Heat Rash — what is it and how can it be managed?

Prickly Heat , also commonly known as Heat Rash is caused by blocked sweat glands.  Babies and children can also get prickly heat rash in hot weather because their sweat glands are not fully developed. 

The tiny white bumps indicative of prickly heat can be found in a number of areas including

¨ Face

¨ Neck

¨ Under breasts

¨ Groin

¨ Elbow folds

¨ Abdomen

 Prickly heat is prevalent in the summer months and particularly in humid climates.

Aggravating Factors

¨ High humidity

¨ High temperature

¨ Sauna’s & steam rooms

¨ Fever

¨ Sunburn

¨ Sweating or hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating)

¨ Tight garments

¨ Non-breathable fabrics

¨ Perfumes,

¨ Body oils,

¨ Fragranced lotions

Treatment

¨ Wash the affected area with a non-soap wash i.e. Pinetarsol Gel.

¨ Rinse with water and repeat as often as needed, after exercise or prolonged heat exposure.

¨ cool packs are a great way to relieve the itchiness, and in more severe cases use of cortisone & anti fungal creams.  Talk to your GP or Pharmacist about these.

¨ Wear light cotton or absorbent fabrics that  aerate the skin especially in the folds of the skin i.e.     elbows, knees and groin areas.

Try an easy to use soothing spray like Mario’s Prickly Heat Spray

Mario’s Range

Prickly Heat Spray

100ml

ü Provides rapid relief of symptoms of Prickly Heat Rash

ü Easy to apply spray bottle

ü Instantaneously cooling

ü Sooths and calms skin

ü Contains antiseptic to stop infection

 

Words of Wisdom by By Mario Calanna

Dear Club Member

Welcome to a New Year. Most of us approach it with enthusiasm, expectation and a big list of dreams. It is funny how we innately believe that because the number of the year  changes – we can expect a better year and an improvement on the old year.

However life being what it is – there will be always be good times and challenging times on a daily – yet alone a yearly  basis. We will never have 365 days that go our way – day in and day out. So if we are going to have a more achieving year, a year during which we improve ourselves, our family, our friends and our community. We need to choose what and where we really need to improve and achieve.

I invite you to follow these simple steps to determine your main goals for a better you in 2016:

1. Too Many, Too Much

We normally have too big a list and expect too much of ourselves. Normally 1 to 3 main goals have huge positive effects over 12 months.   We need to remember that it takes years to        develop the habits we have and so it will take one or more months to establish a “new groove” and build a new  habit. So keep your big goals small in number, have a plan and follow it with patience and confidence.

2. Too Tough, Too Soon

High expectation for results can lead us to spend too much time per day and just wear ourselves out. Gone are the new resolutions. Need to be practical and patient.

3. Too Hard core

we can be too focused on our goal and tied to our plan that we neglect the other parts of our life – fun, family and friends.

4. Too Rigid 

As mentioned above failure and disappointment will always occur.  Again a time to accept the setback and gradually move back into our plan.The more important our goal – the more challenges we may encounter. The more mentally tough we need to be.

5. Too Vague

our plan needs to be specific and clear so that we know where we are and how to continue our journey toward our goals.

6. No Measurement

 If we have no way of determining where we are and how far you have come – the chance of continuing towards our goal/s becomes more unlikely. We    really cannot get away from numbers and graphs.

7. Lack of the WHY and the PASSION

To see the result and continue to push towards them. The goal/s we have       chosen should have a big and defined WHY? It/they need to ignite our passion and our desire to eagerly pursue it/them day in and day out.

Good luck on your 2016 journey. May your goals and their achievements improve yourself, your family, your friends and your community.

 Take Care……………….Mario

NEW YEAR CHANGES TO THE PBS AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

A number of everyday medications were delisted from the PBS in the New Year leading to a review by pharmaceutical companies on these products and Calanna Pharmacy is urging people to prepare.

In total 17 types of medicines have been affected by the changes which are part of a package of PBS reform measures passed by the Government in   early 2015.

The biggest changes include the delisting of a number of first line therapy medicines such as aspirin and paracetamol and the consequential manufacturer price increase on the commonly used Panadol Osteo.

  

Some of the more familiar medicine brands delisted include Astrix (aspirin),  Panamax (paracaetamol;500 mg tablet, 100ml liquid, 200ml liquid) and Panadol Osteo (paracetamol; 665mg modified release tablets), as well as Chlorsig eye drops (0.5%) and ointment (1%), Ducolax suppositories (10mg) Gaviscon P and Mylanta P.

  

The changes are part of the Federal Government’s PBS Access and Sustainability Package which the Government has estimated will save taxpayers around half a billion dollars over the next five years.

TIPS FOR MANAGING THE CHANGES

1. Know your active ingredient

Active ingredients are what makes your medicines work.  Some products may have more than one active ingredient in them.  If you are taking more than one type of medicine, check the active               ingredient to make sure you are not doubling up on a dose.  

Knowing the active ingredient means that if the brand of medicine you would normally take is not available, it is easier to find other products that are suitable for you to use.

2. Know your dose

Some medicines might have the same active ingredient but in different strengths.  If you are buying these medicines over the counter, it is important to know how much active ingredient is in each tablet and how many tablets you need to take to manage your health condition.  This information is also important when you need to take more than one product that may contain the same active ingredient – for example, cold and flu medicines contain paracetamol as do pain relief medicines.

3. Keep a medicines list

Consider preparing an up-to-date list of all your medicines that show important information, such as the active ingredients and the brand names.  Take this list to your Pharmacist and use it to identify suitable products that you can take if your usual medicine brand is not available.

4. Talk to a professional

Talk to us and talk to your GP about the changes and how they may affect you.