Self management - what's it all about?

Over 2 million people in Scotland are living with a long term condition such as asthma, diabetes or mental health problems.
That's about 40% of us.
Self management is about enjoying life with a long term condition, not about enduring it. It's about you being in charge of your illness.

Click here to find out more about self management

There are loads of reasons why this makes sense, but the the Self Management website lists just a few:

• Life can be better with self management.  Being told you have a condition for which there may be no cure can be devastating.  Individuals respond in individual ways.  It can often have a profound impact on a person’s well-being and self-esteem.
• People try to cope as best they can with the support they have.  But frequently they do not have the information or skills to manage their condition well.  It is often difficult to make well informed decisions about their life; let alone make plans for the future.
• Together with health professionals and others who provide support, self management helps people to make decisions that are right for their life.

At Barnton Pharmacy we firmly believe in self management and in terms of your medicines this means being informed about them, knowing when to take them to get the best out of them and what to expect in terms of side effects or interactions with other medicines.

Our team are on hand to answer your questions so that you can get on with enjoying life!

All change for herbal remedies

Since 1st May 2011, all herbal medicines on sale have needed a to be licensed.
This should ultimately lead to improved safety for all of us and we can have confidence in the products we choose to buy and take.

For the companies who manufacture herbal medicines it has meant some tough choices and a huge investment in order to decide which products to apply for licenses for.

Most people in Edinburgh will have heard of Napier's the Herbalists and many of you will have used the services of their herbalists and therapists or visited their shops.

What you may not know is that some of their products are now available in pharmacies - including Barnton Pharmacy. As a result of the changes in licensing requirements, Napiers decided to license some of their excellent products and also to make them more widely available through selected pharmacies.

We have had some excellent feed back on the products we stock. Here are just a few.

Napier's Sweet Dreams Herbal Remedy contains passion flower, Jamaica dogwood, valerian root, hops  and scullcap

It is great for those who have trouble getting off to sleep and is also useful if you get to sleep fine, but wake after a couple of hours.
There is no chance of addiction and you will have no residual tiredness the next day.

Napier's Elixir of Echinacea is another best seller.
Containing echinacea, fumitory and wild indigo it will help your body fight back from infection and relieve symptoms of catarrh in the nose and throat.
It is great to use when you have a cold.

We also have herbal teas including Napier's nursing tea which is great for breast-feeding mums and if you can't find what you are looking for we can generally order it in from Napiers within a couple of days.

Rickets is back.

I thought rickets was a third world condition or at least a disease from days gone by.
However, those harrowing images of children with bowed legs may not be a thing of the past.

In fact only last week the BBC reported new cases of this crippling bone disease in Cardiff.
So what can we do about it?
It's all about Vitamin D.
Rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults are caused by a lack of vitamin D.

There are three main ways of getting vitamin D - from the sun,  from food and from supplements.

Living in Scotland and being paranoid about skin cancer, most of us don't get enough sunlight for our bodies to build up enough Vitamin D stores to get us through the winter.
In theory you only need 10-15 minutes of unportected Scottish sun to get  enough.

Vitamin D is found naturally in oily fish, meat and eggs and it is added (by law) to margarines. Despite this most of us don't get more than about 40% or the daily amount we need from the food we eat.

So on to supplements:

NHS Health Scotland have issued new guidance on Vitamin D.

They recommend that all pregnant and breast feeding women take 10mcg per day
Breast fed babies up to 6 months old need an additional 7.5mcg per day
From 6 months to 5 years, children should be getting 7.5mcg per day

In addition housebound individuals and people over 65years old ought to be getting 10mcg per day of Vitamin D.

Many multivitamin preparations will have vitamin D in them, but they may not have ENOUGH to mee these new recommendations.
We can advise you on the best product for you.

The mighty midge and other joys of holidaying at home

Like many others this year I am enjoying a short break in Scotland.
Yesterday saw glorious sunshine and 25 degrees! A beautiful day to see the best of Scotland at it's best.
We remembered to apply sunscreen (loving La Roche Posay Anthelios at the moment)

Today was more typical Scottish summer with drizzle and grey skies, but on both days we have been treated to a magnificent display fo wildlife; ducks, peahens, even red squirrels, but most of all......the midge!!
So armed with the best insect repellents on the Market, we decided to see which came out tops.

Jungle formula worked pretty well, but doesn't taste too good.
Avon's skin so soft smells great and is lovely to use
Mossie milk for kids was acceptable to our two year old.

However, we kept forgetting to put it on!!!

In conclusion, insect repellents only work against the mighty midge, if you apply them before going out.....at any time of day!
Then I think it pretty much comes down to what smells nice and what you are prepared to pay. Not very scientific, but then, I am on holiday!

Vichy Liftactiv Derm Source: the facelift in a jar?

You have probably seen it on the telly or in the glossy mags?

New Liftactiv Dermsource. It claims to be a facelift in a jar.

Aimed at women over 35 - gulp, that's me! who are "concerned with wrinkles and a lack of firmness" - yup again!

So I thought I'd give it a try when it came out and I have been using all three products in the range, the serum, the day cream and the night cream for a couple of months now.

"So tell us what you think?" I hear you cry.

Well....it's nice.

The serum goes on straight after cleansing and disappears beautifully into the skin and the two creams go on after. There are even helpful pictures as to how best to apply your cream. For me the effects last all day and all night, with no tightness which I feel with some creams.

Do I feel firmer and less wrinkly?

Maybe I do, but I'm probably not the best judge of that and of course I didn't do the before and after photos!

The best bit for me though is the price! I've spent a small fortune on skincare over the years from the very basic own-brand ranges up to you £70(!) a pot unpronounceable products.

The Vichy range comes in at about £23.00 per pot which lasts a good while so I think it really is value for money.

Add to that the fantastic free gift of a Vichy all in one cleanser available at Barnton Pharmacy if you buy any product from the Liftactiv range and I think you'd be mad not to give it a go!

Pharmacy first....

Hayfever, eczema, sore throats, sticky eyes, period pain...
Just some of the things you or your family may suffer from during an average year.
Where is you first port of call?
You may go straight to the medicine cupboard or call the doctor for an appointment, but you can go straight to your local pharmacy.

The minor ailment service has been running in Scotland for a few years now with the aim of making pharmacies the first place to visit for minor ailments.
Not sure what a minor ailment is? Pop in to your local pharmacy, if they can treat you, they will and if they can't they'll direct you to the most appropriate place.
The best bit is that if you are eligible (over 60, under 16, on various benefits) your treatment will be completely free!!!!

Hello baby

Pregnant? New mum?

SMA kiosk

You are bound to have so many questions about your new arrival.
We think we may be able to help!

Our new interactive touch screen kiosk has loads of really helpful information for new mums and those about to become parents.

There are videos telling you how to wind your baby, recipes to help you with weaning and even money off vouchers on SMA milk!!!

Both our pharmacists, Sally and Leanne, are have toddlers themselves and can help you with real practical advice about all aspects of parenthood from teething to tantrums - particularly tantrums!!!!