Healthy advice from your family doctor
BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland which affects nearly all men as they age. The good news is that new drugs have dramatically reduced the need for surgery. The prostate sits just under the bladder and surrounds the urethra, the tube through which urine passes out of the body.
A recent pertussis (whooping cough) epidemic in which a newborn baby died in Melbourne in February 2011 has prompted calls for more widespread vaccination. Pertussis usually starts with a cold. The cough gradually worsens and severe coughing bouts may develop and are sometimes followed by vomiting and a ‘whooping’ sound when breathing in. The cough
The latest Australian National Children’s Nutrition Survey found that many children are not getting enough calcium in their diets. In fact, of all the nutrients, school-aged children were least likely to meet their daily calcium needs. Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth, especially during childhood and adolescence when bones are growing rapidly. A
This is a delicious low FODMAP recipe (see article) the whole family can enjoy. Recipe serves 4. Time to make 25 min. Cost per serve $4.69. INGREDIENTS 1 cup (50g) rice vermicelli noodles 2 tablespoons garlic-infused canola oil 2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 teaspoon grated ginger 1 small red chilli, finely chopped 100g peeled raw
In Australia a free GP helpline is now operating in most states to provide after-hours telephone advice when your GP is not available. This will be especially helpful for families with young children, for whom problems often seem to arise in the early hours of the morning! Calls are answered by a registered nurse who
Women who have had HPV vaccination (human papillomavirus) still need to have regular Pap smears until the age of 70. Almost all abnormal Pap smears and cancer of the cervix (the neck of the womb) are caused by HPV. Vaccination protects women against the 2 main types of HPV which cause about 70% of cervical
If you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or suffer from bloating, abdominal pain or a change in bowel habits you may benefit from a low ‘FODMAP’ diet.# FODMAPS are certain sugars such as fructose, lactose, fructans and sorbitol which are found in some foods. These sugars are not digested in the small intestine. Instead, they
Things inevitably go wrong in life. Whether or not we get upset by them and the degree of distress we feel depends largely on the way we think about them. This is good news because while we may not be able to change other people or our life circumstances, we can change the way we
Food allergy is on the increase and now affects about 1 in 10 Australian children. Any food can cause an allergy but the ones that cause more than 90% of cases are: Cow’s milk Eggs Peanuts and tree nuts Fish Shellfish Soy Fortunately, the majority of food allergies are mild. Symptoms usually occur within 30
Infants between 12 and 35 months need to come to the doctor for an additional free# dose of the new pneumococcal vaccine. The government-funded vaccine is available from 1 October 2011 for 12 months only*. The previous pneumococcal vaccine gave protection against only 7 strains of the pneumococcal bacterium. The new vaccine covers an additional