Surprise, surprise, we don't treat flu/colds properly...
Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 3:50 pmAustralians suffering winter ailments needlessly
Australians are failing to treat their sore throats properly and putting themselves through unnecessary pain and misery.
A recent Galaxy poll has revealed the majority of Australians are slow to respond when treating the symptoms of a sore throat and when they do, 90% of people surveyed reached for products that may only offer temporary relief of the symptoms rather than products that actually treat the cause of the pain.
The research1 shows almost 70% of the people surveyed have the right intentions though rarely give their sore throat due attention, relying on supermarket or convenience store products as opposed to consulting their local pharmacist for advice about the most appropriate treatments.
“The lack of attention in addressing their sore throats means most people are suffering quite unnecessarily, when in fact they could alleviate the pain from the first sign of a sore throat,” explained Mr Lachlan Rose, Managing Pharmacist of Manly Vale Pharmacist Advice, Sydney and member of NSW Branch Committee of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.
With a tough flu season already underway it appears most people are misinformed about the effective treatments that are available to help them through the winter months.
Most Australians surveyed1 seemed to reach for supermarket-bought lozenges in the belief that they will actually treat the cause of the pain, although in reality these will often only provide temporary relief of symptoms.
“People don’t tend to treat a sore throat seriously - nobody enjoys the misery and we all want to get over it and back on track as soon as possible,” Mr Rose continued, “though it seems there’s a general misunderstanding as to how best to treat the pain it brings.”
Turning to home remedies, staying wrapped up and making a few lifestyle changes often helps to nurture and soothe, yet even when coupled with a symptom-relieving treatment it still doesn’t address the real problem.
“If people sought advice from their local pharmacy and adopted an effective anti-inflammatory treatment, not only would they get back to normality sooner, it would save them going to work feeling quite lousy too.” Concluded Mr. Rose.
Australians are failing to treat their sore throats properly and putting themselves through unnecessary pain and misery.
A recent Galaxy poll has revealed the majority of Australians are slow to respond when treating the symptoms of a sore throat and when they do, 90% of people surveyed reached for products that may only offer temporary relief of the symptoms rather than products that actually treat the cause of the pain.
The research1 shows almost 70% of the people surveyed have the right intentions though rarely give their sore throat due attention, relying on supermarket or convenience store products as opposed to consulting their local pharmacist for advice about the most appropriate treatments.
“The lack of attention in addressing their sore throats means most people are suffering quite unnecessarily, when in fact they could alleviate the pain from the first sign of a sore throat,” explained Mr Lachlan Rose, Managing Pharmacist of Manly Vale Pharmacist Advice, Sydney and member of NSW Branch Committee of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.
With a tough flu season already underway it appears most people are misinformed about the effective treatments that are available to help them through the winter months.
Most Australians surveyed1 seemed to reach for supermarket-bought lozenges in the belief that they will actually treat the cause of the pain, although in reality these will often only provide temporary relief of symptoms.
“People don’t tend to treat a sore throat seriously - nobody enjoys the misery and we all want to get over it and back on track as soon as possible,” Mr Rose continued, “though it seems there’s a general misunderstanding as to how best to treat the pain it brings.”
Turning to home remedies, staying wrapped up and making a few lifestyle changes often helps to nurture and soothe, yet even when coupled with a symptom-relieving treatment it still doesn’t address the real problem.
“If people sought advice from their local pharmacy and adopted an effective anti-inflammatory treatment, not only would they get back to normality sooner, it would save them going to work feeling quite lousy too.” Concluded Mr. Rose.
and just let it melt away over the next 4 or 5 minutes.