Your local friendly pharmacy offers a wide range of NHS services to help support you in making healthy changes to your lifestyle. We have a range of resources and advice to help you make these changes. We can provide advice and tips on how to eat healthily, how to get enough exercise and stop smoking. It's never too late to lead a healthier lifestyle!
It’s never too late to quit! Cigarettes contain over 4,000 toxic chemicals and around 69 of these cause cancer. Quitting dramatically increases your chances of living a longer life. It takes just 20 minutes for your body to start healing once you quit smoking, repairing the damage done by all those years of smoking. You will reduce your chances of getting lung cancer and be able to breathe more easily. You will reduce that clogged feeling in your lungs and lose that nasty cough in the morning. You will reduce your chances of having a heart attack. You will reduce your risk of developing illness, disability or death caused by cancer, heart or lung disease. You will reduce your risk of gangrene or amputation caused by circulatory problems. You will improve your fertility levels and your chance of a healthy pregnancy and baby. You will improve your breathing and general fitness. Our trained staff at Walmley pharmacy, will help you understand why you smoke and create a plan to help you go smoke free. We will recommend OTC products such as nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum, lozenges, inhalator). We will give you all the support you need when you’re ready to quit. For more information visit www.nhs.uk/smokefree
The Effects of Alcohol - Are You Putting Your Health At Risk? There’s no guaranteed safe level of drinking! Regularly drinking above recommended daily limits risks damaging your health The NHS recommends:
• Men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units a day.
• Women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day.
Regularly drinking above recommended daily limits risks damaging your health. Most people who have health problems from drinking aren’t alcoholics – they’re just people who’ve regularly been drinking more than the recommended levels for some years. The effects of alcohol are different for each person, and for men and women. The amount you drink, how often you drink and how long you’ve been drinking all make a difference. And it’s certainly not only people who get drunk or binge drink who are at risk. Most people who are drinking too much don’t see any symptoms at first, but alcohol’s hidden effects emerge later in life – and by then they can be a serious problem. Liver problems, reduced fertility, high blood pressure, increased risk of various cancers and heart attack are some of the numerous harmful effects of regularly drinking above recommended levels. To find out more and check your drinking levels speak to our pharmacy team today
Blood Pressure Testing
High blood pressure is on the increase and most people do not have any symptoms. We have a quick and simple test to check your blood pressure. Call in today for a free blood pressure check.
Sexual Health
Emergency Hormonal Pill
Speak to our pharmacist about the emergency hormonal pill.
Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. It is estimated that 70% of women and 50% of men have no symptoms and may be infected and not know they have it. The signs and symptoms of Chlamydia are invisible, but just a simple urine test, carried out in the privacy of your own home can tell you if you may be carrying the infection. You can obtain a free self taken test from our pharmacy today or you can also request a postal kit by calling 08000 320899 or request a test on line at www.b-clear.org.uk/ . You can decide how you want to be informed of the result. This is a strictly confidential service. Chlamydia can be easily cured with a short course of antibiotics but you can get Chlamydia again if you have unprotected sexual contact with an infected person.
Influenza (flu) is a highly infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. The influenza virus attacks the respiratory tract (the ear, nose and throat). The virus is mainly spread by respiratory droplets in the air produced by coughing or sneezing. Although most people recover from flu within a week, for some people the infection is more serious and leads to complications. These illnesses may require treatment in hospital and can be life threatening especially in the elderly, people with heart or chest disease and those in poor health. The Flu jab protects against the most common strains of the virus, which change each year. s part of the NHS we offer Free (nhs logo) flu vaccination to all people aged 65 years and over, and for people aged from 18 to less than 65 years of age with one or more of the following medical conditions:
• Chronic (long-term) respiratory disease, such as severe asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or bronchitis.
• Chronic heart disease, such as heart failure.
• Chronic kidney disease at stage three, four or five.
• Chronic liver disease.
• Chronic neurological disease, such as Parkinson’s disease or motor neurone disease, or learning disability,diabetes.
• Immunosuppresion, a weakened immune system due to disease (such as HIV/AIDS) or treatment (such as cancer treatment).
• Asplenia or splenic dysfunction.
• Morbid obesity.
• Pregnant women aged 18 or over (including those women who become pregnant during the flu season).
• People aged 18 or over living in long-stay residential care homes or other longstay care facilities*; • social care workers.
• Carers aged 18 or over. or
• Household contacts of immunocompromised individuals who are aged 18 or over. Book your flu vaccine appointment with our friendly pharmacist.
Are you going abroad? Our pharmacy team can explain what malaria prevention medicines and vaccinations you and your family require for your holiday. Please speak to a member of staff about malaria protection and travel health products to help protect you and your family.