7 min read
How to Take a Temperature Correctly: Thermometers and Mistakes
38°C doesn't mean the same thing under the arm as it does in the ear. Which thermometer to use, where to measure, and the mistakes that skew the reading at home.
Health advice
Clear articles on medicines, self-care and prevention, written and reviewed from behind the pharmacy counter.
38 articles
Holiday health in Salou: the guideThe eight most consulted summer articles on one page, with the ten most asked questions.Health advice
- 7 min read
Anti-inflammatories and Your Stomach: Do You Need a Protector?
Taking omeprazole with ibuprofen isn't automatic: it depends on your age, your history and your other medication, not on whether the pill upsets you.
- 5 min read
Athlete's Foot: How to Treat It and Stop It Coming Back
How to recognise athlete's foot, which antifungal cream to use, how long to keep applying it, and what to do so the infection doesn't return.
- 5 min read
Cold Sores: How to Treat Them and When to Start
A cold sore heals on its own in one or two weeks, but treating it from the first tingle shortens the outbreak. What to use, how to apply it and what to avoid.
- 7 min read
Constipation: Which Laxative to Choose, and Why
Fibre, macrogol, lactulose or bisacodyl: how they differ, how long each takes to work, and which one suits a day of constipation versus a month.
- 6 min read
Antihistamines: Which to Choose and Which Makes You Drowsy
Cetirizine, loratadine, bilastine or dexchlorpheniramine: how they really differ, which one causes drowsiness, and how to take each of them properly.
- 7 min read
Dry Eyes: Which Artificial Tears to Choose and How to Use Them
The difference between single-dose and bottled artificial tears, how to apply them properly, what changes if you wear contact lenses, and when to get help.
- 5 min read
How to Dispose of Medicines in Spain: The SIGRE Point
What the SIGRE Point in every Spanish pharmacy is, what you can and can't leave there, and why you should never put medicines in the bin or down the toilet.
- 6 min read
Medicine Expiry Dates: What They Actually Mean
An expiry date doesn't switch a medicine off at midnight. What the date guarantees, why storage matters as much as the calendar, and when to throw something out.
- 6 min read
Dehydration: When You Actually Need Rehydration Salts
Drinking water doesn't replace what diarrhoea takes out of you. What oral rehydration salts contain, how to make them up, and when they aren't enough.
- 7 min read
Mosquito Repellents: Which to Choose and How to Apply It
Which active ingredients actually work, how to combine repellent with sunscreen, and the application mistakes that leave your skin unprotected.
- 3 min read
European prescriptions in Spain: how they work
Can you fill a foreign prescription at a Spanish pharmacy? What counts as valid, what a cross-border prescription must show, and what we can do in Salou.
- 3 min read
First aid kit for PortAventura with kids
What to pack for a day at PortAventura with children, and what you can buy without an appointment in Salou, 10 minutes from the park, if you forget it.
- 3 min read
Forgot your medication at home? What you can do in Salou
Left your medication at home or run out mid-trip? What a Spanish pharmacy can do without a doctor, what needs a prescription, what to bring in.
- 2 min read
Insect bites in Salou: repellents and what to use if you've already been bitten
Which repellent actually works on the Costa Daurada, how to use it with children, and what to apply to a bite so it itches and swells less.
- 3 min read
Jellyfish sting on the Costa Daurada: first aid
What to do and what to avoid right after a jellyfish sting in Salou or the Costa Daurada, when a soothing cream is enough, and when to see a doctor.
- 7 min read
Heartburn and Reflux: What to Take and When to Get Help
Antacids, alginates, famotidine or omeprazole: which fits your kind of heartburn, how each one is taken, and the warning signs that end self-treatment.
- 3 min read
Seasonal allergies on the Costa Daurada: when they start and what to take
Which pollens cause most trouble around Salou, how to tell allergy from a cold, and how to pick an antihistamine that will not make you drowsy.
- 3 min read
Sunburn in Salou: what to do today
Already burnt? What to do in the next few hours, what to avoid, when to see a doctor, and what to buy without a prescription in Salou to feel better today.
- 3 min read
Swimmer's ear at the beach: prevention and relief
Why your ear hurts after days of beach and pool, what actually prevents it, what helps while it heals, and when it needs a doctor.
- 7 min read
Travel Sickness in Cars and Boats: Prevention and Treatment
Why travel sickness tablets have to be taken before you set off, which drug-free measures actually work, and which popular remedies have nothing behind them.
- 3 min read
Traveller's diarrhoea: what to get from the pharmacy
What to take for diarrhoea that started on your trip, how to avoid dehydration, what to do with children, and when to stop handling it alone.
- 7 min read
Atopic Skin: The Daily Care Routine
How to wash, dry and moisturise atopic skin every day, how much emollient you actually need, and where a topical steroid fits when there's a flare-up.
- 7 min read
Generics and Brands: Are They Really the Same?
What the law demands before a generic is authorised, what the 80-125% range really means, where they can differ, and which cannot be substituted.
- 6 min read
Sore Throat: What Works and What Doesn't
Eight out of ten sore throats are viral. What genuinely relieves it, which lozenges have real data behind them, and when an antibiotic adds nothing.
- 6 min read
Travel First Aid Kit: What to Pack for Salou, and What to Leave
What to put in your first aid kit for a Costa Daurada holiday, how to travel with your own medication, and what you can simply buy once you arrive.
- 6 min read
Vitamin D: When Supplementing Actually Makes Sense
How much vitamin D you need a day, who tends to fall short, which medicines interfere, and why the AEMPS warns about the risk of hypercalcaemia.
- 7 min read
Medicines and Alcohol: The Interactions That Matter
Which medicines you shouldn't mix with alcohol and why, per the AEMPS technical data sheets, Spain's Ministry of Health and the NIH.
- 7 min read
Iron Supplements: How to Take Them So They're Absorbed
What to take iron with, which foods and medicines block it, and why the treatment lasts months, per the AEMPS data sheets, the WHO and the NIH.
- 6 min read
How to Read the INCI Label on a Cosmetic
How to interpret a cosmetic's INCI list: the order of the ingredients, the fragrance allergens and the PAO symbol.
- 5 min read
What Belongs in a Basic First Aid Kit at Home
The dressings, antiseptics and instruments you genuinely need at home, per the Spanish Red Cross and MedlinePlus (NIH). And what a first aid kit is not.
- 7 min read
Probiotics: What They're For and When They Make Sense
What the evidence says about probiotics, why the strain matters more than the brand, and the situations where they add something, per AEMPS and EFSA.
- 6 min read
How to Store Medicines at Home
Where to keep them, what each phrase on the box means, when the fridge is actually needed and how long they last once opened, per the AEMPS and the EMA.
- 6 min read
Cold, Flu or Allergy: How to Tell Them Apart
Look at how it started and whether it itches. Speed of onset and itching separate a cold from flu and from allergic rhinitis better than any symptom list.
- 6 min read
Antibiotics: Why You Have to Finish the Course
Stopping antibiotics when you feel better does not shorten the course, it leaves it half done. What the evidence says, and when to call your doctor.
- 3 min read
SPF and Sunscreen: How Much to Apply and When
How SPF is measured, the actual amount of sunscreen you need for it to work, and how often you should reapply it.
- 3 min read
How to Read a Medicine Leaflet Without Getting Lost
What each section of a medicine leaflet means, how to read the list of side effects, and which parts you should always check before taking anything.
- 3 min read
Paracetamol or Ibuprofen: Which One to Take
A practical guide to choosing between paracetamol and ibuprofen based on your symptom, with usual adult doses, precautions and when to see a doctor.