August 2026 Pharmacy Newsletter
Originally sent August 18, 2026. View the email version.
August Is Immunization Awareness Month
Respiratory season arrives sooner than most people expect, and September and October are the sweet spot. Here’s what’s changed this year. Don’t get left behind.
We are now accepting appointments for the following — new strain vaccines.
Flu. All three strains were updated for 2026–27, including the H3N2 component, reformulated to match the “subclade K” virus that spread widely last season. Everyone 6 months and up, every year — last year’s dose won’t cover you.
RSV. Recommended for all adults 75+, and for adults 50–74 with conditions like COPD, asthma, heart failure, diabetes with complications, or a weakened immune system. Usually a single dose, not an annual one.
Pneumonia. The change most people have missed: routine pneumococcal vaccination now starts at age 50, not 65 — and it’s usually one and done.
No prescription needed. California pharmacists can now give recommended immunizations to anyone age 3 and up without a doctor’s order. Walk in, ask what you’re due for, and leave protected.
Bring your vaccination card or just ask — we’ll look up your record and check your coverage first.
Call us at (510) 797-2772 or visit us at 37323 Fremont Blvd.
High Blood Pressure Has No Symptoms. That’s The Whole Point.
No charge.
High blood pressure has no symptoms. That’s the whole problem. Nearly half of American adults have it, and only about 1 in 4 have it under control, usually because nobody’s checking between doctor visits.
We’ll check yours in about two minutes, any day we’re open. No appointment, no charge, and we’ll write the number down for your next appointment.
“High” may be lower than you think. Current guidelines put high blood pressure at 130/80 — not 140/90.
Coming in for a shot? Add two minutes and we’ll check it while you’re here. Have a cuff at home? Bring it in and we’ll check it against ours.
Walk in any day, or call (510) 797-2772.
Summer in the Park — Fremont Style
Summer isn’t over yet. Here’s what’s happening in and around Fremont’s parks over the next few weeks — most of it free, all of it close to home.
- Sat–Sun, Aug 22–23 · Coyote Hills — Stone Tool Crafting, 10am. Free drop-in at the Visitor Center.
- Fri, Aug 28 · Central Park — Movies Under the Stars, 6–10pm. Free, family-friendly, bring a blanket.
- Sat, Aug 29 · Coyote Hills — Puppet shows at 10:30 and 11:30am. Free — a good one for grandkids.
- Sun, Aug 30 · Niles Blvd — Niles Antique Faire & Flea Market, 6am–4pm.
- Mon, Sept 7 · Central Park — Last day of the season at Aqua Adventure Water Park.
- Sat, Sept 12 · Coyote Hills — Secrets of Hummingbirds, 10am. Free drop-in.
- Thu–Sun, Sept 17–20 · Newark — Newark Days at MacGregor Fields: carnival, food, and the parade Saturday at 10am.
- Fri, Sept 18 · Central Park — Movies Under the Stars returns, 6–10pm.
- Sat, Sept 19 · Coyote Hills — Garden Watercolors, 10am. Free drop-in.
Just want a good walk? The paved loop around Lake Elizabeth in Central Park is flat, shaded in stretches, and has benches and restrooms along the way. For something longer, the Alameda Creek Trail runs about 12 flat, paved miles from Niles out toward the bay — easy going for walkers, wheelchairs, and bikes alike.
Our Instagram has lots of fun ideas and great health information!
Free Delivery — Because Getting Here Isn’t Always Easy
We deliver, and we don’t charge for it.
If you’re recovering from surgery, caring for a parent, working hours that don’t line up with ours, or you just don’t feel like fighting traffic on Fremont Blvd — call us and we’ll bring it to you. We deliver throughout the Tri-City Area.
It isn’t just prescriptions. Over-the-counter items, diabetes supplies, wound care, braces, and most of what’s on our medical supply shelves can ride along in the same delivery. If you’re not sure whether something qualifies, just ask.
And we pack it properly. Refrigerated and heat-sensitive medications go out in insulated packaging, not left sitting in a hot mailbox or on a sunny porch.
Setting it up takes one phone call. Mention delivery when you refill, and we’ll take it from there. If you take the same medications every month, we can put you on a standing delivery so you never have to ask again.
Call us at (510) 797-2772.
Care homes, home health, and discharge planners: we deliver to facilities and coordinate directly with your staff. Give us a call to set up an account.
Health Spotlight: The Molecule Every Blood Vessel Depends On
Nitric oxide is a gas your body makes on purpose. Its job is to tell the muscle in your artery walls to relax, which widens the vessel and lets blood move through more easily. That’s a big part of why your blood pressure reads the way it does.
Your body makes less of it as you get older. That’s normal, and it’s one of the reasons blood pressure tends to creep upward over the decades.
Where it comes from may surprise you. A good share starts as nitrate in food — arugula, spinach, beets, lettuce, celery. Bacteria living on your tongue convert that nitrate into nitrite, and your body turns that into nitric oxide.
Strong antiseptic mouthwash kills those helpful bacteria along with everything else. In one small study, a week of twice-daily chlorhexidine rinse was linked to a rise in systolic blood pressure that came back down after people stopped. That’s early evidence — not a reason to panic, and not a reason to quit a rinse your dentist prescribed. But it’s worth knowing your mouth and your blood pressure are connected.
What actually helps: eat the greens, keep moving (exercise stimulates nitric oxide production directly), and take care of your teeth and gums.
Before you buy a beet or nitric oxide supplement, talk to us first. These can stack with nitroglycerin, isosorbide, ED medications like sildenafil or tadalafil, and your blood pressure medication — sometimes lowering pressure further than you’d want.
And come get your blood pressure checked. That number is the thing nitric oxide actually moves — and checking it is free.
Eat these — the highest-nitrate vegetables (ranked roughly by nitrate content per serving):
- Arugula (rocket) — the highest of any common vegetables
- Watercress
- Beetroot — whole, roasted, or as juice
- Spinach
- Butter lettuce and romaine
- Swiss chard
- Celery
- Parsley, leeks, and endive
- Radishes, bok choy, and fennel
Sources: Vaccine recommendations from the CDC, Immunize.org, and the California Department of Public Health. Blood pressure categories from the 2025 AHA/ACC hypertension guideline; prevalence figures from the CDC. Event details from the City of Fremont, East Bay Regional Park District, and Newark Days. Nitric oxide and dietary nitrate research from Nutrition Journal (2025) and the National Library of Medicine. This newsletter is general health information, not medical advice — please talk with your pharmacist or physician about your own situation.