Many people suffer from tummy troubles and there is a lot of advice and information that pharmacy teams can offer to help prevent and/or manage symptoms. Take time when dealing with these customers as you may be able to spot a potentially serious problem that requires a doctor's attention. Early diagnosis can have a big impact on quality of life.

Customers with coeliac disease often think they have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and it's true that the symptoms can be similar. This is why it's important to understand both conditions and ask lots of questions so that you can offer the most appropriate advice. Although it can take some time to get a confirmed diagnosis, coeliac disease is, in theory, simple to treat €“ it just requires a gluten-free diet. But the wide availability of wheat-containing foods and our reliance on bread and cereals as staples makes it difficult to avoid gluten-containing foods. 

As always, listen carefully to your customers and what they say about their symptoms. Do they suspect food as a cause? Have they tried eliminating certain foods? Many people are cutting bread out of their diets in an attempt to reduce their carbohydrate intake and may say they feel better as a result of doing so, but does this mean they have coeliac disease, a food intolerance or neither?