What exactly is a sunscreen?
A Product specially formulated to provide protection to the body from the adverse effects of sunlight. No matter how harmless they may seem, it is still best to put on some sun protection because over and above the heat that the sunlight emits, it also causes sunburn, premature wrinkling and age spots as well as possibly cause skin cancer.

How do sunscreen or sun protection products work?
The main ingredients of this product that works to give protection are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These ingredients give protection against UVB and UVA rays. There are also other ingredients that can provide the same level of protection and these are Octocrylene and benzophenones (such as avobenzone) that contains absorbing properties for both UVA and AVB.

What is SPF?
It is an abbreviation for sun-protection factor that is assigned a number such as 15, 30 and 50. These numbers indicate the degree of sunburn protection provided by the sun screens. It is an interpretation of the total exposure to the sun rather than the length of exposure. In order to get the maximum effect of the specified SFP of the sunscreen product, you must apply an ample amount on the exposed skin. Depending on the person’s sensitivity to sun exposure, he must choose the appropriate SFP to address his condition.

What sunscreen products you must use to get maximum protection?
In order to get the ultimate protection against harmful effects of sunlight, you must put sunscreen on your face, body and lips. There is a specific product appropriate for each part of the body. Examples of these are:

• Aveeno Sun block Body SPF 55
• Invisible Zinc 30+ 4hr. Waterproof
• Blistex Lip Balm Ultra SPF 50
• Nivea Lip Care Sun SPF30 among others
• Some Tips on How to get Maximum Protection

Depending on your specific need, choose a sunscreen product with SPF of 15 or higher and apply it at least 20 minutes before getting exposed to the sun. You must also remember to re-apply every 2 hours or each time you will come out of water.

Slather the sunscreen product to get maximum effect. And make sure that you put it on your lips, eyes and ears. There is a specific sun protection product for your lips and face.

And remember to get out of the water and get to the nearest shaded area during the hottest times of the day, which is between 11AM to 3PM.

Getting sun protection is a must when going outdoors to enjoy the summer. No matter how excited you or your kids are to get wet on the beach, make sure that you slather on your favorite sun protection product 20 minutes before sun exposure. You will thank your gut feel after summer.

To know your options, please visit our Suncare Catalogue you can buy the products you need online in under 90 seconds and have them shipped to your door Fast!

The team at Pharmacy NZ in Oamaru just wanted to say thankyou for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you in 2012. As always we are online and here to serve you 24/7 and aim to get you the items you need, delivered to your door, FAST!

HAPPY NEW YEAR – The team at Oamaru Pharmacy Ltd.

Our online store Pharmacy-NZ.com is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without holidays. So even on this very important holiday of the year we will be available online to serve you. However, be mindful that our delivery time varries on holidays because we only serve on business days.

Celebrating this Christmas day full of love and compassion is the true meaning of Christmas. From all of us at Pharmacy-NZ Oamaru, we wish you a blessed Christmas!

What causes sea sickness?

Your inner ear is the one that is most sensitive to motion and together with the eyes and other sensory nerves that detect motion this will send conflicting messages to your brain. One part of this balance-sensing system may recognize movement while the other does not. It is when conflict occurs and results to motion sickness or in this particular case, sea sickness.

For example when you’re inside your cabin and your ear may sense the motion of big waves but your eyes don’t see any movement. This may very well tell you that there is conflict in the signals that your eyes and ears are communicating to your brains.

4 Simple and practical tips to minimize effects

1. No matter how sick you feel, stay focused on the horizon. Look ahead and focus your attention on a spot where the sky will meet with the sea. This will give you a sense of balance because what your eyes see is confirmed by the sounds of the waves.
2. Get some fresh air; however this will pose a little bit more challenge because the law of equilibrium dictates that the higher your position is the more movement you will experience. But we also know that the deck is where you get most of the fresh air because it is the part of the vessel that is open air. Having said that if you wish you stay up on the deck make sure you are prepared to be swayed by the motion of the waves. If you decide to stay at the bottom part of the vessel, make sure that you open your window and get that much needed air to make you feel more comfortable.
3. Bring a lot of water and electrolyte-filled beverages, such as poweraid or vitamin water. If you are seasick there is a tendency to throw up every so often and the last thing that you want to avoid is to get dehydrated so try to drink as much as 8 ounces of liquid each time you throw up to keep those electrolytes going.
4. Drinking ginger ale or a ginger-based beverage will sure help settle your stomach. Ginger is a well-known remedy for nausea and so when you are feeling seasick, most likely you will feel nauseas. To combat this, try and drink these remedy drinks.

Learning these simple and practical tips may assist you next time you go on a cruise or boat. If you are concerned about seasickness come and talk to the friendly staff at Pharmacy NZ about our range of sea sickness products and remedies.

Hay fever can effect the nose, eyes, sinuses, skin and body. Some people choose Nasal sprays to seek relief from the discomfort hay fever can cause.

What is the difference between Flonase and Flixonase?

Flonase is a popular nasal spray in the united states, however it is known as flixonase in New Zealand. It is exactly the same main ingredient and simply a different brand name.

Can I buy Flixonase in New Zealand and Have it Shipped Overseas?

Yes, you may notice that antihistamine and hay fever products are much cheaper in New Zealand them some other countries. We sell a number of antihistamine products online.

How to use Flonase?

According the pack the usual recommended dosage is 1 to 2 sprays into each nostril once daily. You have to make sure that the spray pump is working before inserting it into your nostril so it is best to shake the medicine well and spray 6 test sprays into the air but be careful not to spray it in front of your face to avoid irritation of the eye.

5 Reasons to Choose a Hay fever Nasal Spray

• Fast effective relief.
• Easy to apply
• Available from your local pharmacy
• Great Price
• Available online Ships Fast.

Buy Flixonase Online Now.

Most often than not parents of children who get hay fever makes the mistake of identifying the symptoms as cold virus. Perhaps what they don’t realize is that the symptoms are very similar, except that hay fever is caused by allergens, usually pollens from plants, trees and grass while cold virus is caused by the virus.

Another way to determine for sure if what your child is suffering from is hay fever or cold virus is the duration their symptoms last. A cold virus only lasts for 2 weeks, while hay fever can last for the entire duration of the season when pollens are high and these are during summer and spring time. You also need to observe if your child only exhibits the symptoms at a particular time of the day or a particular season of the year then you can safely conclude that he is experiencing from hay fever and not a cold virus.

What are the common symptoms?

Depending on the type of allergic reaction you have, you may experience some of these symptoms.

Inflammation of the nose lining or more popularly known as rhinitis. When the allergens are inhaled these are trapped by the natural mucus and filter system of the nose. What happens then is the nose will release the chemical called histamine, which then leads to blocked and swollen nose linings. Being exposed to the pollens continuously may lead to alteration in nasal sensitivity such that if a person is exposed to the same allergen, even just a small amount can lead to ongoing symptoms.

Sneezing is another very common characteristic of hay fever and it is usually accompanied by itching and watery eyes, intense itching of the nose and sometime on a very rare occasion, photophobia or intolerance of light.

What are the common treatments?

There is an ongoing debate whether as early as childhood we should already subject our children to all sorts of pills and nasal sprays that contain synthetic chemicals. Although the medical field has been claiming or disclaiming any adverse side effects on our children’s body, we as parents should also try to find out alternative means of helping our kids cope with this condition.

There are a lot of research showing that a healthy diet and exercise will definitely help ease if not prevent the symptoms of hay fever. But this may be tough to apply on our kids. I mean, how many children do we know actually enjoy eating the most recommended food to combat this disease. Garlic, fruits and vegetables, a lot of green leafy vegetables in their die; it may be easy to convince us adults that these food will definitely help us, but what about our kids?

Given the above scenario, I think we parents should weigh our options really well and discuss with our trusted pediatrician about our decision. But for the meanwhile, we can still trust the old/traditional way of treating hay fever with the following medications.

• Antihistamines that either come in tablet or liquid form. Depending on the age of your kids and his tolerance level, he may be given either a chewable tablet or syrup. It is usually a one dose daily consumption so it is very easy to administer. The good news about this treatment is that modern science found a way to reduce the effect of drowsiness so it is friendlier to our children’s day-to-day activities.

• Nasal spray that is more fast-acting is another option. This is usually given to older children who can already tolerate the queasy feeling that sprays give, especially that it is sprayed directly inside the nostril. This may come either as an antihistamine or steroid based.

• Topical eye drops that can directly treat red, itchy eyes.

To choose the most suitable option for your child is a tough decision. This is why we encourage you to visit the allergy section of our  online catalogue http://store.pharmacy-nz.com/ALLERGYPRODUCTS.html or talk to our friendly staff  about your options.

• Cinnamon is not only good for food preparation but it may support fighting off fungal infection. You can boil 8-10 broken sticks of cinnamon in 4 cups of water then simmer for 5 minutes. Let it cool and steep for 45 minutes before you soak your feet for 15 to 30 minutes. Doing this everyday will help in slowing the growth of fungus and will therefore retard the spread of fungal infection.

• Acid is known to fight off fungus and ward off its foul odor. Lemon is a great way to handle this area. Just squeeze the juice from one lemon and mix it with 2 ounces of water and rinse your feet with this solution every day.

• Another acidic liquid is vinegar. Whether white or apple cider vinegar, you can mix 1 cup with 2 quarts of water to be used as foot bath. Soak your infected feet for 15 to 30 minutes then rinse and dry thoroughly. You may also opt to use a 1:1 ratio solution to be directly applied on the affected area. If your skin is raw and fresh due to scratching this may sting a bit but will fade away soon enough. You can dip a cotton ball onto the mixture and dab it slowly on the affected area.

• Those unused tea bags need not go to waste because the tannic acid in black tea is good for drying feet and help in killing fungus. Make a foot bath of 6 tea bags boiled in 1 quart water. Cool the solution and soak your feet for 15 to 30 minutes for a soothing foot bath.

• Salt is another gift of nature that has a lot of healing properties. No wonder people who go to the beach for a walk experience some invigorating effect after. In treating athlete’s foot you need to mix 1 teaspoon of salt for every cup of water. Increase the proportion as needed to make up the needed amount of solution enough to soak your feet for 10 minutes. After soaking, dry your feet very well and follow suit by dabbing some baking soda in between your toes.

It’s great to know that you can use every day items from your cupboards to treat athlete’s foot. However, if all of these fail to give relief I suggest that you check out our online catalogue for Athletes foot and fungal nail treatment options. Don’t wait for the condition to worse, take action as soon as possible.

Common symptoms of athlete’s foot

Some people can actually have it but the symptoms are not apparent thus no need to bother treating it. But for those who will notice the following, your condition requires some kind of treatment because if you will ignore these, it may lead to secondary infection.

It usually starts with itching and reddening of the skin. The most common areas it appears are the in between your toes since this is where moisture is trapped. Sometimes you may even notice scaling and foul odor. Itching may be accompanied with burning sensation and raw/fresh flesh may also start to show if you like to scratch.

Natural Remedies to Help Ease the Symptoms

Here are some everyday items that you can easily find in your cupboards that may help ease your way out of athlete’s foot.

• Sprinkle some baking soda in your feet to draw out the moisture.

• Get some cornstarch and brown it slightly by spreading it on a baking sheet and bake it at 325 degrees for a few minutes. Then once slightly brown, you can cool it a bit and dab or rub on your feet to draw out the moisture. Slightly brown corn starch is better because the process of baking it draws out the moisture from the cornstarch. For the nails, you can make a paste by adding a few drops of olive oil and crushed garlic on the browned cornstarch. Leave it on for 15 to 30 minutes then rinse off with soap and water. Dry your feet thoroughly. You may want to continue doing this every day until you see improvement and then continue for a few weeks to prevent fungal infection from returning.

• Eat lots of garlic because it has natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. You can also cut the clove and rub some on the affected area. It may sting though but it won’t last long so just be patient and repeat this procedure every day until the fungus disappears.

• Yogurt is another potent anti fungal food. It contains live acidophilus, which are known to ward off fungal infection and especially effective for vaginal and oral yeast infection. But it can also be good for all forms of fungal infection so eat some and you don’t only enjoy its taste but also its healthy benefits.

The second half of this article will reveal the next 5 natural remedies so do look forward to it and get all your options in treating athlete’s foot the natural way.

What can effectively treat cold sores?

In treating this illness, you have two options to choose from. One is to apply topical cream or ointment and the other is to take oral medications. Whatever may be your decision is up to your preference. Here are two common ways to treat cold sores.

The Use of Antiviral cream or ointment

There are many OTC brands to choose from. You may choose from the following generic names to inquire about its potency: Aciclovir or Penciclovir. These may either be bought over-the-counter or prescribed by doctors. These do not kill the virus but rather prevent them from multiplying. But don’t expect them to have a noticeable effect on existing blisters because this may only prevent them from spreading or deteriorating in condition. The only promise it gives is to help shorten the period of infection if applied immediately upon noticing symptoms.

Taking Antiviral Tablets

The choices in our list are: Aciclovir, which incidentally comes in tablet form as well as cream, Famciclovir and Valaciclovir. These are not commonly prescribed, especially to healthy adults. However in chronic cases as well as to those whose immune system is already compromised, these antiviral tablets may be prescribed to prevent further complications. It offers the same effect as antiviral creams therefore you can only expect it to prevent the virus from multiplying and spreading.

Both types of medications will only work at the onset of symptoms. So once you feel that tingling itching feeling even if you haven’t seen an outbreak of blisters yet take these treatments. Taking full responsibility about your medical condition should be a priority. Don’t take your chances and be on your way to a speedy recovery.

Browse Coldsore Treatments Online Including Coldsore Creams, Coldsore Patches, Coldsore Supplements and Lipbalms