General Health

FDA throws support behind compounding pharmacies in response to potential drug shortages

In a move that will have ramifications in Australia and around the world, the U.S. government’s Federal Drug Administration (FDA) is introducing changes which may significantly reduce the number and duration of pharmaceutical drug shortages. Matthew Bellgrove, Director of National Custom Compounding on the Gold Coast welcomed the changes, which will remove some of the […]

Forget detox – try the Pre-Christmas Prep!

We’re all familiar with the after-Christmas detox – that peculiar practice of making amends for all the rich foods, alcoholic lovelies and sugary confections we indulged in over the silly season. Even if you don’t have a personal acquaintance with the post-binge flush-out, you’ve at least heard of it, usually in January, from gloomy-faced friends […]

Are you getting what you pay for?

We’ve all done it – brought home a ‘bargain’ buy from the $2 shop only to find it breaks first time we use it or it doesn’t work at all. These things we chalk up to experience with the old saying, ‘You get what you pay for’, ringing in our ears. Getting a dud deal […]

Top 5 ways Bentonite is good for your health

Bentonite is a specific type of clay most commonly formed when layers of volcanic ash settle on wet or moist areas. It is sometimes referred to as montmorillonite and can be found, in variations, on most of the world’s continents. We know that two and a half thousand years ago, medicinal clays such as Bentonite […]

Lyme disease in Australia – treatment for a controversial disease

For many years Lyme disease was thought only to exist in the United States however evidence is now mounting that the debilitating disease is infecting people right here in Australia. In 2012, the Lyme Disease Association of Australia reported that over 200 people in Australia had tested positive for Lyme disease with the majority of […]

Palmitoyletanolaminde (PEA) – hope for sufferers of chronic pain

In recent years a new weapon in the battle against chronic pain has emerged, one with a name that’s enough to cause you some additional pain – Palmitoyletanolaminde. In clinical trials, this curious new compound has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of chronic pain with none of the debilitating side-effects commonly […]

Hope for sufferers of Hypersensitive Gag Reflex

For most people, taking their medication presents no more trouble than popping down to their local chemist to have their prescription filled. However for people suffering from hypersensitive gag reflex, being prescribed a course of medication introduces another challenge above and beyond the illness itself. Hypersensitive gag reflex describes a condition where the soft tissues […]

Arthritis sufferers cautioned on using ibuprofen

  Health professionals in Australia are taking notice of a recent European study¹ which has demonstrated a link between ibuprofen and an increased risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease in patients suffering arthritis. The study, released in August of this year by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), found that patients receiving ibuprofen […]

Can you rely on a compounding pharmacy?

It comes as a surprise to some that compounding pharmacy is one of the most highly regulated industry sectors in the country. All compounding chemists in Australia are directed by the Pharmacy Board of Australia to follow guidelines set out in in the ‘Extemporaneous dispensing’ section of the current edition of the Australian Pharmaceutical Formulary […]

Customising medication for better pain management

Health professionals in Australia are taking notice of a recent European study¹ which has demonstrated a link between ibuprofen and an increased risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease in patients suffering arthritis. The study, released in August of this year by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), found that patients receiving ibuprofen had […]