-
Dementia – can we educate and reduce risk?
At the inaugural Swisse Preventative Health Symposium held in Melbourne last Friday, I was privileged to hear a fascinating address by Professor David Smith, Professor Emeritus, University of Oxford on “the role of nutrition in the prevention of cognitive impairment”. He classes dementia as a disease – not an inevitable part of ageing and certainly…
-
Complementary Medicine – Are You In or Are you Out?
I’m tired of the same old, same old criticisms of complementary medicines being thrown by sensationalizing media like 4Corners and the like. Mind you, some of their research shows that some pharmacists are happy to bank the dollars generated by the slick marketing of these products by a variety of companies. Where do you sit…
-
Do you give out your mobile number?
Contrary to what many others think, allowing a patient access to your mobile phone won’t cause an avalanche of irrelevant and annoying calls about trivial matters. However, if you have a patient who might need reassurance after hours, your mobile phone will cement a relationship that will never be challenged. People with life-sapping disease states…
-
Do we follow our own advice?
As we become more experienced in patient care, we learn to treat not only the conditions a patient presents with, but also enquire about their overall health, and give then suggestions on ways to improve it. Pharmacists are qualified in what we know as “good” health, and in ways to attain it. How closely do…
-
Fracture – are we involved enough?
The Journal of Internal Medicine has published some views on hip fracture. The statistics behind this unfortunate and common injury is ignored as we dispense bisphosphonates to many of our female patients – fearful of the adverse effects after reading about them, and fretting after getting feedback from their friends. Do we do enough when…
-
4 Corners or 4 Circles?
Two brilliantly interwoven stories over the last ten days or so have given the ABC and Fairfax media plenty of fodder to attack pharmacists and the complementary medicine industry. In the first instance, pharmacists came under fire over the allegation that having been “shadow shopped” by Choice reporters over the question of the best options…
-
Coincidence?
Medical media recently has highlighted the bad news for back pain sufferers – analgesic don’t work! As reported in 6minutes newsletter to GPs, “NSAIDs such as ibuprofen are no better than placebo. And perhaps do more harm than good.” The news release goes on to say that “previous research has already demonstrated that paracetamol is…
-
Do we exclude our oldest customers?
People over the age of 85 are significantly more likely to suffer social exclusion than those in the 65 to 85-year-old bracket, according to new research. We know that a loss of social contact can damage physical and mental health, and furthermore, older people are more likely to need care from external providers. Let’s look…
-
Do we do enough for our statin patients?
Even though statins are the “go-to” therapy for lowering “bad” cholesterol, other treatments can effectively reduce the risk of future heart problems according to a new evidence review. The Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that a heart-healthy diet can confer the same level of heart health protection as statins. When we dispense a…
-
Patient impressions
Do we really understand how your patients perceive us? Experts agree that our patients form an opinion of our practice in a matter of seconds. And some of the latest research on first impressions suggest that it might be within the blink of an eye. I’m not referring to the pharmacy building here….I’m referring to…