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.

If you can read between the lines, you can save a life.

Last week was suicide prevention week. Scotland's suicide rates are higher than anywhere else in the UK. This means two people a day in Scotland die from suicide. Choose Life is Scotland's suicide prevention strategy aimed at reversing this trend.

The new awareness campaign is all about "Reading between the lines" and encourages people to look out for signs that a friend or family member is struggling and talk to them about how they feel as a first step. The bottom line is:

If you are worried that someone is suicidal, ask them. It could save their life.

Most people thinking about suicide will try to let someone know. The key to helping is watching out for the warning signs and knowing what to do to help. There are several signs to watch out for and remember everyone is different so if you are concerned, the best thing you can do is be there to listen.

Someone you know may be at risk of suicide if they:

• appear stressed, anxious or depressed
• don’t seem to be coping with any problems they may have
• are distracted, moody or withdrawn
• show marked changes in their eating, sleeping or drinking habits.

You can help:

• take all signs of distress seriously, even if the person seems to be living a normal life
• ask the person about what’s troubling them
• listen carefully to what they have to say
• let them know you care
• encourage the person to make an appointment with their GP or to call a helpline such as Breathing Space or Samaritans.

If it feels right, ask if they are thinking about suicide. It won’t put the thought in their head if it wasn’t there before, but it can be a big relief for them to be able to say, ‘Yes, I am’ and acknowledge they need help.

I know of two people who have died from suicide. I don't know whether this campaign would have changed the outcome for them, but having seen the devastation caused to family and friends left behind I feel that if another life could be saved by spotting a person in distress and asking the right questions that has to be a good thing, doesn't it?

• Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87 (24 hours at weekends, Fri–Mon 6pm–6am and Mon–Thurs 6pm–2am)
• Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 (24 hours, 7 days a week)

Dieting and Downton Abbey

I never thought I would use dieting and Downton Abbey in the same sentence and particularly not as a blog title*. Bear with me - and it might start to make sense.

Sunday evening sees the return of the blockbuster show. Series three follows the Crawley family and their servants into the early 1920s, as they all try and put the hardships of the Great War behind them. Gripping stuff, I'm sure. The first two series had a reported 5.5 million viewers per episode and it has its own wikipedia page. To put it simply - It is MASSIVE!!!!

Any marketing department who wants  to launch its television advertising during the series premier of a blockbuster show must think it has a winning product and so we arrive at XLS Medical.

XLS Medical claims to help you lose three times more weight than diet alone. Now this is a big claim. Its nearest rival Alli came off prescription a few years ago and has at best a claim to double your weight loss. Not to mention the unpleasant side effects (diarrhoea) from Alli and the fact that a manufacturing issue has left it unavailable for months and this seemed like an ideal product to add to our weight management service at Barnton Pharmacy.

So, in the interests of providing a personal recommendation, I started taking it myself.

It was time to admit defeat. My second son was six months old and the baby weight was not shifting.....mainly due to too many latte and cake mornings with my mummy friends. In truth I hadn't fully lost the baby weight since my first son!

It ought to be simple and we all know the principles: eat less and move more and you will lose weight. In practice it is harder. There is a toddler and a baby who leave food and I hate waste so I pick at there plates. My partner and I both love our food and will often make something the recipe claims will feed four -  but rarely does in our house! And because of aforementioned baby, toddler, partner (and dog) I no longer have time to go to the gym!! I didn't like the fact that all my clothes were getting tighter and I don't want to buy a new wardrobe in THAT size.

I'm 10 days in to my new regime of healthy eating and XLS medical and so far so good - I've lost four pounds. I know that isn't masses but its a start and it is certainly the kickstart I needed.

The benefits of the tablets which need to be taken after every meal are that you really do not feel hungry. If anything I feel quite bloated. I need to remember this and stop eating when I feel full rather than when the plate is empty.
There are no unpleasant side effects so far.
The hard bit is remembering to take the tablets.

Alongside a massive marketing campaign XLS medical have celebrity endorsements and a great website which will support you with meal plans and recipe ideas as well as an online weight tracker.

XS medical is available at Barnton Pharmacy as part of our weight management service and we will even weigh you every week to help keep your weight loss on track. Pop is to ask me how it is going and find out what we can do to get you on the right plan for you.


*I should point out that I have never watched it and don't intend to start now!!!!

My diabetes, my way

"Chat, click, call" is a new diabetes awareness campaign.

Launched by the Scottish Government and Diabetes UK Scotland in August this campaign aims to empower people with diabetes to be well informed in the management of their condition.

Three resources are available to diabetics:

Chat

Talk to your pharmacist about your medication, general advice about diabetes and also about blood glucose monitoring.

If you are unsure about whether you should be monitoring or need help with your meter, come and see us.

Click

All people with diabetes can access their diabetes related data online.

I think this is a massive step forward and should help those people that want to be involved in their own care to do so.

I wonder how long before all of us will be able to access our own clinical data online?

Call

The final strand of the campaign reminds people with diabetes about the Diabetes UK Scotland Careline which can be access by calling 0845 120 2960. A call to the care line will give you information and support and allow you to share your experiences with others.

These are excellent resources for people with diabetes in Scotland.

Remember that at Barnton pharmacy we are here to help and we also offer a diabetes screening service. Call 0131 339 3449 for more information.

Detect cancer early

This month, we have been promoting the Scottish Government's "Detect Cancer Early" initiative.
The programme’s key aim is that overall 5 year survival for people in Scotland diagnosed with cancer will improve.
There has been much progress in cancer care over the last 20 years. Screening has been improved, new treatments are now available and waiting times have been reduced.
More can still be done.
Scotland still lags behind the rest of Europe in terms of cancer survival rates. One way of improving this figure is to detect cancer earlier, when it is possible to use simpler, less toxic treatments.
The messages are to look out for the following signs:

• A new lump which appears or gets bigger in the breasts, testicles or anywhere else
• A sore that does not heal in the mouth, throat or skin
• A mole that changes shape, size or colour
• any growth that appears on the skin, and continues to grow
• coughing up blood, or blood in the urine or mixed through stools
• things t6hat refuse to clear up, like a cough that never goes away, or a pain somewhere that won't settle
• a change in the pattern of going to the toilet
• unexpected weight loss (that is not because you've been on a diet)

Contact your GP to discuss anything you are worried about and together we can help to detect cancer early.