If you or any of your loved ones have suffered a heart attack, it's good to know that help is available, and that, although you may need to change your lifestyle, you don? have to stop living.

The recovery period

An injured heart muscle starts the six- to eight-week healing process immediately after a heart attack, so by the time you are released from hospital you are well on the way to recovery.

1. Coming home

When you first come home from hospital, you will need to take it easy, but unless your doctor has told you to, don't stay in bed. Get up and get dressed ?you are getting better, and a positive mental outlook will speed your recovery.

2. Getting out and about

By the second week, you should be able to get out of the house for short times, but not for more than two hours. A shopping centre, with its flat surfaces and plenty of places to rest, could be the ideal place to visit for those first outings.

3. Increasing your activity levels

You can gradually build up physical activity so that you can regain your strength as soon as possible. Listen to your body: if you are feeling shortness of breath, dizziness or chest pain then consult your doctor immediately.

Possible complications

There are several different health issues that can can arise after a heart attack, but your Clicks pharmacists and nursing practitioners are trained to work with you and your doctor to detect the early warning signs of secondary attacks and other complications.

You may experience some constipation while you are not moving around much, so ask your pharmacist about fibre supplements, make sure you are drinking enough water, and follow a healthy, balanced diet.

"Our pharmacists are trained to advise you about the medications you will be taking, as well as to provide dietary advice and tips to make your recovery as smooth as possible," says Jan Roos, head of pharmacy operations at Clicks.

How your pharmacist can help

To help keep you healthy once you get home from hospital, your Clicks pharmacist will:

• provide screening to identify patient risk factors and implement risk reduction interventions
• monitor medication compliance and suggest the best ways to enhance the medication
• develop the therapeutic relationship with the patients
• liaise with hospital pharmacists to enhance post-discharge pharmaceutical care
• fill prescriptions from hospital doctors, specialists and GPs
• suggest additional vitamins, such as Co-Enzyme Q10, as part of a post-heart attack treatment regimen
• detect early warning signs to allow timely referral to a specialist
• help the patient to achieve treatment goals

Focus on staying healthy

"To prevent another heart attack you will also need to reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol. Your Clicks Clinic can provide quick and easy testing for you to help keep these factors under control," Roos advises.

"It is important for family, friends and close colleagues to know if you have heart disease and what to do if a heart attack occurs. Everyone can benefit from knowing more about the warning signs of heart disease, and learning basic CPR."

For more information, visit www.heartfoundation.co.za.

At the CMP Health Day held on 26 August, Elsab?linck of Benguela Health addressed a number of members and staff regarding the government's proposed NHI system.

What is NHI?

NHI stands for National Health Insurance. Under an NHI system, those who can afford to do so contribute to a fund, and everyone (even non-contributors) benefits. National Health Insurance is a concept rather than a specific system; in other words, there is more than one way of implementing NHI.

The South African government is currently looking at implementing some form of National Health Insurance in South Africa, in order to ensure that all citizens have equal access to quality healthcare.

Where are we in the process?

The latest official information appeared in the ANC Today on 24 July 2009. There is currently another proposal being circulated internally to the ANC branches, which differs in several ways from the July document. It's important to understand that no certainty has been reached and nothing is definite at this stage.

Several factors suggest that we are a still a very long way from implementation:

• Firstly, the process leading to implementation is a long one, with many phases ?once the white paper has been developed, it must pass to a number of groups and individuals for comment and approval, a process that is unlikely to be straightforward or speedy.
• Amongst other things, a Cabinet discussion will need to take place ?at that level alone there are many stakeholders, such as the Treasury and Department of Trade and Industry, each with their own set of interests to protect.
• The only other large-scale social security system we have is the pensions and grants division. It took 8 years to establish this system, and it's far smaller and less complex than NHI.
• An interim plan, complete with timelines, was developed in 2002, involving the introduction of the Risk Equalisation Fund. Most of the items in this interim plan were never implemented, for various reasons. This was intended to be a stepping-stone to lead to the implementation of NHI.

Elsab?eels that we're looking at a time-frame of 10 to 15 years, at the very least. The fact that the process is taking longer is a good sign ?it means that questions are being asked and people are taking an interest.

What CMP is doing about it

We have taken the decision to be pro-active, so rather than sitting around waiting for an outcome, we are attending the relevant meetings, staying on top of developments, looking at our options and doing scenario planning.

Because we are a small fund, it will be far easier for us to be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances when the time comes. Elsab?ade the point that this is the first medical aid she's encountered who have broadened the discussion and are involving their members and other stakeholders in the conversation.

What you can do

Firstly, don't panic. There is no absolutely no reason to resign from your medical aid. All indications are that the private sector will continue to play an important role when NHI eventually becomes a reality.

Instead, make sure that you understand the issues. Make use of opportunities to find out more ?read relevant articles in the press and follow our communications on this issue.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns at several points in the process, and we'd like to encourage you to take advantage of this. Lobbying has been shown to make a difference in the past.

Ask yourself what the NHI proposals will mean for you, and take a stand. It's no good if the only voices being heard are those of the medical aids themselves. Elsab?uts it this way: "Ordinary people must be way more vocal. We will win this on the human angle."

Statistics have shown that as many as 60 South Africans die each day after suffering a stroke. The 14th of September marks the start of Stroke Week, aimed at making South Africans more aware of the warning signs and causes of strokes. High blood pressure, unhealthy living and poor diet can all contribute to your risk of having a stroke.

Spotting some of these warning signs may help save your life:

• Sudden numbness or tingling sensation in your face or limbs
• Weakness or paralysis on one side of your body
• Loss of balance, inability to stand or walk, and problematic attempts at speech
• Chronic headache and stiff neck, followed by unconsciousness
• Confusion, sudden personality changes, nausea and vomiting
• Altered vision, including blurriness, double-vision or blindness in one or both eyes

With the end of the year fast approaching, we'd like to remind all our members that product renewal period is almost upon us. This means an opportunity for you to take another look at the three plans offered by CMP, and decide which is most suited to your current situation and needs. Product information for 2010 will be mailed or emailed to you at the end of September, so please keep an eye out for that. If you have any queries regarding renewal, you're welcome to contact us for further information and advice.

With Product Renewal time right around the corner, we are excited to offer our members the chance to win some fabulous prizes from us. For the men, there's a chance to win an external hard drive, whilst the ladies are in line to win some luxurious treatments at a day spa.

All you have to do to enter is contact our Customer Care Division at 021 937 8300 or 086 010 293 by Wednesday 23 September 2009, and give us your up-to-date email address and cellphone number, as well as the ID numbers of all beneficiaries. By providing us with this information, you help us bring down costs, which has a positive impact on your premiums as well.

The lucky draw will take place on Friday 25 September 2009, and the winners will be notified telephonically or by email no later than Monday 28 September 2009. Only entries submitted to us telephonically will be accepted.

We would like to remind all our members who make payments via debit order that monthly deductions occur on the 1st of each month. This includes scenarios where the 1st falls on a Saturday. In this instance, Saturday is considered to be a ?orking day? on which all transactions will take place as usual. Thus the debit order will be processed on the Saturday, and not the following Monday.

Clicks ClubCard points earned at the dispensary will only accumulate towards your balance when you buy other products in-store. In other words, any points earned at the dispensary will fall away if no other transactions take place in the Clicks store.

• Medical Case Management - 0860 100 512
• Customer Care - 0860 102 930
• Sales - 0860 102 344

In May 2003 legislation was passed under the Medicines and Related Substances Act No. 101 of 1965 (90/95 as amended), providing for mandatory generic substitution. Put simply, this means that if you receive a prescription for medicine of any kind, you have the right to ask your pharmacist to substitute it with a therapeutic-equivalent generic.

In the first table, we compare the prices of two therapeutic-equivalent versions of oseltamivir (75mg, 10 tablets), a drug prescribed for certain strains of influenza.

In the next table you can see a comparison of different brands of fluoxetine (20mg, 30 tablets), a commonly prescribed antidepressant.

Finally, we compare three versions of D-Norpseudoephedrine (50mg, 15 tablets), a drug used for appetite suppression and weight loss.