Features – Page 4

Your Health Matters

October 12, 2017 By editor

Pink For October
Parkes Pharmacy is going Pink for October! Each Wednesday during October, the lovely ladies of Parkes Pharmacy will be donning some quite eccentric outfits to help raise money and awareness for women’s cancers. So, let’s band together and help the Cancer Council provide vital support, research and prevention programs for breast and gynaecological cancer.

Breast Cancer Statistics*
• Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Australia*
• 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer at some point in their lifetime
• The five year survival rate for Australian women diagnosed with breast cancer is 89% Ovarian Cancer Stats*
• Ovarian is the second most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancer in Australia
• This cancer is most common in women over 50 years of age
• In 2014, there were 974 deaths from ovarian cancer in Australia. By the end of 2017, it is estimated to grow to 1047
deaths Cervical Cancer Stats*
• About 800 women in Australia are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year
• Cervical cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancer
• In 2017, the estimated number of women diagnosed with cervical cancer is 912
• The five year survival rate is 72.1%
• The incidence of cervical cancer in Australia has decreased significantly since a national screening program was introduced in the 90’s
*Statistics from Australian Cancer Research Foundation website

Tips For Brushing Well No Matter Your Routine

July 13, 2017 By editor

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t give much thought to how you brush your teeth, beyond squirting on some tooth- paste and scrubbing back and forth. But how you brush your teeth matters a great deal; frequency, duration, technique, and the toothbrush all influence the effective- ness of your brushing.

To gain the maximum benefits, you should brush for at least two minutes morning and night, using a soft-bristled toothbrush with a small head and a flexible neck. These brushes remove the plaque and debris without damaging your teeth and gums.

It’s all in the technique.

You should clean your teeth systematically, starting at the back of your mouth with the toothbrush bristle at the gum line on a 45° angle, brushing gently in a circular motion. If you scrub too hard from side to side, you can run the risk of causing your gums to re- cede, as well as damaging the tooth enam- el. You should take care to brush carefully along the inner, outer and chewing surfac- es, making sure you angle the toothbrush so you can reach the inner front areas of the teeth, which are often missed.

And yes, while it may seem strange at first to brush your tongue, it reduces the bacteria in your mouth and helps your breath stay fresh. All you need to do is push the bristles on the tongue and scrape gently forward.

When you have finished brushing, try to spit out the toothpaste but don’t rinse with water. Leaving some toothpaste on your teeth gives your teeth some ongoing protection.

If limited dexterity is an issue, you might consider using a powered toothbrush. They can be programmed to run for two minutes, making it easier to brush for the right length of time.

Tempting as it is to think that pressing harder on your teeth equals a better clean, the fact is that too much pressure damages your gums and tooth enamel. If the bristles are wearing out on your toothbrushes be- fore the three-month mark, you’re pressing too hard and you should ask your dentist to show you a less damaging technique. Replace your brush when the bristles start to spread, or every three months, whichever comes first.

If you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to call us at Richardson Dental Surgery on 6862 1261.

Palliative Care in Parkes

July 13, 2017 By editor

Palliative care is often overlooked when discussing health management and delivery, but it is an essential service that can have a tremendous and far-reaching effect on well-being , not just for the patient, but for their families and carers as well. Quality palliative care isn’t just dependent on nurs- ing staff – many volunteers work alongside health professionals to provide crucial and compassionate end-of-life care.

The not-for-profit organisation Neighbourhood Central has been involved with pallia- tive care volunteers since about 2012, and works in conjunction with the Parkes Palliative Care team. The volunteers visit people at home or in the community, offering support and companionship for people in pallia- tive care, as well as their family and carers.

The Parkes Palliative Care Team receives about 110 referrals a year.

Parkes Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Bernadette Orange was one of the pioneers behind the service. She said that volunteers are a valuable part of the palliative care team.

Palliative care NSW recently completed a survey of nurses’ experiences of palliative care volunteers, called: A space of caring: NSW nurses’ experiences of Palliative Care Volunteers in inpatient settings.

The survey emphasised the importance of volunteers in providing care. Of the respondents, 89% agreed that volunteers display empathy and emotional awareness and contributed to better palliative care, and 70% said they would like more volunteers in their service.

Palliative care volunteers attached to Neighbourhood Central are hosting a conference at the Railway Hotel next Thursday. There will be presentations from key speakers, interactive discussions, networking opportunities, plus time to reflect on the role of volunteers in palliative care today.

“We are really proud of our volunteers, and for the support of Neighbourhood Central,” Bernadette said. “Not everyone in palliative care will experience pain, but the pain is made worse when a person is distressed about something in their life,” she said. “This conference is all about the important role that the volunteers have in easing that sort of pain and in supporting people in our community.”

For more information visit www.volun- teerhub.com.au or contact Tony Fisher on 0428 970 559.

How To Avoid Crooked Teeth

June 8, 2017 By editor

1. Brushing habits

Keeping your teeth and gums healthy is the best way to avoid dental diseases, which can lead to tooth loss.

For adults this can reduce this risk of tooth movement and tooth loss, which is a common side effect of gum disease.

For children this can reduce the risk of early tooth loss due to tooth decay. Baby teeth are very important for maintaining the spaces needed for adult teeth to develop and erupt into the mouth.

2. Avoid thumb sucking and dummies

The pressure associated with sucking thumbs, fingers or dummies for a long pe- riod of time can lead to altering how the jaw and teeth develop. This can affect the shape of jaw and tooth positioning, which can cause the teeth to develop crooked and distort the appearance of the natural jaw shape.

3. Early intervention

Genetics play a major role in tooth and jaw development. Attending regular dental appointments will not only reduce the risk of tooth decay and gum disease, but will also allow your dentist to observe and monitor the growth and development of the teeth and jaw and provide intervention as needed.

If you have any questions or concerns, or need to book an appointment, call Richardson dental surgery on 6862 1261.

Warning Over Mindfulness Apps Offering Quick Fix

May 11, 2017 By editor

Doctors are warning about the risks of relying on smartphone mindfulness apps, offering meditation and breathing exercises, for your mental health.

The apps have become some of the most popular downloads, offering everything from improved creativity to pain relief.

“We noticed that apps are promising consumers quick, easy, effortless and often instant solutions, to what they’re framing as their health issues,” said Dr Quinn Grundy, a postdoctoral researcher with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre.

She said that such quick-fix pledges could be damaging to those seeking help. “If your app has promised that you’ll get better really easily and really quickly and you don’t, consumers shouldn’t feel like there’s something wrong with them,” Dr Grundy said. “Or that their mental health can’t be treated.”

While the apps tout their healing credentials, only a small percentage of them have been created by universities or healthcare professionals.

“There was a couple from the government that we looked at, the Department of Defence for example, and a few from some prominent mental health organisations — and I would say that we had the most confidence in those.”

Many of the apps offer a small amount of content for free, after that users are asked to subscribe. While this has become common to many types of apps, Dr Grundy said those downloading mental health apps were already vulnerable.

“We would argue that mental health consumers are perhaps in a more vulnerable position to things like targeted advertising, or in-app purchases or a subscription model,” she said.

She said app creators, as well as moderators of online stores, needed to face increased regulation.

“Although developers are often the target of regulation, the big players like Apple and Google are really the de facto gate- keepers at the moment,” she said.

One PHD student said she started using a mindfulness app last year to help her with some ‘bouts of anxiety and stress’.

She decided to download an app that was highly-rated in the app store, however it soon began increasing her anxiety.

“The app would ask you to rate on a scale how you felt you’d done in certain areas of the day,” she said. “For example, had you exercised, eaten healthy, had you done any relaxation techniques.”

“If I missed out on a few activities in a day, the app would actually rate my day and it would sort of tell me that I hadn’t had a good day.”

The student said she no longer used a mindfulness app, and recommended us- ing any of these programs in conjunction with professional advice.

(Source: abc.net.au)

Put Your Foot Down On Diabetes

April 12, 2017 By editor

The simple act of walking down stairs could help prevent diabetes, according to new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU). The key could be something known as eccentric exercise.

With more than one million Australians currently living with diabetes and the number expected to rise to three million in 20 years, the findings have the potential to significantly reduce the burden of the deadly disease.

Diabetes researchers from ECU’s School of Medical and Health Sciences recruited 30 obese elderly women and put them on an exercise program, with half walking upstairs and the others walking downstairs.

At the end of the 12-week program, the women who walked down stairs showed improvements on several physiological measures. They had significantly lower levels of resting glucose, insulin and haemoglobin 1AC, improved oral glucose tol- erance test, and decreased triglycerides and cholesterols together with an increase of good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) in their blood. All of these changes will have lowered their risk of developing diabetes, according to the researchers.

While both groups recorded an improvement it was significantly greater in the down stairs group. The greater improvement in the down stairs group is almost certainly because walking down stairs is what is called eccentric exercise. It is where load is placed on the muscle while it is lengthening, rather than shortening.

For example, walking down stairs is eccentric exercise because your front thigh muscles are lengthening when they are placed under load, as opposed to walking up stairs in which the muscles are shorten- ing, performing mainly concentric contractions.

As well as protecting against metabolic syndrome and diabetes, the researchers also found that the down stairs group’s physical function such as walking ability, balance, bone mineral density and resting heart rate and blood pressure all improved significantly more than the up stairs group. There are lots of ways to incorporate ec- centric exercise into your life to enjoy the health benefits. If you work in a tall build- ing, try taking the lift up to work, but then walk down the stairs when you go home. Or, if you are using weights, concentrate on lowering the weights slowly, because the lowering action causes your muscles to perform eccentric exercise.

Even sitting down in your chair slowly makes your leg muscles to contract eccentrically.

Bright Smiles For New Look Dentist

February 2, 2017 By editor

The oldest established dental practice in the Parkes Shire has a new and fresh look for the future. Richardson Dental Surgery has been a hive of activity over the past three weeks to transform the 50-year-old interior at 19 Church Street into an ergonomically friendly and comfortable space.

“We wanted to welcome our clients into a friendly and spacious environment to help ease the stress of visiting the dentist,” said Dr Khazima Riaz. Everything is new, including a mobile friendly entrance for people with walking frames and coloured dentist chairs in the two identical treatment rooms. Khazima said the renovation was planned
around utilising space more effectively to allow her practise to offer the best service possible. “We totally believe in preventative care, perform all aspects of general dentistry, as well as cosmetics and implants.”

She had very good advice for people fearful of visiting the dentist: “It is very important to keep up with preventative care to avoid any major dental issues, which is usually more stressful than a regular check-up.” So if you have not scheduled your checkup yet for the new year, pop in and enjoy the fresh and modern look of Richardson Dental Surgery.

30,000 + Women Overdue For A Pap Test

January 12, 2017 By editor

Despite having access to a test that can significantly reduce the chance of developing cancer, the latest figures from the Cancer Institute NSW show that more than 30,000 women in Western NSW have not had their Pap test in the past two years. Cervical cancer is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in women around the world. However, in Australia rates have halved over the last 25 years due to the free national screening program and the introduction of the HPV vaccine.

Professor David Currow said: “These days, women are less likely to know someone who has been diagnosed with the
disease, so they may not feel they are at risk. In fact, five women still get diagnosed every week in NSW, yet 96% of cervical cancers could be prevented.” With changes to the National Cervical Screening Program due to start this year,
there are also concerns that women may be putting off their test until then.

Professor Currow said: “It is vital that women have their Pap test as soon as it’s due. This is the best chance to find and treat cellular changes before cancer develops.” The main message from the Institute is for women who are overdue to book their Pap test today.

To find your nearest GP or women’s health nurse, visit www.csp.nsw.gov.au.

Tips For Dental Patients

January 12, 2017 By editor

The Dental Board of Australia has launched its first ever video for patients to help make sure they are getting safe care from their dentists. The video aims to help patients know what infection prevention and control protocols to expect, encourage patients to ask questions about infection prevention and control, and to inform patients on what to do if they have a concern.

To view the video go to www.dentalboard.gov.au. The video gives dental patients seven easy to remember tips to consider whether their dentist is following the correct infection control protocols.
1. Is your dental practitioner registered?
2. Does your dental surgery look clean and tidy?
3. Is your dental practitioner wearing appropriate clothing, gloves, a mask and glasses?
4. Does your dental practitioner have a sink in their surgery where they can wash their hands?
5. Does your dental practitioner work with an assistant?
6. Are the instruments used on you clean or new and disposable?
7. Are the instruments sterilised or does the dental practitioner have an autoclave (which is a machine used to sterilise instruments)?

If you have concerns, it is usually best to resolve any problems with your dentist if you can. If you still have serious concerns you can make a complaint to: AHPRA and the Dental Board of Australia on 1300 419 495.

How Do I Get Rid Of My Bad Breath?

December 8, 2016 By editor

Halitosis, or simply bad breath as it is more commonly known, is caused by sulphurproducing bacteria that normally live on the surface of the tongue and in the throat. Common causes of Halitosis (Apart from the bacteria that colonise the back of the tongue):
• Dental factors, such as infections (periodontitis) or poor oral hygiene
• Dry mouth, often the result of medicine, alcohol, stress or an existing medical condition
• Smoking
• Acid reflux from the stomach
• Post-nasal discharge
• Medical conditions such as kidney failure, metabolic dysfunctions, and biochemical disorders
• Certain foods, such as onions, garlic or cauliflower, although their effects are short-lived.

Symptoms of Halitosis:
• A white coating on the tongue especially at the back of the tongue
• Dry mouth
• Build up around teeth
• Post-nasal drip or mucous
• Particularly bad morning breath
• Thick saliva and a constant need to clear your throat
• Constant sour or bitter metallic taste

How to treat Halitosis:
There is no one treatment for halitosis, as the treatment will depend on what is causing the problem. However, practicing good oral hygiene, including brushing and flossing twice a day, is crucial. A tongue brush or tongue scraper can also help.

People with chronic sinusitis may find the use of a saline nasal spray helpful. Speak to your dentist to determine the
most effective treatment for you. Call Richardson Dental Surgery on 6862 1261 to make an appointment.