By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
If Oprah Winfrey says it, then it must be true. The most powerful woman in America sure can generate interest in something. You see I seem to be fielding a lot of questions lately about “Natural Hormones”, or “Bio-Identical Hormones”. I was wondering why until one of our pharmacy staff, Patti McDill, told me these menopause treatments were featured on Oprah’s talk show. So what is Oprah talking about? Follow me back about seven years.
Let’s go back to July 2002. The Women’s Health Initiative Study, or WHI was being released. A bunch of scientists went on TV, newspapers, radio etc and announced that there was a 26% increased risk in breast cancer and a 29% increased risk in heart attack for women on premarin and provera and their study was stopped because of such a terrible result. Women were scared. The media jumped all over this story. Many women threw their hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the garbage. Now, almost 7 years later, women are having hot flashes, night sweats, and not sleeping, but are too scared and confused to get treated. What can be done?
First, let’s talk about the original study. The study was very well done and designed. However, it only looked at women on premarin and provera. So these results do not necessarily apply to other types of HRT. Also, the risk in the media was blown way out of proportion. For example only 8 more women than normal out of 10,000 on HRT will develop breast cancer. That isn’t much when you consider that consuming 2 or more alcoholic drinks a day or exercising less than 4 hours per week have each been reported to increase the risk of breast cancer to ~35 out of 10,000 women.
What I’m trying to say is that premarin and provera aren’t necessarily evil. I think women were scared unnecessarily away from a treatment that helped many women. After you and your doctor have a discussion, the two of you may quite logically conclude that an 8 in 10,000 risk of breast cancer is acceptable weighed against the benefit of being able to sleep at night. Your doctor will probably also recommend that you stay on the premarin and provera for 5 years or less. This is because the harm risks increase after 5 years. However, some women may decide to stay on premarin and provera longer. The risk of breast cancer only goes up to ~25 out of 10,000 women after 15 years on premarin and provera. That is still lower than the risk from drinking and not exercising.
What are alternatives to premarin and provera? One popular, non-hormone, alternative is anti-depressants. No, I’m not saying all menopausal women are depressed. I’m saying that anti-depressants like effexor do a nice job of controlling hot flashes and night sweats in some women.
Oprah wasn’t talking about premarin, provera, or antidepressants, though. She was talking about Natural or Bio-Identical Hormones compounded at a specialty pharmacy like the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy. The ultimate goal of Bio-identical hormone replacement is to imitate, as closely as possible, the hormones that are naturally produced by the human body. Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy has also been referred to as natural hormone replacement therapy. The word “Natural” causes some confusion, so I try to avoid it. Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy does not refer to grinding up leaves and plants to make products. It does not refer to using herbal/natural products such as soy supplements, black cohosh, or yam isoflavones. Bio-identical hormone replacement uses molecules which are taken from yam or soy plants and are then modified so that their structure matches the hormone(s) which are produced by the human body. There are three major classes of hormones which are used in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy; estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone.
How Do I Get Started Using Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy products require a prescription from your family doctor. If you and your physician wish, a pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy can book an appointment with you to discuss bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and make treatment recommendations. Your Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy pharmacist can also discuss Saliva Hormone Testing, which is a whole topic unto itself.
One of the nice things about having your hormone therapy compounded is that it will be customized for you. Maybe you prefer a cream to a pill. Maybe you need an “in-between” dose that isn’t commercially available. Those are all things that can be compounded.
The last thing I want to discuss is the safety of compounded hormone treatments. Despite what Oprah, Suzanne Sommers and other celebrities claim, no hormone treatments are 100% safe. We do have some theoretical reasons to think the compounded hormones are safer than premarin and provera, but the studies haven’t been done to prove that. We have to assume all hormone treatments have the same 8 out of 10,000 risk of breast cancer. We have to assume all hormone treatment should be used for 5 years or less because the Women’s Health Initiative study is still the biggest, best study done on the subject. The only reason to choose compounded hormones over commercially available ones is your find them more convenient (e.g. cream over capsules) or the compounded hormones treat your symptoms better. We have no evidence that compounded hormones are safer than commercial ones.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
QUITTING SMOKING –Part 2
By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
Last time we talked about the nicotine lolly pop to stop smoking. This time we are going to focus on the prescription pill Zyban, the newest stop smoking prescription medication call Champix and a product the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy can compound for you called a Nix Stix.
Before we get to the new products, though, let’s talk a little bit about nicotine replacement. This includes lollipops, gum, patches and the Nix Stix. People often ask if the various nicotine replacements are safe. This is understandable as nicotine is a dangerous toxin. It raises blood pressure, increases heart rate and other nasty things. My standard answer is if you aren’t sure if it is safe for you, ask your doctor. Assuming that your doctor says nicotine replacement is safe for you, I feel comfortable saying nicotine replacement is safer that smoking. If the various nicotine replacements are used properly, they give you less nicotine than cigarettes and they don’t give you the tar, cyanide, arsenic, carbon monoxide and 5000 plus other dangerous chemicals and mutagens in cigarette smoke.
There is a pill to stop smoking called Zyban or the generic name is bupropion. It is available by prescription only. What should you know about it? First it is a pill, not a patch or a gum. It works on a part of your brain and reduces your craving for smoking. It does not have any nicotine in it. In fact, under the supervision of your doctor, you can be on Zyban and a nicotine gum or patch at the same time. With your doctor's supervision, you would start taking Zyban about a week before you quit smoking. This is to build up enough of the drug in your system, that by quit day you should have less cravings to smoke. The mostly commonly reported side effects with Zyban are dry mouth and insomnia
The newest product on the market is called varenicline or Champix. Champix is available by prescription only. Like Zyban, Champix should be started one to two weeks before quitting smoking. As a pharmacist, I find Champix very interesting because it is a partial nicotine agonist. This means it attaches to nicotine receptors in the brain and stimulates them a little, but not as much as nicotine. So this should take the edge off of nicotine withdrawal. Champix also partially blocks the nicotine receptors, so patients get fewer pleasurable effects from smoking. It is not a good idea to use champix with nicotine replacement. There is no evidence it works any better and increases the chance of nausea. Speaking of nausea, up to 30% of patients may experience mild to moderate nausea.
So what is the best product? Whichever one reduces your triggers and cravings, and gets you to quit. Nicotine replacement has been around the longest, and definitely can help you quit. Zyban may delay ( but not eliminate) the weight gain associated with quitting smoking as compared to nicotine replacement. Champix and Zyban were actually compared head to head, and they did both increase a person’s likelihood of quitting compared to placebo. Champix was more effective than Zyban at helping people quit after 12 weeks. However, by one year Champix and Zyban seemed to have about the same number of people still off of cigarettes. They all can work. Let you doctor or pharmacist help you decide which is going to help you the best with your triggers and cravings.
Speaking of triggers and cravings, sometimes smokers have a craving and sticking something like a lollipop or gum in their mouth is inappropriate. What should they do? Well the nicotine patch is too slow for an immediate craving. What if you had a discreet little applicator which you could rub on your wrist and get nicotine immediately? Well at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy, we are compounding such a device for patients at the request of their doctors. We call it a Nic-Stix and with a prescription from a patient's doctor, we compound a device that looks like a chap stick tube. The Nic-Stix has 30mg of nicotine in it so is will last 1-4 weeks depending on use, but it also must be kept away from children because it would be toxic if ingested. The Nic-Stix will melt easily, so it should be kept in a cool place, but is small enough to be carried almost anywhere.
Smoking kills three times more people than alcohol, AIDS, illicit drugs, car accidents, suicide and murder all combined. Quitting smoking is very difficult, and it takes the average ex-smoker six serious quit attempts before they succeed, but the results are worth it.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
Last time we talked about the nicotine lolly pop to stop smoking. This time we are going to focus on the prescription pill Zyban, the newest stop smoking prescription medication call Champix and a product the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy can compound for you called a Nix Stix.
Before we get to the new products, though, let’s talk a little bit about nicotine replacement. This includes lollipops, gum, patches and the Nix Stix. People often ask if the various nicotine replacements are safe. This is understandable as nicotine is a dangerous toxin. It raises blood pressure, increases heart rate and other nasty things. My standard answer is if you aren’t sure if it is safe for you, ask your doctor. Assuming that your doctor says nicotine replacement is safe for you, I feel comfortable saying nicotine replacement is safer that smoking. If the various nicotine replacements are used properly, they give you less nicotine than cigarettes and they don’t give you the tar, cyanide, arsenic, carbon monoxide and 5000 plus other dangerous chemicals and mutagens in cigarette smoke.
There is a pill to stop smoking called Zyban or the generic name is bupropion. It is available by prescription only. What should you know about it? First it is a pill, not a patch or a gum. It works on a part of your brain and reduces your craving for smoking. It does not have any nicotine in it. In fact, under the supervision of your doctor, you can be on Zyban and a nicotine gum or patch at the same time. With your doctor's supervision, you would start taking Zyban about a week before you quit smoking. This is to build up enough of the drug in your system, that by quit day you should have less cravings to smoke. The mostly commonly reported side effects with Zyban are dry mouth and insomnia
The newest product on the market is called varenicline or Champix. Champix is available by prescription only. Like Zyban, Champix should be started one to two weeks before quitting smoking. As a pharmacist, I find Champix very interesting because it is a partial nicotine agonist. This means it attaches to nicotine receptors in the brain and stimulates them a little, but not as much as nicotine. So this should take the edge off of nicotine withdrawal. Champix also partially blocks the nicotine receptors, so patients get fewer pleasurable effects from smoking. It is not a good idea to use champix with nicotine replacement. There is no evidence it works any better and increases the chance of nausea. Speaking of nausea, up to 30% of patients may experience mild to moderate nausea.
So what is the best product? Whichever one reduces your triggers and cravings, and gets you to quit. Nicotine replacement has been around the longest, and definitely can help you quit. Zyban may delay ( but not eliminate) the weight gain associated with quitting smoking as compared to nicotine replacement. Champix and Zyban were actually compared head to head, and they did both increase a person’s likelihood of quitting compared to placebo. Champix was more effective than Zyban at helping people quit after 12 weeks. However, by one year Champix and Zyban seemed to have about the same number of people still off of cigarettes. They all can work. Let you doctor or pharmacist help you decide which is going to help you the best with your triggers and cravings.
Speaking of triggers and cravings, sometimes smokers have a craving and sticking something like a lollipop or gum in their mouth is inappropriate. What should they do? Well the nicotine patch is too slow for an immediate craving. What if you had a discreet little applicator which you could rub on your wrist and get nicotine immediately? Well at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy, we are compounding such a device for patients at the request of their doctors. We call it a Nic-Stix and with a prescription from a patient's doctor, we compound a device that looks like a chap stick tube. The Nic-Stix has 30mg of nicotine in it so is will last 1-4 weeks depending on use, but it also must be kept away from children because it would be toxic if ingested. The Nic-Stix will melt easily, so it should be kept in a cool place, but is small enough to be carried almost anywhere.
Smoking kills three times more people than alcohol, AIDS, illicit drugs, car accidents, suicide and murder all combined. Quitting smoking is very difficult, and it takes the average ex-smoker six serious quit attempts before they succeed, but the results are worth it.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
Friday, January 16, 2009
QUITTING SMOKING –Part 1-AUDIO
Click to hear Trevor's Pharmacy Feature-Audio Segment
Thanks to all the good people at the Parkland's Best Music 730 CKDM
Return to Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy site
Thanks to all the good people at the Parkland's Best Music 730 CKDM
Return to Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy site
QUITTING SMOKING –Part 1
By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Have you quit smoking yet?
There has been a Manitoba wide smoking ban since October 1, 2004. It is hard to believe that is now over 3 years ago. Across the pond in the European Union, Ireland was first to institute smoking ban in March 2004. Bans now exist in Italy, Spain, Belgium and Britain. On January 1, 2008, the smoking ban in France was extended to bars, discotheques, restaurants, hotels and cafes. Those romantic images of people in Paris discussing the issues of the day in a Parisian café over a cigarette and café au lait are a thing of the past. Who says the world doesn’t follow Manitoba’s lead?
Smoking is the number 1 cause of premature death in North America. Name a body part, and we can tell you how smoking is bad for it. Other than the heart and lungs that everyone knows about, let's talk about some of the less often talked about problems. Smoking decreases the blood flow to the skin, and this leads to leathery-looking skin and increased wrinkling. The more you smoke, the more likely you are to get cataracts -an eye problem that can lead to blindness. Smoking is the main reason people get cancer in the mouth. Smoking makes it harder for your saliva to remove germs in your mouth. You'll get stains, bad breath, and a higher chance of gum disease. Smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to develop psoriasis - a disfiguring red and silver rash that can occur anywhere on your body. Smokers are more prone to stomach ulcers. The ulcers don't heal as fast, and they're more likely to recur. There's also growing evidence that smoking may increase the risk of chronic bowel disease. Finally, guys, smoking causes impotence.
Are you ready to quit this year? It won't be easy, though. The numbers I could find said that about 10% of people who try to cold turkey succeed. The numbers double to about 20% if a medication and a detailed smoking cessation plan worked out with a health care professional are added onto just plain will power.
The first thing you want to do is check with your doctor and pick a medication to help you. Many people have already tried the nicotine patch, the nicotine gum and the prescription pill Zyban. Maybe its time to try something different. How about a Nicotine Lollipop? Nicotine Lollipops are prescription items that we can custom make for people under the direction of their doctor.
At the moment we make 2mg and 4mg Nicotine Lollipops in strawberry flavor, but we can customize the flavor or the strength under the direction of your doctor. The idea behind the Nicotine Lollipop is the same as the nicotine gum or nicotine patch, we are putting some of the nicotine back into your system that the cigarette used to provide. This will help reduce (not eliminate) the cravings for cigarettes. The added bonus is psychological. People who have used the Lollipop say they like that they are still putting something in their mouth like they used to do with cigarettes.
How do you use the Nicotine Lollipop and how long does it last? This will vary person to person, but in general one Lollipop will last about 1/2 a pack of cigarettes. During your regular cigarette break you put the Lollipop in your mouth for about 5 minutes or until the craving passes (whichever is less) and then you reseal the Lollipop in our special child proof container and put it away until your next craving. What strength of Lollipop do I need? Your doctor will help you choose when they write the prescription, but usually the 2mg Lollipop is for 1 or less packs a day, and the 4 mg is for people who smoke more than a pack a day.
Next time we will talk about the newest stop smoking pill called Champix and something we make at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy called a Nix-stick.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Have you quit smoking yet?
There has been a Manitoba wide smoking ban since October 1, 2004. It is hard to believe that is now over 3 years ago. Across the pond in the European Union, Ireland was first to institute smoking ban in March 2004. Bans now exist in Italy, Spain, Belgium and Britain. On January 1, 2008, the smoking ban in France was extended to bars, discotheques, restaurants, hotels and cafes. Those romantic images of people in Paris discussing the issues of the day in a Parisian café over a cigarette and café au lait are a thing of the past. Who says the world doesn’t follow Manitoba’s lead?
Smoking is the number 1 cause of premature death in North America. Name a body part, and we can tell you how smoking is bad for it. Other than the heart and lungs that everyone knows about, let's talk about some of the less often talked about problems. Smoking decreases the blood flow to the skin, and this leads to leathery-looking skin and increased wrinkling. The more you smoke, the more likely you are to get cataracts -an eye problem that can lead to blindness. Smoking is the main reason people get cancer in the mouth. Smoking makes it harder for your saliva to remove germs in your mouth. You'll get stains, bad breath, and a higher chance of gum disease. Smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to develop psoriasis - a disfiguring red and silver rash that can occur anywhere on your body. Smokers are more prone to stomach ulcers. The ulcers don't heal as fast, and they're more likely to recur. There's also growing evidence that smoking may increase the risk of chronic bowel disease. Finally, guys, smoking causes impotence.
Are you ready to quit this year? It won't be easy, though. The numbers I could find said that about 10% of people who try to cold turkey succeed. The numbers double to about 20% if a medication and a detailed smoking cessation plan worked out with a health care professional are added onto just plain will power.
The first thing you want to do is check with your doctor and pick a medication to help you. Many people have already tried the nicotine patch, the nicotine gum and the prescription pill Zyban. Maybe its time to try something different. How about a Nicotine Lollipop? Nicotine Lollipops are prescription items that we can custom make for people under the direction of their doctor.
At the moment we make 2mg and 4mg Nicotine Lollipops in strawberry flavor, but we can customize the flavor or the strength under the direction of your doctor. The idea behind the Nicotine Lollipop is the same as the nicotine gum or nicotine patch, we are putting some of the nicotine back into your system that the cigarette used to provide. This will help reduce (not eliminate) the cravings for cigarettes. The added bonus is psychological. People who have used the Lollipop say they like that they are still putting something in their mouth like they used to do with cigarettes.
How do you use the Nicotine Lollipop and how long does it last? This will vary person to person, but in general one Lollipop will last about 1/2 a pack of cigarettes. During your regular cigarette break you put the Lollipop in your mouth for about 5 minutes or until the craving passes (whichever is less) and then you reseal the Lollipop in our special child proof container and put it away until your next craving. What strength of Lollipop do I need? Your doctor will help you choose when they write the prescription, but usually the 2mg Lollipop is for 1 or less packs a day, and the 4 mg is for people who smoke more than a pack a day.
Next time we will talk about the newest stop smoking pill called Champix and something we make at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy called a Nix-stick.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
Friday, January 09, 2009
WINTER SKIN AND LIP CARE
By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
News Flash! In Dauphin is gets cold in winter! Cold air holds much less water vapor in it than warm air. Then we warm up this cold, dry air in our houses, and it sucks up water from our lips and skin. The same thing happens outside. The cold, dry air gets warmed up as it enters our bodies through our mouth and nose, and there it sucks the moisture out of our lips.
Have you ever seen your daughter walk out of her room and all the hair on her head was standing on end? I have and it is not because I am a scary father (I hope). It is because the air in my house was so dry it promotes the build up of static electricity. The first place you may want to go is a hardware store. Bet you didn’t expect that from a pharmacist, did you? You want to keep you house’s relative humidity near (but not over) 50%. Most hardware stores will sell you a relative humidity meter. To increase the relative humidity, you need to evaporate water. The least expensive way is to leave out containers of water. This is slow, but it will help. A more pricey option is to buy a humidifier. I recommend a cool mist one, because there is no danger of spilling hot water on yourself or others. You can buy small ones for a room or small apartment in your pharmacy. Hardware stores will have larger ones. Again, aim for 40-50% relative humidity.
Next, before exposing your skin to the harshness of winter, take a few extra minutes to "winterize" your skin and lips.
To counter dry, flaky skin you can apply a moisturizing cream daily, especially after bathing. I know the ads for the creams talk about all the moisturizers in them, but really, the creams work best at holding in the moisture that is already there. So, as soon as you step out of the tub, towel off (by patting, not rubbing) and apply the cream. Moisturizers do not have to be expensive to be effective. But, it is best to avoid products with perfumes because they may irritate the skin.
Because dry skin and lips are caused by water loss to the air, an important thing to remember is to drink lots of water. For most people, 8-10 glasses of water per day is recommended. There are other products which remove water from your body, and should be avoided like excessive alcohol, and caffeine. (Definitely a “Do as I say, not as I do” statement. I love coffee and have a hard time cutting back on my caffeine consumption.) Some prescription medications like diuretics dry you out as well, but don't stop them without consulting your doctor. People with certain heart, lung, and other conditions should avoid excess fluid intake, and if you are unsure if you are one of them, ask your doctor.
Windburn is a common complaint in winter. You can use sunblock to your face and lips before an outdoor winter activity to help prevent windburn (it will help sun burn too, which can happen in bright winter sun). Even a thin film of moisturizer will act as a good windscreen.
Dry, cracked lips tend to be bothersome, so many people bite or pick at them and make them worse. Lip balms and protectants are available in cream, ointment, or stick formats to easy application. Lipsticks can also be used as a good indoor moisturizer. Again, drinking lots of water will help.
Whichever product you use, for skin or lip moisturizing or protection, repeated application is a key factor in maintaining your body's natural moisture and protecting it from the harsh winter elements.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
News Flash! In Dauphin is gets cold in winter! Cold air holds much less water vapor in it than warm air. Then we warm up this cold, dry air in our houses, and it sucks up water from our lips and skin. The same thing happens outside. The cold, dry air gets warmed up as it enters our bodies through our mouth and nose, and there it sucks the moisture out of our lips.
Have you ever seen your daughter walk out of her room and all the hair on her head was standing on end? I have and it is not because I am a scary father (I hope). It is because the air in my house was so dry it promotes the build up of static electricity. The first place you may want to go is a hardware store. Bet you didn’t expect that from a pharmacist, did you? You want to keep you house’s relative humidity near (but not over) 50%. Most hardware stores will sell you a relative humidity meter. To increase the relative humidity, you need to evaporate water. The least expensive way is to leave out containers of water. This is slow, but it will help. A more pricey option is to buy a humidifier. I recommend a cool mist one, because there is no danger of spilling hot water on yourself or others. You can buy small ones for a room or small apartment in your pharmacy. Hardware stores will have larger ones. Again, aim for 40-50% relative humidity.
Next, before exposing your skin to the harshness of winter, take a few extra minutes to "winterize" your skin and lips.
To counter dry, flaky skin you can apply a moisturizing cream daily, especially after bathing. I know the ads for the creams talk about all the moisturizers in them, but really, the creams work best at holding in the moisture that is already there. So, as soon as you step out of the tub, towel off (by patting, not rubbing) and apply the cream. Moisturizers do not have to be expensive to be effective. But, it is best to avoid products with perfumes because they may irritate the skin.
Because dry skin and lips are caused by water loss to the air, an important thing to remember is to drink lots of water. For most people, 8-10 glasses of water per day is recommended. There are other products which remove water from your body, and should be avoided like excessive alcohol, and caffeine. (Definitely a “Do as I say, not as I do” statement. I love coffee and have a hard time cutting back on my caffeine consumption.) Some prescription medications like diuretics dry you out as well, but don't stop them without consulting your doctor. People with certain heart, lung, and other conditions should avoid excess fluid intake, and if you are unsure if you are one of them, ask your doctor.
Windburn is a common complaint in winter. You can use sunblock to your face and lips before an outdoor winter activity to help prevent windburn (it will help sun burn too, which can happen in bright winter sun). Even a thin film of moisturizer will act as a good windscreen.
Dry, cracked lips tend to be bothersome, so many people bite or pick at them and make them worse. Lip balms and protectants are available in cream, ointment, or stick formats to easy application. Lipsticks can also be used as a good indoor moisturizer. Again, drinking lots of water will help.
Whichever product you use, for skin or lip moisturizing or protection, repeated application is a key factor in maintaining your body's natural moisture and protecting it from the harsh winter elements.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
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