Balally Pharmacy

Balally Pharmacy Independent family run pharmacy located in Sandyford Dublin 16. Tom McKenna is the Pharmacist owner since 2014.

We have a wonderful highly qualified team instore. I have over 30 years experience and I’m a dad of four. Vaccine Information: email vaccines@balallypharmacy.ie

18/02/2026

✨ National Quit Smoking Day ✨
This week’s edition of ‘The Wellness Prescription’ focuses on quitting smoking.

Today is just a date on the calendar. A reminder to quit smoking. But for many a little planning goes a long way.
Smoking is taking years off your life, affecting your quality of life , your general health and your skin.
Smoking isn’t a habit.
It’s a very challenging addiction.
And you deserve support and lots of it 💚🙏

Most people try several times before it sticks. That’s not failure. That’s progress.

Prevention is better than cure.
And today is a powerful day to start thinking about it again 💚

Comment QUIT for my free guide and links to free invaluable resources from experts who help to quit smoking every day. Tried and tested methods 🙌

No magic supplement. No influencer nonsense. These are evidence based trusted life saving methods to help you.

💬 Have you tried to quit smoking? What helped you most? Or are you the supporter on the sidelines? Let’s chat in the comments and tell me your experience.

If you want more evidence based expert health advice please follow and share this with a friend 🙏

I share important advice like this throughout the week. Follow me for more expert health and medicine advice.

Tom

⚠️For general advice only. Please consult your own doctor, pharmacist or the quit smoking experts in the HSE .

16/02/2026

⚠️Your blue inhaler for asthma management is probably all wrong.
New guidelines have been introduced backed by strong evidence based research.

💙If you are using more than 2 blue salbutamol inhalers per YEAR then that’s a clear sign you do not have an effective asthma plan in place. Your technique may also need some review. Please see your doctor asap.

🫁Asthma is not a bit of a wheeze. It’s not to be
underestimated. It’s a very significant chronic respiratory illness.
Sadly we lose at least one asthma patient per week in Ireland. That’s frightening 😱 Especially when over 90% of those deaths are preventable.

🙌Thankfully asthma can be managed very well with so many resources available in Ireland to educate and empower you. Knowledge is power. Know your triggers. Have your asthma plan in place and readily accessible in case of emergency

👉Comment ASTHMA and I’ll send you the contact details you need and some advice to get you started.

🙌PLEASE use the incredible FREE resource of the asthma society of Ireland and on their extensive website www.asthma.ie
Everything you need to know to manage your symptoms is there. FREE advice line and messaging service too with specialist nurses and physiotherapists.

💚My pharmacy door is always open. Pop into us for free personalised advice and help with your inhalers and asthma plan. We are medicine experts and can help you. We can refer you to those health professionals who can help you too.

If this advice about the blue inhaler is news to you let me know in the comments so I can help 🙏

Share this advice with someone you know uses their blue inhaler frequently 🙏

Tom

⚠️This is for educational purposes only. Please consult your own medical team for advice specific to you.

13/02/2026

From stone tablets to antibiotics and HRT💊📜
Same mission. Better evidence based advice 💚
Still explaining how to take your medication safely.

As a highly experienced community pharmacist and dad of 4 grown kids you can’t scare me 🤣
I’ve seen it all and have the answers to your questions way better than Dr Google or ChatGPT. Real advice based on YOUR needs.

If you’re new here I share lots of evidence based health and medicines advice throughout the week on my feed and in stories. Follow along and see what makes this community something special 🥰

Happy Friday to those who celebrate 🥳

Laughter is the best medicine 🤣💊

Tom

Pharmacy isn’t a situationship.It’s a steady commitment built on trust 💘💊❤️You don’t swipe left on your blood pressure m...
12/02/2026

Pharmacy isn’t a situationship.
It’s a steady commitment built on trust 💘💊

❤️You don’t swipe left on your blood pressure meds.
🩷You don’t ghost your inhaler.
❤️You don’t match with a new supplement every week because an influencer with a code said so 😅📱

❤️We build trust you and I.
🩷We work together as a team
❤️We review what works
🩷We don’t keep secrets and we talk.
❤️This helps me to keep you safe 🤗. Always

I’m not here for quick fixes.
I’m here for long term health, proper evidence based advice, and keeping you well for many years to come ❤️ With a side of humour too!

That’s my love language🥰

Did you know you can pop into me in the pharmacy if you’re nearby for any health or medicine advice? We don’t have to keep this online 😜🤣

Let me know in the comments if you were aware this is how you keep your pharmacist very happy 😊

Tom💚

12/02/2026

✨This week’s edition of my weekly series ‘The Wellness Prescription’ focuses on SLEEP 😴 💤
This evidence based series emphasises prevention being better than cure. With pharmacist approved ways you can improve your health.

No magic supplement. No influencer nonsense. These are evidence based trusted methods to get back to the best foundation of your health.

💤 Sleep is the best supplement you’ll ever take.
And it’s free. No fillers. No influencer code. No nonsense.
👉If you’re tired all the time, craving sugar,foggy headed,moody,aching,getting sick,not losing weight, not coping like you used to then lack of quality sleep is a prime suspect.
It’s probably not “low magnesium” because that’s what it said online 😱

🙌It’s usually lack of sleep👇

While you sleep, your body is literally repairing
your heart ❤️
your brain and mood🧠
your hormones ⚖️
your immune system 🛡️
your metabolism 🔥

Without good sleep your whole body suffers

Say NO to Alcohol “to relax” ❌
Late caffeine ❌
Supplements without medical advice ❌

Chronic lack of sleep can be caused by 👇
•Hormone Disturbances
•Anxiety
•Bladder issues
•Reflux
•Pain
These are medical issues that need to be addressed. Not masked over with supplements or endured.

“5 hours and I’m fine” is not a flex as I hear regularly in the pharmacy. It’s burnout in disguise and delaying early medical diagnosis.

Try this tonight 👇
✨ Same bedtime
✨ Earlier dinner
✨ Dark cool room
✨ Morning daylight
✨ Write worries down
Still wrecked after 3 months? No real change?
See your GP. That’s healthcare.

I have a NEW comprehensive FREE sleep guide available. Comment GUIDE and I’ll ping it over to you.

So save your money. Fix your sleep.
Then we’ll talk supplements 💊

Would you agree with this? Let’s chat in the comments and tell me your experience.

I share important advice like this throughout the week. Why not follow me for more? 🙏

Tom

⚠️Always consult your own doctor or pharmacist for individual advice. This is educational generalised content only.

10/02/2026

Hair loss in women is probably one of the biggest beauty fears I encounter every day as a pharmacist.
Hair loss is a medical, hormonal or nutritional problem. It needs review by your doctor and some blood tests.
It is often caused by what is WRONG in your body, NOT what’s missing.
These are 5 things that are NOT helping your hair to grow :
1) Supplements containing collagen, zinc,caffeine capsules or MSM ( Methylsulfonylmethane). None have evidence to prove they have an effect on hair growth and very few people are deficient from a normal diet anyway. Expensive urine.
2) Biotin, Iron, Ashwagandha & Saw Palmetto can interfere with blood test results and mask real medical issues. Dangerous to self supplement.
3) Rosemary, castor and pumpkin seed oils : poor scientific evidence and can cause dermatitis of the scalp resulting in increased hair loss.
4) Marine protein powders : still just protein! Protein from real food provides more micronutrients and less unnecessary ingredients
5) Hormone Balancing Supplements: These contain “natural” herbs and expensive largely unnecessary multivitamins . Natural does not necessarily mean safe as some ingredients can interact with prescription medications 😱

👉Hair loss requires a doctor’s intervention to detect issues not self supplementing 🙏
•Low iron
•Thyroid issues
•Hormonal Changes : eg postpartum and perimenopause and menopause.
•Restricted Diets: less protein and calories, GLP1 appetite suppression, poor diets
•Stress
•Illness
•Sleep deprivation

🙌So the solution to reversing hair loss?
1) Doctor review with blood tests to find out a medical cause before masking results.
2) Real food! Increase your protein and fibre. Lots of whole foods. A dietitian is invaluable here.
3) Some good evidence that Minoxidil is effective.

If you want my FREE guide to hair loss just comment HAIR and I’ll send it over to you.

Share this to spread the word if you agree 🙌

Tom
⚠️For general advice only.


🙋‍♀️ People ask me every day why I give so much pharmacy knowledge and advice away for free? Why bother with social medi...
09/02/2026

🙋‍♀️ People ask me every day why I give so much pharmacy knowledge and advice away for free? Why bother with social media? Why don’t I stock makeup and gifts?
Fair questions easily answered.
👉I have owned a few pharmacies in my career but I wanted Balally Pharmacy to be a very different concept. With experience I have leaned into my core values. Being a pharmacist is my true vocation.
💚I truly value the patient first model and if I don’t believe in a product based on excellent evidence based research then I don’t stock it. I’m not an expert in makeup and perfume. That’s not my lane. But what I excel at is excellent patient care so that’s where I choose to invest my time and energy.

👉So if you want unbiased, sponsorship free, affiliate link free excellent advice on your health and medicines then I’m here to help. Follow along for more🙏

I share valuable advice every day and love the community I enjoy both in the pharmacy and here online 🥰

Is this kind of pharmacy unusual for you? Let me know in the comments

Tom.

06/02/2026

If pharmacy had a reality show 🤣🙌😜✨
Behind the scenes during a filming session.
Social media content for our pharmacy is generally highly educational and informative.
I love the community interaction and answering your health and medicine questions every week.
But sometimes laughter is the very best medicine 💊 🤣😜
Happy Friday

Tom

⚠️No pharmacist was harmed during the making of this video.
No divorce applications were made
We were having a bit of craic after filming some heavy serious topics!
For entertainment purposes only 😜🤣

05/02/2026

💯Using a GLP-1 medication is not the easy way out! It’s a medical requirement for many to improve their health from a whole host of longterm illnesses.
👉If you’re on a GLP-1 you need professional support. Not just handed the injection without explanation.

💚You’re not just a prescription to me. If you want free support from me just ask 🙏
Not everyone wants this kind of pharmacy support but I’m here to guide you as my patient if you wish.

👉On your first visit to me I will sit you down in private and go through how to inject, possible side effects and how to manage them safely and the foods to prioritise to make your GLP-1 work safely. The GLP-1 doesn’t do the hard work. It’s just a tool. You need the whole toolbox.

Comment GLP1 and I’ll send you my FREE guide to help you get started 😊

Let me know in the comments if you have struggled to know how to manage a GLP-1 safely. I’ll answer as many comments as I can.

Tom

⚠️Always ask your own prescriber or pharmacist for specific information relevant to you. This is for general advice only.

03/02/2026

✨Omega Oil supplements. Here are 5 things as a pharmacist I know to be true. 👇
Firstly why do we need omega-3? It’s an essential fatty acid. Our bodies don’t make it so we need to eat it. It plays a vital role in brain function, heart health, reducing inflammation in the body and the health of your eyes.
👉However the proven best way to benefit from omega-3 is through diet alone.

1) The evidence for omega-3 supplements is poor in meaningfully reducing heart attacks, strokes, or cardiovascular death in the general population. The benefit is not in the capsule.
2)There are real risks for some people using
Omega-3s supplements. They can increase bleeding risk, especially in patients on anticoagulants or antiplatelets. There are reports of atrial fibrillation in people when they start taking an omega 3 supplement that wasn’t there before. These same results aren’t found when you eat oily fish.
3) Eating fish works significantly better than swallowing a capsule just containing oil.
Oily fish delivers EPA and DHA plus protein, iodine, selenium, vitamin D. It’s part of a good meal. Supplements give isolated fats without the food combinations that matter from other food groups.
4)Omega-3 supplements do not have to meet the same quality control or dose requirements like medicines do. Many supplements contain less EPA/DHA than the label claims and can become rancid. They distinctly lack the other nutrients in fish.
5) Omega-3 supplements distract from what actually works! People pop an omega capsule and feel “covered” while ignoring diet, fibre intake, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, movement, and glucose control. Supplements feel proactive but often replace the boring lifestyle habits that actually saves lives.

❤️All leading heart foundations and the research proves that the benefits of omega-3 are not found in supplements but in the dietary changes you make when you eat oily fish twice a week..

Let me know in the comments if this is news to you? Share this info with a friend 🙏

Tom

⚠️Always ask your doctor, pharmacist or dietitian before starting any supplements

Address

Sandyford Shopping Centre, Blackthorn Drive Sandyford D16V2P 5
Dublin
D16V2P5

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 7pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 7pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 7pm
Thursday 8:30am - 7pm
Friday 8:30am - 7pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm

Telephone

+35312954084

Website

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