New You Health Kick

For those thinking of taking on a healthy new lifestyle the online health check helps to identify areas that would benefit most from improvement. Users can then compose action plans and set personal health goals with incentives and time frames.

Users are encouraged to revisit the site on an ongoing basis to help work towards set health goals and are guided to their nearest All About Health pharmacy for further advice from a pharmacist if required.

The site is a useful resource for a variety of issues such as how to stop smoking and weight management and the symptom checker allows users to discreetly review health niggles to put their mind at ease or confirm a visit to the GP or pharmacist.

All About Health Pharmacist, Ajit Malhi, says: "The best way to keep a resolution is to keep it simple and plan a time frame to achieve the goal. Seeking help from your local pharmacist can help especially if you are trying to quit smoking or lose weight.

"A typical pharmacy smoking support programme involves an initial consultation where patients are asked to fill out a lifestyle questionnaire to draw up a personalised quitting support plan that suits lifestyle and needs.

"The patient will be asked to conduct a lung function test and have their blood pressure and cholesterol measured so health improvements can be monitored over a set period. Ongoing advice will then be provided to help ensure patients give up smoking for good."

Looking after our health is one of life's top priorities, so it's useful to know that our local pharmacy offers the ease and convenience of a walk-in advice centre. In addition, pharmacies offer screening services for diabetes, allergy, cholesterol and blood pressure monitoring.