Health News We understand prevention is so much better than cure, and because of this we are pleased to offer you Wellbeing events, Pharmacist Medicine Use Reviews and our pharmacist, Peter, is always on hand to answer your questions . . . more  As seen in the HB Today ... This months column is Child Health more. Printable version here  Hot Topics - Acne There are many myths about acne and its causes, cures and aggravating factors. The biggest is that chocolate and fatty, greasy, foods are the culprits in causing acne . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Alzheimers Disease and Dementia Do you ever walk into a room and forget what you went in for? Forget the names of people or misplace your keys? . . . Dementia affects 43,000 New Zealanders and their families . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Alternative Therapies In 2006 the Prince of Wales suggested that an integrated, holistic approach was the best way to tackle chronic disease . . . more  Hot Topics - Arthritis Tips There are over 140 different types of Arthritis and half a million New Zealanders currently have the disease. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Asthma Asthma is a major issue in New Zealand. As a country we have the second highest prevalence of asthma in the world with one in four children suffering from the condition and 800,000 people suffering from a respiratory illness . . . more  Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Breast Cancer Awareness October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. More than 2,600 kiwi women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, that’s nearly 7 women a day, every day of the year . . more  Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Child Health With all the focus on children {in March}, I thought it’d be fitting to write about common conditions that affect children. Teething usually occurs between 5-7 months of age. Some children find this painful and may also suffer from fever, loss of appetite, dribbling . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Cold and Flu's Becoming infected has nothing to do with being outside in the cold weather. Both colds and flu are very infectious and spread by close contact with a cold sufferer or inhaling cold virus spray in the air. . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Cold Sores Cold sores may not be a serious health condition but they are painful, definitely annoying and often embarrassing for those who get them. And, as all sufferers know, often the sores appear at the worst times . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Constipation Having regular bowel motions is part of being healthy. It is when changes occur to your bowel motions & usual pattern, that you can consider you have constipation . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Continence Needing to get the toilet in a hurry and wanting to go to the toilet often are common bladder control problems and affect approximately 600,000 New Zealanders twice or more a month . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Cystitis: A Burning Issue If you’ve had cystitis before, you will remember the intense discomfort and pain it can cause. It is a very common problem that tends to affect women more than men . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Diabetes Are You at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes? Diabetes is on the increase in New Zealand. Our lifestyles have a great deal to do with it, particularly our eating habits and sedentary lifestyles. Let’s investigate how we can reduce our risk . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Diarrhoea and Vomiting Summertime is picnic and barbeque time for many people. It is a relaxed time - at the beach or our favourite camping spots, but we can get a little bit lax about good food handling, cooking and storage practices. It can mean holidays are spoiled . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Dry Skin and Eczema Dry skin and eczema (also known as dermatitis) are very common and often interlinked with each other. Over the winter months central heating and extreme weather conditions can dry the skin out . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Exercise & Sports Supplements So your New Years resolution is to get fit, lose weight, or play a great season of your chosen sport this year. Whatever the reason, we all strive to be our best physically . . . more Hot Topics - Fungal Infections Skin-related fungal infections occur mainly in warm, moist areas such as in the folds of skin, under the breast, around the groin, in the vagina and between the toes. Initially the skin can look red and rash-like . . . more  Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Gout With the start of the festive season and return of BBQs, gout is a condition we all need to be aware of . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Hayfever If you are sitting reading this with a box of tissues on hand you are not alone. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of hayfever in the world, with about 20 per cent of the population suffering from the ailment . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Head Lice With the kids heading back to school, head lice often become a hot topic for many parents. Head lice are small, flat insects . . . more Hot Topics - Healthy Living The divide between a healthy lifestyle and the lifestyle of an “average” person in our society seems to be growing and growing. We are now seeing children treated for type-II Diabetes and heart disease claims one New Zealander every 90 mins . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Indigestion A new development in this area is the availability of Losec without a prescription, under certain circumstances. Losec is well known and extensively used to reduce the amount of acid produced in the gut . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Irritable Bowel Syndrome In the UK, a survey was done of 1500 people with approximately 25% of people complaining of food allergies or intolerance. The majority of these don’t have a confirmed allergy to food . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Migraine Headaches Most of us have experienced headaches, even bad ones. But migraines can be severe, last for many hours and of a throbbing nature . . . more  Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Pain Relief Pain is the body's signal that something is not right but our response to pain, and our ability to put up with it, is as variable as human nature itself. It depends on how bad the pain is . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Prostate Problems Each year, Movember, is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in New Zealand . . . Problems and diseases of the prostate are common health concerns facing men but the good news is that there is a lot you can do to monitor your own prostate health and keep yourself fit and healthy . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Quit Smoking We are all aware of the health dangers of smoking, and there is no doubt this awareness has led to a reduction in the numbers of people smoking. Even so, if you are a smoker there are a number of things you can do to improve your chance of successfully giving up . . . more  Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Scabies and its treatment Scabies is quite a common skin condition caused by tiny insects (scabies mites) that get under the surface of the skin. The adult female burrows along . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Sleeping Well Sleep restores our bodies and minds and allows us to keep functioning during waking hours . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Summer Skin Did you know that skin cancer is the most common cancer in New Zealand? Two out of three New Zealanders are affected by skin cancer in their lifetime . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Threadworms The thought that you, or your children, may have threadworms probably makes you feel ill, not to mention wondering if your standards of hygiene and cleanliness have slipped . . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Travel Safety Tips  Holidays are such a wonderful time and while most people have few health problems there is the potential for everything from jet lag to tropical diseases . . . more  Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Vitamins and Minerals While it’s fair to say eating a balanced diet should provide you with all the nutrients you need to be healthy, there are factors that sometimes prevent this happening. These can include . . . more Hot Topics - Getting Ready for Winter With Winter looming, now is the time to start putting in place a few simple things to help prepare your body for the colder months. . . more Click here for the printable version Hot Topics - Weight Loss With Spring on our doorstep, we often start thinking about healthy lifestyles and feeling great for Summer. There is a broad awareness of the need to maintain a healthy body weight for good health but it is a complicated issue that many people struggle with . . . more Click here for the printable version