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September is World Prostate Health Awareness Month

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in Australia, affecting one in seven men. There are around 20,000 new diagnoses and sadly, close to 3500 deaths annually.

All men over 50 years (or over 40 years if you have a family history) should talk about prostate health with their GP.  Prostate cancer is usually slow growing and many men can live without symptoms for many years. Later stage symptoms include urinary frequency, urinary difficulty, urinary discomfort, blood in urine or semen or pain in the lower back, hips and upper thighs. The presence of any of these symptoms does not mean you have prostate cancer, but you should see and discuss with your Doctor. Early intervention and management is key.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia is asking everyone to get involved and help create awareness through fundraising and using the social media hash tag #getchecked.

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World Mental Health Day – October 10th 

Mental Health issues can affect anyone. In Australia, 45% of people aged 16 to 85 years will experience some form of mental illness at […]

It has been well established that participation in regular physical activity has a multitude of health benefits. It can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, dementia and certain types of cancer. It can also improve emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing. Physical ‘inactivity’ is therefore considered the world’s leading risk factor for non-infectious diseases, mental health and poor quality of life.

Recently, The Lancet (general medical journal) published the results of a global 15-year study, conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) into physical activity levels among adults. The study took place between 2001 and 2016 and involved more than 1.9 million participants in 168 countries.

Results of this study show that one in four adults globally are classified as physically ‘inactive’. In some countries, it was as high as one in three. Women were around 8% less active than men and high-income countries were significantly less active than middle or low income countries.

Physical inactivity, according to the WHO was defined as not meeting the minimum target of 150 minutes of medium intensity activity per week, or 75 minutes of high-intensity activity per week.

These results indicate that more effort needs to […]

We had a lovely dinner to celebrate Dr Sharon Woolf’s retirement from the partnership of Glen Iris Medical Group recently.

Sharon started the practice in 1981 as a solo GP and has left the partnership with a healthy and vibrant practice of 12 Doctors, 3 nurses and 12 reception and admin staff.

Sharon’s commitment to her patients and the practice, her leadership and ability to create a culture of clinical excellence through continual education and innovation will remain with us always.

Sharon will continue working 3 days a week and wants to reassure her patients she is not retiring from General Practice and is available for appointments on Monday, Thursday and Friday’s.

Move over acai bowls and matcha lattes… there is a new ‘super’ ingredient in town and if you believe the marketing, it would seem just about anything can be fixed with turmeric!

Turmeric is a widely available spice that comes from the Turmeric plant, part of the ginger family. It has a warm, bitter taste and a deep mustardy-yellow colour. The turmeric ‘bulb’ itself can be eaten, but it is usually dried and ground into powder. It is used in a lot of traditional Indian and Asian cuisine and especially in curries. Turmeric contains a chemical ingredient called curcumin that gives it its colour. Curcumin is often used as a colourant in food and cosmetics.

Turmeric has been marketed for use in the treatment and management of such wide reaching health conditions as:

• Heartburn
• Headaches
• Joint and arthritic pain and osteoarthritis
• Digestive problems
• Gastrointestinal diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
• Gallbladder disorders
• Stomach ulcers
• Bloating (water retention)
• Haemorrhage (bleeding disorders)
• Jaundice
• High cholesterol
• Skin conditions, itching and skin inflammation
• Fatigue
• Bronchitis
• Fibromyalgia
• Menstrual problems
• Depression
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Diabetes
• Bladder inflammation and
• Kidney diseases

As you can see, this list is extensive and while […]

Dear Patients,

Due to the increasing costs of running a General Practice and the continued freeze on Medicare rebates, we are

increasing our fees effective 1st September, 2018.  This decision has not been taken lightly and fee increases have been kept

to a minimum.

Item’s 23 and 36 and their equivalent item numbers have been increased, item 3 and 44 will remain the same.

There has been a slight increase to our Saturday and Sunday fees too.

2018 FEE REVIEW

Fees last increased April 2016 – please click on link

2018 Common Fees

      by Dr Jenny Alexander

Having unprotected sex can put you at risk of sexually transmitted infections, or STIs.

Among those at high risk of STIs are young people, men who have sex with men, and middle-aged people who have started dating again after separation or divorce.

The more casual partners you have, the greater your risk. And if your partner has had casual, unprotected sex with other partners, or has had sex with someone who uses intravenous drugs, your risk will be increased. Having unprotected sex while travelling in some overseas countries will also increase your risk.

To decrease your risk of STIs, protect yourself by always using condoms.

Typical symptoms of STIs include discharge, pain during urination, and sores, blisters or rashes in the genital area. However, sometimes there are no symptoms at all, and that is why having an STI check, arranged by your GP, is important.

During a sexual health consultation, your GP may need to ask some questions to help decide exactly what tests need to be done.

Chlamydia is the most common STI, but often has no symptoms. It can have serious complications, including pelvic inflammatory disease in women, which can in […]

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) aims to provide reasonable and necessary support for all Australians aged 65 years and under who have permanent and significant disabilities. It has been rolling out progressively across Australia since 2016. Once the scheme has been fully deployed, it is estimated that over 460,000 Australians will be supported by the NDIS.

The aim of the NDIS is to provide a lifetime support approach, rather than a welfare scheme, to people living with a disability. This may include support with finding employment, improved independence,                                                                                        improved physical and mental wellbeing                                                                                                    and community engagement.

There are two main entry […]

There are many tools and practices that can be used to help people with cope with stress, anxiety, depression and grief. Mindfulness is one of these techniques and it has been used extensively in psychological practice for many decades.

Mindfulness is about learning how to be ‘present’ in the moment, being aware of your emotions, physical sensations and thoughts in real time, without judgement. It is about recognising and accepting what you are feeling without downplaying, excusing or rationalising those feelings. It is a skill that can take some time to develop but can be very helpful in alleviating stress dealing with grief, overcoming compulsive behaviours and improving self-awareness.

Mindfulness techniques teach us how to de-clutter our mind and how to thoughtfully ‘respond’ rather than ‘react’ to stressful situations.

Practising mindfulness for just a few minutes a day can be very beneficial and you do not need to engage a psychologist, or counsellor to learn how to do it. There are many simple exercises you can attempt at home, on your lunch break, in between classes or even in the middle of a particularly stressful activity.

One such exercise is provided here, courtesy of the Black […]