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Whelehans Health Blog

Diabetes treatment options

Posted by Eamonn Brady on

 

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

Last week I discussed types, symptoms, risks and complications of diabetes; this week I summarise treatment options.

 

Diabetes treatment

Aim of treatment

The aim of diabetes treatment is to do what your body once did automatically which is to mimic the insulin pattern you had before diabetes and to keep blood sugar under control.

 

Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes

There is no cure for type 1 diabetes but it can be kept under control. Type 1 diabetes is controlled by giving your body insulin. This allows glucose to be absorbed into cells and converted into energy, stopping it building up in the blood.

 

You may use one or more types of insulin depending on the control required. You may be on a combination of slow, medium and fast acting insulin. Modern insulin such as Lantus® provide far better control than older types, meaning less injections and less chance of hypoglycaemic attacks (ie) dangerous low blood sugar.

 

There are two main methods of taking insulin.

  • Insulin injections are the most common form of treatment, where insulin administration is by subcutaneous injection which means injecting under the skin (usually in the stomach). You will usually give these to yourself two to four times a day, using a pen-type syringe with refillable cartridges.
  • Portable insulin pumps may be used if control of blood glucose with regular injections is difficult. Insulin pumps can be programmed to inject insulin at a rate that you can control.

 

Treatment of type 2 diabetes

Many people with type 2 diabetes can manage to control their condition simply by changing their lifestyle (eg) managing diet better, more exercise.

 

Medicines                                                                                                                            

If lifestyle changes alone don't reduce your glucose levels, you may be prescribed medicines to increase insulin production and strengthen its effect.

 

Examples include:

  • Metformin improves the effectiveness of insulin by reducing the amount of glucose released from the liver and improving the way glucose is used by muscles. It causes less weight gain than other diabetic medication.
  • Sulphonylureas encourage your pancreas to produce more insulin, and include gliclazide (Diamicron).
  • DPP-4 inhibitors, such as sitagliptin (Januvia), help your body to produce more insulin in response to meals. They don't cause weight gain and only rarely cause hypos (low blood sugar). They are usually used in combination with metformin or sulphonylureas.
  • Thiazolidine-diones reduce body's resistance to insulin and are sometimes used with metformin and sulphonylureas if other standard treatments aren't working or aren't tolerated. An example is pioglitazone (Actos). They are used less often nowadays due to increased risk of heart problems. Rosiglitazone (Avandia) was taken off the market a few years ago due to heart risk.
  • Acarbose (Glucobay) lowers blood glucose by slowing the breakdown of some carbohydrates. It is rarely used nowadays due to gastrointestinal side effects such as flatulence, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain.

 

Two or more of the medicines listed here can be given in combination as they may give better control than one on its own. All diabetics, regardless of means, are entitled to all medication related to diabetes for free in Ireland under the Long Term Illness Scheme (including heart related meds)

 

Free Diabetes Talk and information event

Whelehans Pharmacy is hosting a free talk on Diabetes on Thursday May 30th at 7pm in the Greville Arms Hotel. Pharmacist Eamonn Brady will speak about the medication used with Diabetes while experts including local HSE dieticians, eye screening specialists and other professionals will discuss diabetes management as well as experts from Diabetes Ireland. There will be free foot checks, diabetes checks and alot more. This is expected to be a popular event so we advise booking in advance by calling Whelehans at 04493 34591 or e-mail info@whelehans or message us on facebook.

 

Free Diabetes Test

Whelehans provide free Diabetes checks in store, no appointment is needed so simply call in for your two minute simple finger prick glucose test today (or any day) for your quick and free check.

 

To be continued....next week I will discuss more about diabetes

 

Disclaimer: Consult your healthcare professional before making any changes recommended. Whelehans Diabetes Check is not a substitute for your full assessment by your GP

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Boys…Don’t Make a Balls of your Health

Posted by Eamonn Brady on

Next week, June 13th to June 19th, is Men’s Health Week, this International Initiative raises awareness of men’s health issues. With the Euro’s starting this week, the theme this year is “Men United-for Health and Wellbeing”. Pharmacist Eamonn Brady of Whelehans Pharmacy, explains the fact that “men in general do not take as much interest in their health as women is one of the major reasons men die younger than women as proven by men’s lower life expectancy statistics”

 

What are the aims of Men’s Health Week?

  • Heighten awareness of preventable health problems for males of all ages.
  • Support men and boys to engage in healthier lifestyle choices / activities.
  • Encourage the early detection and treatment of health difficulties in males

 

Boys…Don’t make a balls of your Health!

The Whelehans Pharmacy theme for their men’s health initiative this year is “Boys…don’t make a balls of your health” with their focus this year on testicular cancer. Pharmacist Eamonn Brady explains “while our slogan is a little tongue in cheek, it has a serious message. We hope our message will highlight the risk of testicular cancer in men. A sad fact is that while 1 in 4 women are diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime; the rate for men is 1 in 3. It is time for men to take their health seriously”. Eamonn explains “evidence shows that men are 70% less likely than women to visit their GP or get a medical checkup when something is wrong. Men will get their car serviced annually, but many will not get the more important checkup, a checkup from their GP”. Testicular cancer is one of the most common cancers in men and rates have doubled since the 1970s. Simple regular self-checks can detect potential problems early and will save lives.

 

How to self-check for testicular cancer

Pharmacist Eamonn Brady explains “Most testicular cancers are found by men themselves or their partner, very few are found by a doctor. This is why it is so important to be familiar with what is normal and if you do notice any changes then see a doctor immediately.” All men should to a monthly check. The check only takes a minute. Best practice is to hold your penis out of the way and check one testicle at a time. Hold the testicle between your thumbs and fingers of both hands and roll it gently between your fingers. Look and feel for any hard lumps or smooth rounded bumps or any change in the size, shape, or consistency of the testicles 

 

Boys…now is the time to get a check up

To highlight this problem, Whelehans are holding reduced price health checkups this Thursday June 16th and Friday June 17th for men only to encourage men take the first step and get their health checked. “Men Checkups” available in Whelehans this week includes Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Diabetes and Haemoglobin Checks. Whelehans are offering these four checks at a discounted price of only €15. Ann McNelis from Whelehans Pharmacy explains “men die younger from heart related conditions than women so our health check initiative this week is all heart related, hence BP, cholesterol and diabetes checks”. While it is important that men then go to their GP to get a full checkup; Whelehans hope that their checks may be the first step for many. If there is a health issue bugging you, this could be a chance to discuss it with a pharmacist. Staff of Whelehans will have fun events and goodies and vouchers for all men who call in on June 16th and 17th, so while the message is serious checkups don’t have to be daunting. Your check up only takes 30 minutes and involves a single finger prick (so no big needles!!). So ladies, get your men down to Whelehans this week. There is no excuse!! Call Whelehans at 04493 34591 to book our check www.whelehans.ie  or like us on facebook

 

For more information on Men’s Health Intiative check out www.mhfi.org

 

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Asthma: get the facts

Posted by Eamonn Brady on

Asthma is a long-term condition that can cause coughing, wheezing and/or breathlessness. With asthma, the airways become over-sensitive and react to things that would normally not cause a problem, such as cold air, exercise, animal fur, pollen or dust. Muscles around the wall of the airway tighten up. The lining of the airways swells and sticky mucus is produced.

 



Approximately 470,000 people...

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Asthma : Why is it getting more common?

Posted by Eamonn Brady on

Many studies show that asthma is getting more common in Ireland. I often get asked why this is the case? As an asthma sufferer myself, I decided to look into it more.

The 'hygiene hypothesis'
The 'hygiene hypothesis' is a theory that lack of exposure in early childhood to infectious agents means that the child’s immune system has not been activated sufficiently during childhood. This lack of...

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Heart risk from the painkiller diclofenac

Posted by Eamonn Brady on

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 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. Brands of diclofenac available on prescription in Ireland include Diclac® tablets, Difene® Capsules, Voltarol® tablets and Catoflam® tablets.

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