Pillbox Chemists

Woman breaking cigarette
CategoriesPillbox Chemists,  Smoking,  Uncategorized

How To Quit Smoking With Tips

Everyone knows the dangers and risks of smoking but this doesn’t make it any easier to quit. Whether you smoke occasionally or you go through multiple packs a day, quitting can be a challenge that not everyone is ready to face.

Understanding what ‘Smoking’ does

Having an addiction to smoking is both physical and psychological. The nicotine contained in tobacco provides a temporary and addictive ‘high’ which can lead to a better chance within withdrawal symptoms, only if you are suddenly to cut it out of your regular routine. Because nicotine causes you to feel good temporarily, your brain will start to associate smoking cigarettes with the elimination of stress and a way to make you feel better if you are feeling stressed or in need of something to make you feel better.

People start smoking as a way to cope with stress, depression, anxiety and sometimes purely because of boredom or as a way to socialise. To effectively quit, you may find that you need to look to different, healthier ways to cope with these feelings. If you smoke regularly, the habit can be ingrained into you as a daily ritual and may start to become an automatic response during certain periods or times of the day.

To effectively quit smoking, you must first address that you have an addiction as well as the habits and routines that come with it. It is possible for anyone to quit, no matter how much or how often they smoke, and with the right support, you can create a plan to kick the addiction. Even if things seem hopeless and you’ve tried to quit before with no luck there is still time and it is never too late to try again.

Tips to Quit Smoking

Create a List of Reasons to Quit

You could start the list with things like ‘it shortens my lifespan’, ‘my family wants to see me healthy’ or ‘it will save me money’ etc. and keep adding to it whenever you come up with another reason until you are completely satisfied. Once you have created this list, keep reverting to it and reminding yourself why you made the decision to give up the habit. When times get tough, and they will, take out the list and read it whenever you need support.

Make Friends With People Who Don’t Smoke

This can be one of the hardest tasks to follow as there are a lot of people who smoke out there. It can also be really tough not to hang around with your friends who do smoke or follow them out when they go for one. You shouldn’t cut these friends off however, you should try and choose times to see them in settings where it is difficult to smoke or you could ask them to smoke away from you. 

When you look over at people who are smoking, you should try and dissociate yourselves from them and think of yourself as a non-smoking individual. Try and ingrain into your mind how dirty the habit is and think yourself lucky that you are no longer damaging yourself like they are. Be around people who constantly remind you how good you are doing and who will discourage you from smoking if you are feeling as though you are going to relapse.

pack of cigarettes

Make a Plan to Quit

Make a promise to yourself, set a date for when you want to quit by and stick to it religiously. Start by cutting down little by little until you start to notice that you don’t need as many cigarettes as you once did. Keep cutting down until you completely stop, once you do you should make sure that you don’t sneak in a cigarette every now and then as this can lead to a full relapse and then you are back at square one.

Identify When You Get Cravings

Certain things and certain places can cause you to crave cigarettes. This can be anything from waking up in the morning to going outside, make sure that when you do get a craving you identify it and jot it down somewhere so you don’t forget. Cravings can last up to five minutes, so, make a list of things you could be doing in those five minutes instead so that you have something in place to replace cigarettes as a temporary pleasure.

Seek Support

You should seek support from friends, family or if you feel like you need professional support you shouldn’t be scared to ask. If you know of others in your family or friend group that want to quit you should suggest that you try quitting together so that you have someone who is going through the same experience to rely on.

There is support available from your local stop smoking service at all times. You are up to four times more likely to quit if you seek expert help and advice so don’t be afraid to call the NHS Smokefree helpline which is 0300 123 1044. They are open Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 8 PM and Saturday to Sunday, 11 AM to 4 PM.

lung damage

Consider Changing Your Diet

Some studies have found that some foods, which include meat, can make cigarettes feel more satisfying. This is especially true if you regularly smoke after having a meal or eating your favourite foods. 

Other foods, like cheese, fruit and vegetables can actually make cigarettes taste worse and make them less satisfying. Try and swap your meals where you can for vegetarian options and try and stick to foods that help you hate having a cigarette afterwards. This simple fix can do wonders and soon enough you might end up finding that you don’t even want a cigarette at all.

You might also want to consider changing your routine at or after mealtimes. By keeping yourself occupied doing the dishes or settling down and watching TV you may find that you o longer need to go out for a smoke as often or at all.

CategoriesPillbox Chemists,  Uncategorized

Winter Precautions 10/01/2020

As you are all aware , with winter drawing near, symptoms of cough, cold and flu will be the most common ailments we will be increasingly exposed to. Therefore, it is highly essential for us, to not only offer expert advice on treating symptoms, but to also utilise every opportunity to promote good and correct hygiene practice to prevent the spread of these contagious illnesses.

Sore throat

Gargling can moisten a sore throat and bring temporary relief. Try a tea spoon of salt dissolved in warm water, four times daily. To reduce the tickle in your throat, an astringent gargle, such as gargling with tea that contains tannin can aid in tight-ending the membranes. The use of a thick, viscous gargle containing honey could also help relief a tickly throat – add one tablespoon of raspberry leaves or lemon juice in two cups of hot water; mix one with teaspoon of honey. Let the mixture cool to room temperature before gargling.

Blow your nose often — and in the right way

Rounded Rectangle:

It is important to blow your nose regularly when you have a cold instead of sniffling and accumulating mucus inside you. How-ever, when you blow hard, pressure can cause an earache. Thus, the best way to blow your nose is to press a finger over one nostril while you blow gently to clear the other. Wash your hands immediately after blowing your nose to prevent the spread of bacteria.

Coughing and sneezing

Ensure you cover your mouth/nose whilst coughing/sneezing with a tissue. Dispose the tissue and wash your hands immediately to prevent the spread of bacteria.

Washing your hands is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself and others from winter illnesses such as flu.

Washing hands properly removes dirt, viruses and bacteria to stop them spreading to other people and objects, which can spread illnesses such as flu, food poisoning or diarrhea.

CategoriesPillbox Chemists,  Uncategorized

Who to call if you need help during the festive period?

In East Berkshire, the NHS provides out of hours clinic for the moments that are not serious and does not require you to go to the sometimes crowded a&e departments.

During the Christmas Period, some GPs tend to close. However, in East Berkshire, clinics here work with the Commissioning Groups. What this means for you is that you have access to urgent care centres. In fact, by simply calling the NHS 111 service, you will be able to visit one of their care services or simply walk in at any of these clinics:

The NHS is committed to providing services at all times. 999 is always an emergency contact that is always running and has fully trained advisers manning the phone service who collaborate with the local service. Minor injuries unit are operational and face to face appointments are still available.

The GP surgeries are open from 8 am to 8 pm and have the qualified health professionals working to answer questions about your symptoms even during the festive period. What you can take from this is that by calling 111, you can get yourself the care you require with hours of service and still have time for Christmas to spend.

Out of hours medicines

If you have a prescription that is about to run out and urgently need it, you can go to any of our chemists to get an emergency supply of your medication apart from Christmas Day. You can call 111 and find the nearest NHS walk-in centre that can prescribe you with a couple of days worth of prescription medicine. 

For those who don’t have a prescription, you can get emergency supplies and would prove to be beneficial if you had the old medicine package with you for comparison as to what they can give you. You may be interviewed to find out if you need it immediately and who prescribed it with the amount of dosage in order to decide if they can provide an emergency supply. 

As well as this you can have local shops open nearby such as Spar who are open from 10 am to 8 pm. From there you can get yourself the standard medicines such as paracetamols.

If there are any questions that you have for the festive season about our chemist or opening times, feel free to pop in or contact us on:

Email: info@pillboxchemists.co.uk 

Telephone: 01753680761

Address:

17 David Road,

Poyle Industrial Estate,

Colnbrook,

Berkshire,

SL3 0DB

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CategoriesPillbox Chemists

Apple’s acquisition of the Finnish company ‘Beddit’ – what will the Tech Giant do with the Finnish startup?

Apple’s acquisition of the tiny Finnish startup company ‘Beddit’ made headline news around the world. Beddit.com was founded in 2006 and is based in Espoo and Helsinki, Finland. Beddit 3 is an extremely sensitive sleep tracker that you don’t have to wear, and it’s currently the only Finnish product in global Apple Store distribution. The sensor was released to rave reviews worldwide in October 2016 and has since sold out several times over. Beddit was also acknowledged as the most innovative digital service in Finland at the Grand One Awards Ceremony in 2017. With more and more of us using fitness and sleep tracking software, here at PillBox Chemists we’re always interested to learn what the future may hold in terms of the marketplace and to learn of new industry trends.

In May 2017, their company became the first Finnish and only the second ever consumer product company to be acquired by the US Tech Giant Apple(The first being Beats Electronics nearly three years previously in 2014)

It actually took a few years for Beddit to mature as a startup and a company. In 2013, as they first began to develop their innovative product, they raised over $500,000 with pre-orders on crowdfunding platform IndieGoGo.

Beddit uses ballistocardiography through an ultra-thin sensor that you place under your bed sheet, then you can plug it in and forget all about it. There is nothing to wear or charge, which makes it the most innovative and unusual sleep tracker on the market. Every night, the sensor automatically measures your sleep, heart rate, breathing, snoring and bedroom environment, giving you a full picture of the night for you to monitor via the state of the art app that comes in support of the tech.

The science behind Beddit’s sleep tracking and scoring system was developed in partnership with Helsinki Sleep Clinic, VitalMed Research Center and professor Markku Partinen, MD, a leading authority on sleep research. Beddit’s data accuracy and patented sleep tracking methodology have been clinically validated and published in peer-reviewed scientific articles, and it’s these scientific endorsements that have helped it to outsell all projections since its inception.

But what would Apple do with the technology long-term, as the device was already being sold on their website, surely there was some other long-term plan for the revolutionary sleep tracking technology?

There was no further news on this front for the last two years. Until recently that is, when Apple announced that it was to be testing a sleep monitor for a future version of its smartwatch, a feature that would bolster the company in the health- and fitness-tracking market and widely believed to be derived from the Beddit technology.

We could see the new Apple Watch with the enhanced sleep tracking functionality on the open market as early as 2020. Sleep tracking on the Apple Watch would reduce a competitive advantage that longtime fitness-wearable developer Fitbit Inc. has had on the market, and we can only presume they are currently developing this innovative tech even further to take a bite out of the Fitbit market place. 

A new Apple Watch would be the first new product to be launched as a result of the acquisition of Finnish company Beddit and is highly likely to have been developed as a joint product.

As sales growth of its signature product, the iPhone, has slowed, Apple has pointed investors to its plethora of other devices, including the Apple Watch. Since the Watch went on sale in April 2015, it has become one of the most popular smartwatches on the market, and new sleep tracking software is expected to be available soon. 

Apple hasn’t disclosed how many Apple Watches have been sold, but Strategy Analytics estimated the company shipped 4.5 million units in the third quarter, accounting for 45 per cent of the market. The analyst firm said Apple lost some share last year to Fitbit, and it’s undoubtedly this news which has caused Apple to push the boundaries even further on its product developments. 

Any new product launch will only renew interest in the tiny Finnish tech startup that began this journey, with analysts expecting to see further announcements later in 2019.

CategoriesCheckups,  Cholesterol,  Flu,  Pillbox Chemists,  Uncategorized

Pillbox Chemists to Launch Pharmacy Services through dedicated Website

Pillbox Chemists have launched a new website to sit alongside their main site dedicated to Pharmacy Services offering a full range of services from MURS/NMS to Travel Vaccinations. The website is at a early stage with development underway to offer a Online Booking System Q1 2020

Patients will be able to book a Pharmacy Service through the website at any one of the companies 23 pharmacies visit www.health-clinic.co.uk

CategoriesNews,  Pillbox Chemists

Pillbox Chemist FAQ

What is Pillbox Chemist?

Pillbox Chemist is one of the leading UK Chemists and they have a highly skilled team of qualified pharmacists. Offering a wide range of high quality tailored NHS and private pharmacy services.

What services does Pillbox Chemist offer?

They offer tons of different tests which include Allergy Test, Blood Pressure Check, Blood Sugar Test, Cannabis Clinic, Cholesterol Test, Emergency Contraception, Lung Age Test, Medicine Use Review, Now Medicine Service, Winter Flu Jabs, Health Check, Health Check Plus, Heart Rhythm, Pulse + 0.2 Saturation, Travel Clinic, Weight Management, 

Who are Pillbox Chemists?

An independent private healthcare business aiming to provide personalised Medical care of the highest quality; available to all local residents under one roof. PillBox Chemists sites open 5 days a week and offer same day appointments for most procedures, giving you unbeatable access to affordable and instant private care. Beat the NHS waiting times by servicing your health needs at one of our sites. Our highly competitive pay-as-you-go prices and unrivalled membership plans ensure we can meet every patient’s needs, whether you prefer one-off appointments or ongoing membership.

Why should you use Pillbox Chemist?

You should use Pillbox Chemist because they are experts in your field and they are  affordable for everyone to be able to pay for their healthcare. Not to mention the staff are very professional and they are experts in what they do which range from all types of medicines. There’s something for everyone and they’re an expert in that field as well, so don’t hesitate to shop at a family friendly place. 

Can you shop online with pillbox chemist?

You can shop online, which will save you from having to go out to the shops!

What branches does Pillbox Chemist have?

They currently have 23 branches over England so if you wanted to go to any of these you will be able to get the high service that you deserve and within one of these branches you be able to be served with the most professionalism that you’ve ever had.

Is my information safe with Pillbox Chemist?

Your private information is safe with Pillbox chemist we understand that you might feel unsure especially when we’ve not been around as long as some of the others. However we take your privacy very seriously and we will do whatever we must to keep it safe and protected behind our high-tech firewalls.

What days are we open & closed? 

  • Monday 9am-6:30pm
  • Tuesday 9am-6:30pm
  • Wednesday 9am-6:30pm
  • Thursday 9am-6:30pm
  • Friday 9am-6:30pm
  • Saturday Closed
  • Sunday Closed

Is Pillbox Chemist busy during work-days?

We are a very busy company but we have enough time for everyone so if you would like to come in on a work-day, we would be with you very quickly and if you don’t want to wait you can always order online. This saves the hassle of doing it in person, instead you can do it online and it saves you time lining up and paying. The average waiting time when it’s busy is only 5-10 minutes wait. Which might sound long but in reality it’s actually very fast for a Chemist due to all the paperwork, but our staff are great at keeping the waiting time down.

If I shop online how long will it take for delivery?

If you bought online and if they have it in stock it should only take a couple of working days, or if it’s not in stock then it can take up to a week so think to yourself do you need it urgently or can you wait a bit. We also have the option of next day delivery if you don’t want to have to wait for it for too long.

Can I get my Flu Jab done in-store?

You can get your Flu Jab done in-store if you would like if it’s busy then you might be waiting around for a qualified staff member. However if it’s not busy then you should be served quickly and effectively. 

Can I get an Allergy Test done in-store?

If you’re in need of an Allergy Test then you can have one done in store. You may need to book an appointment for us to get all the paperwork and samples in order and you should hear from them within 2-4 weeks as obviously the tests have to be processed once done. 

Do you follow all the regulations NHS has provided?

We follow NHS regulations to the letter, as we understand that medicine is very dangerous if you use it incorrectly. 

What if you don’t have some medicine in, how long will it take for re-supply?

The average waiting time for re-supply should usually take 1-3 working days and if they had delays it could be up to 5 working days, but you can also order online. 

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