Category: News

Stay updated with the latest news and health tips from Top-Up Pharmacy. Discover insights on health trends, medical updates, and wellness advice

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How To Maintain Good Oral Health

Oral health is an essential part of your overall health and well-being. Good oral health not only affects your mouth but may also aid in preventing other diseases such as respiratory diseases, diabetes, cancers, and heart disease. As we mark World Oral Health Day under the theme ‘Be proud of your mouth’, here are a few tips to help you maintain good oral hygiene and achieve the perfect smile.

  • Brushing your teeth twice a day

Brushing your teeth for two minutes, at least twice a day is considered the primary step to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Brushing your teeth helps remove food and plaque which can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. When brushing your teeth, brush every surface; the inside, outside, and chewing surfaces of your teeth. Use a fluoride-containing toothpaste when brushing and do not rinse your mouth right after brushing to allow enough time for the fluoride to work on your teeth and gums, preventing tooth decay. Remember to replace your toothbrush every three months.

Make it a daily habit to brush your tongue. Bacteria building up on your tongue can lead to mouth odour or halitosis and white discoloration of your tongue. Brushing your tongue regularly can reduce the amount of bacteria on the tongue, which may improve oral health as well as mouth freshness.

  • Flossing

Daily flossing helps remove food particles stuck between your teeth. Regular flossing helps remove plaque that forms along the gum line and reduces inflammation. This may reduce gum disease and bad breath.

  • Eat a balanced, low-sugar diet.

Eating a well-balanced diet that is low in sugar will help you maintain good dental health. It can also help prevent other diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Consuming excessive amounts of sugars from processed foods, soft drinks, sweet desserts, etc. will increase your risk for tooth decay and other oral diseases.

  • Drinking Water

Simply drinking water every day will help you maintain good oral health. Water helps remove food particles from your mouth, keeping your mouth clean and reducing the negative effects of acidic foods and drinks on your teeth. It also helps to prevent a dry mouth, thus improving your breath. Water is also needed in the production of saliva which is essential for removing food from your teeth and aiding you to chew, taste, swallow, and digest food.

  • Use mouthwashes

Rinsing your mouth regularly with a fluoride mouthwash helps to kill harmful bacteria between your teeth and on your tongue. It helps prevent bad breath and improves gum health. Mouthwashes work better after you have cleaned your teeth and flossed. Mouthwashes should not be used as a substitute for brushing your teeth.

  • Visit the dentist regularly

It is recommended to see a dentist twice a year, even if you are not having any dental issues. Regular check-ups and dental cleanings can help maintain good oral health and help prevent oral diseases. The dentist can also educate you on good oral hygiene habits to help you keep your teeth and mouth healthy.

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Getting Started – Exercise

Starting an exercise routine can be difficult. But considering the many health benefits of exercise for your body and mind, there is every reason to exercise. Check out these tips to get you started:

  1. Start by getting physically active: To maintain good health, physical activity can be a great place to begin. Physical activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. All forms of movement, including walking, dancing, climbing the stairs,  gardening, active recreational activities,  housework, cycling, and all activities done during the day that require movement are classified as physical activity. Exercise is a planned, structured physical activity. Intensity, duration, and frequency of the exercise are typically used to measure progress in achieving your fitness goals. Look for opportunities during your day to be physically active. Climb the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. Instead of finding the closest parking space, park at a distance, and walk to your destination. Take a dance lesson or join an aerobic exercise session on YouTube in your leisure time instead of sitting and watching TV or scrolling aimlessly through your phone.
  2. Set an Exercise Goal: What are your reasons for wanting to exercise? Do you want to lose weight or do you want to improve and support your health? Set clear exercise goals, and decide on the type of exercise and intensity to achieve your goals. Find the reason why you want to exercise so that when you feel like giving up, it will motivate you to keep moving.
  3. Start slowly and progress at your own pace: It does not matter how slowly you start as long as you start moving. Take one step at a time and gradually build yourself into a routine. Vigorous exercise can lead to injury if you have not exercised before or have not exercised in a long time. Allow your body to recover, take rest days if you need to, but stick with it until exercise becomes a habit. It takes two to six weeks for most people to get into a pattern of regular exercise. If you have not exercised in a long time, have a chronic health condition, or are pregnant, check with your doctor before you start to exercise.
  4. Make exercise fun: Engaging in exercise can be fun. Find a physical activity you enjoy and engage in it. Combine different exercises such as swimming and dancing and have fun while burning those calories. Enjoy nature as you jog or run. Listen to music while you are exercising. Connect with friends and family through group activities. Make new friends by going to the gym. Have fun as you strive towards a healthy life.
  5. Exercise with a friend: Do you need someone to motivate you to exercise? Exercise with a friend and be accountable to each other. Exercise with a friend to help you stay committed and remember to have fun while exercising.
  6. Track your progress: Track your progress as you work towards your fitness goals. Write down your progress or use fitness apps to record your progress. Take selfies and reward yourself when you achieve your targets.

Regular physical activity and exercise are necessary for maintaining a healthy life and increasing your life span. Start slow and make it a routine. After a few weeks, it will no longer be difficult but exciting and worth the effort.

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Discover the Health Benefits of Exercise at Top-Up Pharmacy

You either hate it or love it – Exercise. But whether you love or hate exercising, there are many benefits to exercising, including improving your sleep quality, reducing stress and anxiety, improving your overall well-being, and even reducing your risk of early death by 30%. To get the most advantage, you should aim to get the recommended amount of exercise for your age. The average adult needs at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week. We hope the following benefits of exercise will motivate you to get moving.

  1. Exercise helps prevent chronic lifestyle diseases: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), regular physical activity decreases the risk of hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and several types of cancers (including breast cancer and colon cancer). Exercise improves your circulation and keeps your heart healthy. Increased blood flow raises the oxygen levels in your body. This helps lower your risk of heart diseases such as coronary heart disease, high cholesterol, and heart attack. Thus, if you want to support and improve your overall health, then get moving!
  2. Exercise helps maintain a healthy body weight: You burn calories when you exercise. The more intense the exercise, the more calories you will burn. This leads to weight loss as well as maintaining a healthy body weight. 150 minutes of moderate-intense physical activity, ( 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week), would aid you in maintaining a healthy body weight. To lose weight, you must burn more calories and reduce the calories you eat and drink. Do you want to fit into that beautiful dress? Hit the ground running.
  3. Exercise improves your mental health: When you exercise, your brain releases chemicals known as endorphins. Endorphins improve your mood, make you more relaxed and make you feel happier. Endorphins also reduce pain and boost pleasure, leaving you feeling great. Research has also shown that exercise reduces depression, stress, and anxiety. Regular exercise stimulates the production of hormones that improve the growth of brain cells. This leads to enhanced mental function, improves cognition, and protects memory as you age.
  4. Exercise improves your sleep: There is nothing as gratifying for a tired body as good, quality sleep. According to research, regular exercise improves the quality of sleep, aids in deep sleep, and reduces daytime drowsiness. Regular exercise will help you to fall asleep faster, sleep better, and stay asleep for longer. But if you want to fall asleep faster, do not exercise close to your bedtime.
  5. Exercise improves your sexual health: Regular exercise can boost your energy levels, improve your cardiovascular health, increase your muscle mass and strength, help you relax, and reduce stress which all lead to improved sexual health. Physical activity can also improve sexual performance and sexual pleasure. It has been shown that regular exercise may lower the risk of erectile dysfunction. Exercise may help improve sexual function in men who already have erectile dysfunction.

The health benefits of regular exercise are numerous and cannot be ignored. Exercising for a few minutes out of 24 hours a day is a small investment for the massive payoff of a happy and healthy life. Every little step counts, so start moving.

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Top-Up Pharmacy organises health screening in Kasoa

Top-Up Pharmacy has organised a health screening as part of activities to celebrate the one-year anniversary of its Kasoa branch.

Residents of Kasoa, Obom, Ofaakor, and other adjoining areas trooped to the premises of Top-Up Pharmacy at the Kasoa New Market to be screened for conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol, dental, eye care, and hepatitis B.

Doctors also provided general health consultations to the beneficiaries and advised them on the proper use of medication.

Appreciation

The Executive Director of Top-Up Pharmacy, Mrs. Olena Odor, said the health screening was a way for her outfit to show appreciation to the people of Kasoa for believing in and embracing the Top-Up brand.

“Kasoa is a very fast-growing community and it is our aim to help people in terms of their health.

The health screening is our way of giving back to the community because we know it can benefit many people,” Mrs. Odor further said.

Top-Up pharmacy, she said, was interested in the wellbeing and health of not only its customers but also people within its catchment areas of operations and the entire country.

She said the company had made customer satisfaction its hallmark and was, therefore, constantly improving its services to meet customers’ needs, adding “Our services are tailored to ensure the best quality for customers.”

Advice

The Head of Sales and Marketing of Top-Up Pharmacy, Dr. Isaac Buabeng Nyantakyi, said the health screening exercise was also an opportunity for the pharmacy to advise people on the proper use of medicine.

He cautioned people to desist from taking drugs without first talking to a doctor or a pharmacist. “Drugs can become poisons depending on how they are used.

You need to speak to a pharmacist about every drug you take. Don’t just walk into a pharmacy and buy anything, especially antibiotics. People are abusing antibiotics a lot,’ he said.

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Top-Up Pharmacy Hosts Free Health Screening Event

Top-up Pharmacy has celebrated the one-year anniversary of its East Legon branch with a health screening exercise.

The pharmacy provided free health screening for hypertension, diabetes, dental, eye care, cholesterol, and general health consultation to the residents of East Legon and its surrounding communities.

Prior to the health screening, a durbar was held to celebrate the impact and successes of the East Legon branch since its establishment a year ago.

Present at the durbar were the Member of Parliament of Ayawaso West Wuogon, Ms. Lydia Alhassan, stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry, and opinion leaders of the area.

The Chief Executive Officer of Top-Up Pharmacy, Mr. Richard K. Odor, said the focus of the company was to provide quality but affordable health care for all in a professional manner that met the peculiar needs of customers.

He said Top-Up Pharmacy began its operations in 2006 and currently had 13 branches throughout the country.

According to him, the vision of the company was to expand from retail and venture into manufacturing to serve the needs of the country and the sub-region. He thanked all stakeholders who had been part of the success story of Top-Up Pharmacy.

Ms. Alhassan lauded Top-Up Pharmacy for establishing a branch in her constituency, a feat which, she said, had made pharmacy services closer to the residents of the area, as well as provided employment for people.

“They have really done well and have supported the growth of this country. They have over 200 staff and they are contributing their quota to national development,” she said.

She advised workers of the company to continue to work hard not just for the success of Top-Up, but also to distinguish themselves.

For his part, a Deputy Registrar of the Pharmacy Council in charge of Professional Development, Mr. Albert Wiredu Arkoh, said Top-Up Pharmacy was one of the pharmacies that regularly renewed its license and followed the regulations of the council.

“The regulation states that pharmacies must constantly have pharmacists on their premises to serve the public. Top-Up Pharmacy has followed this regulation, as well as other regulations diligently,” he said.

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Lena House Clinic screens Ashaiman residents for free

More than 300 residents of Ashaiman last Friday and Saturday benefited from a free health screening organised by the Lena House Clinic, a medical centre in Tema, in the Greater Accra Region.

Beneficiaries were given medication while those with complications were advised to visit the appropriate health centres for further treatment.

Some women who also had complications in their breasts were referred to the clinic for further treatment.

The beneficiaries were also educated on healthy lifestyles that would enable them to avoid diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, among others.

The two-day exercise was led by the Superintendent Medical Officer of Lena House Clinic, Dr Ransford Baafi Boateng.

In an interview, the Chief Executive Officer of Top-Up Pharmacy and Lena House Clinic, Mr Richard K. Odor, said the exercise had come to stay and would be an annual programme as part of the company’s social responsibility to the communities it operates in.

He said the exercise was also organised as part of efforts to ensure quality healthcare delivery in the country, noting that it was important for citizens to live healthy lives always.

“There are a lot of people who cannot access basic health care. Therefore, it is important for institutions to help, hence the assistance we are giving these residents.

“My advice to you all is to live healthy lifestyles because the country needs you to be strong to work for its improvement. However, if you have any health complications, do not hesitate to visit our clinic and any of our pharmacies spread across many parts of the country.

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Top-Up Pharmacy supports Tema General Hospital

A pharmaceutical company, Top-Up Pharmacy Limited, has donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Tema General Hospital to support the frontline healthcare staff of the facility in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The items, estimated at GH₵30,000 included boxes of infrared thermometer guns, packs of disposable nose masks, face shields, and hand sanitisers.

Top-Up Pharmacy presented the supplies to the hospital to fulfill the company’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery in the country.

Presentation

Presenting the items, the Chief Executive Officer of Top-Up Pharmacy and Lena House Clinic, Mr. Richard K. Odor, said the donation formed part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) in communities the company operated.

Mr. Odor acknowledged that fighting COVID-19 was a collective effort, noting that the hospital staff were exposed to a lot of dangers in the discharge of their duties, hence the assistance.

“The Tema General Hospital is a COVID-19 centre as well as a referral centre and treats a lot of patients, hence they need the assistance of companies close to it like us.

“With about 10 outlets in various parts of the country, we always identify the needs of communities in which we operate and provide the necessary assistance that we can.

“In the coming weeks, we will also be assisting the Accra Psychiatric Hospital with items to help in their operations,” he said.

Mr Odor was accompanied by Mrs Olena Odor, the Executive Director of Top-Up Pharmacy; Mr Emmanuel Fiadzorgbe, a senior superintendent pharmacist; and Mr Daniel Sarpong, the General Manager of Top-Up Pharmacy.

Appreciation

The Medical Director of the Tema General Hospital, Dr. Richard Anthony, who received the items on behalf of the facility, expressed appreciation for the donation.

He said he was particularly grateful to the management of the hospital for responding promptly to calls made to it for support.

“I am really happy that you have responded to our call on time. These items also came in handy and will do us a lot of good. We hope to receive a lot of support from you,” he said.

Dr. Anthony also commended the efforts of other individuals and organisations helping in diverse ways to curtail the spread of the virus and thereby protect fellow citizens.

“A few days ago, we received a vehicle from the COVID-19 Trust Fund, all through the donations of benevolent Ghanaians. We remain grateful to everyone,” he added.

Disease may linger

Dr Anthony also emphasised that the virus might linger on for a long while and called on Ghanaians to observe all the safety protocols to help contain the spread.

“It is the responsibility of everyone to observe these protocols to be able to defeat the virus,” he stated.

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