Did you know your lips can burn just like your skin? This is why it's important to help protect them while you're out enjoying the sun.
Read MoreYour hands and feet go through a lot on a daily basis. That’s why it’s important to take good care of your hands and feet...
Read MoreWith winter season upon us, many of us are reaching for tissues and pain relief as cold and flu season hits.
Read MoreThe onset of Bell’s Palsy can be quite terrifying as the facial symptoms people experience are similar to a stroke...
Anyone else feel a sense of dread halfway through October, that comes with realising that end-of-year madness will kick off on November 1st?
Have you ever experienced a feeling that you are moving or your surroundings are moving even though in reality everything is stationary?
From 1 October 2024, Pharmac will fund a range of continuous glucose monitors & insulin pumps for all people with certain types of Diabetes.
Managing stress is not about eliminating it entirely (if only!)—it's about finding ways to live harmoniously with the natural ups and downs.
Circadian rhythm is the name given to the physical, mental and behavioural patterns that occur in our bodies over 24-hours.
Out of the hundreds of students I have taught to meditate, almost all hope that the practice might have a positive affect on their sleep.
Do you know what sepsis is and would you recognise its symptoms?
Not just a sore, stiff shoulder, frozen shoulder can be very painful and interfere with everyday tasks...
Discover what a decongestant is, what they are used for and how they work...
We hear so much about the detrimental effects of “stress” these days, and yes prolonged periods of stress on the body and mind....
The body can be compared to a car in the sense that it requires regular maintenance, servicing, good fuel and care to operate optimally...
In recent years, the overuse and misuse of antibiotics have become a growing concern for healthcare professionals....
Blood and blood products are used every day throughout New Zealand to save the lives of people with life-threatening injuries and illnesses.
Testosterone is a sex hormone essential for both men & women.
The word “tinnitus’ comes from a Latin word ‘tinnire’ which means ‘to ring’.
The connection between good oral health and the health of the rest of our body is fascinating.
Many people assume that hearing loss is an inevitable part of aging. Adopting strategies to protect hearing as early as possible can help.
It is normal to shed skin from your scalp, but there are two common scalp conditions that cause the skin cells of the scalp to shed quickly.
When you think about germs, what comes to mind? Disgust? Anxiety? You’re not alone. Germs have been cast as the bad guy...
Once thought to be a childhood disorder that disappeared in adulthood, ADHD affects 5 to 7% of the population.
Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of an allergy and can be life-threatening. It occurs when the immune system overreacts to a substance...
It appears that New Zealand is experiencing a new wave (the fifth to be exact but who’s counting…) of Covid infections.
SNORING. It can be freight train loud, kitten purr soft, scary, and in some cases, endearing.
Pain and fever are two of the most common symptoms experienced by individuals of all ages. Usually are a signal that something may be wrong.
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the protective membrane (conjunctiva) lining the inside of your eyelids and the whites of your eyes.
There are a wide variety of germs that can cause skin infections. The most common conditions are caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Many parents are aware of the Immunisation Schedule vaccinations for their children, but there are also several that are funded for adults.
There are now over 450 pharmacies providing vaccination services around Aotearoa and this number is continuing to grow.
If you thought summer was the worst time for dry, chapped lips, think again. Winter can actually be the time more of us suffer...
COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in New Zealand after heart disease, stroke and lung cancer.
Our everyday lifestyle choices can benefit us physically and mentally. Choosing healthier habits will lead to a longer, happier life. Plus it will low..
The pancreas is a small, pear-shaped gland located in the abdomen. It produces enzymes that help with the digestion of food. It also produces hormon..
Skin cancer begins when the skin cells are damaged and become cancerous. 90% of skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to the sun.
All human brains are powerful, magnificent and unique. Neurodiversity is a term used to describe the way some of our unique brains work – thinking..
People with fibromyalgia sometimes say they “hurt all over”. They often feel really tired. Each person tends to experience fibromyalgia differen..
There are several types of hepatitis. They have letters for their names: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C. They all affect your liver. H..
Put simply, the eye works in two ways; it enables us to bring images of the outside world within, and also shows images of what is within the body, ..
We observe World Alzheimer’s month in September each year, to recognise the impact of dementia on people’s lives. Certainly the disease affects ..
Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer. In New Zealand, around 4000 men are affected each year, and around 700 will die from the ..
Mental health can be defined as a state of emotional, psychological, and social well-being. To be in prime mental health means being able to maintai..
Tautoko Te Ra Daffodil/ Daffodil Day is held on the last Friday of August every year. The beautiful daffodil flower has become an international symb..
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=""] Covid antiviral medicines have been available in New Zealand for several months now, on prescription from y..
So. Here we are (almost) post-pandemic, having spent the better part of 2 1/2 years attempting to arm ourselves every which way to ward off the drea..
Why are we being offered a second booster against COVID?Before COVID, more than 500 people died from influenza each year. Influenza or ‘the flu’..
Your kidneys filter your blood and takes out the water soluble waste products that you do not need. The kidneys make urine (pee) by dissolving these..
Most of us are aware that diabetes has become a rapidly rising health concern in New Zealand. Diabetes can occur when the pancreas doesn’t secrete..
Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in New Zealand (lung cancer holds first place), but it doesn’t need to be as it is one of the can..
Every year we have a day to remind people about asthma; how many of us suffer with it and how many New Zealanders die from it every year and what we..
The thyroid gland and the importance of iodine The thyroid is a gland at the base of your neck. It produces thyroid hormones like T4 and T3. ..
Thanks to my dear little four-year-old niece, who pretty much lived in her plastic outdoor swimming pool in Auckland over this hot summer, I know al..
Iron is a very important mineral in the body as every cell needs it to function healthily. The medical name for low iron levels is anaemia which mea..
Our body’s way of cooling us down when we get hot, stressed or after exercising is to sweat. Sweat is a weak, salty solution produced in sweat gla..
How to tell if you have just eaten too much or if there is another reason for your pain. A lot of us eat too much over the festive season. In..
In the pharmacy we usually see the first lot of people with sunburn at Labour weekend. It is like we all forgot that sun was hot during winter and h..
Hayfever – what is it?The medical name for hayfever is ‘allergic rhinoconjunctivitis’. So, it's not a fever and it's not an infection. Hayfev..
First we need to understand how a vaccine works. Vaccination causes an immune response that improves your body’s ability to fight the virus.
Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control. There are different causes but the end result is wet pants and often embarrassment.
Many people have an irritable bowel from time to time. This is usually harmless and goes away by itself. The symptoms may include bloating, cramping..
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) are used to relieve pain in long and short-term conditions, including arthritis...
Many people are asking about the COVID vaccines and are keen to understand how these work and if they are safe. First we need to understand t..
What exactly is it?Your heart is a pump. Imagine a water pump, pumping water through pipes, well it is very similar. Your heart pumps blood through ..
Serotonin syndrome is a serious effect that happens when our body accumulates too much serotonin.
What can we do to keep ourselves healthy and protect ourselves from respiratory infections like COVID, common cold and the flu?
Now that summer is finally here, prickly heat or sweat rash can sometimes make life a little uncomfortable. When we are hot, our bodies activate our..
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) includes respiratory diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, certain types of bronchiectasis an..
World Osteoporosis Day is 20 October every year. The aim is to raise awareness of how to prevent, diagnose and treat osteoporosis.
Eye strain can be caused by looking at computer screens for too long without a break, driving long distances or reading a book for a long time. ..
Warts and verrucas appear as small lumps on the skin and range in size from 1mm up to around 1cm. They can appear on their own or in clusters, with ..
Chilblains (also known as pernio or perniosis) are itchy, sore, red or purple bumps that occur on the skin as a reaction to cold. Painful inflammati..
Our body usually produces antibodies to fight off invaders like viral and bacterial infections. An autoimmune disease is when your immune system tri..
Bacterial conjunctivitis occurs when bacteria infect the transparent protective membrane that lines the eyelid and covers the white part of your eye..
While we have been going through the Covid-19 lockdown a lot of people have felt increased stress levels, so here are some tips to help us all cope...
When someone gets a bad headache, they may say they have a migraine, but they might not. The pain of a headache can range from mild to severe. The p..
Diabetes is a group of diseases that affect how your body uses sugar. The sooner you begin treating diabetes and the better your blood sugar control..
You may know someone who has had a TIA (sometimes called a mini stroke). By reading this blog you can be prepared in case it happens to you or someo..
Do you have problems with smelly feet in summer? So do lots of people. Sweat glands are over most of your body but mainly the palms of the ha..
Quality sleep is absolutely essential to both a healthy body and mind. Impaired sleep, altered sleep patterns, and even mild sleep deprivation can s..
Bad breath (medically known as ‘halitosis’) can be embarrassing and something that most people want to get on top of pretty quickly! It’s typi..
September is World Alzheimer’s month. In New Zealand there are 70,000 people living with dementia. Dementia is a reduction in thinking, memory and..
When you’re feeling under the pump at work, family tensions or financial pressures are rising and that ol’ “I’ve just been so busy” call t..
There are lots of different types of arthritis including arthritis associated with psoriasis and gout. I wrote about rheumatoid arthritis in July. T..
Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the covering of your eye and inside your eye lids. This can be caused by an infection or by an allergy.
Nosebleeds are a fairly common occurrence, particularly in children, and are usually treatable at home without any medical intervention. They occur ..
The dreaded winter cough. It’s a pain in the, ahem, chest. Count yourselves lucky if you and your family have escaped one of the many viruses doin..
What is rheumatoid arthritis?Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of joint inflammation that causes long term pain and may lead to joint deformity. H..
Hello, Winter! Hello, Cold! Hello, Snotty Nose! Hello, Sore Throat! We’ve all now (somewhat reluctantly) welcomed in winter...a season where some ..
Many people say “I’ve got the flu” when really they have a cold. While a bad cold can make you feel pretty miserable for a few days, you will ..
Sore throatMost sore throats will not be helped by antibiotics whether they are an infection or not. Most sore throats are caused by a virus. A viru..
Cuts and wounds are a part of life, especially during childhood when falling from trees or tripping on concrete are a rite of passage.
We all have bacteria growing all over our skin. The skin is the first line of protection to keep the bacteria out of our bodies. When you get a cut ..
As we age we are more likely to fall. This year one in every three persons over 65 years old will have a fall and one in every two persons over 80 w..
Nerve pain is pain that is caused by damage or disease that affects the nervous system of the body. It is also known as neuropathic pain or neuralgi..
Chat to most acne sufferers, and they’ll most likely tell you that it is a complicated condition to treat and often a stressful journey trying to ..
February is Heart Awareness month. Did you know that every 90 minutes, someone in New Zealand dies from heart disease and it is the leading cause of d..
Sunny summer days have meant lots of swimming and therefore more ‘swimmers ear’. We have also seen more people coming into the pharmacy asking f..
Ahhh summer, here at last. Long sunny days, bare feet, beach swims and staying up late to roast marshmallows after dark. All things that make wonderfu..
Shingles is a painful skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. Anyone who has had chicken pox could get shingles.
There was a recent death from meningitis reported in the newspapers. Although meningitis is more common in winter it is good for everyone to be aware ..
As the weather continues to become warmer we see more people coming into the pharmacy to ask for help with their fungal infections. Fungi are like mus..
When it comes to treating the pain and inflammation caused by arthritis, a whole-body approach is the best plan of attack. Taking drugs to help minimi..
Worldwide, 300 million people who are living with viral hepatitis are unaware they have it. On World Hepatitis Day, 28 July, there is an international..
New science around probiotics proves that the bacteria (or bugs) that live in your intestine have a huge impact on the function of your body and your ..
Cold A cold is a viral infection that affects your nose, sinuses, throat and upper chest. It usually goes away by itself in 7 to 10 days. The symptom..
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, affecting around 90% of New Zealand diabetes sufferers. With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produc..
Shingles is a disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles affects the nerve endings...
For many of us, a sunny, warm summer is exciting. Getting outside and enjoying summer is part of being a kiwi. I’m all for that as long as we also r..
I was fascinated to read that the UK have an Anger Awareness Week in early December. Of all the awareness weeks that exist, this surely is one that al..
In this blog I want to promote Stroke Week which was held in the first week of October. Stroke Week leads into the Big NZ Blood Pressure Check. Why..
Feeling a little under the weather? Can’t put your finger on what is causing a seemingly random collection of symptoms?
This winter looks set to be one to remember although maybe not for reasons we'd like to remember it. As well as setting weather records, notably for c..
Dry skin – it’s a common winter thing At this time of year, as winter kicks in, I frequently talk to people asking for help to relieve dry skin. ..
We’re about to set off on another family hiking adventure. For the last few summers we’ve done a multi-day hike somewhere around New Zealand enj..
Written by: Jenny Cade In my last blog I wrote about a recent personal experience with a mole that had to be removed because it could become a mela..
Earlier this year, I had a skin cancer check i.e. a specially qualified doctor ‘inspected’ my body to check for anything that already was or might..
As I write this it is World Diabetes Day. As you read this, it probably isn’t. But one awareness day a year isn’t really what’s important. Wha..
Previous health crises in places like the Havelock North gastro outbreak, have shown how easy it is for some infections to spread. Thankfully an outbr..
Find out about the important points when using paracetamol to treat pain and/or fever in adults.
Now we've officially hit winter, it's time to think about what you can do to protect yourself from winter illnesses.
Skin is made up of different layers and substances which make it supple and tough and allow it to stretch. But sometimes skin is broken...
As many have discovered, simply cutting back calories without addressing lifestyle imbalance: stress, inactivity and poor dietary patterns..
Varicose veins are caused when valves don't work properly, causing blood to pool and veins to bulge.
Most cases of simple cystitis are caused by bacteria which ascend through the urethra into the normally sterile urine in the bladder.
The ultraviolet radiation (UVR) that gets through the earth’s outer atmosphere is so much stronger at this time of year, causing sunburn...
Ulcers form when the moist inner lining (the mucous membrane) of the digestive tract becomes damaged and inflamed.
Sprains are the tearing of a ligament. Strains refer to tearing of a muscle or tendon. They often occur together in or around joints...
Commonly, sore throats are viral, resulting from the common cold, glandular fever, measles, chicken pox or whooping cough.
Snoring is estimated to affect around 4 in 10 adult males and as many as 3 in 10 adult females. The sound of snoring is caused by vibration.
Tobacco is a major cause of cardiovascular disease, and more smokers die of cardiovascular disease than any other cause.
The condition of your skin can tell you a lot about your state of health, even your state of mind. Most skin problems happen either when...
Seborrhoeic dermatitis, psoriasis of the scalp, contact dermatitis, lichen planus, discoid lupus erythematotus, alopecia...
Just visible to the naked eyes, the pregnant female itch mite Sarcoptes Scabiei burrows a tunnel into the skin of her human host before...
Osteoporosis happens when the bone structure breaks down and they become so weak and brittle that they can easily fracture.
Good dental and oral health will keep your teeth looking good; protect you from tooth decay and gum disease and also from bad breath...
Since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Tina’s had to adjust to life in a wheelchair while coping with other symptoms too: reduced...
Onset is usually before the age of 30 but can occur at any time of life. Both men and women are equally at risk. Bipolar disorder tends...
The liver is such a remarkable organ that we cannot live without it performing its many important functions. These include...
All bones, except for one, form a joint with another bone. Most joints are designed to protect the ends of bone where they meet.
Gastrointestinal Oesophageal Reflux Disease or GORD, reflux belongs to the large category of disorders termed Dyspepsia or Indigestion.
Imagine never knowing when your bladder is going to let you down in public... perhaps in the supermarket or cinema?
If you have narrowed arteries or increased blood volume, blood pressure increases. Hypertension is persistently raised blood pressure...
Heart disease covers any breakdown of normal heart function that affects its performance as a pump, supplying oxygen-rich blood...
Haemorrhoids or 'piles' as they are commonly known, are really a type of varicose vein. The veins supplying the rectal area...
Our gut, or gastrointestinal/digestive system, is having its turn in the sun as research reveals that this is no simple plumbing job...
Approximately 20% of women over the age of 40, and 8% of men over 40 have gallstones which may range in size from a pinhead to a golf ball.
The most common types of fungal infections are caused by a mould-like fungus in the outer layers of the skin, usually on the arms, legs...
Seizures are divided into two main categories, generalised seizures in which abnormal electrical impulses affect the whole brain and local..
Otitis media is by far the most common ear problem. It is the result of an infection or inflammation in the middle ear...
Normally digestion should work without problems, although the frequency of bowel motions can vary from person to person.
Inflammation of the skin is it’s way of reacting to an irritant or allergen and can occur anywhere in the body.
“I’m a dad and I’m scared. When I say I’m a dad and I’m scared, I really mean: I’m a dad and I’m looking for answers...
The clot causes swelling of the vein or thrombophlebitis and can cause pain, aching or discomfort.
The symptoms of a cold and flu are similar and often the first sign of a sniffle is mistakenly called the flu.
Around 70-80% of our cholesterol is made by our bodies, mainly by the liver, and the rest comes from dietary sources.
Each year more than 3000 New Zealand women are diagnosed with breast cancer.
Laughing out loud, scratching your ear, feeling a love-rush for your children, and reading this article... what do they have in common?
Technically urinary incontinence is defined as the inability to hold urine in the bladder...
While ants, mossies, sand flies and fleas leave a temporary legacy of maddening itching, wasp and bee stings are usually extremely painful..
One in eight New Zealand adults and one in seven children are using medicines to control asthma.
The New Zealand Mental Health Survey cast some light on the make-up of mental illness in our country.
Dementia is the term for a set of symptoms caused by many different disease processes. It involves a loss of mental function...
Are you living with COPD? And experiencing flare-ups or exacerbations, or an increase in symptoms , even though you are using a treatment...
Through our lips, we say or first words and we experience our first kiss, but lips are sensitive and can become vulnerable.
Achieve the maximum health benefit from this high absorption and high dose immune support supplement.
We’re all susceptible to flu and know how important that flu shot is, to keep us doing things we need or love to do.
Tired of a constant runny nose, nasal congestion or mucus in the back of your throat?
You could be forgiven for thinking that COVID-19 is no longer a big deal, especially if you’re fully vaccinated.
Do you have diabetes and want to manage your glucose levels confidently and achieve real results?
Blistex’s new Hemp & Shea Hydration has arrived just in time for spring!
If you have asthma, you’ve probably been using a puffer to prevent your symptoms for some time.
If you get sore or chapped lips, you’ll know the Blistex lip balm range, it’s been the go-to for dry, cracked lips for years...
1 in 4 New Zealanders experience incontinence.1 It can be embarrassing, stressful and can stop you from going out...
Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a highly contagious bacterial disease which can be very serious...
If you have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), sometimes called emphysema or chronic bronchitis...
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