You’ve packed the car, lathered the kids in sunscreen and finally arrived at Mooloolaba Beach for an amazing day in the sun. First there’s a sniffle, a scratchy throat and then fatigue settles over you like dry sand on a wet body. Oh no: you’ve caught the dreaded summer cold.
Unfortunately, cold and flu don’t take the summer off. Despite the amazing warm weather we experience, our team are always helping Mooloolaba Beach Pharmacy customers with colds and flu. No matter what season we’re in!
Why do colds and flu occur in summer?
While summer brings warmth and sunshine, several factors contribute to the continued
frequency of colds and flu:
- Air Conditioning: When the heat becomes even slightly uncomfortable, turning on the air conditioner is almost automatic. However, closed, circulating air can become a breeding ground for viruses, especially in crowded spaces.
- Travel: School holidays and catch ups with friends means Summer is peak vacation season. Airports, hotels, and tourist attractions become crowded and the risk of virus transmission increases.
- Close Contact: Family gatherings, Christmas parties, camp trips… the opportunities for close contact over Summer are endless and frequent, spreading illness quickly.
- Weakened Immune Systems: The dehydration and fatigue we often succumb to in hot weather can weaken your immune system and making you more susceptible to infections. We also often push ourselves hard to finish all the ‘jobs’ before going on holiday, not to mention the pressure of taking time off work. When we stop, our immune systems are depleted and ripe for illness to take hold.
It would almost make you want to stay at home, but there are several very simple steps to help improve your chances of a snot-free summer!
Tips to Stop the Spread
We heard these tips ad nauseum during the global pandemic a few years ago… The following absolutely work to help stop the spread of colds and flu and reduce the risk of you being infected too:
- Practice Good Hygiene: Frequent handwashing is without doubt one of the most effective ways to halt the spread of viruses. Use soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after being in public spaces like supermarkets and cafes. Hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol are a good alternative when soap isn’;t available.
- Avoid Close Contact: If you feel unwell, keep your distance from others, stay home and rest. Try not to go out in public and if you must, wear a mask and maintain a 2 metre distance from those around you. Mooloolaba Beach Pharmacy even has a home delivery service staffed by an enrolled nurse: let us take care of you!
- Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids to keep your immune system functioning at its best.
- Disinfect High-Touch Surfaces: Regularly clean and disinfect doorknobs, light switches, and shared items like phones and tablets. This is particularly important in communal areas in the home.
- Get Vaccinated: If you haven’t received your flu shot, consider getting vaccinated. While flu season peaks in winter, the vaccine can still offer protection if you encounter the virus during the summer months. We offer a variety of vaccinations in store to help boost your immunity.
- Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle: There really is no replacement for a balanced diet, regular exercise and adequate sleep. A strong immune system is your best defence against illness.
- Be Aware of Symptoms: If you do start feeling unwell, pay attention to your symptoms. Early intervention can help prevent spreading illness to others and get better sooner.
There’s nothing worse than a summer cold or flu, and the Mooloolaba Beach Pharmacy is here to help. Our beautiful team loves caring for our customers: help them help you by practicing good hygiene in our store.
Nothing ruins a day on the beach more than sunburn, especially if you get it at the beginning of a holiday. Then there’s the long-term effects: we have one of the highest rates of skin
cancer in the world with 2 in every 3 adults effected. Being sun smart is not an optional extra here on the Sunshine Coast!
The easiest way to protect yourself from the harsh Queensland sun is to simply stay inside…
but there’s no fun in that, especially with blue water and warm sand beckoning. With a little preparation, every skin type at every age can be protected whilst enjoying the sunshine. Mooloolaba Beach Pharmacy is staffed by locals who love the outdoors: we’ve had lots of practice protecting ourselves from the sun, and we know just how to help you. Here’s a handy checklist of all the ways to protect you and your family at the beach:
1. Sunscreen
The days of thick white zinc as the only option for sunscreen are now far behind us. There’s an option for every skin type, from those who prefer organic, to sensitive and intolerant skin, beautiful baby skin, waterproof and those who want the highest protection or just something that smells nice. Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30, and don’t forget to reapply every two hours (more often if swimming). Our staff wear our brands every day and can advise on the best one to suit your needs. We carry a large range Australia and international lines including:
- Surfmud & Surfbaby
- We are feel good inc
- SunBum
- Cancer Council
- La Roche-Posay
2. Hats
Keeping the sun off your face isn’t just about sun protection: it’s about being comfortable! A big day on the beach means a hat is mandatory and a broad brimmed one is best. We have shelves of hats that are not only affordable, but gorgeous too. Our staff on the floor are always keen to help you choose the best hat for your face!
We stock the following and more:
- Barmah
- Toshi
- Tribe Tropical
- Bedhead
- Babes in the Shade
3. Sunglasses
Did you know your eyes can become sunburnt too? We often don’t put sunscreen directly below our eyes or eyelids, and even our eyeballs can become sunburnt and irritated. Sunglasses can be a fantastic line of defence in this regard. For our children, sunglasses are even more important as they play on the sand with the full glare of the sun reflecting off the water.
Mooloolaba Beach Pharmacy stocks a huge variety of sunglasses:
- Cancer Council Sunglasses
- Frankie Ray Sunglasses
4. Rashies and swim wear
Sunscreen is great, but nothing beats actually covering up for defeating the sun. Mooloolaba Beach Pharmacy has a beautiful range of protective swimwear and rashies for all ages and stages.
- Toshi Swimwear
- Tribe Tropical Swimwear
- Babes in the Shade
5. Sunshades
If you’re spending more than 45 minutes on the beach, a sunshade of some sort is essential in your beach sun safety kit. And yes, we do stock the most popular sunshade on the planet, but we also have a large range of umbrellas and sunshades for those who can’t fit a Cool Cabana in their suitcase.
Seriously though, Cool Cabanas are an investment you will reap the benefit of time and again. Easy to put up on the beach, they provide plenty of shade and stand up to a stiff breeze much better than your average umbrella. Come and have a look at the patterns and sizes at the Mooloolaba Beach Pharmacy today.
- Cool Cabana
- Beachkit & Shelta Beach Umbrellas
- Sunnylife
6. After Suncare
You’ve tried your best, but there may have been a strip of leg you missed with the sunscreen, or perhaps the kids didn’t reapply after an hour in the surf. We’ve all been
there and the team at Mooloolaba Beach Pharmacy are perfectly positioned to help with your aftersun care. Walk straight off the beach into our Mooloolaba Esplanade store and chat with the team on the best course of action.
A final tip from the Mooloolaba Beach Pharmacy team: log into your favoured weather app and have a look at the UV index. This is a great indicator of when the sun will be at its worst, and the best time to get off the beach and into one of the Mooloolaba Esplanade’s cafés.
Happy beaching!
All of our pharmacists at Mooloolaba Beach Pharmacy advocate for a healthy, active, outdoor lifestyle and living around Mooloolaba it would be a waste to not spend as much time as possible outside! However, on a beautiful day at the beach it’s easy to overlook the risks that the sun exposes us to. Queensland is the skin cancer capital of the world; in Queensland melanoma has a prevalence of 71 in 100,00 and 2 out of 3 Queenslanders will be diagnosed with a skin cancer by the time they are 70. This is a preventable, life threatening condition and ‘skin cancer capital of the world’ is not a title we should be proud of.
There are three main types of skin cancers, basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas and melanomas.
Basal cell carcinomas typically have a ‘pearly’ appearance, but can present in many ways. Sometimes it’s an obvious lesion, other times it’s just a little ‘sore’ that won’t heal.
Squamous cell carcinomas are typically “scally”, but can have look like a wart that scabs over.
Melanomas carry the worst prognosis and can be the hardest to spot.
The mnemonic “ABCDE” can be helpful in deciding between moles and something more sinister.
A – Asymmetrical. Moles should be round!
B – Borders are irregular.
C – Colour changes or different colours within the one mole.
D – Diameter greater than 6mm is more likely to be sinister.
E – Evolution. Is the lesion getting bigger or changing colour?
Most people require a formal skin check every 12 months at an accredited GP or with a dermatologist, but this be more regular if you have a history of skin cancer or multiple risk factors.
These checks are not foolproof and you have much more time to check your own skin than a GP ever will! Ensure you are inspecting your skin thoroughly, at least every 3 months, and taking pictures of spots that you think might be changing! If you spot one, your medical practitioner can look at it with a dermatoscope and decide whether or not a biopsy is necessary!
What is a migraine?
Migraines are a series of attacks which commonly progress through four phases.
- The Prodrome. In the 24-48 hours before the onset of a headache most patients experience a prodrome phase which mostly involve non-specific symptoms such as yawning, neck stiffness, constipation, irritability, depression or even the opposite, euphoria.
- The Aura. Some patient’s experience visual or auditory symptoms but others can experience an inability to speak normally or even inability to move muscles of their face properly.
- The Headache. This is the cardinal symptom of a migraine and can be debilitating. The pain is often unilateral and is usually throbbing or pulsatile, especially as it increases in intensity. Patients usually have nausea and the pain is made worse by light.
- The Postdrome. After the constant pain resolves, there is a period afterwards where sudden head movement causes an acute repeat of the pain.
Signs to watch out for.
There are many different types of migraines and they can be confused with more sinister presentations so it is important to look out for “red flag” symptoms.
These include;
- ‘First’, ‘worst’ headache. If this is the first migraine or far worse than usual.
- ‘Thunderclap’ headache. If the headache comes on instantaneously and is extremely painful.
- Headache in patients over 50 who haven’t had one previously.
- Headaches that that don’t respond to treatment.
- Associated fever, stiff-neck or dramatic change in personality.
Treatment
| Severity | Recommended Treatment |
| Mild-Moderate |
All of this treatment is available over the counter! |
| Severe | If there are any of the red flag symptoms evident, it is worth seeing a doctor for prescription medication or imaging! |
Our Pharmacists also recommend non-pharmacological treatments such as;
- Cold packs over the forehead or back of skull
- Heat packs over the neck or shoulder
- Neck stretches and self-mobilisation
- Rest in a quiet, dark room
Migraines can be a significant cause of morbidity so if you think you or your family members are experiencing migraines come in and see the friendly team of pharmacists at Mooloolaba Beach Pharmacy!