National Pain Week 2016 – “you look good, how do you feel?”

Led by Chronic Pain Australia, National Pain Week promotes four core aims.

1. To de-stigmatise the experience of chronic pain.
2. Promote current thinking to explain chronic pain to the wider Australian community.
3. Create healing relationships between the person in pain and their pain clinician’s.
4. Reduce the isolation and suffering of people in pain.

Visit Chronic Pain Australia’s website for more information.

If you suffer from chronic pain, make an appointment with our doctor to discuss management, treatment and support. Phone 8038 1070 or book online.

Its winter now, and a good time to try quitting smoking!

Smokers are far more susceptible to upper respiratory infections, which tend to strike in winter. Even if you’re a social smoker, now’s a good time to quit and clear your airways.

There are a variety of support services available for people who want to quit, such as;

• I Can Quit
• Quit
• Quit Now
• NSW Health Quitline

Speak to your doctor today for information and support – make an appointment on 8038 1070 or online.

If you have any concerns, see GP at Waitara Medical by making an appointment.

You can book your appointment online by visiting www.waitaramedical.com                                                                                      or   call    Waitara Medical at 80381070

Are you travelling to Brazil for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in August?

Make an appointment with your doctor today to discuss travel vaccinations and ways to stay healthy and enjoy the games! Remember! You may need more than one dose of a travel vaccine, so see your doctor 8 weeks before your trip begins.

Most Common Health Issues Include:

Traveller’s Diarrhoea – Symptoms include watery diarrhoea and sometimes vomiting. It is caused by consuming food or water contaminated with bacteria such as E. coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella and Shingella. To avoid this, be food and drink aware (no tap water, no ice in drinks, drink and rinse fruit and vegetables in bottled water), perform frequent hand hygiene (soap and water and alcohol based hand rub).

Respiratory Infections – Is expected where large numbers of people gather, crowded environments (such as sporting events, airports, hotels and stadiums) illnesses such as colds, flu and other respiratory viruses can spread quickly. Prevention involves personal hand hygiene (wash with soap and water and alcohol based hand rub), use tissues and dispose of them in bins, and cough etiquette (cough into a tissue or your sleeve).

Dengue Fever – A mosquito borne virus, which causes high fever, body aches, headaches and sometimes a rash. There is no specific treatment, the only prevention is to avoid mosquitos.

Animal Bites and Scratches – If you are scratched or bitten by an animal, you must immediately and thoroughly clean the wound, with clean water (not tap) and seek medical treatment quickly for rabies treatment. You may also need a tetanus booster, if the wound becomes infected, you may also need antibiotics.

Recommended Travel vaccinations:

Routine Vaccines – ADT (tetanus booster) (if not given in last 10 years), Polio, Influenza and Measles/Mumps/Rubella/Varicella.

Recommended for travellers to Brazil –

Hepatitis A: a food and water borne virus, which infects the liver. Single dose of vaccine provides immediate protection for 6-12 months, after which a booster dose provides long-term immunity

Hepatitis B: a highly infections blood borne virus, exposure can come from blood transmission through accidents, injuries, sexual contact and contaminated needles. If you have not been vaccinated for Hepatitis B, you will need 3 doses to be considered immune (which takes 6 months to complete).

Typhoid: a food and water borne bacterial infection. Causes fever, headache, lethargy, weakness, dry cough, loss of appetite. Vaccination is given by a single injection (also available as a combination with Hepatitis A).

Rabies: spread by infected animal bites or scratches. Travellers should avoid contact with wild, stray or domestic animals; especially dogs, cats, monkeys and bats. If you’re going to be working with animals or travelling for longer periods it is recommended to get vaccinated against rabies.

Yellow Fever: is a viral haemorrhagic fever caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitoes. It is a risk for travellers to most areas of Brazil, except coastal regions. Vaccination is recommended if you are travelling to Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Distrito Federal, Goias, Maranhaõ, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins, Bahia, Paraná, Piauí, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and São Paulo. If you will only be in Rio de Janeiro, you do not need the vaccine.

Zika: there is no vaccine or medicine to prevent Zika. Travellers can protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites, using insect repellent, wear long, light coloured, loose fitting clothing, and ensure accommodation is mosquito proof. Pregnant women should take extra precautions to avoid mosquitoes.

For more information visit Smart Traveller

Are you getting enough sleep?

Sleep Awareness Week will be raising awareness of the common sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea or OSA and the benefits of treatment.   The key message for Sleep Awareness Week is ‘Don’t ignore the (gasping) snore! See you GP now’.

To make an appointment with our doctors to discuss you sleeping problems call 8038 1070 or book online.

For more information about sleep problems visit the Sleep Health Foundation website or speak to your doctor today!

When you’re diagnosed with cancer, it’s hard to find the time or energy to think about anything other than treating the cancer. By giving up alcohol for the month of July and raising funds, Dry July participants help us to ease the burden, reduce stress and add a bit of comfort for those affected by cancer.

Taking part in Dry July gives you the chance to also focus on yourself – notice your own drinking habits and the value of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Its not only about giving up alcohol, but a chance to help raise money and awareness for people affected by cancer.

To register or get more information, visit Dry July website.

Important Note:

Dry July is a fundraising campaign aimed at challenging social drinkers to change their habits for a month and make some healthy lifestyle changes. We would encourage people to drink responsibly and stick to the recommended daily guidelines for the rest of the year. We advise heavy drinkers or people dependent on alcohol to speak with their GP before signing up to Dry July.

CMV, or Cytomegalovirus, is a common virus that can infect people of all ages. Once CMV is in a person’s body, it stays there for life. Most healthy adults and children will have no signs or symptoms and no long-term effects from CMV. It can, however, be very dangerous to unborn babies.

CMV is the leading infectious cause of hearing loss, it is more common than spina bifida, down syndrome, adn foetal alcohol syndrome, 1 in 150 babies are born with CMV in different stages of severity.

Visit CMV website for more information.

Red Nose Day is the main fundraiser for Sids and Kids.

Sids and Kids have helped raise awareness of safe sleeping habits for babies and provide support for families who have experienced the sudden and unexpected death of a baby or child.

Visit the Red Nose Day website for more information about fundraising and how you can support Sids and kids!