An allergy is when your body reacts to a substance it has become sensitive to. For example, dust, food, pollen, medication etc. Allergens in food and other substances cause your body to have an immune reaction. Hay fever is one of the most common allergic conditions. In the UK alone, around 13 million people suffer from hay fever. Although it usually begins during childhood/teenage years, you can get it at any age.

The symptoms of hay fever occur when a person has had an allergic reaction to pollen. Some of the symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, itchy/watery eyes, wheezing, coughing etc. As much as we can try to avoid pollen, unfortunately, sometimes it is just not avoidable. Particularly in the summer when there is naturally more pollen around, and we tend to spend more time outside.

While there is currently no cure for hay fever, there is a way you can relieve the symptoms, at least to a certain extent. A range of antihistamines are available at our pharmacy to help you prevent an allergic reaction from happening. There are tablets, nasal sprays and even products to help soothe symptoms, for example, sprays for itchy eyes. We also offer Fexofenadine (Telfast) which is a prescription strength antihistamine for those that suffer greatly from hay fever. After a quick consult with our pharmacist, you can purchase this from our store to help soothe any symptoms.

Please come in store and speak to our pharmacists about your options to relive your symptoms.

We keep a carefully selected range of alternative, natural, homeopathic and herbal medicines and are always glad to advise on what’s best for you.

Check your blood pressure

The only way of knowing whether you have high blood pressure is to have a blood pressure test.

All adults over 40 are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every 5 years. Getting this done is easy and could save your life.

You can get your blood pressure tested at a number of places, including:

• at your GP surgery
• at our pharmacy
• as part of your NHS Health Check
• in some workplaces

You can also check your blood pressure yourself with a home blood pressure monitor.

Blood glucose tests, which can be conducted in our pharmacy through a simple blood test, measure the amount of glucose in your blood. Glucose is a simple sugar that provides energy for the body. The amount of sugar in the blood is controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is produced by the pancreas (a gland behind the stomach). When food is digested and enters your bloodstream, insulin moves glucose out of the blood and into cells, where it's broken down to produce energy. However, if you have diabetes, your body is unable to break down glucose into energy. This is because there's either not enough insulin to move the glucose, or the insulin produced doesn't work properly.

Although there are no lifestyle changes you can make to lower your risk of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes is often linked to being overweight.

PCR swab testing for COVID-19 is the most accurate (close to 100%) testing method available for an active infection. Nasal / Throat swabs collected using BD dry swabs. The turnaround time is 72 hours. The actual test is carried out in a separate, dedicated medical laboratory.  

With international travel beginning to open up again, many airlines and countries are now asking travellers for a Fit to Fly certificate to prove that they have had a negative COVID-19 PCR (antigen) test result in the last 72 hours.

PCR swab testing for COVID-19 is the most accurate (close to 100%) testing method available  for an active infection. 

A NASAL and THROAT swab sample is collected using BD dry swabs and results are returned within 48 HOURS.

We use Randox Health COVID-19 Antigen Test Kits and analysis service, supplied via PharmaDoctor to reliably assess the presence of COVID-19 infection. The  same tests have been used within the UK government’s national COVID-19 testing programme and the Randox testing service is responsible for up to 17% of the total tests carried out by the UK government.

Please contact us for more information and to book your test.

Test Cost: £150

Community Pharmacy Consultation Service (CPCS)

We offer a wide range of the latest dental care products and accessories to help keep your gums and teeth in tip top condition.   Please call or visit.

No appointments needed, easily accessible location and just a quick consultation, we ensure a hassle free service to all our patients. Simply walk in and ask to speak to our friendly and professional pharmacist about the morning after pill.

Our pharmacist will need to see the person that the emergency contraception is intended for, and will need to ask a few questions regarding the patients’ medical history. This is done in the privacy of our consultation room and everything discussed is in complete confidence. The sooner you come to our pharmacy to take the morning after pill, the greater the chances of avoiding pregnancy.

If the Pharmacist feels like Levonelle One Step is not suitable for you, they will not give you the morning after pill, but advise you to see your health care professional.

We are one of the few pharmacies that are able to provide the morning after pill free of charge to patients who are aged 24 and under, and who meet the NHS criteria. Alternatively, the pill can be purchased privately from our pharmacy in Camden.

About Emergency Contraception (Levonelle One Step) -
When it comes to sex, even if you’ve taken precautions, sometimes things don’t quite go to plan. Accidents happen with contraception and things go wrong all the time. You may even just be worried that your contraceptive pill hasn’t worked. If you’ve had unprotected sex or you’re worried about contraception failure, here is some of the information you need to know about Levonelle One Step -

- Levonelle One Step is an emergency contraceptive that can be used within 72 hours (3 days) of unprotected sex or if your contraceptive method has failed.
- There is one white tablet in the pack and it is most effective when taken within the first 12 hours
- The tablet contains a hormone called Levonorgestrel.
- Levonelle One Step is thought to work by stopping your ovaries from releasing an egg or by preventing sperm from fertilising any egg that may have already been released
- If you are over 16 you can get Levonelle One Step over the counter at our Pharmacy
- If you are under 16 you cannot buy Levonelle One Step at the Pharmacy, you need to visit your GP or a Walk-In centre
- Levonelle One Step works to prevent a pregnancy becoming established, it does not work if you are already pregnant
- You should only use Levonelle One Step in emergencies, not as a regular form of contraception

Please note, there are other emergency contraceptive options available through your doctor or at a Walk-In centre.

If you do have any questions or require any further information please do not hesitate to contact us.

The emergency contraceptive pill (morning after pill) – there are two types, Levonelle or ellaOne. You can get both Levonelle and ellaOne free of charge from: 

• contraception clinics
• most sexual health or genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics
• most NHS walk-in centres and minor injuries units 
• most GP surgeries
• some hospital accident and emergency (A&E) departments 

After consultation with a pharmacist you can buy emergency contraception from our pharmacy. Levonelle can be taken within 72 hours (three days) of having unprotected sex, but it's most effective if taken within 12 hours of having unprotected sex. Prices vary, but it's likely to cost around £25. You need to be 16 or over to buy Levonelle. Girls under 16 can get Levonelle, but only with a prescription from their doctor.

ellaOne can be taken within 120 hours (five days) of having unprotected sex, but it's most effective if taken as soon as possible after having unprotected sex. Prices vary, but it's likely to cost around £35. ellaOne can be sold to under 16s without a prescription.

Erection problems (impotence) are very common, particularly in men over 40. It's usually nothing to worry about, but you should see a GP if it keeps happening.

Most men occasionally fail to get or keep an erection.  Causes of erection problems can be stress, tiredness, anxiety or drinking too much alcohol, and it's nothing to worry about.

If it happens more often, it may be caused by physical or emotional problems.

Medicine such as sildenafil is often used by doctors to treat erectile dysfunction. It is also available from our pharmacy. You no longer need a prescription to get sildenafil.  You can have a private consultation with our pharmacist to make sure it's safe for you to take it.

We stock a range of perfumes please call or visit

Beginning in the early to mid 40s many adults may start to have problems seeing clearly reading, especially when working on a computer. Initially, you may need to hold reading materials further away to see them clearly. Print on newspapers or on restaurant menus may appear blurred, especially in dim lighting. This is caused by the eyes lens becoming less flexible with age and these changes will progress with time.

In the Pharmacy we stock a range of styles and strengths of reading glasses.

Every year many hundreds of travellers from the UK catch malaria and in tens of cases it is fatal. Symptoms can start rapidly. The correct anti-malarial medication is essential. We offer a Private Malaria Prevention Service. After a confidential assessment by a trained Pharmacist, the correct anti-malarial medication is supplied and appropriate advice given to the patient. 

This is an opportunity for our pharmacist to discuss and review the medicines you are taking to ensure you are using them correctly and getting the maximum benefit. We will explain clearly and simply, without any medical jargon, what they are for and the conditions they treat and identify any possible side effects that you may be experiencing. We will listen to you and any problems you are having with your medicines, provide advice and support and if necessary contact your Doctor to discuss any issues that arise from our conversation.

An MUR can help:

• improve your understanding of the medicines you are taking;
• highlight problematic side effects and propose solutions where appropriate;
• improve adherence
• reduce medicines wastage, usually by helping you only order the medicines you need

Our pharmacist may be able to conduct an MUR over the telephone or for eligible patient

It is important that you take the right dose of your prescribed medicines at the right time each day to get the most from your medicines to control your condition(s) as much as possible. This can sometimes be difficult if you take more than one medicine. One way in which this can be made easier is for your medicines to be supplied in a Monitored Dosage System, which provides you with a separate compartment for each dosage time of the day.

A monitored dosage system (MDS) is a medication storage device designed to simplify the administration of solid oral dose medication, especially for those on multiple medications. It aims to address the issues of difficulty accessing medication due to sight impairment or other disability and/or forgetfulness.

MDS devices are usually a variation on the design of a box or a blister pack, divided into days of the week with several compartments per day to allow for the different timing of doses such as breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime.

 Our Pharmacist can help identify which patients this type of system would be suitable for.

MDS may be suitable for patients in the following circumstances:

• You struggle to organise medications and find it difficult to remember to take them at the correct time each day
• You have a large number of medications to take each day
• You find it difficult to remove medication from its packaging
• You have a carer who helps you to ensure you take your medicines correctly.
  

Ask a member of our pharmacy team about whether this service would benefit you or whether there is another course of action, which may be of more help.

You can have a free NHS flu Jab at our pharmacy:
• If you are 65 years of age or over
• If you are pregnant
• If you are a carer

If you have certain medical conditions including:
• Asthma
• Chronic Respiratory Disease
• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• Kidney Disease
• Liver Disease
• Neurological Disease

We provide a needle exchange service where intravenous drug users can obtain clean  sterile needles and syringes and safely dispose of used needles and syringes.

This service is designed to prevent people sharing or re using needles.  It also reduces drug related harm and the transmission of blood borne bacterial and viral infections such as hepatitis B and C or HIV.

The service is lead by our Pharmacist in a non-judgemental manner and may lead to the user being referred to an appropriate drug treatment programme i.e. opioid substitute treatment in order to stop drug usage .  Our Pharmacist can also advise on minimising the harms caused by drugs and suggest further support and help.

At Lightburn Pharmacy we care about your long term health and if you are a smoker who wants to quit, but think you need help to kick the habit, our award winning Stop Smoking Service might be just what you are looking for.  We have had many successes over the years and wish to help you kick the habit.

We have an award-winning stop smoking service and our stop smoking success rates have been recognised by the health board, winning Pharmacy of the Year.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable deaths accounting for more than 80,000 deaths each year. One in two smokers will die from a smoking related disease. If you could see the damage you would stop.

Circulation

When you smoke, the poisons from the tar in your cigarettes enter your blood. These poisons in your blood then:

• Make your blood thicker, and increase chances of clot formation
• Increase your blood pressure and heart rate, making your hear work harder than normal
• Narrow your arteries, reducing the amount of oxygen rick blood circulating in your organs.

Together these changes to your body when you smoke increase the chance of your arteries narrowing and clots forming which could lead to heart attack and stroke.

Stomach

Smokers have an increased chance of getting stomach cancer or ulcers. Smoking is a significant risk factor for developing kidney cancer and the more you smoke the greater the risk.

Skin

Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that gets to your skin. This means your skin ages more quickly and looks grey and dull. The toxins in your body also cause cellulite. Smoking prematurely ages your skin by between 10 and 20 years increasing wrinkling particularly around the eyes and mouth. The only way to prevent further deterioration is to stop smoking.

Bones

Smoking can cause your bones to become weak and brittle predisposing to brittle bones (osteoporosis).

Brain

Smokers are more likely to have a stroke than someone who doesn’t smoke. Within two years of stopping smoking your risk of stoke is reduced to half that of a smoker and within five years it will be the same as a non-smoker.

Lungs

Your lungs can be very badly affected by smoking. Coughs, colds, wheezing and asthma are just the start. Smoking can cause fatal diseases such as pneumonia emphysema, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer. You can slow down the progression of some of the diseases by stopping smoking.

Mouth and throat

Smoking causes una

We recommend you consider getting a flub jab If you don't qualify for an NHS vaccination but are:

• susceptible to colds and chest infections
• are self employed and unable to afford time off work
• would like to protect yourself from flu during peak season

This service is available on a walk in basis without an appointment and there is a charge but please call the pharmacy first.

The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats we have ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year around the world. According to the NHS, in the UK alone, smoking kills over 80,000 people every year and a further 500,000 people are admitted into hospital as a direct result of smoking.

Smoking has been linked to countless conditions from depression, infertility and asthma, to the more serious conditions such as lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease. It’s really not surprising that this is the case when you consider how many harmful substances there are in a cigarette. They have thousands of different chemicals, some of which are carcinogenic (cancer causing), and examples of others being acetone (used as nail polish remover), lead and cadmium (a highly toxic metal.)

The truth of the matter is, we all know how bad smoking is for our health, and a majority of smokers will say that they want to quit but giving up can be hard. Especially without the right help and support. That’s where our friendly and professional staff come in!

There is now more support than ever before, not just in the form of information, but also products designed to reduce cravings and to fight off any of the horrible withdrawal symptoms. One of the developments has been the introduction of Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT.) There are a variety of NRT products available:

• Patches
• Gum
• Inhalators
• Mouth Sprays
• Nasal Sprays
• Tablets
• Lozenges

Smoking is addictive because of the nicotine in cigarettes. That is why it is hard to quit. By starting one or even a combination of the above therapies, they will give a smoker a dose of nicotine in their blood. This reduces the nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cravings, whilst they break away from the psychological habit of smoking.

Our staff can advise you on the best way to kick your smoking habit. By coming in to our store our trained pharmacist will provide you with a free consultation, asking you questions such as how many cigarettes you smoke in a day and what triggers the need for a cigarette etc. By determining your ‘level of nicotine addiction’ the pharmacist will then be able to offer their advice on what they think would work best for you.

The pharmacist may even offer advice in other forms, for example, letting you know about any local support groups, advising you to take up a hobby or even suggesting a routine to start you off.

The benefit of having this support is that we are there 7 days a week whenever you need help, or even just a friendly professional to speak with. It is a proven fact that if you receive support while trying to stop smoking your chance for success is greatly increased.

We can provide a supervised consumption service, usually in the private consultation room in the pharmacy.

Going abroad and need to know which vaccinations you require or need advice on precautions?

We provide travel consultations with experienced staff who will assess the impact of any pre-existing medical conditions on your vaccine requirements. Our competitive pricing and easily accessible location makes us your first choice for all your travel needs

• Expert Travel Consultation
  
• Hajj and Umrah
• Full range of vaccines in stock including ACWY
• Anti-malarials dispensed on site
• Walk In or Book Over the phone
• We offer a wide range of services at competitive prices
• Our friendly team comprises of healthcare experts including pharmacists

Walk in for a free travel health consultation in our designated private consultation rooms today. We look forward to welcoming you and helping you with all your travel healthcare needs.

Altitude Sickness - the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the negative health effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. Symptoms may include headaches, vomiting, tiredness, trouble sleeping, and dizziness.

Cholera – Common in Africa, Central America and Asia, cholera is an infection spread by bacteria in contaminated food and water.

Diphtheria, Poliomyelitis and Tetanus - This diphtheria, polio and tetanus vaccine may also be recommended if you're travelling to an area of the world where there is a high risk of contracting these diseases, or poor access to medical care, and you haven't had a booster in the last ten years.

Hepatitis A – Contaminated faecal matter spreads hepatitis A, a disease often caught via infected food and water and common across in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America.

Hepatitis B – Unprotected sex is usually responsible for hepatitis A infection, along with sharing needles, visiting dirty tattoo parlours, unhygienic barbers shops and nail salons. It’s common in both undeveloped and developed countries.

Japanese Encephalitis – Spread by mosquitoes, there’s no cure for this disease found across South East Asia, Japan, and tropical regions of Australia. There are also occasional epidemics in China and India.

Malaria – A highly dangerous disease spread by infected mosquitoes, malaria is common in the equatorial tropics and subtropics.

Meningitis; ACWY Vaccination for Hajj or Umrah – A bacterial infection, this disease tends to be commonest in sub-Saharan Africa. But it’s also sometimes found where it’s crowded and where there’s imperfect hygiene, for example universities and army camps. 

Rabies – Infected animal and human bites and scratches spread this awful disease, which is particularly common in Thailand, Brazil and India.

Tick-borne Encephalitis – A tick-borne virus found in eastern, northern and central Europe as well as eastern Russia, east Asia, China and Japan.

Typhoid – Bacteria are responsible for this infection and it’s found throughout the world, a risk wherever sanitation and hygiene are poor.