I must be Honking mad!

I am sure many of  you are thinking I have definitely lost the plot for lots of different reasons, but if I was to say that I will be crossing the Forth Road Bridge in tartan and then white water rafting the River Tay in March, I am pretty sure you will think I have totally taken leave of my senses.

Well if I say its all for charity, does that improve things?

Have you heard of Sport Relief? Of course you have! 
Have you heard of the Team Honk Relay? Maybe not. Allow me to explain. 

• The Team Honk Blogger Relay started in Lands End on the 12th January 2014 and finishes in John O Groats on the 23rd March 2014. The idea is to harness the power of social media and the relay consists of bloggers from one end of the country to the other.
• #teamhonkrelay involves over 200 bloggers, their friends and families in a route that zig zags up the UK taking in 38 regional teams.
• In terms of modes of transport, you name it we have thought of it: pushchair pushes, roller blading across the Humber, boating round Bristol, #Honkopoly around London, fancy dress, onesies, bikes, scooters, planes, hiking, rafting and mountain climbing.

• As the relay approaches Scotland, I'm beginning to get a bit nervous. The efforts of loads of bloggers in England and Wales has so far raised a mighty 22,499 before even getting to Scotland. We will really have to do our bit to raise as much as possible in our part of the world.

Next week, Fionoutdoors will pick up the baton at the border and cycle it to Edinburgh. The baton will then travel over the forth road bridge in style (think tartan, think onesies, think scooters, think....actually maybe time to stop thinking!) with me and a gang of bloggers including Ellen from In a bundance, Donna from Mummy central and on to Aberfeldy for some white water rafting (in March!!) before heading up a Munro and finishing up tired, but elated in John 'Groats on Sunday 23rd March.

Please sponsor me by clicking here to go to the Scottish Honkers fundraising page 

If you need any  more convincing.  Here's what your money will do:

• £1 could provide a hot meal for a child in the UK living in extreme poverty.
• £5 could pay for a mosquito net to protect a mother and her baby in Africa from contracting malaria while they sleep.
• £10 could enable an older person in the UK who just lost someone they love to attend a group activity.
• £25 could run a sports session for disabled children in the UK, giving them the chance to play with other young people.
• £100 could feed 200 children living on the streets in India for one day.
• £300 could provide a water point in the slums of Tanzania, giving hundreds of families access to safe, clean water.
• £500 could provide six months of support for a young person in the UK with mental health issues.

Dementia Friendly Barnton & Cramond

I love a good brainstorm, a flip chart and some post-it notes. It must be something to do with longstanding love of stationary! More than that I got really excited at the ideas generated during the first dementia friendly Barnton & Cramond forum meeting held in February. 

The Dementia friendly forum has come about to try make the community of Barnton and Cramond a a dementia friendly environment. This means making our community a place: 

• In which it is possible for the greatest number of people with dementia to live a good life.
• Where people with dementia are enabled to live as independently as possible and to continue to be part of their community
• Where they are met with understanding  and given support where necessary

The first meeting was really well attended by members of our community representing all backgrounds from health to business, carers to the council. Our wee community will be one of the pilots for making Edinburgh's a dementia friendly city.

We finished our first meeting by agreeing the following objectives, but would love to hear from you if you would like to be involved, think we have missed anything or want to help us move forward with our aims in any way.

Objectives 

• Raise awareness of dementia in Barnton and Cramond to help reduce stigma
• Signposting to easily accessible information on resources for people with dementia in the local area.
• Encourage people who may have dementia to seek help early for a timely diagnosis
• Seek views of people with dementia, their carers and families.
• Promote health lifestyles for people with dementia
• Recognise local businesses and services as “dementia friendly” by developing a charter and training framework.
• Identified gaps in services either social or health will be addressed where possible to improve care and support for patients and their carers
• Showcase our work to other areas as a pathfinder in Edinburgh’s target to become a Dementia Friendly City

Health Check at Barnton Pharmacy

The Barnton Pharmacy Health Check will give you an overview of your health to help you prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, certain types of dementia and lung disease. The health check is for anyone who has not already been diagnosed with one of these conditions. You will be given support and advice to help them reduce or manage that risk.

These diseases cause the majority of long term diseases in Scotland and many of them can be prevented.

Heart disease	Heart disease occurs when the artery that supplies blood to the heart becomes blocked.
Stroke	A stroke deprives your brain of blood and is a medical emergency.
Kidney disease	When the kidneys don’t work properly, it can cause serious health problems.
Type 2 diabetes	Diabetes can raise your risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.
Dementia	Vascular dementia is caused by problems with the supply of oxygen to the brain following a stroke or vessel disease
Lung Disease	Common in smokers and ex smokers. Can lead to breathlessness.

What happens at a health check?

The Health Check at Barnton Pharmacy is carried out by our highly trained team. It involves a few straightforward health tests and some simple questions about your medical history and lifestyle. The health check takes about 60 minutes to complete.

Getting ready for your health check

         Do not eat anything for 12 hours before your test. This includes milk in tea or coffee. You may have water

         Wear light clothing and a short sleeved top to make it easier to take your blood pressure. Bare feet needed for accuracy on scales, for ease at BMI test stage. Must be able to remove all footwear.

         Bring a fresh sample of urine with you.(No more than 2 hours prior to appointment) We can provide a specimen bottle.

Tests offered during your health check

Your Body Mass Index (BMI)	BMI is a measure of whether you are a healthy weight for your height. People who are overweight are more likely to develop vascular disease
Blood pressure	This is the pressure that your blood exerts on the walls of your arteries as it moves through them. High blood pressure can weaken the walls of your arteries, increasing the risk of blockage or breaking, which can lead to heart disease, stroke and vascular kidney disease.
Cholesterol	Cholesterol is a vital fat for the proper functioning of your body. There are two kinds of cholesterol and too much of one kind in the blood can narrow the arteries, which can lead to vascular disease. A small amount of blood is taken from your finger for this test.
Diabetes risk assessment	Diabetes occurs when the hormone insulin, which converts sugar into energy, doesn't work properly. This results in a build-up of sugar in the blood, which can result in a wide range of serious health problems. Left unmanaged, diabetes can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. A small sample of blood from your finger is taken to check the level of sugar in your blood.
Urine test	A sample of urine is tested for blood or protein to check whether your kidneys are working well.
Lung function test	To establish how well your lungs are functioning. You simply breath long and hard into a special device, which will monitor how well your lungs are functioning and give an estimation of how ‘old’ your lungs are compared to your actual age.

The results

Your health check results will be discussed with you fully.

You will get a personalised health action plan to take away which may include advice on what action you can take to lower your risk and improve your chances of a healthier life. This could include suggestions on small changes to your diet or how much exercise you take if your risk is low or moderate. If you are at higher risk, you will be referred to your doctor to discuss the findings further.

How much does it cost?

The health check at Barnton Pharmacy costs £50.00

Not all echinaceas are the same

I am on my second cold of the season. It is boring!

The first one was over Christmas and I blame my two small germ carriers (delightful though they are!) for most of the snotty noses and coughs and sneezes in our house. This time I decided to do my own small scale study on Echinacea,

I like the A Vogel products. The brand is well supported with great campaigns and good educational support for the pharmacy team and for customers. 
I have been using Echinaforce drops since starting with a sore throat last Thursday and I have to say I am quite impressed. you add 15 drops to water three times a day. Easy enough to and not unpleasant tasting.

Research has shown that Echinacea 

• strengthens the immune system
• is anti-viral 
• is anti-inflammatory

A Vogel Echinacea use a combination of the herb ad the root from the plant. This makes sense to me and has been shown to have a greater effect that either the herb or the root alone. 

Although I still have a stuffy nose, this cold has really not come to much whilst others around me have taken to there beds. Perhaps it is luck, but I am certainly convinced enough to try it next time.

At Barnton Pharmacy we can give you advice on a rage of herbal alternatives and natural products to help you feel great through the winter months.

Life on Roaccutane

Although it is almost the end of January - Happy New Year!!!
For the first blog of 2014, I would.like to hand over to one of my talented staff and highlight her blog.
One of our Saturday girls, Alix has been writing about her life, fashion and beauty on her blog "Let's kiss and Make Up"
During 2013, Alix also went on a course of the potent anti-acne drug Roaccutane and documented her journey to better skin.

Acne is not an easy thing to talk about, so thank you Alix for sharing your journey and I would encourage you all to have a look at Alix's story.

Ask Your Pharmacist

This week is Ask your Pharmacist Week

The focus of this year's campaign is to get members of the public to come to their local community pharmacy first, before going to their GP or accident and emergency department. 
There is a great website to support the campaign. Have a look.

I thought it timely to give you ten reasons why you should come to Barnton Pharmacy first:

1. Come to Barnton Pharmacy first because our friendly team will always make you feel listened to and welcomed. We recently got 100% in our mystery shopper survey!
2. Come to Barnton Pharmacy first because we can treat most minor illnesses free of charge on the NHS if you are eligible
3. Come to Barnton Pharmacy first if you want to ask a question about your medicines. Our pharmacists are the experts in medicines and how to get the most out of them.
4. Come to Barnton Pharmacy first if you want a flu vaccine but are not in an "at risk group". Our hassle free service only costs £15.00
5. Come to Barnton Pharmacy first for great offers on winter remedies. We currently have discounts on the whole strepsil range.
6. Come to Barnton Pharmacy first if you want to know how to look after yourself this winter. We have  a great raneg of vitamins and supplements including Echinacea
7. Come to Barnton Pharmacy first for a great range of unusual Christmas gifts and stocking fillers. Our first Christmas shopping evening is this Thursday from 6pm to 8pm
8. Come to Barnton Pharmacy first for advice on local services for people with dementia. We have been working with Alzheimer's Scotland to become a dementia friendly pharmacy.
9. Come to Barnton Pharmacy first if you want to have your hearing tested. Gordon holds regular hearing tests in the private consultation room which are free of charge
10. Come to Barnton Pharmacy first for travel vaccines and malaria tablets at our Travel clinic.

It's flu time again

The leaves have almost gone from the trees. The ones that cling on bravely are displaying all the colours of Autumn and the summer of 2013 will long be remembered as that hot lazy summer which is nothing more than a distant memory of paddling pools and Andy Murray's Wimbledon win!

This can mean only one thing - Time for your flu jab

Proper flu is proper horrid, and really can floor you and certainly leave you feeling rotten for a number of weeks, it claims many lives each year.

If you are over 65 or have a long term condistion such as asthma or diabetes contact your GP practice to arrange your free vaccine on the NHS.

If you still want to protect yourself, we can help with our private flu vaccination service:

• No appointment needed
• Quick and virtually painless
• Only £15.00
• Six days a week Monday to Saturday