National Mental Health Month

by Grace | Oct 5, 2020 | Health Assessments, Workplace Education

This month is Mental Health Month. The campaign encourages all of us to think about our mental health and wellbeing, regardless of whether we may have a lived experience of mental illness or not.

This year’s theme is ‘Tune In’. Tuning in means being present, aware of what is happening within you and the world around you.

Tips on how to ‘Tune In’:

Meditation:

There are some great apps available for free and purchase for smart phones or your computer. Sessions run anywhere from 3 minutes – an hour and help you take time out to relieve stress or anxiety.

Find silence:
With the busy lives we live, studies have shown that sitting in silence for 5 minutes a day may help new brain cells form and help us to ‘think outside the box’ – www.opencolleges.edu.au (2016).

Focus on your breath:
Deep abdominal breathing encourages full oxygen exchange as well as slows the heart rate and stabilises blood pressure (www.health.harvard.edu, 2020).

Create a morning ritual:

Get up 15 minutes earlier to make time to sit and tune in with yourself. You may want to set your intentions for the day, spend time meditating, sit in silence or repeat positive affirmations (www.doyou.com, 2020).

Exercise:

According to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function.

Do more of what makes you happy:

What makes you smile? It may me painting, listening to music, enjoying a coffee outside, going for a walk in nature or reading a magazine. Take time out every day to do something you love.

On top of Mental Health Month, this week is Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Week. According to www.bpdawareness.com.au (2020), this year’s campaign aims to change the way we think and talk about borderline personality disorder (BPD). Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness that centres on the inability to manage emotions effectively (www.borderlinepersonalitydisorder.org, 2020). The campaign also encourages people living with BPD to be mindful of the way they think about themselves, allow others to see their challenges, move towards strengths-based self-talk and to celebrate their strengths.

Click here to read more about BPD – https://www.borderlinepersonalitydisorder.org

Gold Bow Day

by Grace | Aug 31, 2020 | Health Assessments, Workplace Education

Today is Gold Bow Day (Thyroid Awareness).

“Statistics show 1 million Australians have an undiagnosed thyroid disorder.” – The Thyroid Foundation, 2020.

What is the thyroid gland and what does it do?

According to the Thyroid Foundation (2020), the thyroid gland is located at the front of the neck below the voice box or Adam’s Apple, and consists of two lobes located either side of the windpipe.

The thyroid hormone regulates body and brain growth and development, body temperature, energy levels and metabolic functions.

Hypothyroidism:

If the thyroid gland produces insufficient thyroid hormone, this is known as Hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid). According to healthdirect.gov.au (2020), somebody with Hypothyroidism may experience the following symptoms:

• Tiredness
• Unable to tolerate the cold
• Weight gain
• Puffy and pale face
• Brittle hair and nails, thinning hair
• Dry, cool skin
• Muscle pain
• Constipation
• Headache
• Poor attention span or memory
• Slow heart rate
• Heavier than normal periods
• Depression

Hyperthyroidism:

According to the Thyroid Foundation (2020), if the thyroid produces too much thyroid hormone, it is known as Hyperthyroidism where symptoms may include the following (Mayoclinic.org.au, 2020):

• Unintentional weight loss, even when your appetite and food intake stays the same or increases
• Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia) — commonly more than 100 beats a minute
• Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
• Pounding of your heart (palpitations)
• Increased appetite
• Nervousness, anxiety and irritability
• Tremor — usually a fine trembling in your hands and fingers
• Sweating
• Changes in menstrual patterns
• Increased sensitivity to heat
• Changes in bowel patterns, especially more frequent bowel movements
• An enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), which may appear as a swelling at the base of your neck
• Fatigue, muscle weakness
• Difficulty sleeping
• Skin thinning
• Fine, brittle hair

Thyroid issues ARE treatable and you do not have to live with the symptoms.

It is advised you seek medical advice from your GP if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms and NOT ASSUME you have thyroid issues. However, it doesn’t hurt to mention you have been educated on the topic!

Gold Bow Day symbolises support for Thyroid Cancer in Australia. If you’d like to donate, click here – https://thyroidfoundation.org.au/Donate

Health Assessments and Pre-Employment Medicals

by Grace | Aug 24, 2020 | Health Assessments, Workplace Education

At Workplace Health & Safety Victoria, we strive to help you pick the best assessments relevant to YOUR business. We tailor packages to suit your needs. Therefore, we talk with our customers one on one prior to booking any services to gather the best understanding of their workplace and the services needed.

Ever wondered what is involved in our pre-employment medicals and health assessments? Our Nurse visits your workplace to complete basic health assessments and we have facilities in Geelong & Torquay for your staff to visit us to complete the more extensive assessments.

Investing in your employee’s health comes with its own benefits including:

• Reduced absenteeism
• Improvement of injury incidence and outcomes
• Retaining top talent
• Increased workplace productivity
• Improved company morale
• Support for an aging workforce
• Identification and support for mental illness
• Raised awareness of relevant health issues and providing referrals where appropriate

Pre-Employment Medicals:

Pre-employment medicals are now an integral component for any business when employing new staff or to assess existing staff’s ability to perform general or specific tasks important to their job.

Pre-employment medical assessments present a realistic overall picture of a potential employee to an employer, which assesses the efficiency and productivity that employee can bring to your organisation.

• Standard Pre-Employment Medical
• Hearing (Audiometry)
• Vision
• Blood pressure
• Spirometry (lung function)
• Physical assessment (completed by a physiotherapist)
• Strength tests
• Joint range of movement
• Spinal assessment
• Musculoskeletal testing
• Functional capacity assessments
• Drug & alcohol screening
• Skin checks
• Assessment and administration of immunisations (if needed)
• ECG’s (to measure heart activity)
• Chest x-rays
• MRI scans

Health Assessments:

Health Assessments form an overall picture of the health of your staff. Assistance to address any issues that may be evident can then be provided through programs created by our General Practitioners and Allied Health Practitioners.

We offer three different levels of health assessments (as well as pre-employment medical assessments) ranging from 15 minutes to 1 hour, which can include the following:

• Height, weight and waist circumference
• Blood pressure, heart rate
• Cholesterol and heart health
• Glucose levels (screening for Diabetes)
• Body composition scan
• Mental Health assessment

Other areas and tests can be included based on your needs.

Whether it be a pre-employment medical assessment or yearly health assessment, our GP’s and Nurses will review the information and advise on areas of focus for the employee’s age group and areas of their health and wellbeing that may need additional attention.

Interested? Get in touch to find assessments suitable for your business – workplacehealth@gmhg.com.au or 0456 387 569.

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

by Grace | Aug 18, 2020 | Health Assessments, Workplace Education

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month is held each year in Australia to:

• Raise awareness of signs and symptoms;
• Share stories of real women affected by the disease;
• Highlight the risk factors of ovarian cancer;
• Educate Australians on diagnosis and treatment;

What are the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer?

According to Ovarian Cancer Australia:

• Increased abdominal size or persistent abdominal boating;
• Abdominal or pelvic (lower tummy) pain;
• Feeling full after eating a small amount;
• Needing to urinate often or urgently;
• Changes in bowel habits;
• Unexplained weight loss or weight gain;
• Lower back pain;
• Excessive fatigue;
• Indigestion or nausea;
• Bleeding after menopause or in-between periods;
• Pain during intercourse or bleeding after;

It is important to remember all the symptoms mentioned can be caused by other, less serious medical conditions. However, if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, which are persistent and troublesome, you should see your doctor. They will be able to examine you and if necessary, do further tests to find the cause of your problems.

Risk factors of ovarian cancer:

• Increasing age;
• Hereditary factors;
• Having endometriosis, previous breast cancer or diabetes;
• Use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT);
• Being overweight;
• Smoking;
• Having not had children;

Diagnosis:

If you are concerned, visit your local GP  (otherwise, you can visit our doctors at Geelong Medical and Health Group – https://www.geelongmedicalgroup.com.au/)

What can you do to help?

Buy a teal ribbon for $3 or donate to Ovarian Cancer Australia – https://ovariancancer.net.au/ovarian-cancer-awareness-month/

‘Don’t Wait Until it’s too Late’ – Bowel Cancer Awareness

by Grace | Jul 21, 2020 | Health Assessments, Workplace Education

The annual public awareness campaign runs from January – March.

Bowel Cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women in Australia and is more common in people over the age of 50 (www.cancer.org.au 2019). Bowel cancer develops from the inner lining of the bowel and is usually preceded by grwoths called polyps, which may become invasive cancer if detected,

“The risk of being diagnosed (of bowel cancer) by age 85 is 1 in 11 for men and 1 in 16 for women” – www.cancer.org.au (2019).

Bowel cancer symptoms:

• change in bowel habit with diarrhoea, constipation or the feeling of incomplete emptying;
• thin bowel movements;
• blood in the stools;
• abdominal pain, bloating or cramping;
• anal or rectal pain;
• a lump in the anus or rectum;
• weight loss;
• fatigue;
• unexplained anaemia;

(Cancer Council, 2019)

“Around 17,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year but when detected early 90% of cases can be successfully treated” – www.cancerscreening .gov.au (2019).

Causes of bowel cancer:

• inherited genetic risk and family history;
• inflammatory bowel disease;
• polyps;
• high red meat consumption, especially processed meats;
• being overweight or obese;
• high alcohol consumption;
• smoking;

(Cancer Council, 2019)

If you experience any of the above symptoms, visit your GP for testing – this may involve a blood test, colonoscopy, CT or MRI scan or an ultrasound.

How can you prevent bowel cancer?

According to Cancer Council (2019), your chances of developing bowel cancer can by reduced by no smoking, a healthy diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, limiting your consumption of red meat, avoiding processed meats an maintaining a healthy body weight.