Hair dye

O r g a n i c  food has been so popular that you hear even organic fish oil being sold in pharmacies . Now the question is how could you be 100 percent sure how did those fishes grown up in the sea when the sea was polluted with irradiation , oil leakage and chemical dumping since ages ago ? This should keep you thinking for a bit . 

Organic hair dye is what I've decided to talk about in today's blog . Many asked if organic hair dye is safe for pregnancy ? The answer is not known . My gf on her very first pregnancy , who is totally vain is really looking for some resolution to this . She said : I've not had my hair black or dark in colour since high school , pleassssse help !!!! 

The gimmick about organic marketing is that every relates it to healthy and that organic hair dye must be safe . Think one thing , most wild life mushrooms are organic , but why don't we eat all of them ? Organic does not mean not poisonous . Organic hair dye would be best for children and allergy prone skin . Those with scalp dermatitis , psoriasis on the scalp would benefit from this . The colour in organic dye is usually subtle , which best be use for children as who would want to colour bright green colour in a 7 year old girl ? Unless you want her to look like troll doll from Russ company LOL   

Chemical component is low and preservative use in organic dye is mild , so the colour used are hardly intense . People with dye sensitivity usually would have red and itchy scalp a day or two after coloring their hair , so opt for organic dye would be the best bet . 

For ladies who are pregnant I would say the ammonia zero colour are even safer than organic hair dye . Simply because the Chromatics colour system is much better with colour option and they last longer compared to organic hair dye . When the colour last longer , the need to touch up and  maintaining hair colour is less needed . And with most urban working ladies who needs to look good for their work / occupation during their pregnancy , the fact that it last longer and with better colour , it gives you more time to run errands and looking better all at the same time . So the end result would be a much happier and satisfied or preggy mum !  

You think you are totally beauty full inside out ? Which is what I think of all pregnant mama . Then, go Au naturale . After all it's only 9 months , embrace it ! 

Orlistat

O r l i s t a t  pronounce as oily-stat to make it easy to remember LOL .. Nayyyy only kidding .. Or-lee-stat is the right way of pronuncing it . But such a good name , very well named as 'orli' does sounds very much like oily , and 'stat' simply means STATUS , or in Latin means 'immediately' medically . This is because if you are taking this drug , you are constantly in an oily state and you can produce oil almost immediately anytime *refrain from LOL* .. It can be pretty embarrassing 

Orlistat a drug made by Roche , originally  ,but there are already generic of it ,on the India market. Trade name is xenical , appears as a oblong shape gelatin light blue capsule , in blister packs of 21's ----> fairly odd number but it was meant for 3 meals a day and 7 days in a week , therefore multiply the two figure , you get 21's blister pack , box of a total 84 capsules ( 4 blisters --> 4 weeks in a month in a box ) . 

The drug invented to stop the absorption of oil from your diet by 30% .. Yes only a minor amount of 30% , another words meaning the majority 70% is absorbed into the body. Which is why the drug is not totally wipe out from the pharmacies  shelves and every household has it ,well this is just part of the story actually . 20 years back in the USA there is a potatoe chips that are made in oils that are not absorbable by the human body marketed ,but soon after a couple of years the product was discontinued or pulled out from the market as it contributed to the wrong ideation of consumers that they could eat more of the chips as the calorie was not absorbable and the oil dissolvable nutrient such as vitamin A, D,E,K were reduced in the body of consumers in the end ..ahh I finally remember , it's called olestra chips . 

Orlistat is use mainly to help educate users on the oil/ fat content in the food , aiding and supporting the healthy weight loss or reduction in users. It is understand that many obesity are due to lack of knowledge in fat content in food , not able to comprehend nutritional/calorie table and labels . All you need to do is ask .. Yes ask meeee *put hands up * or my fellow peers or a nurtritionist / dietician. Trust me , learning to understand the whole

Caloric counting , calorie burning exercise , work out the balancing equation is a more effective way of loosing weight in the long run. 

Orlistat if you decided to try , bare in mind that if your diet consist of mainly sugar and carbohydrate , this would NOT 

WORK as there is no oil no block out , and your toilet bowl will thank you for it if your toilet bowl could feel LOL 

Let me explain more, for ppl taking orlistat with a high fat diet , they will get oily stools, or oily diarrhoea known as stearhoea , oil leakage from your anal .. You must be thinking I m such a weirdo when you get to this part *clears throat* pardon me pls , you even fart oil .   

Yes I am serious , so think about getting more disposable panties and more duck/Kiwi Kleen/Clorox for your toilet bowl too .

Poison XXX

I've been on a photography trip to India with my roommie lately and took some really interesting photos. But what was most interesting was we took a stroll in the local spice market and there was some pratha or let's call it indian piiitzahhh to make things easier and out of my curiosity i chose the one called magicccc , and i swear i don't really remember anything but i saw lots of cows floating in the sky,my roommie said i would not stop laughing. That was fun *stick tongue out*

DO in our terms sometimes does not means an action or a good thing like 'do it ' , it stands for drug overdose . Back in those hospital internship practice in Malaysia, every week there is at least a case of paracetamol DO admitted , suicidal attempt mostly. And we pharmacist will certainly joke about how silly to swallow 40 big white tablets (when u often don't get killed but suffered after that ) compare to jumping off a 40 level building (fast and will definitely die ), i know this sounds cruel and evil but trust me they create a lot of work for us pharmacist when there is not enough stock of antidotes supplied to the hospital.

Drug overdose are usually a combinations of drug , we name it drug 'cocktail' , mostly heard of from hollywood celebrities are the combination of heroin and alcohol. This situation is usually unintentional and they have taken more than their body could handle. With drugs , most common fault are illegal drugs or illicit drugs as we have no means of knowing their quality, purity and strength. Stay on the blog to learn more about the drugs most commonly involved with overdose ,and how overdose can be managed and best situation…avoided.

2 major types of drugs involved in DO are depressant drugs and stimulant drugs. They are usually swallowed, injected or inhaled.

Firstly, depressant drugs or we call them 'downer' by the street name , includes heroin, morphine,methadone, ALL the benzodiazepines such as Xanax , Valium , sleeping pills (herbal and traditional ) and ALCOHOL.  This drugs slows the nervous system down, when too much of them can come to a dangerous level when a person's breathing is stopped.

NEXT are the stimulant drugs ( i believe this is what was in my pratha since i can't stop talking ),which does the exact opposite of the first type, they speed up the nervous system. Amphetamines, Designer drugs (ecstasy -pronounce as ac-staaa-see) , Caffeine and nicotine belongs to this group. These drugs are fryer !!! they fry you up !! When you consume too much of it they cause high blood pressure, increase in heart rate (palpitation ) and increase the body temperature.

Younger adults and smaller body frames are more at risk of DO , effect of both depressants and stimulants are fairly different for each individual . Depending on the tolerance level, prior exposure of the drug to the user. Sensitivity usually reduce after several times of use and which makes the quantity unpredictable to give a toxic effect to the users.

DO is not something to be afraid of and sometimes your family and friends are the ones involved. Things you should do is try your most to stay calm and call the ambulance , you could save lives !! In Malaysia dial 999, in Australia it is 000, speak to the operator calmly about the location and situation and stay with the person until the ambulance arrive --they could need more information from you . Self care if you are looking after children or a child are knowing the National Poison centre number , Malaysia it is 1800-88-8099 , for Australia Poison Info Centre it is 131126 .

Right people, have you learn relevant first aid skills e.g.. Cardio and CPR ?? if you have not i suggest to attend some classes . Sleeping beauty wakes up after the first true love kiss?? What if there is NO true love or you are not sleeping beauty ??

Take care peeps xxx

Xanax

One of the perks of working in a pharmacy where i work at is , it is a place where i meet lots of tourist . Things i love about is , meeting my friends (my customers) from the antipodes, they never fail to remind me of the good times i had when i was back in the university and my life working as an internship there. The other parts of the world are also very much of my interest  as they always give me an idea of what's popular over in their place that we don't have here in Asia, especially the Europe region tourists. The middle Easterners always surprises me with their ladies knowing so much , but not speaking much in front of their man , they often act and speaks fluent english when they are alone with their peers. I respect their cultural upbringing and very well understand that an alpha female like myself would never survive in their country. And lastly but not least the Chinese , are so rich that is not even funny . Any middle class looking chinese tourist could just wipe out all the LOREAL creams on the shelves , yes ALL . Trust me i am often the first person that they ask if i have excess stock in the storage room , chinese are direct/straightforward thinking in that way that the PHARMACIST must be the boss here , that he/she must know everything, so you can go figure the story there after yourself ……

But all of them have something in common , they would ask me for XANAX , when they realize i am friendly. Well i know pharmacist are drug dealers, but i swear not all of us are drug addicts. When i was back in Australia, there are NO over the counter request for Xanax, well i could understand that as the country is very well regulated and these drugs are difficult , literally impossible to get hold of . This is what i really miss about working in a developed country . In Malaysia it is not as well regulated , well it is a developing country to begin with , so what do you expect ? It is pretty difficult for the foreigners to imagine, we live in a place where you don't see on a tv screen , but we sure know how to run free… The point is we would not keep any Xanax or benzodiazepines in our premises at all , because of safety reasons. WE can never trust the efficiency of the police , security guards are usually syndicate of crimes and robbers surely run free LOL so seriously, i don't have any XANAX in my drawers.

I shall not comment on why they need the tablets for , but back in school days , Xanax could go up to 50dollars per tablet as a street drug . The tablets are widely use for anxiety disorders, and i 've known personally many friends who suffers from the conditions simply due to the stressful environment that we live in.  Xanax is not usually use for sleep problems , because it is so long acting , it is not strong enough to induce sleep , besides there are many other tablets to help with sleep problems ( read my other blog : are u a night owl? ) .

I have big dreams, i wish the non-existence of drug black markets one day, that all pharmacists are here to set good examples.I understand it is business but my conscience won't let me do it , never.

Losing your hair?

My roomie* has this bad habit of pulling out her hair when she is bored or watching tele**, she would then show me her 'achievements' , those thick twirly, unevenly structured hair of hers, she reckons they are unhealthy and they should not stay on the scalp. Me on other end, would be worried about balding. I have heredity hair loss problems from my family and i am always worried about balding and even start shopping for wigs at this age.

There are many causes of hair loss . For most women it is mostly emotional and physical stress, taking oral contraceptive pills , pregnancy, dramatic weight loss and the extensive perming or colouring of hair. For woman , hair loss usually starts from top and centre of head with NO receding hair line, unlike male pattern baldness. thank goodness!

My dad has this little bald patch on his head due to a surgery he had on his head years ago, so scarring or any form of skin infection on the scalp can cause hair follicle stop growing normal hair, having a bald patch . Cancer treatment and chemotherapy causes hair loss are pretty general knowledge , but blood thinners (like warfarin ) , antidepressants (like zoloft ) and high dose of Vitamin A are some unusual things your might be interested to know. Generally the symptoms will go away after stopping the causing meds for 6 months, so i'll say not to worry as it is reversible.

Male pattern baldness is usually heredity and the are usually recognisable with receding hair line. They usually hits in during the middle age period. There is no cure to this , so i always tell my roomie before she ever commit to a relationship with a man, look at his dad's head LOL

M for Male/female pattern baldness and MINOXIDIL (pronounce : me-nox-see-dil)
The trade name is Regro , or Regain Hair solution . They come in 3% or 5% strength . It was originally invented for treatment of high blood pressure , but during the trials and launched of the drug , they realise all patient taking it reported of thickening of hair , therefore it is then phase out after other better high blood pressure pills are invented and now it is readily available over the counter for hair thinning. The solution is to be sprayed on the scalp twice daily ( 7 spray maximum per day ) . I always say start low, so when your symptoms got worst then you have a step up choice still. The 5% formulation very often has a disruption of supply ( manufacture out of stock ) if you want to know or makes it easier for you to make a decision.

Finasteride ( pronunce : Fin-aa-ster-ride)
Stop reading if you are a woman. Well this treatment is only for male pattern baldness. This isn't a cure but just to reduce the thinning , so i'll say start young . It has shown to stop hair loss. The tablets comes in 1mg daily formulation, but it can cause the amount of semen to reduce during sex, therefore it is advisable for guys to take them in alternate days or cut tablets to half (take daily) if you are young or planning for family. This drug usually take 3 months to see any results and the tablets are pretty costly *show sorry face*

Nutrition and supplements
Let's say your problem is not obvious but you want to look better with more luscious hair , then READ ON. Hair are made of keratin (which is protein base ), so diet lack of protein , iron and zinc would not be favorable. Silica is a combination of silicone and oxygen , is abundant in our body when we are born, but depletes when we get older, which explains why we have nice skin, nail and hair when we are a kid. Silica helps in balancing the hormones in ladies, so it works two-folds in preventing hair loss. The making of healthier hair and the balancing of hormones.
Continual taking of these supplements are important as hair treatment of hair loss takes time.

Rapunzel must have really good scalp, there is where the roots of her long strong hair . Remember to do scalp treatment regularly ladies and men should learn to wear a hat to protect the scalp from UV rays and trauma.

*room mate
**television - pick that slang up when i was in Australia

Are you a night owl ?

A good night's sleep is an important part of beauty regimen.  Every beauty queen would say sleep well to stay young and look good , but not every lady could sleep well. The girl friends around me , about 5 out of 10 has insomnia, that is 50% . Why can't i just write 1 out of  2??? oh well just realise i could do that , i am reacting slow so i probably have sleep deprivation too LOL…seriously i am kidding and not trying to be sarcastic here…Back to insomnia.

Everyone has a different level of sleep needs, it varies from 4-5 hours to 6-10 hours , there is no RIGHT or WRONG amount a person has to have. In general, older people requires lesser and 8 hours of sleep nightly on average individual.

People can't sleep due to many reasons, it could be simply due to pain or discomfort. Stress from work, argued with your partner, loneliness or boredom, sleeping in a room that is too bright,noisy (a snoring partner or construction work outside of your house) , sleeping on a new bed that you are not use to, jet-lag from travelling across different time zone ( if i am on holiday i would forget about sleeping if i have insomnia , just have fun 24/7 LOL ) or being over stimulated from drinking too much tea, coffee or other caffeinated drinks, some medicine is known to keep patient awake too. WELL, i am sure there are many more reason why ones can't sleep in this stressful environment that we all live in, the point here is don't worry too much about going through all the reasons i have just listed and finding yours being listed so you know you are normal, there is nothing wrong with you, insomnia is common and most people would find it hard to go to sleep at some point of you life ..

Read on , here is your cure .

Melatonin ( pronounce :meh-la-toe-nin)
A kind of hormones your body produces at night or when it's dark, level goes up when evening comes, and drops when sun comes in . It's a natural hormone in your body, but sometimes production decrease when you get older or some people just simply don't produce enough of it. Melatonin tablets are not a popular sleep supplement  in Malaysia and Australia, it's mainly found in Europe countries or the USA.  The closest you could find them sold in a retail pharmacy is Singapore. The dose is usually from 0.2mg to 20mg depending on the use and individual. The tablets shown in the last picture is a brand i got from Canada. There is no personal preference on the brand itself. The instructions on the pack is to place the tablets under the tongue so it's directly absorb into the body 30 minutes before bedtime, but the tablets are really bitter, so i swallow them whole, i am glad it still works *phew*. Melatonin is known to be safe as it is simply replacing a natural hormone your body produce, but studies were not done beyond 2 years of continual taking.
And no clinical trials were done on pregnant woman.

Magnesium tablets
Magnesium tablets are not easily found in Malaysia. The magnesium supplement we have here are the ones we combined with calcium for bones and muscles, NOT the same as the ones i am talking about to help with sleeps. The one in the picture below , are found in a spice market in Spain , Barcelona. In Europe it is readily available everywhere. Magnesium tablets are known to help with muscle cramps. Taking high doses works as a muscle relaxant, and when taken too much, your body gets rid of it by giving you diarrhoea. It's particularly good for people who are constipated and can't sleep due to anxiousness at the same time.It works by relaxing the organs and muscle in your body, helping  you feel more relax in general, making it easier to fall asleep. The tablets are not to be taken right before bedtime , unlike melatonin, it can keep you awake if taken too close to bedtime. 400-600mg a day taken in separate doses and the last dose not later than 4 pm of the day. Gradually you will find improvement in your sleeps and less constipation problem .

Doxylamine ( pronounce : dox-seal-a-min ) or other drowsy antihistamines
Restavit ( main ingredient is doxylamine ) was a popular over the counter drug back when i was working in Australia, but it is NOT available in Malaysia ). Many would ask why ????? it's just simply not registered in Malaysia yet. They come in tablets form and are not particularly hard to get hold of, mainly incorporated in a pain remedy ( together with paracetamol and codeine ). If you sleeplessness is due to pain /discomfort then this would be something suitable for you. Doxylamine has not shown to have addictive effect , only significant side effects are vivid dreams and in some people it can make them not feeling refreshed from sleep. Since doxylamine is not available in Malaysia,  what we could recommend here is a drowsy antihistamines such as chlorpheniramine (pronounce :klor-fen-nir-a-min) or hydroxyzine (pronounce : hai-droxy-zin) which are old cold and flu remedies which are slowly phase out when the newer generation antihistamines are in the market (because they don't cause drowsiness). This is particularly useful for people having difficulties falling asleep, and the good side is it is readily available in ordinary pharmacy ( no need to go through making appointment , seeing a psychiatrist and getting a prescription for xanax- yes ! it is really hard to get hold of it in M'sia ) and you don't get dependent on it.

More HERBAL/HOMEOPATHIC ways
The Collagen nite uses brown rice and manuka honey to help makes you sleep better. Brown Rice are known for high vitamin B and magnesium content (compare to white rice ), both helps in relaxing the muscle , promoting relaxation. Manuka honey helps your brain to release more melatonin (read above ).
So if you are concern about anti-aging, taking collagen supplements and have sleeping problems, this one kills two birds with one stone. Other things such as taking a warm bath prior to bed and drinking some warm milk with honey , lavender scented candles to give a more relaxing and peaceful sleep environment helps too !

IF all above fail , then opt for sleeping tablets but they are best used for short periods .Side effects are abundant , but if your need them then aim for the lowest dose for the lowest possible time .

Sleep tight tonight sleeping beauties !  xoxo

Sun is shining

Weather is sweet and sand under your feet, give me my sunnies and all i want to do is nothing but sleep on the beach . Getting a sun tan can really change your look and give you a healthy glow but the sun's rays are harmful to the skin. UV radiation causes sunburn, wrinkling, sagging , premature aging and *drumroll* skin cancer.

Melanin is lovely in this case , most of the time we hate it as it gives us freckles , but in here it gives some protection against these damaging rays.

Earlier on in my blog i mentioned about choosing the right sunscreen , i should elaborate more on this topic . First of all SPF (sun protection factor ) range from 15-70 , the general public would think the higher the number the better it is, let me tell you now , it is NOT . The SPF is a percentage ratio, SPF50 blocks out 98% of the UVrays but SPF 70 blocks out 98.9% of the UVrays , so don't be fool over by the marketing gimmicks and think the higher the number the better it is . PA+++ on the other hand is more important than the SPF number as the more '+' it has the more it blocks out UVA ( remember A for cAncer), the main UVrays that causes wrinkles and sagging and of course already mentioned cancer. UVB (remember B for sunBurn) and has a little role in the development of cancer.

Clouds , water and wind are not protecting you from UVrays. Jump into the water and swim so you don't get burn was a silly story my grandfather use to tell me, but i am telling you to jump into the water to avoid mosquito bites (because they can't swim LOL ) . Sunlight goes through water and cement ,sand and snow reflect sunlight and make you burn more easily.

My girlfriend invited me to be her bridesmaid  for her vineyard wedding during summer.  I can't wear a hat and sunnies and slap on my sunscreen every two hours, i will look strange. So ….Tadaaaaaaa i was totally burnt after the wedding *show tan line* . Clearly the tan line was the best door gift for her wedding as i still have it on me after 6 months !!

Depending on the area of the body that got burnt, which is normally on the back of the neck and back , sleeping could be very uncomfortable for the next couple of days, sleep face down is inevitable most times. Apply Aloe Vera Gel hourly to cool and soothe the area, strong steroidal cream (Elomet or Betnovate) can be 'diluted' with paw paw ointment (shown below -red tube) and to be dabbed on the affected area. My roommate was pretty rough and she tried RUBBING the ointment into my skin, and soon after that the rooms on the same floor could hear my scream. Take some ibuprofen to help with the fever and pain and get oral rehydration salts to help your body recover as quick as possible. Loose fitting clothes would be favorable now as the clothes causes friction to the affected area.

During the healing phase of a sunburn , skin might flake and itch, try non-steroidal creme like Ezerra or Atopiclair lotion to help with the symptoms. Taking antihistamines are not necessary in this case.

Love the Sun more than your skin ?? no problem. Only word of advice is to observe your own skin for changes of freckles, moles or irregular surface and uneven surface regular and get it checked early once you notice it.

I cheat.I personally prefer self-tanning creams , slap it on and sleep on a towel, next day i am a Pocahontas  x

I don't like babies (well..not yet)

Some guys will come into the pharmacy and go like : can i buy contraception medicine??  And then i will be like : which type?? brand??  He would be like : huh? *confuse* ..don't know *take out iPhone*

The devil side of me would be saying : told you to use condoms !  *smug*
I can be really mean if i want to but seriously i am just teaching the boys to be responsible .

I know the teachers don't teach all these in biology classes and the boys and girls in school talks about the birds and the bees on their own during recess time but here is some proper information about these hormone pills , oral contraception pills and emergency contraception pills.

Emergency Contraception
This is what the guys above mentioned needs. They are contraception pills for unwanted/accidental sexual intercourse. The pills are usually a single dose , one single tablet , or atmost 2 tablets . For details refer to the picture below ( bottom far left ) , brand names are Postinor-2 , Escapelle, Ella , Plan B . Let me explain further what does it mean by 'accidental' . Refer to the second picture about menstrual cycle, Day1 is the first day you bleed/period begins ( for the ladies ) , and the day before your next period is the last day of your cycle ( not numbered as all women is different ) some has a 28 day cycle, some 29 and some 32 , it can even be 32.5 !!! ( that is why women are so hard to understand ) Let's take 28 days cycle as an example , the 14th day from the 1st day of the period is the ovulation day (+2/-2 days)which means the 'dangerous' period , meaning unprotected sex will give you baby/babies *big NO*  The emergency contraception works best when taken 48 hours after the unprotected sex , so you still have some time to get to the pharmacy and buy your pill. Some countries require filling out a form, signing a consent form before purchasing it , so make sure you bring along your ID/passport if you are a foreigner .

The daily OC pills ( new generation )

Yasmin , Yaz and Diane35 are the daily kind of contraception pill, more appropriate for family planning use as the emergency contraception pill involves extensive calculation and causes more side effects if not taken properly. These pills contains oestrogen and progesterone in a low dose suppressing ovulation ( no eggs release from vjj) .They have their characteristic meeting needs of different ladies . The diagram below ( top 2 pics ) shows Diane 35 ,which is suitable for acne or acne prone skin , this is because the pill suppresses the male hormone ( causing pimple) in women , but the down side is increase in appetite is rather obvious in ladies taking this pill , weight gain is rather common with this one .. Well who knows it could be a good news for ladies who tries to gain weight ! Diane35 is a prescription medication in some countries . Yasmin ( bottom right 2 pics ) on the other hand has the least likelihood to cause weight gain. The ingredient causes body to get rid of water retention by passing out urine . Perfect for ladies who are concern of putting on weight from taking contraception pills. 

Weight gain usually settle down after 3 months of taking the pill . Water retention is common but not more than 2kilos . 

These hormone pills has other side effects , if you want to be sure or know more , read the package leaflet or speak to your gynaecologist . The information given here in this blog are mainly to provide simple BASIC knowledge to the public of interest .