Tag Archives: Summer

With half term out of the way and the summer holidays looming you might be looking for travel advice? Your pharmacy can provide those essentials like sun tan lotion, wipes and plasters to cope with any minor disasters.

Your pharmacist should also be able to advise you on antimalarial medication, and any vaccinations you might need (and may even be able to administer them for you if they provide a travel clinic service).

If you can’t get to your local pharmacy for any reason, there are some good sites you can visit online:

• Nathnac.net is a site commissioned by Public Health England and contains the latest travel advice for UK travellers.

• www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk is the NHS Scotland travel site for people travelling abroad from the UK.

• NHS Choices also offers a variety of advice – stick ‘travel’ in the search box to see the options.

• Fitfortravel.nhs.uk

• wwnc.cdc.gov/travel is a US site, but that doesn’t stop it having some useful information – just be aware that UK guidance may differ in some respects.

With half term out of the way and the summer holidays looming you might be looking for travel advice? Your pharmacy can provide those essentials like sun tan lotion, wipes and plasters to cope with any minor disasters.

Your pharmacist should also be able to advise you on antimalarial medication, and any vaccinations you might need (and may even be able to administer them for you if they provide a travel clinic service).

If you can’t get to your local pharmacy for any reason, there are some good sites you can visit online:

• Nathnac.net is a site commissioned by Public Health England and contains the latest travel advice for UK travellers.

• www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk is the NHS Scotland travel site for people travelling abroad from the UK.

• NHS Choices also offers a variety of advice – stick ‘travel’ in the search box to see the options.

• Fitfortravel.nhs.uk

• wwnc.cdc.gov/travel is a US site, but that doesn’t stop it having some useful information – just be aware that UK guidance may differ in some respects.

Have you noticed you have been sniffing and sneezing a bit over the past few weeks? Runny nose? Eyes a bit itchy? You may be suffering from hayfever brought on by tree pollen, the first pollen type to peak during the year.

Many hay fever sufferers jump into their cars poorly prepared for their journey. Your local pharmacy can help you reduce the dangers of driving by taking proper precautions.
Choosing the right anti-histamine is highly important as some older, yet popular, brands can make you drowsy. Ask your pharmacist for long acting, non-sedating antihistamine.

Treat watery eyes before driving You need to be able to see where you are going so use anti-allergy eye drops before getting behind the wheel. Again, ask one of our pharmacists for an appropriate product.

Keep tissues handy. A sudden sneeze or a continuous running nose can be annoying and easily distract a driver. So don’t forget to pick up a pack of tissues to keep in the car.

Sun Awareness Week, promoted by the British Association of Dermatologists (with a web address you couldn’t better – www.bad.org.uk) took place in May, a sure sign that summer is here.

To drum up publicity for the event BAD is promising that a major new study would reveal ‘shock findings into Britain’s attitudes towards skin cancer’. All very dramatic, but a good reminder that there are more consequences from over-exposure to sunshine than the red tingly pain of sunburn (not forgetting the suntan).

Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common type of skin cancer and is caused by too much exposure to UV light. It can occur on any part of the body, but is occurs most often on areas of skin exposed to sunlight. Possible signs to look out for include a scab or sore that won’t heal or a flesh coloured pearly lump that won’t go away.

Prevention is better than cure, so head down to your nearest pharmacy to get some factor 30 – and keep your t-shirt on!