Ask Your Pharmacist - we might even know the answer!

This week is "Ask Your Pharmacist" week.

So far this week, I have been asked a number of questions I wasn't expecting:

"Do you sell shoelaces?"

"Can you tell me how to get to Telford College?"

"Where do you keep your men's combs?"

Nothing will, however top the question I was asked when I worked in a supermarket pharmacy some years ago by a harassed shopper on Christmas Eve: "Do you stock turkeys?"!

But seriously....I have also been asked to show a patient how to use their asthma inhaler, I have been asked for advice on stopping smoking and losing weight. I have answered numerous questions about flu vaccinations and I have helped a lady who was "in a fankle" with her medication.

The idea behind "Ask Your Pharmacist" is to shift the focus from seeing your local pharmacy as a place for just getting your prescriptions dispensed to a centre for advice and information about general health and well being as well as medicines advice. The week is organised by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) who do a brilliant job of promoting and supporting the work of community pharmacy across the UK.

You might be surprised by the range and depth of knowledge available free of charge and without an appointment at your local pharmacy.

So go on: Ask Your Pharmacist - they might even know the answer!!

PS: We didn't have any turkeys or shoe laces. but we did have men's combs and we could help you find the local college!

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!