Autumn has arrived, and with it – I’m afraid – the barrage of mischievous little microbes to wreck havoc on our bodies! Most upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are viral in origin, so antibiotics make no diddly squat of a difference. But the common cold is by no means a trivial issue – ask any man beleaguered by ‘man flu’, and he will no doubt bemoan his suffering and sorrow.
‘Tennis elbow’ is the common terminology for a painful condition that affects the elbow(s). The medical name for this condition is lateral epicondylitis.
Mastitis is an inflammatory condition of the breast tissue that commonly affects mothers within the first four to six weeks following birth. It affects around 1 in 5 mothers in Australia and can be very painful and distressing.
Every year, thousands of Australians are hospitalised with influenza. It is a major cause of illness in our community and was attributed to around 57 deaths last year. The 2018 flu season was very mild compared to previous years. There were just under 50,000 laboratory confirmed cased, which is less than half of the annual average. The burden placed on hospitals and time off work was significantly lower than in previous years.
A colonoscopy is a procedure performed to visually examine the bowel. It is performed using a long, thin plastic tube with a light and camera at one end. The tube is flexible, allowing the Doctor to examine the inside the large intestine (colon) from all angles. The images from the camera are projected onto a screen for the Doctor to view. The tube is inserted into the rectum, under sedation so the patient does not feel anything. It is then manoeuvered through the colon to examine the health and appearance of the tissues that line the large intestine.
It is with a great deal of love and respect, that we announce the retirement of Dr Diana Rattray at the end of May this year.
As we age, our susceptibility to a whole variety of medical conditions increases.
Definition
‘A secure, legislated, patient-controlled, electronic summary of an individual’s key health information, able to be accessed by authorised individuals and registered healthcare providers involved in a person’s care anywhere in Australia at any time.’
We are thrilled to introduce patients to our new doctor – Dr Min Teo. Min graduated from the University of Auckland in 2007 and gained his Royal Australian College of General Practitioner’s Fellowship in 2014.
The plantar fascia is a strong, thick piece of connective tissue that joins the heel bone to the toes. Inflammation of this tissue is referred to as ‘plantar fasciitis’ and it can be quite painful and debilitating. It is the most common type of heel pain.
The pain associated with plantar fasciitis is usually worse in the morning and aggravated by standing and exercising. The pain the usually reduces after a bit of walking around but then returns on rest.
