Pharmacy Assistant - Green Cross Publishing

pharmacy
assistant
Issue 2 Volume 1 • s ummer 2008
This, the second issue of Pharmacy Assistant, is packed with
even more information than the first issue. We had a very
positive response to that first issue and have taken on some of
your suggestions but would still welcome any ideas for future
issues.
As we head into the long awaited summer we can expect to
see people attending pharmacies with all manner of seasonal
illnesses. Whether it is sunburn, hay fever, insect bites or food
poisoning from poorly prepared barbecues summer time can
almost be as bad as winter for some of our customers.
Unfortunately sunburn doesn’t have just short term effects.
The long term effects in terms of aging wrinkly skin is bad
enough but we Irish take far too many risks in terms of the sun:
risks which are often fatal.
For information on how best to advise your customers when
it comes to enjoying sunshine without risk, turn our article on
sun protection.
An often overlooked side effect of sun worship occurs when
it is combined with taking medication. Our excellent article on
photosensitivity outlines the issues involved in drug induced
phototoxicity.
In the midst of all the joy and partying that comes with
summer it is easy to overlook a problem that is much more
common then we would imagine: malnutrition which can be
especially prevalent among the elderly. The article, How to
recognise malnutrition provides an invaluable insight into this
perennial problem.
Our article on hay fever gives a timely reminder of the
causes, treatments and methods of prevention.
This issue also sees a new section: a round up of topical
news issues, which relate to pharmacy.
We hope you enjoy the summer edition of Pharmacy
Assistant, Please forward any comments or suggestions to
maura@greencrosspublishing.ie
Pharmacy Assistant is
produced by GreenCross
Publishing as a supplement
to Irish Pharmacist.
GreenCross Publishing is a recently established
publishing house which is jointly owned by Graham
Cooke and Maura Henderson.
Graham can be contacted at graham@
greencrosspublishing.ie
Maura at maura@greencrosspublishing.ie
contents
© Copyright GreenCross Publishing 2008
The contents of Pharmacy Assistant are protected
by copyright. No part of this publication may
be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form by any means – electronic,
mechanical or photocopy recording or otherwise
– whole or in part, in any form whatsoever for
advertising or promotional purposes without the
prior written permission of the editor or publishers.
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News
AdVIce oN suN protectIoN
The Irish, possibly the fairest skinned
of all nationalities, are one of the worst
offenders when it comes to risking
their health by failing to protect
themselves from the harmful effects of
the sun.
How to recogNIse
mAlNutrItIoN
severe malnutrition is easily
recognised but less severe forms may
be more difficult to identify.
drug INduced pHototoxIcIty
A surprising array of commonly used
drugs, food additives, and other
products contain photoreactive
agents, resulting in chemical reactions
that can cause a person to become
photosensitive.
HAy feVer – cAuses, preVeNtIoN
ANd treAtmeNts
If we catch it early we can help offset
the worst effects of hay fever.
product News
Q & A
Mary Forde from Milltown, Dublin
crossword
DIsClAIMer
The views expressed in Pharmacy Assistant are
not necessarily those of the publishers, editor or
editorial advisory board. While the publishers,
editor and editorial advisory board have taken
every care with regard to accuracy of editorial and
advertisement contributions, they cannot be held
responsible for any errors or omissions contained.
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