LARCC extend their specialist post-breast cancer care services to Whelehans in Mullingar

To satisfy a growing local need, LARCC launched their new Breast Care Service here in the midlands region in 2008. Prior to this, women in the midlands who required breast care support services following breast surgery, had to travel to bigger centres like Dublin to obtain specialist breast care services such as prosthesis and bra fitting. LARCC’s confidential hassle free local service provides women with access to a comprehensive range of products and clothing through the support of qualified consultant fitters.

 Breast care service now open in Mullingar

LARCC are delighted to announce that in addition to offering their breast care services in the tranquil setting of their Multyfarnham headquarters, they are extending these support services to Mullingar. LARCC have teamed up with Whelehans Pharmacy in Mullingar to offer breast care support services in Whelehans purpose built and private consultation facility located to the rear of their Pearse St premises.  

 Eamonn Brady, owner at Whelehans explains that “this new service came about from feedback received from our customers who had fought breast cancer successfully and felt that it would be a great help to be able access specialist after care support services here in Mullingar. As a result of this feedback, I discussed the possibility with LARCC of extending their service to Mullingar”

 Eamonn continues “I feel that this service really fits with our ethos here in Whelehans. Our aim is to offer professional care and advice in a convenient local setting. We aim to offer the personal touch that you often find lacking in the world of multinational chains.  LARCC are renowned for the psychological and emotional support they provide to their clients. The homely atmosphere LARCC provide at their retreat and cancer care centre in Multyfarnham is unrivalled. The aim is to replicate this level of care and attention in a convenient town centre location.”

 The Team

The service is delivered by two members of the LARCC staff, a nurse and a therapist, who have both undertaken additional specialist training to become consultant fitters.

 The Service

LARCC’s breast care service at Whelehans will be the same service that LARCC offer in Multyfarnham. This includes on site consultation, breast form prosthesis fitting, bra measuring and fitting and discussion and support.

 Monthly clinic

The service in Mullingar will be offered via a personal private appointment at the monthly clinic held at Whelehans consultation facility. Telephone support and advice is also available from the LARCC team.

Products and services

LARRC offer the service to private and medical card clients. They offer a wide range of brands including Trulife^®, Amoena^®, Anita^®, Nicola Jane^® amongst others. The service is free for both medical card and private patients. Products are covered by prescription, medical cards and private insurance. In addition, LARCC offers all breast care clients the opportunity to partake of a variety of free therapies at their Multyfarnham retreat including massage, reflexology and reiki.

LARCC offer one hour consultations to each client, giving them plenty of time to try on a wide variety of stock, making sure they are happy and comfortable with their choice.

The breast care service in Whelehans Pharmacy is on selected Mondays. Lo-Call 1850 719719 to book an appointment. In LARCC’s Multyfarnham centre, the service is available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays every week.

Flexiseq™- a new innovative joint pain treatment for Osteoarthritis sufferers

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and a leading cause of joint pain. In recent weeks I have been inundated with queries on the new drug-free joint pain gel for arthritis. The product is called Flexiseq™ and it has got a lot of attention due to comments from the likes of Arthritis Ireland and top rheumatologists. Hence in this week’s health blog I explain what all the fuss is about and how this product works.

 Flexiseq is an innovative treatment, researched and developed in Germany, for the management of pain and joint stiffness in patients with osteoarthritis. Flexiseq™ is a gel containing nanostructures called Sequessome™ vesicles, which are able to cross the skin and target sites of pain when rubbed in. Once inside the joint, Sequessome vesicles accumulate on the damaged cartilage forming a lubricating layer. Research shows is benefits in relieving pain with comparable efficacy to celecoxib, a leading prescription drug used for treating osteoarthritis pain. Daily application in the morning and evening is enough to give real improvement in joint pain in as little as two days.

Flexiseq™ is registered as a medical device; thus Flexiseq™ does not contain any pharmaceutically active ingredients meaning it doesn't contain any drugs that might interact with medication you may be taking for pain or any other ailment.

John Church, CEO of Arthritis Ireland said “We welcome any new innovative approach to making life easier for the 450,000 people living with osteoarthritis in Ireland.” Professor Geraldine McCarthy from Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, in Dublin said “I have been aware of Flexiseq™ since its launch in Germany last year and welcome its arrival in Ireland, as we have a real need for new treatments for the symptoms of osteoarthritis.” The drug-free gel is supported by a wealth of clinical data including a paper recently published in the influential British medical journal Rheumatology which indicated that Flexiseq™ could be used safely in older patients and patients with heart problems without risks associated with traditional prescription anti-inflammatory drugs.

 Patients with high risk medical problems

The targeted, physical mode of action of Flexiseq™ crucially means there are no drug-to-drug interactions with Flexiseq™ as it is not itself a drug and, as a result, it can be used by patients who may be taking a variety of medications for other diseases and is an option for patients considered ‘at risk’ from the more common side effects associated with prescription only anti-inflammatory painkillers, for example, those with such conditions as high blood pressure, gastric disorders or asthma.

As Flexiseq™ is an alternative treatment; it should not replace conventional treatments prescribed by your doctor. It can complement other arthritis treatments. Always consult your doctor. I will discuss osteoarthritis in more detail in my health blog soon.

This article is shortened for my health blog. More detailed information and leaflets is available in Whelehans

Eamonn Brady is a pharmacist and the owner of Whelehans Pharmacy, Pearse St, Mullingar. If you have any health questions e-mail them to info@whelehans.ie

The perfect Back to School lunchbox

With kids back to school in a couple of weeks, pharmacist Eamonn Brady from Whelehans in Mullingar gives tips on a healthy lunchbox. High-protein lunches produce greater afternoon alertness and more focused attention, whereas lunches that are high in fat tend to lead to greater fatigue, sleepiness and distraction. Chicken, tuna, lean beef and eggs are examples of lunch options that are high in protein and low in fat.

 Lunch box tips

Milk or water are best as drinks. Sugar free squash (one part squash to four parts water) is better than sugary minerals. Always opt for brown or wholegrain bread rather than white bread for sandwiches and rolls; wholegrain varieties are higher in fibre and keep children fuller for longer. Cut sandwiches into fingers, squares or triangles for a bit of variety. For fillings, cucumber, tomatoes and apples are tasty. Convenience snacks are high in fats, salts and sugar so should not be eaten on a regular basis. Include a piece of fruit every day. Vary the fruit everyday; examples include grapes, plums, peaches, bananas, orange segments, apple slices and kiwis (cut in half and eaten with a spoon). A good tip to prevent a sliced fruit going brown during the day is to sprinkle lemon over the sliced part. Try to include something from the dairy group every day which could include milk, yogurt or cheese. For variety, try cheese slices, cubes, triangles or grated cheese. Encourage children to help you make their lunch or even to make their own lunch. Children are more inclined to eat it if they had a part in making it.

Just the Tonic!

Supplements should not be considered an alternative to a healthy and varied diet. However, Whelehans Children’s Tonic may give a short term boost for those kids who won’t eat enough fruit and veg.

Eamonn Brady MPSI is the owner of Whelehans Pharmacy, 38 Pearse St, Mullingar (opposite the Greville arms Hotel). Tel 04493 34591. www.whelehans.ie

Festival Tips

‘Wash Your Hands’ among essential tips to ensure a healthy festival experience

 

With a number of festivals taking place across the country this weekend, pharmacists are advising that basic hand hygiene can help reduce the risk of picking up or spreading germs that can cause upset stomachs. The ‘wash your hands’ tip to music revellers is one of a number of  Top Festival Tips that Eamonn Brady from Whelehans Pharmacy in Mullingar advises for a safe and healthy festival.

 Unprotected sex, dehydration and sunburn are some of the other threats to the health and safety of festival goers, pharmacists say.

Pharmacist Eamonn Brady says, “Hand washing is the simplest, most effective measure for preventing the spread of germs. Washing your hands, particularly before you eat or after going to the toilet, will help prevent the spread of bacteria and food-borne illnesses. Festival goers should also bring along and use an antiseptic hand gel with a high alcohol content and use it regularly.”

 Eamonn also highlighted the risks of unprotected sex and warned festival revellers to plan ahead and bring condoms to prevent sexually transmitted infections.

 Eamonn are also advises revellers on other areas of concern. “You can bring along a few over-the-counter remedies to have if you become unwell, such as medication for stomach upsets or diarrhoea and antiseptic cream for bites, stings or cuts. It is also very important to apply sunscreen with a high sun protection factor to avoid sunburn,”

 Top Festival Tips

1. Wash your hands – Wash your hands before you eat, after going to the toilet or handling rubbish. Bring along an antiseptic hand gel and use it regularly.
2. Medication – Make sure to bring an adequate supply of any medication you may be taking. If you are an asthma sufferer, don’t forget to bring your inhaler and spare cartridges.
3. Dehydration – drink plenty of water. Be careful if you are drinking alcohol as it has a dehydrating effect.   
4. Sexual Health – Practice safe sex and take precautions. Always use a condom to protect against sexually transmitted infections. Remember, vomiting and diarrhoea can make oral contraceptives ineffective.
5. Sun Protection – It doesn’t take much sun to get burned or have sunstroke when you’re outside all day at a festival. Use a sunscreen with a high sun protection factor (SPF 20 or higher) and apply it regularly. Choose a sunscreen that protects from harmful UVA and UVB rays. Always wear a hat and sunglasses and protective clothing.
6. Stomach Upsets – Ask your pharmacist about appropriate over-the-counter medicines to bring with you in case you get a stomach upset. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration if you are suffering from diarrhoea.

Eamonn Brady is pharmacist at Whelehans Pharmacy, 38 Pearse St, Mullingar (opposite the Greville Arms Hotel). Tel 04493 34591. Web. www.whelehans.ie

Can fish oils increase prostate cancer risk?

Eamonn Brady is a pharmacist and the owner of Whelehans Pharmacy, Pearse St, Mullingar. If you have any health questions e-mail them to info@whelehans.ie

A recent study by Brasky et al. in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute indicated an increased risk of prostate cancer for men who used omega 3s. This has raised concerns about how safe fish oils are for men.

What the experts say

Many experts have indicated that this study is flawed. The study was not designed to investigate the role of Omega-3 intake on prostate cancer. Fish oil supplements were not used as part of the study. Only plasma Omega-3 was measured, these levels really only reflect the Omega-3 consumption of your last meal and not a true reflection of your Omega-3 consumption.

According to Dr James O’Keefe, Director of the Preventative Cardiology Programme at St Luke’s Mid-American Heart Institute, the study only showed miniscule differences in omega-3 blood levels. The omega 3 levels found in patients’ blood was the equivalent of having no fish intake or fish oil supplementation. Dr O’Keefe explains that previous studies indicated that omega 3 actually has a protective effect against prostate cancer. He says that higher omega 3 levels have consistently and strongly correlated with lower risks of cardiovascular mortality.

According to Professor Clemens von Schacky, a German Cardiologist, “virtually every male gets prostate cancer, provided he lives long enough to get it. Age was not properly handled as a risk factor in the study mentioned.”

Dr Harry Comber, Director of the National Cancer Registry in Ireland, said he was loath to give advice to patients to take action on the basis of a single study. "People should not change their behaviour based on a single study. I would take it with a little bit of caution. It is suggestive but not definitive one way or the other."

Conclusion

It should be noted that the best way to get omega 3 is naturally through your diet. Omega 3 fatty acids are primarily found in oily fish such as salmon, fresh tuna, mackerel, herring, sardines and pilchards. We should eat two portions of fish per week, one of them oily. You should only use omega 3 supplements if you do not eat sufficient oily fish or other sources or omega 3 such as flaxseed.

There are facts about omega 3s that seem to be at odds with this study. For example, Japan has one of the highest intakes of Omega-3 fish oil with the lowest incidence of prostate cancer in the world. Ireland has one of the lowest intakes of Omega-3 fish oil yet has a high incidence of prostate cancer. Further studies are warranted.  I would advise men who have a family history of prostate cancer or who are at higher risk or prostate cancer (as indicated by blood tests) are best to avoid fish oil supplements.

The advice in this blog is the opinion of Eamonn Brady; consult with your doctor before making any changes

New Heart Warning for Diclofenac

People with heart problems have been advised against using one of the most commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs. The European medicines watchdog issued a warning in July 2013 stating that diclofenac can significantly increase the risk of heart problems such as heart attack and stroke in those already at risk of these problems. Diclofenac is a Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug (NSAID) used as an anti-inflammatory painkiller. Many Irish people take diclofenac for a range of conditions such as back pain, arthritis, gout and headaches. According to HSE statistics*, diclofenac is the 18^th most commonly prescribed drug overall by doctors in Ireland with 568,000 prescriptions issued for diclofenac issued on the medical card alone in 2010. Diclofenac has been the second most commonly prescribed painkiller after paracetamol and the most commonly prescribed anti-inflammatory painkiller.

The Irish Medical Board (IMB) is advising against taking diclofenac if you have heart problems. Brands of diclofenac available on prescription in Ireland include Diclac^® tablets, Difene^® Capsules, Voltarol^® tablets and Catoflam^® tablets.

The IMB are advising doctors not to prescribe diclofenac for patients with a history of heart and circulation problems including heart failure, ischaemic heart disease (eg. Angina, previous heart attack), stoke and arterial thrombosis (eg. blood clots). People who are smokers, are diabetic, have high blood pressure or have high cholesterol should also use diclofenac in caution (even if they do not currently have heart problems) as these conditions increase your risk of heart disease and diclofenac further increases this risk. Research published in 2011 found that patients taking diclofenac were found to have a 40% increased risk of heart problems such as heart attack or stroke compared to those who were not using the drug. However, for most people; diclofenac only causes a slight increase in risk of heart problems

The warning covers diclofenac administered rectally (eg Difene^® suppositories) as well as oral versions mentioned above. The warning does not include topical versions of diclofenac such as creams and gels. Thus topical versions such as Difene^® Gel, Voltarol^® Gel or Difene^® Gel are still considered safe for cardiac patients. However, topical versions should be used in caution with patients prescribed warfarin as even rubbing it onto a small area of skin can increase the effect of warfarin which could lead to bleeds. Diclofenac is still considered to be safe for those without heart problems.

There was a similar warning a few years ago for another class of prescription only anti-inflammatory painkillers called COX-2 NSAIDs. COX-2 NSAIDs include brands like Celebrex^® and Arcoxia^®; these too must be avoided in people with heart problems.

 
Anti inflammatory painkillers that do not have a major cardiac warning (as of yet) include ibuprofen, meloxicam, naproxen and meloxicam. Hence doctors may consider prescribing these in cardiac patients where analgesia is required. Ibuprofen is available over the counter without prescriptions (eg. Nurofen^®) but I would not advise people with heart problems using Ibuprofen without first consulting with their pharmacist or doctor; this is because it can cause problems like raised blood pressure which can put pressure on the heart. Anti-inflammatory medicines must be used with care for other reasons too and should not be used long term (unless under supervision of your doctor). Apart from potential heart problems, they can cause stomach ulcers, trigger asthma attacks in asthmatics and should be avoided by those with kidney problems.

By Eamonn Brady MPSI

 *HSE Primary Care Reimbursement Service. Statistical Analysis of claims and payments 2010.

 
For comprehensive and free health advice and information call in to Whelehans, log on to www.whelehans.ie or dial 04493 34591. Email queries to info@whelehans.ie. Find us on Facebook.

Can Omega 3 and Omega 7 relieve Dry Eyes?

I recently wrote about dry eyes in my blog. As a result of this I got a number of enquiries on the benefits of omega 3 or omega 7 to relieve dry eyes. Hence I revisit this topic.

Omega 3 Oils

Studies indicate that a diet rich in Omega 3 oils can reduce the risk of developing dry eye and also ease symptoms. Omega 3 fatty acids are primarily found in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines and pilchards. We should eat two portions of fish per week, one of them oily. Flaxseed oil which is also known as linseed oil is also a good source of omega 3. For people who do not eat sufficient fish oils, I recommend a fish oil supplement called MorEPA^® as it contains the highest level of pure omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) of any fish oil supplement.

Can Omega 7’s relieve dry eyes?

Omega-7 fatty acids help boost the immune system and (like omega 3) reduce inflammation. Their main benefits are their ability to reduce dryness in membranes of the body. I got introduced to Omega 7 in the last year by a pharmacist colleague of mine who mentioned that many of his patients found it helped relieve dry eyes. I recommended it to a few people suffering from Sjögren’s syndrome (an inflammatory condition that causes severe dry eyes) and they got a benefit of it. In Whelehans Pharmacy, we stock the PharmaNord brand of Omega 7 capsules. Omega-7 fatty acids are derived from berries of a shrub called sea buckthorn which originates in the Himalayas. It has long been used as part of traditional Chinese medicine.

Relieving Dry Eyes                                                                                                                               
One clinical study conducted on one hundred men and women aged 20 to 75 experiencing dry eye symptoms demonstrated the benefits of omega 7. For 12 weeks, half the participants took an omega 7 supplement. The group who took the omega 7 supplement experienced less redness and burning sensations than the group who took the placebo.

Omega 7 has produced positive results in studies of women with Sjögren’s syndrome. In one double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 24 women aged 35 to 66 took an omega 7 supplement or a placebo for 12 weeks. The omega 7 supplement gave relief to itch, pain, dryness and burning sensations in the mucosal tissues experienced by those with Sjögren’s syndrome. Omega 7 is not a cure all for dry eyes, however taking it as a supplement may give some relief. Supplements are not meant as a substitute for medical assessment and should not replace prescription medication.

Eamonn Brady is a pharmacist and the owner of Whelehans Pharmacy, Pearse St, Mullingar. If you have any health questions e-mail them to info@whelehans.ie

 

This article is shortened for my blog. More detailed information and leaflets is available in Whelehans or www.whelehans.ie