A Breath of Fresh Air – Through Both Nostrils Nasal congestion or a blocked nose is caused by many factors including viruses, bacteria, allergens (pollen and dust) and environmental factors such as very dry air. The nose is designed to filter out these congestion-causing agents. This natural filtering action is done by the cilia (fine [...]
Archive | May 2011
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Fever in Children
Almost every child will develop fever at some point. The challenge for parents is to know when to be concerned. Fever may indicate the presence of a serious illness, but more often than not a fever is caused by common infections which are not serious, but need attention. The hypothalamus in the brain controls body [...]
Insomnia
What is sleep? Sleep is a state of consciousness which gives the body time to rest, going through different stages of sleep in a cycle that lasts about 90 minutes. A person may go through five of these cycles in a night. They start from drowsiness to light sleep, then deep sleep and [...]
The Fountainhead Reflexology Mat
Reflexology, or zone therapy is a form of alternative medicine that involves the physical act of applying pressure to the feet and hands with specific thumb, finger, and hand techniques. These techniques are done without the use of oil or lotion. Reflexology is based on what reflexologists claim to be a system of zones and [...]
Adcock Ingram to acquire leading vitamins, minerals and supplement (VMS) business
Adcock Ingram recently announced the acquisition of a Johannesburg-based supplements business, NutriLida Healthcare, subject to approval by the Competition Commission of South Africa. The acquisition will further strengthen Adcock Ingram’s position as the leader in the VMS market and increase its market share in the broader FMCG market. Commenting on the acquisition, Dr Jonathan Louw, [...]
Cholesterol management
The management of cholesterol is another one of life’s balancing acts. Not all cholesterol is bad and much as we need to control and restrict its intake, it needs to be present to fulfil certain essential functions within the human body. Definition of cholesterol This waxy, fatlike substance is manufactured in the liver and is naturally present [...]
NHI offers opportunity for Independent Pharmacy
NHI offers opportunity for Independent Pharmacy, says Pharmacy Advisory Forum scenario workshop Independent pharmacy has the opportunity to carve out an expanded role in the coming NHI-dominated healthcare landscape – but to do so it must become a coherent grouping that offers government a relevant and value-adding healthcare service. This was one of the important messages to [...]
Loss of appetite
Loss of appetite might not be something pharmacy personnel often come across, yet many people experience a temporary loss of appetite from time-to-time. It is usually nothing to worry about, unless it lasts for more than a day or two. The medical term for loss of appetite is anorexia. Anorexia nervosa is a well known [...]
The Diabetic child
Type 1 diabetes causes an estimated 5%–10% of all diabetes cases or 11–22 million worldwide. In 2006 it affected 440 thousand children under 14 years of age resulting in high morbidity and mortality secondary to acute and chronic complications. Pathophysiology of Type I diabetes mellitus (DM) Type 1 DM is the result of interactions of genetic, environmental, and [...]
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS – THE GOOD FATS
Fats get a lot of bad publicity. While some are potentially detrimental to health, there are others without which the human body cannot survive. As with vitamins, minerals and amino acids, essential fatty acids help to form our basic physiological structure. Fats – also known as lipids – are the richest dietary source of energy [...]
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