Pharmacies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been sent support material for National No-Smoking Day on March 8. Included were application forms for this year's pharmacy award scheme for the pharmacy that provided the best help and support for smokers wishing to quit the habit.
Unfortunately, a printing error meant that part of a sentence was missing from the support leaflet for would-be ex-smokers. At the bottom of page 4, the words "you should feel better when you stop" were omitted. The sentence should have read: "Make sure you stick to a normal, healthy diet, but if you feel hungrier than usual make sure any extra food is low-calorie, you should feel better when you stop smoking, so it should be easy to get a little more active to make up for any extra eating."
Also included were application forms for a new training pack for promoting folic acid intake among women of child-bearing age. Folic acid is believed to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects.
The Pharmacy Healthcare Scheme says that community pharmacists are in a unique position to help because the average pharmacy provides for the needs of about 50 pregnant women at any one time.
Advance notice has also been given of National Bowel Cancer Week from April 10 to 16. Bowel cancer is the second greatest cause of death in the United Kingdom. The British five-year survival rate is only 39 per cent, compared with 60 per cent in the United States of America.
Pharmacies that wish to take part in the week's activities can obtain packs of posters and leaflets from Colon Cancer Concern (tel 020 7381 9711).