Pharmacy Archives - Page 26 of 41

Reasons to get a Flu Shot

Alas, there are still lots of people who don’t get a flu shot every year which is something I simply don’t understand in large part because the potential downside seems to be so terrifically small.

So, unless someone one day clearly shows that getting a flu vaccine can impact your health negatively in an important way – like for example, making you more likely to get some type of flu in following flu seasons (this potential problem is being vigorously studied, by the way) – the positives that we do know from getting a flu shot every year have won the day in a large way.

Why do I say that?

For a start, the flu can be a severe infection with huge potential complications such as pneumonia and death so it’s important to remind flu-shot doubters that every year the flu kills thousands of North Americans, usually the very young, the very old, and those with diminished immunity or who have certain chronic illnesses, but some seasons flu also kills the healthy and vigorous in large numbers.

And then there’s this key reason: Herd immunity, meaning that the more people who are immunized against the flu, the more protection the vulnerable have against the flu.

And finally, every year, we learn more advantages from an annual flu vaccine, such as this recent study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in San Francisco which found that even though the overall flu vaccine effectiveness was only 52 % in the recent flu season, young kids who got a flu vaccine had half the rate of being hospitalized with flu-related illness compared to kids who didn’t get a flu shot.

This fall, do yourself – and the rest of us – a favour and get a flu shot.

And try to convince those around you to get one too.

Services and Resources for New Parents at London Drugs

A new baby brings so much joy…and a lot of questions. We’re here to help!

London Drugs aims to support new families at home and in our stores by offering a variety of services and resources to make life for moms and dads a little easier.

Mom with Baby - London Drugs Blog

1) Health Advice for Parents

If you have questions about your child’s health, our pharmacists are an accessible resource. They can recommend over the counter medications that are safe your children and provide information on proper dosage to help you treat common baby health conditions such as diaper rash, eczema, cradle cap, constipation, pain and fever, rashes, teething and others.

Our pharmacists can also refer your child to a doctor or other health professional if they feel they require further medical attention.

2) In-Store Diaper Stations

Taking the baby with you shopping isn’t always easy. Sometimes the ‘unexpected’ happens – just when you’ve run out of diapers, or forgot the diaper bag at home. That’s why we are excited to announce a new pilot project at select Calgary London Drugs stores: you’ll find our store washrooms fully stocked with change table supplies, including free Huggies diapers in a variety of sizes as well as wipes, for when you’re in a pinch.

The diaper stations can be found at:

Brentwood Village Mall –3603 Brentwood Road NW
London Place West – 5255 Richmond Road SW
First Calgary SE – 4701 – 130^th Avenue SE
Royal Oak Centre – 8888 Country Hills Blvd NW

3) Breastfeeding Supplies and Tips

We carry a selection of products from trusted brands such as Medela Canada, including their mobile Freestyle breast pump system, the Easy Expression bustier, Calma feeding system and much more. If you prefer, you can also rent a complete, hospital-grade Medela kit at London Drugs.

Of course, we know breastfeeding is a topic that brings many questions for parents. To answer your most frequently asked questions, we brought together our London Drugs buyer, Medela expert and a London Drugs pharmacist for a 2-part video discussion on breast pumping. You can watch both videos here.

4) Children’s Passport Photos

Getting a passport can be challenging enough as an adult, let alone trying to take an acceptable passport photo for a squirming infant. Luckily, our Photolab Experts have some tricks up their sleeve to make your passport photo experience a breeze.

If you’re bringing your infant, our Photolab Experts recommend dressing them in an open shirt or onesie that you can easily unsnap. This will make it easy for you to put your hands under your child’s shirt to support them while the photo is being taken. They also recommend visiting the Photolab when your child is well-rested and satiated (not in the middle of nap time or lunch time) so they are more likely to be cooperative.

We are so confident in the quality of our passport photos – for parents and children alike – that we offer a London Drugs $50 Quality Guarantee. If a London Drugs passport or identification photo is declined for quality reasons, we will refund your purchase, retake the photo, and give you a $50 London Drugs gift card for your inconvenience.

Feel free to visit us in the Photolab, and we can walk you through the process and photo requirements for children.

5) Customizable Baby Announcements

The London Drugs Photolab offers an easy way to create baby announcement cards . Include an adorable photo of your newborn, and text with time of birth, weight and more, so you can share the excitement of your new arrival with family and friends. You can even choose from a selection of our baby announcement templates to help get you started. Just visit us in-store to order using our Photolab kiosks, or order from the comfort of your home through our Photolab website.

6) Shopping Essentials

You’ll find everything else you need for your children at London Drugs. From bottles and baby food, to children’s medicine and toys, we have you covered. Visit us in-store, or have it all shipped directly to your door by ordering online. Or you can order online and pick up your order in two hours or less.

Flu Shots at London Drugs

Reminder to Healthy Individuals: Getting Your Flu Shot
Protects the Vulnerable and Saves Lives

For every flu shot administered at London Drugs this year, a lifesaving vaccine will be donated to help protect the world’s most vulnerable children from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Hundreds of thousands of Canadians needlessly fracture bones each year due to osteoporosis

London Drugs’ Osteoporosis Screening Clinics to aid in prevention

Dubbed the ‘silent thief’, bone loss from osteoporosis occurs without symptoms – until the first fracture. According to Osteoporosis Canada, fractures from osteoporosis are more common than a heart attack, stroke or breast cancer combined, and yet over 80 per cent of fracture patients are never offered screening or treatment post fracture . Around 30,000 Canadians each year suffer from hip fractures, and many more suffer osteoporotic fractures affecting the spine, wrist, shoulder, and pelvis .

London Drugs offers Osteoporosis Screening Clinics to help patients determine their risk of developing osteoporosis, before a fracture occurs. Using the World Health Organization’s FRAX assessment tool and Sunlight Omnisense® device, Patient Care Pharmacists scan and measure the patient’s bone strength and assess their risk for falls and fractures. The consultation takes about 45-minutes.

Post-screening, patients are given an assessment of their vitamin D and calcium intake, lifestyle factors, and existing medical conditions as they relate to fracture risk. Each patient is then provided with tips on how to minimize their risks, and a personalized action plan to fit their wellness goals.

“Since osteoporosis often has no noticeable symptoms, routine screenings are crucial to help you stay informed about the changes that happen in the body during the aging process. We can develop an action plan to help improve bone health and minimize your risk,” explains Lily Liang, a Patient Care Pharmacist at London Drugs.

Osteoporosis Screening Clinics can be booked online or by calling the pharmacy.

Fat and fit

So if you are overweight but you are also fit, do you erase the added risk of heart disease that carrying extra weight is said to add to your life?

No, according to a study from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health and published in the August 14 issue of the European Heart Journal.

In this study that covered participants from several different European countries for more than 12 years follow-up, researchers compared 10,000 people who didn’t have heart problems with slightly more than 7600 people who had known cardiovascular disease, and the researchers concluded that excess weight is a problem for your heart no matter how fit you think you are.

In other words, no matter how many or how few risk factors these study participants had for heart disease – they had high blood pressure, for example, or abnormal cholesterol levels, or diabetes, and so on – those people who were overweight had a higher chance of suffering a heart attack or dying suddenly from a heart problem than people with similar cardiac risks but who were also thin or at normal weight.

Bottom line: although some studies have claimed to show that if you are fat you are still OK in terms of your heart – so long as you also maintain a good level of cardiovascular fitness – this study found that is likely not true.

Drug Dosages for Kids

For a parent or a caregiver with a sick kid who requires some type of medication, the best advice I can give you is: make absolutely sure you know what dose of that drug to give your child.

Unfortunately, according to a recent study in the journal Pediatrics, too many parents don’t heed that warning.

So, in this study of 491 parents of children under the age of 8, the researchers found that 5 in 6 parents (83%) parents made at least one “dosing error”, that is, a mistake in how much of a particular drug to give a child.

However, when given available tools to help them accurately measure the right dose, far fewer parents made dosage errors.

Two key considerations to always keep in mind if you’re in charge of a child’s medications.

Drug doses in kids often depend on a child’s weight, so the dose of a drug that you give your 10-year-old is rarely the same dose you’d give your 4-year-old
You should not rely on household do-it-yourself measuring devices, so a teaspoon from your cutlery tray is not a good way to figure out how much of a 5 ml dose of a drug your child requires – get the exact measuring tools that your child’s drugs require you to use.

And as, your pharmacist can be a terrific help if you’re at all unsure of how much of a drug your child needs.

Breast Pumping Discussion and FAQ – Medela & London Drugs

Among other concerns, new parents often wonder exactly how—or whether—breastfeeding will work for them. These questions can become more complex when breastfeeding moms get busy with life and/or a return to work.

A potential solution is a breast pump from Medela Canada, including the mobile Freestyle system, Easy Expression bustier, Calma feeding system, and much more. They’re all available at London Drugs. You can even rent the Medela Symphony Breastpump, which is a hospital-grade double breast pump proven to reduce pumping time through faster milk flow. The benefits of the double pump are:

Initiate, build & maintain your milk supply
Get up to 18% more milk per session
Cut your pumping time in half vs single pumping
Express more fatty milk; great for brain development

Of course, knowing where to access breast pumping products isn’t enough.

Other questions include:

When to start pumping.
How long breast milk will keep and how to store it.
When to change bottles and parts.
Whether breast pumping costs are often covered by medical plans.
And more…

Luckily, London Drugs buyer Laurie Leeder and Medela expert Karli Kirkpatrick, along with LD pharmacist, Marmar Rabiei, joined forces recently on Facebook Live to answer these and other questions.

Find their two-part discussion in the video section of the London Drugs Facebook page. Or simply click below to watch now. (You’ll also find answers to some frequently asked questions in this post, below the videos.)

Breast Pumping Discussion from Medela & London Drugs

Part 1:

Part 2:

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long will breast milk last?

A: The answer depends on a couple variables. First, whether the breast milk is fresh, refrigerated, frozen or thawed. And second, whether it is intended for a healthy term infant or one that is currently in a neonatal intensive care unit. Of course, the majority of cases fall within the first category. See the chart below for complete details:

Q: Which breast pump option best suits my needs?

A: The short answer is it varies based on your lifestyle and breast milk feeding goals! But there are two main options.

Double Pump: If you would like to provide breast milk to your baby full-time, share feedings, or return to work or school and continue providing breast milk, you will likely need a double pump. Double pumps are ideal for frequent, daily use and can be used full time, or to complement a full-time breastfeeding relationship. You can use them to pump one breast at a time (sequential) or both at once (simultaneous, which comes with some amazing benefits!).

Single Pump: These pumps are ideal to occasionally supplement full-time breastfeeding. They should only be used to fill roughly 1-3 bottles a week. This is because baby is responsible for maintaining your milk supply. So you should only be occasionally supplementing your breastfeeding with single pumping sessions.

Still Unsure? Click HERE for a great breakdown of all Medela pumps and how they should be used!

Additional Information

Did you know, many extended benefit insurance providers cover the cost of a breast pump. Check your coverage to see if this applies to you.

About Medela Canada: Many recognize Medela as the leading brand of breast pumps and accessories worldwide. What you may not know, however, is that Medela is the world’s largest supporter of scientific research surrounding breastfeeding, breast milk, and everything to do with lactation. We support Ph.D. research, nurses & doctors at universities and hospitals worldwide to conduct rigorous research. Then, we design, manufacture and bring to market products which incorporate their findings.

Our goal is always helping moms provide their babies with breast milk for as long as they choose. Breast milk provides three key benefits to babies: perfect nutrition, immunological protection and enhanced developmental growth. Moms benefit too, by lowering their incidence of certain illnesses and conditions, including breast cancer, diabetes, depression and more.

About the video: This Q&A was the first London Drugs Facebook Live broadcast. It was filmed in our Learning Lab studio, located this time at the Park Royal location in West Vancouver. We plan to create more helpful Facebook Live events, featuring various LD Experts. So we would would love to hear what topics or products you think we should cover next.

Until next time, thanks for watching!

Reasons to get a Flu Shot