dearPHARMACIST 8-page health pullout
December 2013 Edition 2
8-Page health pullout Cold & flu l Bio-BMI check l On-line health support l Headaches & migraines SUPPORTED BY
Inside...
Repeat prescriptions, – just one click (Page 5), checklist to prevent cold & flu, Fight Type 2 Diabetes and lots more...
TAKING CARE OF YOU MATTERS
About us
Contact us
What we do
Help Line: 01474 534 771
dearPHARMACIST is a new innovation for you to be able to engage with a healthcare professional without an appointment.
Pharmacy address: Regent Pharmacy, 19 Windmill Street, Gravesend DA12 1AS
Advice is free, convenient and is delivered by a General Pharmaceutical Councilregistered pharmacist. dearPHARMACIST will be on hand to signpost you to the right healthcare service. Our aim is to improve your health and wellbeing. Matters such as weight loss, stopsmoking support, sexual health, alcohol support and many other services will be available in various formats. dearPHARMACIST aims to be your first choice for health-related questions and answers. Feel free to ask anything. Your posts will be available for others to learn from and get help through our responses. dearPHARMACIST is your digital healthcare professional. Ask www.dearpharmacist.info
Website: Visit dearPHARMACIST.info now and ask a health-related question
Free pharmacist advice online
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FREE HEALTH ADVICE
www.
ASK dearPHARMACIST .info
Meet dearPHARMACIST Mr Sunil K Kochhar Over several years, Sunil, has managed varied and diverse roles within the pharmacy. He has a great bond with his community, continually delivering regular healthy day events, support and advice. He is committed to your health and wellbeing. www.dearPHARMACIST.info is an innovative service enabling you to get your health question answered. It’s convenient, simple and quick. There is no need for an appointment, just log on to www. dearPHARMACIST.info and click on the ASKdearPHARMACIST All questions posted on the ASKdearPHARMACIST website are confidential and furthermore they go directly to Sunil, who responds personally. Sunil is based at Regent Pharmacy in Gravesend. Come and visit him to chat, plan and take action over your health needs and issues. To keep up to date with health information, services, offers and events information; please follow us on facebook. Like our page www.facebook.com/dearPHARMACIST
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HA – MAKING A VITAL CHANGE
Synovital - Hyaluronan Keep moving with Modern Herbals’ awardwinning Syno-Vital™ – high strength Hyaluronic Acid for healthy joints Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occuring substance in the body. It is a major component of synovial fluid, the lubricating material present in many joints, and as such, plays an important role in maintaining joint health. Although the body produces its own HA, this supply declines with age, causing joints to become stiff and painful. The award-winning Syno-Vital™ from Modern Herbals helps to restore this loss. Voted best VMS (Vitamin, Mineral Supplement) product of the year 2012, Syno-Vital™ Oral Hyaluronan is a natural, liquid form of HA that has been found to help increase mobility and reduce pain and inflammation in patients with osteoarthritis.
Ease pain, inflammation & aid repair CASE STUDY
Debbie, aged 42
With its high lubrication and cushioning effect, HA helps to reduce friction and resist compression, allowing joints to bear weight and withstand tension.
Debbie began taking Syno-Vital to help with a knee injury. She found that it made a huge difference to the mobility of the joint and enabled her to carry on with her work and it also significantly reduced her daily discomfort.
The HA in Syno-Vital™ works in several ways: it helps to restore synovial fluid for improved mobility, prevent further degradation of joint tissues and it has an anti-inflammatory, analgesic effect. It can also provide improvement, where glucosamine and chondroitin have failed to do so.
After about three weeks of taking the product Debbie also noticed that the floaters* she had been suffering from were improving. Initially she did not make the connection but when doing some research online, she found out about the multiple benefits of taking Hyaluronan.
According to research, HA taken daily helps to rebuild the “pillow” of fluid that cushions joints for up to 97% of people who try it, and some experts believe it may also stimulate the repair of joint cartilage. Most recently, a paper published just a few days ago in Arthritis Research & Therapy, found that hyaluronic acid fragments may have the potential to mediate Intervertebral Disc Degeneration (IVD) of the spine and discogenic back pain.
The disappearance of the floaters was an added benefit as Debbie didn’t think anything could be done and she found them annoying. She was told by her GP and optician that she would just have to get used to the them as they did not have any treatment. Since the floaters have gone, Debbie has found being on the computer and reading enjoyable again and is delighted to have solved both problems with one product. * Floaters are pieces of debris that ‘float’ in the vitreous humour of the eye. They occur behind the lens (the transparent window through which light enters the eye), and in front of the retina (the light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye). Source: www. nhs.co.uk/conditions
£5 OFF SYNOVITAL *£5 off Take this voucher in store to get *
* Valid till 31st January 2014
* Vouchers must be taken in to Regent Pharmacy, 19 Windmill Street, Gravesend, Kent DA12 1AS
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COMMITTED TO
CHAT-PLAN-ACTION...
FREE one-to-one private consultation dearPHARMACIST offers free, confidential one-to-one support, to help you make positive lifestyle changes. This can be done in THREE simple steps.
CHAT: dearPHARMACIST will sit down with you in a private consultation area to establish your health and well-being issues.
PLAN: a personalised plan will be created to allow you to set up goals that
YOUR HEALTH & WELL-BEING
care
CONFIDENTIAL
you should aim for to improve your health and well-being.
ACTION: dearPHARMACIST and the team at Regent Pharmacy will support, encourage and provide tools to achieve and action all your goals.
SPECIAL OFFER Come in today for your private Chat-Plan-Action Consultation. No appointment necessary. *Bring voucher to claim
Issues helped have included: l Healthy weight l Stopping smoking l Reducing stress l Sexual health l Depression l Aches and pains l Getting the most of your medication l Recovery from illness l Skin conditions l Preventative care and much more
PRIVATE
Chat-Plan-Action consultation
CHAT-PLAN-ACTION... Headaches & migraines
How we can help you cope with pain We all suffer headaches from time to time. Within the pharmacy, it is the most common type of pain we encounter. Usually they are easy to treat with overthe-counter painkillers. However, it’s important to make sure you have the right ones to hand if you need them. What dearPHARMACIST has found over the years is that some people suffer more headaches than usual. If you suffer headaches on a regular basis, you need to seek advice from dearPHARMACIST immediately. There are several reasons why this could be happening, but it is best to pop in to see dearPHARMACIST, who will take down some history and guide you to better health. A lot of migraine sufferers bear the pain and try to treat it as best they can with painkillers they have bought. What sufferers don’t realise is that there are many ways and options available... which dearPHARMACIST can use to help you reduce your attacks and, in some cases, stop them completely. Also, some sufferers carry on with their pain not knowing the cause. Some ignore the pain. It’s important to seek medical help immediately if your headache follows a head injury, if you have a rash or high temperature or you get sudden onset of a severe headache. Take advantage of dearPHARMACIST’s free service to resolve your headaches and migraines. dearPHARMACIST offers a free Chat, Plan & Action service in a private consultation room. dearPHARMACIST… committed to your health and well-being.
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Online reordering service
MAKING YOUR LIFE EASIER
New NHS service you control, your GP is involved and we do the running around dearPHARMACIST works with NHS pharmacy Regent Pharmacy. Together, we work with your doctor so, when you need your medication, we’ll request your repeat prescription from your doctor and deliver your medicines directly to you at home or your place of work, whichever is best for you. You can also pick up your medication directly from our pharmacy. We have a free email or text reminder service, so you will never have to worry about running out of your medication. You can also request your repeats by phone or online at any time. Don’t waste time doing the running around; let dearPHARMACIST do this for you. Register today – by completing the online registration form or calling us on 01474 534771.
Don’t just take our word for it... ask Laura A repeat prescription in one click
Laura Baines from Gravesend
The dearPHARMACIST repeat prescription ordering makes my life simpler when ordering my repeat prescription. If you can’t get to the pharmacy during business hours, you have the flexibility to request your prescription whenever you want 24/7, and once you have requested an item once, it is stored so all you need to do next time is select the item and click. The automatic reorder service makes remembering to order your medication child’s play, you enter your medication details into the system (once), and select the first order date, then tell it how often you will need to order the medication.
The service is excellent. I’ve moved my whole family to dearPHARMACIST.
What I like most is the reminder system. No more panic about not having enough medication.
It’s so easy. Saves me rushing around.
I travel a lot and this system helps me organise my medication in advance.
I order my mum’s medication and dearPHARMACIST delivers it to her. It makes me feel I am doing all I can for her.
“I found it easiest to enter the details off the pharmacy label, work out how many I had left and set the order so I had a week’s supply remaining. Then from the pharmacy label you can see how much you get on your prescription and set the reminder for these number of days. “When the time is up (I set my date for a Sunday evening to make it easier) you get an email to your registered email address, see what it is you are due to order and click yes – job done!’ “I have found this service invaluable and use it to order all my prescriptions. “ Now it’s set up I don’t worry as I don’t have to do I can do it online anything except while my GP and the open an email pharmacy are shut. and click... much faster, much more efficient. “Why don’t you give it a try? I am sure you will find it as beneficial as I do!”
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Cold and flu prevention
HELPING YOU TO STAY HEALTHY
Your checklist
SPECIAL OFFER dearPHARMACIST is giving away a box of ImmunPRO to the first 20 dP readers. Please bring in this voucher to claim
* your free box Don’t worry if you are too late, dearPHARMACIST is offering you £2 off each box purchased. REGENT PHARMACY 19 Windmill Street, Gravesend DA12 1AS Tel: 01474 534771
It’s that time of year when we all want to stay healthy and prevent a cold or flu. There may be people around you that are rundown and have colds and flu; and the last thing you want is to catch what they have. Go through the checklist below and see what else you can do to prevent getting cold or flu this year. I got a flu vaccine this year Getting a flu jab will help reduce your chances of getting flu. Pop in-store today and get jabbed
Y N
I eat a healthy diet most days This helps build your immune system. Eat wholegrains, lean meat, low-fat dairy plus lots of fruit and veg
Y N
I washed my hands many times today This will aid washing away germs. Using alcohol-based sanitizers is a convenient form of doing this
Y N
I take anti-oxidants on a daily basis There are several natural supplements that help build and maintain your body’s immune system.
Y N
I use Sterimar nasal spray daily Your nose is your first line of defence; Sterimar will keep this defence mechanism at its optimum. A clean and clear nose will help protect you against any airborne contaminants.
Y N
I use ImmunPRO ImmunPRO INFECTION BLOCKER supports the body’s immune system and prevents respiratory infections during wet and cold weather, or when infection is passed from someone else.
Y N
Protect yourself before winter sets in
What is the Flu Vaccination Service? The Flu Vaccination Service is the provision of a flu vaccine, administered by dearPHARMACIST, to help prevent you catching flu.
SPECIAL OFFER
Who is it for? The Flu Vaccination Service is suitable for most adults. If you are interested in receiving the service, dearPHARMACIST will take you through a short series of questions to ensure that it is suitable before giving the vaccination.
Flu vaccination £10 per person
Why should I have a flu vaccine? Flu (or winter influenza) is an acute respiratory viral infection caused by an influenza virus. The virus can affect anyone in any age group. Influenza usually occurs in winter months, from October to April.
Get jabbed & protect yourself For the majority of people, flu is unpleasant but not life threatening. However, for some people, complications can result in more serious illness, such as bronchitis or pneumonia. The influenza virus is highly contagious. It can be passed on through airborne transmission (for example when someone coughs or sneezes) or by touching someone or something contaminated with the virus. Signs and symptoms of flu include general aches and pains, shivering, cough, sneezing raised temperature and fatigue/weakness.
By receiving a flu vaccination you can: l Avoid the symptoms of flu l Stop yourself from passing flu on to other members of your household l Prevent any missed days from work due to the symptoms of flu Lifelong immunity to the influenza virus is virtually impossible to achieve and therefore an annual vaccination is required to provide protection from the disease.
Avoid disappointment – book today WHILE STOCKS LAST www.dearPHARMACIST.info REGENT PHARMACY 19 Windmill Street, Gravesend DA12 1AS Tel: 01474 534771
For more information visit www.fluvac.info
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OUR GUIDE TO coughs & colds
Winter First Aid
First aid for winter coughs and colds
IDENTIFYING a cold or flu
Here is your winter cold and flu first-aid kit checklist Painkillers l These will help your aches, fever and sore throat
Plenty of water l Staying hydrated helps fight colds and flu
Sterimar nasal spray l It helps to relieve sinus pressure and pain
Steam inhalation l This will ease stuffiness and help you breathe better
Vitamin C, zinc and echinacea l High doses boost your energy and immune system
Rest and sleep l Your body needs this for recovery and energy
If you’ve left it too late and are suffering, there are ways to help you get better. Firstly, it’s important to know if you have a cold or flu. Cold symptoms usually begin with a sore throat, which often goes away in a day or two. Congestion and a runny nose usually follow with a cough on the fourth or fifth day. Fever is uncommon. Flu symptoms can make can you make feel ill for a few days to weeks. Flu symptoms are similar to cold symptoms, however the difference is that the symptoms are more intense and felt sooner. Muscle aches, chills and a fever distinguish a cold from flu.
Visit dearPHARMACIST to get your first aid to colds and flu. If you are too ill to pop in, contact dearPHARMACIST on 01474 534771. dearPHARMACIST will do a telephone consultation and send one of our drivers, at a fee, to deliver your first aid cold and flu pack to your door.* * Same day service is limited to local areas
Relief is just a spray away
Fight colds with Stérimar Congestion Relief Stérimar Congestion Relief nasal spray is clinically proven to relieve nasal congestion and help the nose fight the onset of colds more effectively. Dr Sarah Brewer explains: “The nose is the first line of defence against airborne contaminants. The natural protective film of moisture and tiny hairs filter the air we breathe to trap nasty bugs and carry them away to be destroyed before they can multiply. During winter, central heating and pollution can dry and congest the nose preventing it from doing its job properly, leaving you more susceptible to infection.” Stérimar Congestion Relief sea water nasal spray is a 100% natural sea water nasal spray that can be used before, during and after a cold to help prevent the onset, relieve nasal
congestion and prevent any further infections occurring.
be used with medication to improve its efficacy.
Recommended by doctors and congestion sufferers, Stérimar Congestion Relief is a hypertonic solution so has a slightly higher salt concentration than cells in the body. This creates a natural osmotic effect to gently draw and drain excess, contaminated mucus from the cells in the nasal lining to relieve congestion and allow you to breathe naturally.
With no rebound congestion effect, Stérimar Congestion Relief can be used two to six times a day for a short periods or as recommended by your doctor.
It effectively cleans and clears irritants and cold-causing bugs from the nasal passages before they have the chance to multiply. Stérimar is completely natural, free from drugs, steroids and preservatives and rich in various sea minerals that contribute to our overall health and wellbeing. It is so gentle that it can be used by children from three years, by breastfeeding women and people who cannot use medication. It can also
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l For more information on the range of Stérimar products please visit www.sterimarnasal.co.uk
SPECIAL OFFER dearPHARMACIST is giving away a Stérimar Congestion Relief nasal spray to the first 50 dP readers. Please bring in this voucher to claim
* your free bottle Don’t worry if you are too late, dearPHARMACIST is offering you £1 off each bottle purchased. REGENT PHARMACY 19 Windmill Street, Gravesend DA12 1AS Tel: 01474 534771
Healthy Weight Support
LOSS AND MANAGEMENT
Time to get your Bio-BMI checked Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of a healthy weight for most people, and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems. BMI is not a diagnostic tool, and this is why dearPHARMACIST does not just rely on BMI calculations alone to determine your health. There are a number of factors that may contribute to a weight issue. dearPHARMACIST will measure these and then put together a Bio-BMI check. This includes your waist:hip ratio, blood pressure and glucose reading. The assessments might include skinfold thickness measurements, body-fat monitoring, evaluations of diet, physical activity, family history and other appropriate health screenings. Once a Bio-BMI check is done, dearPHARMACIST will go through your results and work out an action plan towards a healthy weight, reducing your risk towards Type 2 diabetes, depression, cancers, heart disease and infertility. Losing even a small amount of weight can make a big difference to your health.
Weight loss will help you reduce your risk of: l Diabetes l Infertility
l High blood pressure l Depression
l Cancer l Cholesterol
Type 2 diabetics will get the greatest impact
SPECIAL OFFER
GET YOUR FREE Bio-BMI HEALTH CHECK Simply bring this voucher in to Regent Pharmacy, 19 Windmill Street, Gravesend, Kent DA12 1AS
Tel: 01474 534771
dearPHARMACIST has helped Type 2 diabetics to achieve a healthy weight. What’s amazing is with a programme called Lipotrim, dearPHARMACIST has helped clients achieve a loss of one stone in four weeks.* This not only improves your health, but for those already diagnosed as Type 2 diabetics, the programme can help you reduce the amount of medication you are on and, in some cases, it’s been known to get you off your Type 2 diabetes medication. This program is controlled by dearPHARMACIST in conjunction with your doctor. That way your health is looked after in a controlled manner. Please phone and book your FREE Bio-BMI check today. It will be the start of a new you! Call us on 01474 534771 or go to www.lipotrim.info *Expected weight loss in a month; 1 stone (females) or 1.5 stones (males)
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Published on behalf of dearPHARMACIST by the KM Group, Medway House, Ginsbury Close, Thomas Longley Road, Medway City Estate, Strood ME2 4DU