medical community, people with RMDs and the general public
• influencing public policy by making decision-makers aware of the burden of RMDs and the steps which can be taken to ease it
• ensuring all people with RMDs and their caregivers are aware of the vast support network available to them.

One of the main features of these conditions is pain and so these patients are very well known in the pharmacy because we dispense their pain medication. In fact about 80% of the 10 million arthritis sufferers in the UK will take pain medication every day.

Lots of people are also looking for alternatives to painkillers and we are having lots of good reports about Pernaton Gel.

Pernaton Gel is a natural product which contains green lipped mussel extract - which contains a naturally occurring glucosamine as well as menthol and pine need oils. One of its main advantages over other gels we sell is that it is safe to use in addition to other painkillers.

The company claims that 91% of a panel of testers they tried the gel on found that it eased the discomfort in their joints.

We thought we'd use our own testing panel in the pharmacy, so Willie has been using the gel for a couple of months on his stiff and aching fingers and he has certainly become its biggest fan!

"It goes on really well and feels nice and cool" says Willie. "If I don't use the Gel for a couple of days now, I certainly notice the difference. I'm not a big fan of painkillers, so Pernaton is great for me."

If you have sore or aching joints, why not come into Barnton Pharmacy to ask Willie for a sample of Pernaton Gel.