by Grace | Mar 15, 2021 | Uncategorised
Saturday 17th April was World Haemophilia Day which raises awareness of haemophilia, von Willebrand disease and other inherited bleeding disorders.
What is Haemophillia?
Haemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder where the blood doesn’t clot properly, caused when blood does not have enough clotting factor (Haemophilia Foundation Australia, 2020).
Bleeding is most commonly internal, usually into the joints or muscles. These bleeding episodes may occur spontaneously, without any obvious cause, or as a result of trauma or injury. Speciailised treatment is needed to help blood clot normally.
What are the complications?
If internal bleeding is not stopped quickly with treatment, it will result in pain and swelling. Over a period of time bleeding into the joints and muscles can cause permanent damage such as arthritis, chronic pain and joint damage requiring surgery (Haemophilia Foundation Australia, 2020).
How is haemophilia diagnosed?
If haemophilia is suspected, blood tests can measure the levels of clotting factors. These tests can show the type and severity of the disease (Health Direct, 2021).
by Grace | Mar 15, 2021 | Uncategorised
Sunday 11th April is World Parkinson’s Day.
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation (2021), Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately dopamine-producing neurons in a specific area of the brain.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms generally develop slowly over the years. The progression of symptoms is often different from one person to another due to the diversity of the disease. Some symptoms may include:
- Impulse control disorder
- Hallucinations
- Fatigue
- Pain
- Sleep difficulties
- Tremor
- Limb rigidity
- Gait and balance problems
The cause of Parkinson’s Disease remains unknown (Parkinson’s Foundation, 2021) and although there is no cure, treatment options vary and include medications and surgery. While Parkinson’s itself is not fatal, disease complications can be serious.
How can you support someone with Parkinson’s Disease?
- Understand the progression of the disease
- Learn everything you can about the disease
- Volunteer to help
- Get active with your friend or family member with PD
- Help them feel ‘normal’
- Get out of the house and grab a coffee(PD can feel lonely)
- Listen
- Look for worsening symptoms
- Be patient
(Healthline.com.au, 2021).
by Grace | Feb 21, 2021 | Uncategorised
Could you make water your only beverage for a month? Can you resist coffee, beer, wine, juice, soft drinks and tea this March, and drink just water for the month?
Water Aid (2021) challenges you to take the fizz out of your drinks and raise a glass to one drink that nobody should live without. By joining, you’ll be helping make clean water a reality for everyone.
‘1 in 9 people worldwide don’t have access to safe, clean water. Water is essential for life and good health’ – https://fundraise.wateraid.org.au/ (2020).
Drinking sugary drinks can have poor effects on your health. It can lead to weight gain, tooth decay and insulin resistance to name a few of the known health issues.
While taking The Water Challenge, ask your work colleagues, friends and family to sponsor you along the way. Every dollar you raise will help some of the world’s poorest families get access to clean, safe water.
Challenge yourself and work colleagues and create a donation page – https://fundraise.wateraid.org.au/donate
by Grace | Jan 18, 2021 | Uncategorised
Throughout Summer, have you taken the time to monitor any changes to your skin?
A melanoma is a type of skin cancer which usually occurs on parts of the body that have been overexposed to the sun. Rare melanomas can occur inside the eye or in parts of the skin or body that have never been exposed to the sun – cancer.org.au (2019).
Workplace Health and Safety Victoria can help you check your employee’s skin health by offering efficient, thorough on-site skin checks and education provided by trusted professionals.
Whether your employees work indoors or outdoors, workplace skin checks are a vital part of any health and wellness program.
If your employee notes a suspicious spot or mole on their skin, our doctors may examine using a magnifying instrument, using the ABCDE method:
- A – Asymmetry, irregular;
- B – Border, uneven;
- C – Colour;
- D – Diameter (usually over 6mm);
- E – Evolving (changing and growing);
If our doctor suspects a melanoma, your employee will be referred to their GP or otherwise they can visit our clinic for further testing.
Enquire within for further information – [email protected] or call 0456 387 569.
by Grace | Jan 18, 2021 | Uncategorised
According to the National Institute of Deafness (2017), Tinnitus is commonly described as a ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like roaring, clicking, hissing or buzzing. Roughly 10% of the adult population has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes in the last year.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a symptom when something is wrong in the auditory system, which includes the ear, auditory nerve and parts of the brain that process sound (NID, 2017). Some things that may cause tinnitus include:
- Earwax blocking the ear canal
- Noise-induced hearing loss
- Hormonal changes in women
- Thyroid abnormalities
- More health conditions diagnosed by your GP
Tinnitus is sometimes the first sign of hearing loss in older people.
According to NID (2017) people who work in noisy environments—such as factory or construction workers, road crews, or even musicians—can develop tinnitus over time when ongoing exposure to noise damages tiny sensory hair cells in the inner ear that help transmit sound to the brain. This is called noise-induced hearing loss.
Workplace Health and Safety Victoria offer hearing testing – this is generally used as a pre-employment check or a workplace yearly health check up as a workplace benefit. This entails employees sitting in a booth with earmuffs on and performing a test, where workplace health and safety will record results and handover to a GP who will discuss further with the employee.
If you experience tinnitus, always visit your GP where further assessments can take place.
If an employee is exposed to loud noises at work, the correct hearing protection needs to be supplied and workplaces need to train their employees when and how to correctly use this equipment – https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/resources/noise-control-hearing-protection.
by Grace | Jan 18, 2021 | Uncategorised
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;
According to Ovarian Cancer Australia (2021) some signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer include:
- 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/)