From Kawau Bay Medical Centre
www.kawaubayhealth.co.nz
2012
The benefits of a regular exercise programme are well documented. Exercise reduces blood pressure, keeps weight down, reduces cholesterol, improves mental health, reduces stress, boosts your immune system and generally makes you feel better.
That’s a question isn’t it? I’m sure we all have, or know someone who has, unsightly veins. Whether they are on the nose, cheeks or legs.
Something we all need to budget for, in a figurative sense, is our weight, food and calorie intake. Currently, more than half of New Zealanders are overweight or obese.
The media is presently awash with stories about prostate cancer and screening. These stories inevitably beg the question, ‘Why don’t we have a national screening programme for prostate cancer?’
2011
Youth suicide in New Zealand is a major issue. The 20 to 29 year old group is more vulnerable than the teenage group.
New Zealanders love to travel. Often this involves going from a place of low risk to areas of high risk.
Difficulty with sleep is a very common problem with at least 30 percent of us suffering from insomnia at some stage.
“Use it or lose it” is one of those old adages that comes in very handy. Whether it’s discussing loss of fitness with an overweight forty-something, or loss of balance with an unsteady seventy-something, there’s truth in those few words.
I thought, given that we have collectively covered many medical topics, and to avoid overlapping of content, that I might share with you some of the lighter moments encountered in the practice of medicine.
Smoking is the commonest cause of preventable death in this country.
Do you know how important it is to cuddle your child? Recent evidence shows that 20 percent of parents do not think it is important.
Headaches can have many causes, however serious causes of headaches are quite rare and these often have clear signals that can be picked up by health professionals.
This is a summary of a few thoughts and ideas, because to include everything would need a short book and I prefer mine to be of the entertaining variety!
I make no apology if the topics of sunburn and heat stroke/exhaustion have been covered before. After recent experience, I cannot help but think that the dangers surrounding these issues warrant repeating.
The Waitemata region has been selected to run a pilot programme for bowel cancer screening – a first in New Zealand. The programme will begin around October this year and will involve 130,000 adults aged between 50-74 years of age.
2010
Calcium and the heart by Dr Stephen Barker - October
Calcium has been in the news recently following the release of a recent study about calcium and heart health. The study showed that excess calcium in the body may increase the build up of plaques on artery walls, raising the risk of heart attack.
The kindest cut by Dr Bruce Sutherland - August
Vasectomy is a relatively straight forward method of family planning nowadays. For a variety of reasons, it seems that New Zealand men have taken to the procedure with New Zealand having one of the world's highest vasectomy rates.
One for the men by Dr Warkwick Palmer - July
At onset of midlife (that’s a broad one to define) our thoughts turn to prostate cancer, the almost universal scourge for old men. Yes, if we do live long enough, we should probably all develop prostate cancer eventually.
Doctors in training by Dr Warwick Palmer - June
Many practices are involved in teaching at various levels of medical education. In Warkworth, it is quite possible that your care may involve a medical student or a junior doctor in a post-graduate training position.
Keeping blood pressure in check by Dr Stephen Barker - May
Have you ever wondered why doctors and nurses seem so keen on taking your blood pressure? No sooner have you sat down in the medical rooms than someone is folding the cuff around your upper arm and pumping it up! Not surprisingly there is a good reason for this.
Balance by Dr Clinton Anderson - April
I have a concern about the increased number of psychotropic prescriptions (sedatives, sleeping tabs, anti-depressants, anxiety medication). On researching this issue, it appears to be an international phenomenon.
Understanding UV by Dr Bruce Sutherland - march
There is a lot of it around now, but what is Ultra Violet Light (UV) and how does it affect skin? UV is light at the far end of the violet spectrum.
When should a wound be closed? by Dr Kate Baddock - February
When should a wound be closed and I actually mean ‘closed’ in the medical sense – whether we use sutures (stitches), or steristrips (butterfly closures) or in fact leave the wound to heal up by itself?
Keeping skin healthy by Dr Warwick Palmer - January
Our skin is a living organ, constantly recycling and “renewing” itself, and as such deserves good day to day care.
