Stoptober is Back! Medical Specialists® Pharmacy urge the nation's smokers to join the annual stop smoking attempt

Let’s be honest – there is never a bad time to stop smoking. Smokers can kick the habit on any given day or week, but if there is an ideal time to try and with a boosted chance of giving up for good, the month of October is a great time of the year to start.

The 1st October will see the launch of what is now a regular addition to the calendar - the annual 28-day Stoptober campaign, created and funded by Public Health England as an effective drive to encourage more of the nation to kick smoking into touch.

Last year saw over a quarter of a million smokers make the pledge to try and stop smoking, with a huge increase in the number of patients coming to Medical Specialists® Pharmacy for information about obtaining the popular smoking cessation treatment Champix (Varenicline), and the pharmacy expects a similar sales surge for 2015, if not much bigger.

Data from the Office for National Statistics show that 18.7% of adults in the UK smoked in 2013 - down from 19.8% in 2012. After the conclusion of last year’s Stoptober, Public Health England say its latest figures indicated that smoking rates had continued to fall during the last few months of 2014.

A 4 week duration is used for the Stoptober challenge due to the fact that research has shown those who manage to abstain from smoking for 28 days are actually 5 times more likely to quit for good. In addition, it is often said for every 28 days a smoker quits for, they could add an extra week onto their lifespan.

At Medical Specialists®, we know that making the leap into tobacco-free territory can be difficult and stressful, but those deciding to stop smoking should realise they are not alone. Literally thousands of others have made the same pledge to stop too, which should provide a welcome boost to willpower.

In addition, those that decide to sign up to this year’s Stoptober will receive a personal helping hand in their efforts, courtesy of some of the UK’s favourite comedians, such as Al Murray, Bill Bailey, Rhod Gilbert and Shappi Khorsandi. Quitters that register for the service can expect to be inundated with light-hearted and humorous messages of support and encouragement, sent straight to the participant’s phone and email during the 28 day period of Stoptober.

Comedian Rhod Gilbert decided to throw his support behind the annual Stoptober campaign after being a smoker himself for 25 years, toiling for 23 years of those attempting to quit. He says: “I know first-hand that it can be hard to find the motivation to quit, but Stoptober is the perfect time to give it a go,” he says.

There are countless benefits to ditching cigarettes. For example, quitters can expect to notice many physical improvements such as a boosted sense of taste and smell, increased energy levels, reduced signs of facial aging and wrinkles, whiter teeth, fresher breath and even better sex due to the improved blood flow and stronger erections for men.

Moreover, people that successfully quit smoking will have much serious longer term benefits, such as a lower risk of suffering from heart disease and a wide range of cancers such as lung cancer, not to mention protecting the health of those in the surrounding vicinity as there will now be no secondhand smoke for them to inhale.

Despite the fact smoking rates have come down in recent years, smoking remains the biggest factor behind preventable illness and premature death in the country - responsible for nearly 80,000 deaths per year in England alone.

Smokers aged 18 or above that want to quit, can use the support Stoptober as a foundation for doing so, along with help from Medical Specialists®.

Begin the road to a smoke-free future today by obtain the smoking cessation medication Champix following an online consultation with one of Medical Specialists’ GMC registered doctors. Champix works out from as little £26.95* a pack. The treatment works by mimicking the effect of nicotine on the body, reducing the urge to smoke and relieving withdrawal symptoms. It can also decrease the enjoyment you experience of smoking if you are still smoking whilst on the treatment.

(*based on private prescription price)

European alcohol, smoking and obesity rates are ‘alarming’ says WHO

The United States is often branded the fattest country in the world (technically true depending on which statistics are used), however Europe is doing its best to take over this unwanted mantle from America, with “alarming” rates of drinking, eating and smoking found throughout Europe in a new report conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO).

In the United States, a staggering 78 million people, or 33% of the adult population, are classified as obese, whilst 74.1% of the people aged 15 and over are either overweight or obese (i.e. with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or above).

However, health officials have now stressed that Europe has the world’s highest rates of drinking and smoking, with more than half of people now fat, which could ultimately lead to a whole number of serious health problems such as asthma, cancer, heart disease, osteoarthritis and stroke.

In what is the first study of its kind for three years, the European Health Report 2015 looked at 39 countries including European Union member states, in addition to former Soviet republics, to see if the WHO’s ‘Health 2020’ targets are being met.

It was discovered that the average life expectancy for men and women can drastically vary, ranging from 71 years of age in Belarus, Moldova and Russia, to 82 in France, Italy and Spain, according to figures from 2011. Overall, life expectancy for Europeans has risen from an average of 73.2 years back in 1990, to 76.8 years by 2011.

“There is a very real risk that these gains will be lost if smoking and alcohol consumption continue at the current rate. This is especially relevant to young people, who may not live as long as their grandparents”, said Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO’s regional director, speaking to the Guardian.

WHO noted that many European countries seemed to have lower risk factors for premature death, the rates of obesity, tobacco use and alcohol consumption “remain alarmingly high”. The United Nations health agency calculated that in the previous four years, a growing number of Europeans are now classed as either overweight or obese, with 58.6% of Europeans overweight, and 23% suffering from obesity.

The report states that obesity is “one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century”, which “drastically increases a person’s risk of developing several [diseases], including cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes mellitus”.

There is also a great deal of concern about Europe’s drinking and smoking habits. Although between 2005 and 2010, total alcohol consumption lowered by 10% in Europe, the continent still has the highest drinking rates across the globe.

Europe has the world’s highest prevalence of alcohol dependence (4%) according to the report, as well as the highest prevalence of alcohol-use disorders (7%). It is estimated that an average of 11 litres of pure alcohol are consumed per person every year, whilst around 30% of Europe uses tobacco.
“Europeans live long lives and healthy lives. We are the longest living region in the world,” said Claudia Stein, a senior WHO director for Europe.

She continued: “The differences in health status between European countries are inexplicably wide.
“If rates of smoking and alcohol consumption and obesity do not decline we may risk the gains in life expectancy we have seen — which may mean that the next generation may lead shorter lives than that we do.”

Stein warned that this could have the most serious impact on younger people, since their lives may be shortened unless action is taken to bring down consumption levels of tobacco, alcohol and calories.

Over-70s still sexually active…But STIs are on the rise

The majority us probably think that people tend to lose all trace of a sex life as they get older, and certainly the thought of our grandparents being intimate would be the last thing on our mind…but it seems more and more people into their 70s, 80s and beyond, are maintaining fairly active sex lives.

The findings of a recent study suggest that adults over the age of 70 are having sex at least twice each month. In addition to this, rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis and genital warts seem to be spiralling amongst older people.

Reporting in ‘The Conversation’, Sharron Hinchliff, Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield, argues that sex amongst older adults should be more openly discussed, given the statistics.

She says: “A report published earlier this year found that those with a sexual partner tended to rate their quality of life as higher than those without one, although some studies have placed greater emphasis on relationship status and social engagement. When I interviewed a number of over-50s about their (heterosexual) sex lives for a qualitative study, I found that many who were still in sexual relationships rated them as very or extremely important.

The reasons for the participants’ emphasis on sex included strengthening their relationship with their partners but also pleasure. For some women, sex had improved with age, which they related to feeling more relaxed because they had more sexual experience and no longer feared becoming pregnant.”

Sharron also argues that sexual health campaigns tend to primarily focus on the younger demographic, as these are the ones at risk from not only sexually transmitted infections, but unplanned pregnancies following the failure to use condoms.

Between the years 2009 and 2013, STI rates within the the over-45s increased across different diseases, with an 11% rise in genital warts amongst men aged 45-64, and a staggering 500% rise in syphilis cases for women over the age of 65. According to Sharron, “The majority of diagnoses of all STIs in the older age groups were in men, but gonorrhoea and syphilis were highest among heterosexual women and men who have sex with men.”

She continued: “As a result, some sexual health campaigns are now being aimed at older people.
This year’s Sexual Health Week in the UK is focused on sexual pleasure and well-being – and one of the campaign’s five strands is aimed at educating professionals and the public about the sexual well-being of older people.

Campaigns that promote sexual pleasure are new, even though the idea of incorporating pleasure into sexual health materials is not.

Young people in the UK are only just seeing such messages so it’s great that the sexual pleasure of older people is now being recognised too. But infectious disease is only one factor that can affect pleasure and well-being.

Long-term conditions and some sexual difficulties are more likely to be diagnosed in our 50s or later.
These include erectile dysfunction, which affects around 30 per cent of men aged 65-74, and uncomfortable vaginal dryness, experienced by 20 per cent of women in the same age group.”

Previously, it could be assumed that the older generation may struggle to meet prospective new partners for sex, particularly after experiencing poor health or becoming widowed, but Sharron sheds light on this.

“There is evidence that some older people are embracing technology and going online to meet potential partners for a sexual relationship. One survey found that 38% of people aged 50-59 and 37% of those aged 60-69 had met their partners online.

We should perhaps also reconsider what we think about as sexual activity when it comes to older people. For one thing, many older people engage in masturbation for sexual pleasure, countering the notion that it is a sexual act pursued only by the young. But there is also evidence that ideas about what activities count as sexual become broader as we age. For some, actions such as playing footsie under the breakfast table can give the intimacy that sexual activity previously had.

While research into the sexual well-being of older people is growing, there are gaps that wait to be filled, particularly the ways that ageing intersects with gender identity, sexual orientation, social class, disability and ethnic group. Exploring these areas will develop our understanding of sexual pleasure in older age, and better inform services for those to whom sex is important.”

Online Pharmacy urges the nation to get behind Sexual Health Week 2015

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Mark Riley

Medical Specialists® Pharmacy are proudly supporting Sexual Health Week 2015, running from 14 – 20 September.

To show their support, the Manchester-based online pharmacy has previously given away literally 1,000 of condoms to all patients that sought their help with sexual health related problems such as requesting medications like Viagra for erectile dysfunction, Priligy for premature ejaculation, treating sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia with the antibiotic Azithromycin, or female patients wishing to obtain contraception like Yasmin or Dianette.

The week-long event is run annually by the FPA (Family Planning Association) throughout England, primarily aiming to boost public understanding about the numerous sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and increase the public’s knowledge regarding all aspects of good sexual health.

For those unfamiliar with the FPA, they are a sexual health charity that have been informing the general public for more than 80 years, offering advice about sex and relationships, and enabling people to make the right choices for them. In addition, the FPA try to boost people’s confidence enough to discuss issues that previously may have been looked at as embarrassing.

Each year, the FPA focus on a different theme, with last year’s Sexual Health Week being “Contraceptive choices: beyond the morning after”, looking to bust the common myths about emergency contraception. For Sexual Health Week 2014, the FPA conducted a survey involving more than 2,000 women throughout the UK to discover more about the myths that still exist with regards to emergency contraception and found that alarmingly, many women still are not using emergency contraception following unprotected sex or if their usual contraceptive method hasn’t worked.

This year, the chosen subject is sexual wellbeing and pleasure, focusing on five different themes associated with sexual pleasure and wellbeing:

•     Education.
•     Older people.
•     Learning disabilities.
•     Separating fantasy from reality.
•     Communication skills.

The FPA will be using the themes as a platform to discuss the reasons why a lot of people – including some health professionals – find discussing the topic of sexual pleasure an embarrassing or shameful thing.

Those looking to support Sexual Health Week should continue to check the FPA website on a regular basis for new information and advice, in addition to joining the FPA and Medical Specialists® on Twitter;@FPACharity and @MSC_NEWS respectively, also using the hashtag #SexualHealthWeek2015 to see the latest news about the week.

Moreover, don’t forget that Medical Specialists® provide numerous products and treatments for all kinds of sexual health associated issues and problems.

For instance, as mentioned previously, emergency contraception was the main theme for 2014 and Medical Specialists® can provide the emergency contraceptive pill Levonelle 1500, which if taken within three days (72 hours) of unprotected sex, will usually prevent pregnancy. However, women will need to speak to their doctor for more information about taking it within five days (120 hours) of having unprotected sex.

As everybody should know, failing to use a condom during sex – especially with new partners – can result in an unwanted pregnancy and risk contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Testing for the most common STI chlamydia is normally advised on a yearly basis, or for sexually active people upon meeting a new partner. Screening for the disease is often implanted through primary care (general practices and pharmacies), community sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services (including termination of pregnancy services) and GUM clinics.

Alternatively, Medically Specialists® provide Clamelle chlamydia test kit for just £24.85 which can be used in the privacy and comfort of your own home to prevent an embarrassing visit to the GP or GUM clinic and there is no need to take any time off work.

People wishing to support Sexual Health Week can receive a campaign pack by sending a stamped, addressed A4 envelope to the value of £1.26 to: FPA Campaigns Team, 23-28 Penn Street, London N1 5DL.

In addition, for further information about sexual health you can go to Medical Specialists® website and contact our pharmacist by email, or visit the FPA website for more information about sexual health and services.

Medical Specialists® become first UK online pharmacy to display new EU common logo

Medical Specialists® Pharmacy know that purchasing/obtaining medicine and other pharmaceutical products over the internet can be risky. Are the products legitimate or counterfeit? Are qualified doctors and pharmacists actually involved in the process and will anyone actually even assess the online consultation you fill out, putting your health first? Or, is the website even legal and that of a real pharmacy?

Medical Specialists® have become a pioneer for security and safety in their field. The pharmacy became the first ‘One Stop Pharmacy and Doctors’ in the UK, operating an efficient, trusted and safe website where patient details are not supplied to any third party, and now it just so happens that Medical Specialists® have become one of first online pharmacies in the UK to be approved by the MHRA, and the first to display the new mandatory EU common logo.

Patients should avoid at all costs any website that sells medicines and does not display the new logo – it is law and needs to be shown! Also, bear in mind that any website that does display the logo, which when clicked, doesn’t take the user to that companies’ listing on the MHRA’s medicine seller register and state they are approved by the MHRA, then this would suggest it is an illegal website and again should be avoided immediately.

The mandatory logo for selling medicines online though will go some way to helping people identify the legal/real pharmacies from the fraudsters. From 1 July it was determined that anybody in the UK selling medicines online to the general public had to be MHRA registered and be on the MHRA’s list of UK registered online retail sellers.

Those patients that are already using legitimate online pharmacies such as Medical Specialists®, will undoubtedly already have seen the clickable green cross logo, which is part of a voluntary scheme from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). Users that click on this particular logo will be taken to the GPhC register of pharmacies and can see verification that this pharmacy is who they are claiming to be.

Medical Specialists® GPhC logo:



The new EU common logo will be required in addition to the GPhC logo and will not act as a substitution. Like the GPhC logo, the EU common logo is clickable, but the hyperlink will direct people to the MHRA’s list of registered online pharmacies. This will be an extra level of security, reassurance and peace of mind for the consumer, who will now be given a guarantee the medicine they receive will be legitimate and safe. Unlike the GPhC logo, the EU common logo will need to be shown on every page of the online medicine retailer’s website where selling to a patient occurs.

A sample EU common logo:

The MHRA website states: ‘Under the rules of the new scheme the medicine being offered online must be licensed in the member state where the member of public who buys the medicine is based. The person selling the medicine must be legally entitled to sell medicine to the public in accordance with UK medicines legislation. Registered pharmacies can sell general sales list medicine, pharmacy medicine or supply prescription-only medicine that they have dispensed against a prescription. All other general retailers can only sell general sales list products. The penalty for selling medicines online without being registered and not displaying the logo is up to 2 years in prison or a fine or both.’

So why the change and introduction of the EU common logo? With the rise of the internet and e-commerce, criminals such as medicine counterfeiters have a quick, efficient and direct route to target their unsuspecting customers, with countless illegal websites emerging on search engines in recent years. Common tactics used to persuade people to part with their money include the sale of medicines or products with suspiciously low prices and outrageously illegal offers on prescription drugs, such as “buy one get one free”. Imagine going to see your doctor and he offered you a buy one get one free on any particular treatment for a serious medical condition…the notion is preposterous and simply put, it wouldn’t happen.

However, Medical Specialists® are committed to help stamping out such websites; we have published numerous articles on the many ways how to spot a fake online pharmacy and on 17 March 2015 reported how The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had carried out a huge crackdown on illegal websites, shutting down 1,600 in total.

This is great news of course as falsified medicines are a massive threat to public health and safety. It is questionable that counterfeit drugs have been manufactured in sanitary conditions, contain the same ingredients as the genuine article, and may have been produced using a wide variety of dangerous and toxic chemicals.

Many of the Medical Specialists® first-time patients express some degree of fear – especially over the telephone to our Order Team – and understandably so after the 1,000s of illegal websites and fake pharmacies that have unfortunately spread across the major search engines over the years. As previously mentioned though, the MHRA are working tirelessly to eradicate these from the internet and leave the genuine pharmacies, such as Medical Specialists®. The introduction of the mandatory common EU logo is another welcome step to guaranteeing a safe experience for all patients obtaining medicines via the internet.

Binge drinkers are ignoring ‘unrealistic’ guidlines on daily limits

A new study has suggested that official UK government guidelines – which are currently under review –  on how much alcohol is safe to consume each day are generally disregarded by drinkers due to the guidelines being unrealistic, outdated, and should be amended to reflect modern day drinking trends.

Currently, the recommended daily limits states that men should consume no more than three to four units of alcohol (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) and for women it is just two to three units (equivalent to a 175ml glass of wine per).

However, the study discovered that people are simply ignoring the guidelines due to the fact they are not drinking every single day, but instead waiting until the weekend and drink heavily to get drunk. Indeed it seems there and more and more binge drinkers now than ever.

Moreover, the whole notion of ‘units’ is baffling to many drinkers as they don’t even know what a unit of alcohol is or represents and are typically measuring their intake in pints, bottles and glasses, meaning the 30-year-old ‘unit’ limits for safe levels of regular drinking are irrelevant.

The research, led by the University of Sheffield and published in the journal Addiction, involved carrying out extensive interviews with 66 men and women from England and Scotland aged between 19 and 65, quizzing them about their attitudes to alcohol guidelines in this country, and showing them the advice that is used in other countries. Most seemed to be aware of the guidelines, but viewed them as unrelated to their own drinking habits.

The study authors argue that their findings show the UK guidelines were viewed as “having little relevance to participants’ drinking behaviours and were generally disregarded.”
Participants stated the recommended levels laid out in the alcohol guidelines were “seen as unrealistic” for people that didn’t drink daily, but sometimes wanted to get drunk. In addition, participants found alcohol units unhelpful and confusing, preferring advice which related to bottles, glasses or pints.

Instead, those interviewed found the Australian and Canadian advice more useful to them, which provides a maximum limit of four drinks on any occasion, in addition to advice about daily amounts.
In 2014 Australia launched a “stay classy” alcohol advice campaign, primarily targeting the binge drinking culure.

Lead researcher Dr John Holmes, from the University of Sheffield Alcohol Research Group, said: “What we found is that the guidelines at the moment kind of assume that people drink a bit too much, very often.

“In fact we were finding people saying’ I don’t drink too often but when I go out I do want to get a bit drunk’ and they didn’t see the advice as relevant.”

He added that people generally want advice which was purely focused on the problem of binge drinking, giving them a more achievable limit.

“We have a culture where we do like to go out and have a big night, we don’t really have the Mediterranean approach of little and often, we are more part of a northern European culture which doesn’t drink so regularly, but will drink more on particular occasions,” he said.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “We want information for the public to be clear and the unit of alcohol was introduced in 1987 as a way of helping people to understand and measure how much alcohol they are drinking- whether it’s in a can, bottle or pint glass. But we want to keep our guidance up to date which is why our Chief Medical Officer is currently reviewing all the guidelines for drinking.”

Last year, Medical Specialists® Pharmacy began to provide help to those with a dependence on alcohol through the alcohol dependency treatment Selincro (nalmefene).

Selincro is ideal for heavy drinkers that are not in need of immediate detoxification, and whom have a high level of alcohol consumption 2 weeks after the first consultation with the doctor. This is defined as more than 60g of alcohol per day for men or more than 40g of alcohol per day for women. The great news for those who are prescribed it is that there is no risk of becoming dependent on Selincro.

Selincro’s active ingredient nalmefene works by latching onto certain opioid receptors in the brain that are responsible for addictive behaviour, altering their activity, thereby decreasing the urge to continue drinking.

Risky Holiday Sex Habits Uncovered by Medical Specialists® Pharmacy Survey

Despite the fact that British weather is generally OK around June to August, this is still the peek time for holidaymakers to venture abroad and bask in the glorious sunshine in popular destinations such as Ibiza, Majorca, Benidorm and many more.

Relaxing on the beach sipping sangria or beer and forgetting about worries at home can feel like heaven, but it can risk making people feel a little too relaxed. This carefree spirit that often goes hand-in-hand with holidays abroad can lead to a slightly reckless attitude in regards to safe sex and sexual health – especially when alcohol is involved.

Booze can lead to a complete loss of inhibitions and then engaging in risky sexual liaisons with strangers…something perhaps people might have thought twice about back at home. Getting too drunk and ‘caught up in the moment’ is a worrying trend and this poor attitude is being shown by thousands – especially those in their late teens and early 20s – and is something Medical Specialists® Pharmacy wanted to learn more about.

These attitudes were explored in the journal Tourism Management, and then discussed on 23rd July in the Daily Mail Online.

Therefore, Medical Specialists® thought this would be the perfect time to discuss more findings on the subject matter, coming from a survey carried out at the beginning of the month to mark the start of summer.

With an extensive sexual health product range like that spans from the Clamelle chlamydia testing kit, to antibiotics for chlamydia and gonorrhoea and female contraceptive pills, Medical Specialists® are strong advocates for the improving of sexual health and sexual health services…even giving away 1,000s of free condoms over the last few years during Sexual Health Week and for World AIDS Day.

Therefore, with summer beginning at the start of July, Medical Specialists® decided to quiz patients about their attitudes to sex – in particularly looking at behaviours when overseas during a summer holiday. In total, 2,235 single people aged between 18 and 30 decided to take part in the survey, which provided some interesting, and perhaps worrying findings.

Although more than 60% said they always carried condoms whilst on holiday, nearly 40% admitted to only occasionally packing condoms, or never bothering to at all. The survey found that 22% were too embarrassed to talk about contraception when having sex with a new partner.

A staggering 78% said they had previously had sex with a fellow holidaymaker, with 40% of the respondents claiming they had even slept with a local. At the extreme end of the scale, 4% of those surveyed said that had more than 10 sexual partners on their last holiday.

Shockingly, more than a third (34%) confessed they had cheated on a partner whilst on holiday, but just 5% of those had been found out by their partner.

Questions were also asked about any possible sexually transmitted infections (STIs) people may have brought back from holiday along with their luggage, tans and hangovers. A statistic that Medical Specialists® finds alarming, nearly half (47%) said they had never been tested for a sexually transmitted infection.

Moreover, 20% of those surveyed said they had been diagnosed with an STI after returning from a holiday overseas, with chlamydia (46%) being by far the most commonly diagnosed infection, followed by genital warts(22%) and genital herpes rounding off the top three at 19%.

It is vital to remember that within certain countries compared to the UK, STIs can be extremely common and obviously this places people at an even greater risk. In addition, with the most common STI (chlamydia), around seven in 10 women and half of men infected with chlamydia don’t show up with any signs or symptoms.

However, symptoms of STIs can include:

• Unusual discharge from your penis, vagina or anus.
• Itching, blisters, sores or lumps on or around the genitals.
• Pain or tenderness in the testicles.
• Pain or a burning feeling when passing urine.
• Darker urine.
• For women, bleeding between periods and/or after sex.

For those that have engaged in unprotected sex (and not just whilst on holiday) or believe they may have contracted an STI, it is vital to see a GP or visit a sexual health clinic to get tested as soon as possible. If the infection isn’t treated, this could lead to more serious health problems such as infertility.

Alternatively, Medically Specialists® Pharmacy offer the Clamelle chlamydia test kit for just £24.85 which can be used in the privacy and comfort of your own home to prevent an embarrassing visit to the GP or GUM clinic and there is no need to take any time off work