Webster packs (also known as Dose Administration Aids) are prepared by our Pharmacist to assist you in remembering to take the correct medication on the correct days and at the correct time.

While no cancer is completely preventable, it is estimated that changes in diet and physical activity could reduce the incidence of bowel cancer by up to 75%.

People often have unrealistic expectations of how much weight loss is possible. Weight loss goals should be realistic (e.g. 1–2 kg per month), and even small amounts of weight loss improve health and wellbeing. Weight management must focus on health improvement and behavioural change rather than only on weight loss.

Did you know that every 28 minutes an Australian dies of smoking-related disease? 

The number of Australians who smoke has fallen in recent years. However, smoking is still a big problem. Around 1 in 8 or approximately 13% of adults in Australia still smoke. This affects their health, as well as the health of those around them.

Shingles is a viral infection caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox (varicella-zoster virus). Shingles can only develop in a person who has already had chickenpox (varicella). After an episode of chickenpox, the virus does not completely clear, and some particles lie dormant in nerve roots near the spinal cord. They cause no harm, or signs and symptoms, but can re-activate later to cause shingles (herpes zoster).

Skin Cancer Action Week 2016 (20–26 November) reminds us of what we can do to ensure good sun protection – slip on sun-protective clothing, slop on SPF30 (or higher) broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen, slap on a broad-brimmed hat, seek shade and slide on sunglasses. 

The 20th Australian Food Safety Week will be held from 6-12 November 2016. The theme for this year is ‘raw and risky’ foods, following major food poisoning outbreaks in recent years. These outbreaks have been linked to risky raw foods such as unpasteurised milk, raw eggs, bean/seed sprouts, frozen berries and lettuce. It is estimated that each year 4.1 million people get food poisoning in Australia, 1 million Australians have to visit a doctor due to food poisoning, 32,000 people end up in hospital, and 86 people die.

What is ‘old age’? Interestingly, younger and older Australians have been found to define ‘old age’ differently. While younger Australians feel that age is based on a number, older Australians feel that age is not just a number, but influenced by social, emotional and relational elements. Many people over the age of 65 years do not feel that the term ‘old age’ applies to them. They feel that the horizon of ‘old age’ shifts as they age.