Remembering to take medications can be challenging, especially when dealing with multiple medications and different dosing schedules. In this comprehensive article, we provide expert tips from our Healthwords pharmacists to help you improve medication adherence.

Head injuries are fairly common, especially in children, but they can happen to anyone, from trips and falls, to traffic collisions and sporting injuries. It may be obvious from the injury that someone needs professional medical attention, but sometimes signs take a while to manifest. Let's talk you through when to seek help immediately, and what to look out for in the hours and days afterward. It's important to stress that most head injuries are minor and do not result in serious or lasting injury, but it's important to be aware of when an injury could be significant.

Ramadan is a yearly event in the Islamic calendar, a holy month of prayer, reflection, and sacrifice, and fasting is an important part of this. A strict fast means nothing to pass the lips during daylight hours – so no food, drink, or smoking. Some guidelines include medications in this, but the Qur’an teaches that you should not act in a way that harms your health, which may leave you feeling in doubt about what to do. Guidelines can be found online, developed in collaboration with national groups representing Muslims to protect your health during Ramadan. It’s important to remember that this is guidance. Your health and beliefs are individual to you, so if you have doubts about the right path forward, seek advice. You can speak to your healthcare team – your doctor or nurse practitioner if you have one – and you can speak to your local Imam or any other Muslim leader you trust.

Ensuring adequate hydration to help our bodies remain healthy can be a tough task, especially in hot conditions, and during strenuous activities or exercise. Hot temperatures and increased water and salt losses can lead to dehydration. Mild dehydration may be felt as thirst, headache, mild dizziness, reduced need to urinate, and dry skin. In its more severe form, dehydration can result in reduced alertness, fatigue, muscle cramps, loss of consciousness, and long-term damage to your kidneys.

Sleep is very important and can have a direct impact on your health. Getting a good "night’s" sleep during the day can be challenging for anyone working night shifts. Here at Healthwords we've done a fair amount of night shifts ourselves, with one team member racking up more than a year’s worth of night shifts over the last 6 years of work in the hospital. So here are our top tips on how to give yourself the best chance of getting some good rest during the day.

Most minor cuts can be managed at home and should heal within three to five days. A superficial cut, or surface laceration, breaks the topmost layer of skin but doesn’t go deep enough to reach the fat or muscle layer underneath.