"Quality Care for You and Your Family"

A Community Pharmacy in the Sutherland Shire, we provide Quality Care for You and Your Family, and we are taking Community Pharmacy to the next level.

[mirandapharmacy]

Since giving birth to Xian Yang, I have not had much opportunity to keep abreast on #pharmacyknowledge. He's been sleeping much better during the day in the last week, so today I grabbed the chance to read up. This article in this month's #AustralianPharmacist caught my attention because it is relevant to Xian Yang's health. There is increasing evidence highlighting the importance of a healthy #microbiome, the diverse and sizeable microbial community living on and within the human body, for optimal bodily functions such as #immunity and #digestion. #Newborns acquire a huge amount of their initial microbiome through #naturalbirthing and during #breastfeeding. Because Xian Yang was birthed via #caesariansection, his #microbialflora would not be as diverse as that of a naturally birthed #infant. That is another reason I'm determined to #breastfeed him for as long as I can, ideally for at least 12 months, to help him establish a more diverse microbial flora. This article suggests probiotic supplementation can be useful to help #infants who have been born via #csection, #bottlefed, or undergone a recent course of #antibiotics, to restore a healthy microbial #gutflora. If you would like to know more about #probiotics, please speak with Sue or Sylvia at the #pharmacy, or leave me a comment in the comment section below. -Suen- #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #YourLocalPharmacy #QualityCareforYouandYourFamily #SutherlandShire #CARETOSHARE #HealthInformation (at Miranda Day and Night Pharmacy)

[mirandapharmacy]

Yesterday marked the 15th day of the #LunarNewYear. On the 15th night, traditionally it is celebrated by eating a sweet called #汤圆 (tāng yuán), round little dumplings made of glutinous rice flour with a sweet filling served with a sweet soup. In Malaysia, the filling can simply be #palmsugar, or a sweet peanut mixture. The soup is a mixture sugar water infused with ginger. From what I understand, these sweet dumplings symbolise family togetherness. It is also a Chew family tradition to make the dumplings and the soup from scratch. So making these dumplings with my family is a happy occasion for me. Of course, making them is only half the fun, eating them is the other half! I hope these posts on the Lunar New Year have given you some insight into the practises and tradition of this festive occasion. -Suen- #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #Pharmacy #SutherlandShire #ChineseNewYear #元宵 #元宵节 #chapgohmei #十五晚

[mirandapharmacy]

It's #Friyay yo, and I'm out painting the city #turquoise! I remember Sue telling me she's been wearing the #blueeyeliner by @rimmellondonau forever. Well, guess what girl? Blue #eyeliner is so #trending at the moment, so I decided to take a leaf out of your #fashionista book and glitzed up my eyes with the #Scandaleyes #waterproof #eyeshadowstick in #BlamedBlue! This will probably be one of my last outings with friends before the bun comes out of the oven! -Suen- #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #Pharmacy #SutherlandShire #cosmetics #makeup #motd #bblogger #beautyblogger #bbloggers #beautybloggers #bbloggeraus #bbloggersydney #bbloggerau #Rimmel #RimmelLondonAU #LoveRimmel (at Spice Alley)

[mirandapharmacy]

Here is Part 2 of the discussion on #paediatricfebrileconvulsions. As mentioned earlier, #febrileconvulsions occur in 25% of children with #fever and cannot be prevented. There is also no way to predict whether or not a child with fever would develop febrile convulsions. There is evidence of genetic involvement; 24% of those with febrile convulsions have a family history. 30% of children who have a #febrileseizure will have another one during a subsequent illness. Regular ("around the clock") use anti-pyretics (fever-reducing medicines such as #paracetamol and #ibuprofen) has not been shown to reduce incidence or recurrence of #febrileseizures. Current guidelines recommend the use of anti-pyretics (either paracetamol or ibuprofen, not both) for comfort rather than control of fever. So what can we do for a child who has a fever? 1. If a child is unwell, take the child's temperature. 2. If the temperature is above 38°C, and the child is alert and responsive but miserable, ensure that child is kept hydrated and made comfortable. 3. Remove a layer of clothing to make the child more comfortable. Cold or tepid bath or shower may not reduce a fever and may make the child more uncomfortable and distressed. 4. Paracetamol or ibuprofen may be given if the child is in pain or distressed. 5. If a child has a febrile seizure at home, ensure that the child is in a safe environment. Remove objects surrounding the child and loosen tight clothing, but try not to restrain the child. Take the child to the hospital for assessment. Please seek immediate medical attention in the following conditions: 1. Child is less than 3 months of age and has a fever, 2. Child appears very unwell with lethargy, poor interaction, inconsolability, fast heart rate, or shortness of breath, 3. Child's temperature is 41°C or higher, 4. Child has had a seizure. This information was obtained from the article Paediatric Febrile Convulsions in the February 2016 issue of the #AustralianPharmacist. (at Miranda Day and Night Pharmacy)

[mirandapharmacy]

I'm desperately trying to catch up on #pharmacy reading - I'm in my 38th week of #pregnancy, goodness knows when #dearlittleone will decide to make an entrance! I'd like to share another topic with you, on #paediatricfebrileconvulsions. This will be lengthy post, so here is part 1: When I was 4 years old, I developed a fever, and subsequently had a "fit". This was one of my earliest childhood memories: I remember my father carrying me to the hospital, I remember being in a bathtub full of water at the hospital, I remember being in a hospital bed. Being the firstborn child, my parents were understandably distressed - they must have felt helpless to watch their child shake uncontrollably. Paediatric #febrileconvulsions or #seizures are an unfortunate and unpredictable condition for some children with #fever. Febrile convulsions occur in 25% of children and unfortunately cannot be prevented. Febrile convulsions usually present as a generalised tonic-clonic seizure, lasts less than 15 minutes, and will not recur within the same febrile illness - this is known as a simple febrile convulsion and accounts for 70-80% of febrile seizures. Complex febrile seizures, on the other hand, last for more than 15 minutes, may recur within the same febrile illness, and may have incomplete recovery within the hour. Febrile convulsions are benign; most children who have a febrile convulsion will have normal health and development after the event. Febrile convulsions are not a form of #epilepsy, and most children will never develop epilepsy, although for a few children the febrile seizure can be the first presentation of subsequent epilepsy. This information is obtained from the article Paediatric Febrile Convulsions in the February 2016 issue of the #AustralianPharmacist. Please look out for part 2 of this post. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in comment section! -Suen- (at Miranda Day and Night Pharmacy)

[mirandapharmacy]

#GoodWednesday lovely people! Today's the last day of the #sale! Check out our #salecatalogue on #Instagram or on #Facebook. If you signed up to receive correspondence through email, you may have received a copy of the catalogue! Our #localcommunity also receives the catalogue in the mail! Disclaimer: Always read the label. Use only as directed. If symptoms persist consult your health care professional. #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #YourLocalPharmacy #QualityCareforYouandYourFamily #SutherlandShire #Pharmacy #PharmacyMedicine #AskYourPharmacist (at Miranda Day and Night Pharmacy)

[mirandapharmacy]

#GoodMonday lovely people! This week is Australia's #HealthyWeightWeek! Healthy Weight Week is run by @dietitians_association_aus. Healthy Weight Week's take-home messages are cooking at home more often and portion sizes can help us to achieve our healthy weights. Why not go to the Healthy Weight Week website www.healthyweightweek.com.au to download a free copy of the Seasonal, Fresh, and Tasty II #Cookbook? I had a browse of the cookbook, and the recipes are simple and look appetising. Another important take-home message is #healthycooking does not eliminate certain food groups. Healthy cooking is about using fresh ingredients from all food groups in the appropriate portions. We need #carbs, we need #proteins, we need #fats in the appropriate amounts! All throughout my #pregnancy and especially since being diagnosed with #gestationaldiabetes, I have been more conscious with my #eatinghabits, so the topic of #healthyeating and healthy cooking is close to my heart. I hope that you can make healthy eating and healthy cooking a part of your lives, too! -Suen- #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #Pharmacy #SutherlandShire #AHWW #CookMoreEatLess #homecooked #homecooking #homecookingisthebest (at Miranda Day and Night Pharmacy)

[mirandapharmacy]

When I mentioned I adapted the recipe from #ColinFassnidge's #beetrootbrownie (refer to @gourmettraveller 2014 Chocolate Cookbook, I actually meant I changed the recipe beyond recognition. I realised I didn't have enough dark chocolate, and I didn't want to add as much sugar as the recipe called for, so I used whatever I had in the pantry and fridge, improvised as necessary, and crossed my fingers for luck! One recipe makes 25 brownies Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 40 minutes Ingredients: 200g roasted unsalted cashew nuts, coarsely chopped 200g light brown sugar 4 eggs 150g plain flour 120g Dutch-process cocoa, sieved 20g ground coffee 250g butter, melted Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean 200g finely chopped ripe Packham pear, macerated in 2 tbsp of Marsala wine (or a Chocolate liqueur) 200g dark chocolate (66% cocoa solids), finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt Method: 1. Preheat oven to 160°C fan-forced. 2. Combine sugar and eggs in an electric mixer and beat until mixture holds a ribbon (4-5 minutes). 3. Sieve flour, cocoa, and ground coffee into a bowl, add melted butter and vanilla seeds, then whisk to combine. 4. Fold in egg mixture, then fold in cashew nuts, pear, chocolate, and salt. 5. Spread into a 24-cm square cake tin greased and lined with baking paper (extend paper at least 5cm over the sides to make removing the brpwnies easier). 6. Bake until a knife comes out dry when brownie is pierced (35-40 minutes). 7. Cool and cut into 5cm squares. Serve while warm with a #raspberrysorbet and/or #vanillaicecream! #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #Pharmacy #SutherlandShire #baking #bakestagram #goodfood #goodfoodsydney #GourmetTraveller #Ilovecooking #Iloveeating #brownies #chocolate #nottoosweet

[mirandapharmacy]

#GoodSunday lovely people! Kuan loves his #brownies, so I made a batch using an adapted recipe from the @gourmettraveller 2014 #Chocolate Cookbook. The air is filled with a lovely scent of baking! I'll write up the recipe in the next post! It's #ValentinesDay today. It's also the seventh day of the #LunarNewYear, also known as #PeoplesDay (#人日, rén rì). According to Chinese tradition, this is the day human beings were created, so today is a common birthday for all. So whatever day you view today as, it's a day of celebration with loved ones! -Suen- #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #Pharmacy #SutherlandShire #ChineseNewYear #初七 #baking #bakestagram #goodfood #goodfoodsydney #GourmetTraveller

[mirandapharmacy]

#GoodSaturday lovely people! Indeed it's a lovely and sunny day today, I'll be going to #Cabramatta this afternoon to soak up some #LunarNewYear festivities there! I'm trying to catch up on some #pharmacy reading because I'm certain I won't have time to do so once the #dearlittleone arrives. An article in this month's #AustralianPharmacist magazine about #vitaminB3 to save skin DNA and to #preventskincancer caught my attention. A local GP has told us about #nicotinamide, the amide form on vitamin B3 (also known as #niacin) being used to significantly lower risk of #actinickeratosis, a strong predictor of non-melanoma #skincancer risk. Nicotinamide also significantly lowered risk of developing new skin carcinomas. The trialled dosage of nicotinamide is 500mg twice a day, and the dosage appears to be well-tolerated. Regular dosing is required for ongoing protection; once supplementation ceased, the benefits also ceased. This dosage has not been tested for safety in #pregnancy and #lactation. These findings pose a significant implication for our customers with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma) - #pharmacists are in prime position to recommmend nicotinamide supplementation for suitable customers, as well as to recommend appropriate #sunprotection measures. #Insolar, marketed by @blackmoresaustralia, contain 500ng nicotinamide per tablet. It is recommended for nicotinamide to be taken with food. -Suen- (at Miranda Day and Night Pharmacy)

[mirandapharmacy]

#Roses for #ValentinesDay? I'll have #skincareproducts made of roses, please, this way I'll smell of roses every day! @weledaaustralia #WildRose skin and body care products contain #certifiednatural ingredients from #fairtrade sources. The products contain #rosehip as the active ingredient, and the #bodycare range is perfumed with #natural #damaskrose extract. So spoil your loved one this Valentine's Day with something from #Weleda! #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #Pharmacy #SutherlandShire #bblogger #beautyblogger #bbloggers #beautybloggers #bbloggerau #bbloggeraus #bbloggersydney #beautyfavourite #beauty #nonasties #toxicfree #nochemicals (at Miranda Day and Night Pharmacy)

[mirandapharmacy]

Introducing the new range of #fishoil products by #EthicalNutrients! These have been formulated for different conditions: 1. High-strength fish oil capsules specifically for #jointhealth. 2. #Skinhealth #omega3 capsules also contain #vitaminC #zinc, #betacarotene, and #astaxanthin. 3. #Brainhealth omega-3 capsules also contain #ginkgobiloba and #vitaminD. 4. #Hearthealth omega-3 capsules also contain #hawthorn. The #EthicalNutrients website has an overview on these products in terms of ingredients and directions. If you would like more information on the ingredients, please speak with our trained staff members or leave a comment below, and I will try to answer your questions! -Suen- #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #YourLocalPharmacy #QualityCareforYouandYourFamily #SutherlandShire #CARETOSHARE #HealthInformation #Pharmacy #AskYourPharmacist (at Miranda Day and Night Pharmacy)

[mirandapharmacy]

#GoodWednesday lovely people! I'm in my 37th week of pregnancy - officially I'm full-term! I had my weekly check with the #obstetrician yesterday, and #baby is well. I was given the clearest scan of his face - it's a grumpy-looking, scrunched up face - but it's a well-formed face nonetheless! I'm also finding expressing #colostrum much easier - up until this morning the colostrum had been more viscous and in smaller volumes. Two days' worth of expressed colostrum filled only one 3mL syringe. This morning, the colostrum was much more fluid, and I could fill the syringe in one sitting. I made sure I clearly labelled each syringe with the date before storage. It appears my #pharmacy training comes in handy in my new role! -Suen- #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #YourLocalPharmacy #QualityCareforYouandYourFamily #SutherlandShire #pregnant #pregnancy #37weeks2days #dearlittleone #notlongtogo #breastmilk #breastfeeding #breastfed #normalizebreastfeeding #breastisbest

[mirandapharmacy]

Read this #repost this morning on Instagram about @thehughjackman had had some more #skincancer taken out. Unfortunately, it's a common scenario in #pharmacy and we see this in our customers very often. I've discussed #sunprotection many times with our customers, both in person as well as on #socialmedia. In this post, I'd like to focus on the common misconceptions about sun protection. One doesn't need to apply sunscreen on a cloudy or overcast day: even though clouds can reduce UV rays, one can still get sunburnt. Please check the #SunSmartUVAlert (produced by the #BureauofMeteorology) every day and protect your skin during the sun protection times (when UV levels are 3 or above), even when you are in the sun for short periods. #Sunscreens and #sunblocks state duration of #waterresistance. I have heard customers comment on water-resistance and equate that to duration of sun protection. For optimal sun protection, please re-apply sunscreen every 2 hours while you're out in the sun. -Suen- #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #YourLocalPharmacy #QualityCareforYouandYourFamily #SutherlandShire #CARETOSHARE #HealthInformation #SunSmart

[mirandapharmacy]

新年 (xīn nián, new year) 快乐 (kuài lè, happy) is a customary greeting during #LunarNewYear. Other common greetings are 春节 (chūn jié, Spring) 快乐 (kuài lè, happy) because the lunar new year marks the start of Spring, and 恭喜 (gong xi, which translates to good wishes) 发财 (fà cái, prosperity). Like the inquisitive and intelligent monkey, may the year of the Monkey bring you to new heights and good opportunities! -Suen- This #Instagram was reposted from @cancervic. #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #YourLocalPharmacy #QualityCareforYouandYourFamily #SutherlandShire #Pharmacy #ChineseNewYear #HappyChineseNewYear #Tết #chúcmừngnămmới #新年 #春节 #新年快乐 #春节快乐 #恭喜发财 #새해 #새해복많이받으세요 #TahunBaruCina #SelamatTahunBaruCina

[mirandapharmacy]

And this is our #reuniondinner! The table is laden with food, and it is customary in our family to have leftovers for lunch! Clockwise from top left: #poachedchicken, #roastduck we queued over an hour for, #braisedabalone with #fishmaw, #chickensfeet, #shitakemushrooms, #driedscallops, and #driedoysters, and #sweetandsourcucumber with #chickeninnards. Rice is a #Hainanesechickenrice served with #homemade #chillissauce and #gingersauce. -Suen- #MirandaDayandNightPharmacy #SutherlandShire #Pharmacy #EveofLunarNewYear #EveofChineseNewYear #除夕 #团圆饭

[mirandapharmacy]

#GoodSunday lovely people! Today's the eve of the #LunarNewYear. Today most families will be busy with the last-minute cleaning and tidying of the home, as tidying is to be avoided during the first three days of the new year. Any act of cleaning during the first three days is believed to sweep or wash away the good fortune the God of Wealth (#财神, cái shén) brings to the family. Families will also prepare for this evening's #reuniondinner (#团圆饭, tuán yuán fàn). Of course, these days, families can choose to have their reunion dinners at restaurants, but it is the Chew family tradition to cook. What can I say, we Chews love to eat! The coming Lunar New Year falls on the year of the Fire Monkey. I wrote this Chinese character for monkey, 猴 (hóu), and pasted it on the cash register. We wish that the year of the Fire Monkey will be filled with #happiness, #goodfortune, and #goodhealth! -Suen- (at Miranda Day and Night Pharmacy)