Newsletter "Your Health"
- How to cope with the financial crisis.
- Strength training. Good for everyone
- Do you need a kidney health check?
- Talking about child abuse
- Treatment of premature ejaculation
- Does my child need vitamins?
- Nut allergy on the rise
- Weight control tips
- Chicken noodle soup
- Fun Stuff
.If you are feeling stressed about money you are not alone. Many people have recently lost their jobs or are worried about being retrenched. Others have seen their hard earned investments collapse. Many are struggling to make ends meet.
Some people may feel guilty or blame themselves, but it’s important to remember that it is not your fault. What is happening to you is happening to many others. Some common reactions to financial hardship are:
- Tiredness and loss of interest
- Difficulty sleeping
- Loss of appetite or sex drive
- Impaired memory or concentration
- Anxiety, anger, irritability
- Mood swings
- Withdrawing from others
- Loss of direction, feeling powerless
In some people, financial stress combined with other underlying factors can lead to depression, anxiety disorders and behaviours such as over-eating, over-spending, alcohol or drug abuse and family conflict.
What you can do
Try to be patient. Recovery from any significant loss takes time. However, there is a lot you can do to take control of your situation. beyondblue offers these suggestions:
- Write down your worries and use ‘structured problem-solving’ (SPS)strategies to find practical solutions.
- Get support from family and friends and talk to them about your concerns.
- Exercise regularly and eat well. Exercise is a great stress buster.
- Avoid unhealthy coping behaviours such as drugs and alcohol, smoking and comfort eating. These only make things worse in the long run.
- Try to keep things in perspective and focus on the positives. It’s not all bad.
- Become a volunteer. This can provide a purpose and social interaction. Ring Volunteering Australia: (03) 9820 4100.
Take control of your finances. - Draw up a budget. Speak to a financial counsellor, an accountant or Centrelink on 13 23 00.
- A relaxation technique can help release stress. Learn meditation, muscle relaxation, deep breathing, yoga or tai chi and practise daily.
When to see your doctor
You should never be hesitant to seek professional support. Your GP is here to help and will not judge you. See your doctor if:
- Your emotional distress is severe or persists more than 2-3 weeks
- You find it hard to function and carry out day-to-day tasks
- You are using alcohol/other drugs to cope
- You have self-harm or suicide thoughts
beyondblue has released a comprehensive booklet, Taking care of yourself after retrenchment or financial loss. To order a free copy go to www.beyondblue.org or ring 1300 22 4636.
Strength training. Good for everyone
Resistance (strength) training is not just for body builders. It is a safe, cheap and effective exercise for all ages. It improves the strength and tone of your muscles as well as giving many impressive health benefits. Strength training involves working your muscles against resistance, using:
- Free weights, e.g. dumbells (hand weights)
- Weight machines with adjustable weights
- Theraband (like a big rubber band), or
- Your own body weight e.g. sit-ups, squats
Training can be done at home with minimal equipment. A set of dumbells (even cans of food or house bricks!) and a swiss ball are sufficient.
Health benefits
Strength training helps to prevent and better manage many health conditions including:
- Diabetes
- Osteoporosis
- Arthritis
- Heart disease
It also improves weight control (lean muscle mass metabolises fat more readily), depression, mobility, balance, posture, sleep and wellbeing.
Before you start
Consult your GP before you begin, particularly if you are overweight, over 40, have a medical condition or haven’t exercised for a long time.
As injuries can occur from poor technique, it is a good idea to see a physio, personal trainer, exercise physiologist or sports physician for a personalised program and correct instructions.
A typical workout consists of 8-10 exercises that work the main muscle groups. Do each exercise 8-12 times in a row (8-12 repetitions or reps), and perform 1-3 lots (sets) of each, with a rest between sets. Start with a light weight. Once that becomes easy, gradually increase the weight. Train 2-3 times per week, resting your muscles for at least 1 day between workouts. Sessions of 30-60 minutes will usually give results.
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is common and harmless. It passes in the first 2 weeks.
www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au
Do you need a kidney health check?
The rate of kidney failure is steadily climbing in Australia and there are often no warning signs. Up to 2 million Australians could have some form of kidney disease and not know it.
The kidneys are essential for life. They remove waste products and water from the body and pass them out in urine. They also make certain hormones and help to control blood pressure.
People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack and stroke.
In some cases kidney failure develops and requires dialysis (artificial blood filtering to remove waste products) or a kidney transplant.
Who should be tested?
The risk of kidney disease increases with age and regular checks are recommended for everyone from the age of 50.
Early detection and treatment can slow further kidney damage.
The following groups are at high risk and should have a kidney health check every year:
- People with hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes or obesity
- Those with family history of kidney disease
- Indigenous people >35 years
- Smokers
What is a kidney health check?
An assessment of your kidneys consists of:
- A blood pressure check
- A test for protein in the urine using a‘dipstick’ testing strip (pictured)
- A blood test for kidney function: the eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate)
How to prevent kidney disease
Follow these rules to keep your kidneys healthy:
- Don’t smoke.
- Drink alcohol in moderation
- Eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly
- Maintain a healthy body weight
Make water your preferred drink
Ask your GP if you should be tested. For further information contact Kidney Health Australia at www.kidney.org.au or ring 1800 4 543 639.
People don’t like to talk about child abuse.Victims often blame themselves and feel ashamed. Society doesn’t help either because adults surviving child abuse are expected to ‘get over it’. In many cases it’s not that simple.
The facts
- More than 2 million adult Australians have experienced child abuse
- One in 3 girls and one in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18
- Abuse can be sexual, physical or emotional or neglect of a child’s basic needs
- Abuse can affect people right into old age
How can child abuse affect you?
Child abuse can harm your mental and/or physical health, the way you feel about yourself and even the way you relate to others.
Some people manage relatively well whereas others struggle from day to day. The good news is that with the right help adult survivors of child abuse can feel and function better. \
What should you do?
If you feel you were abused as a child, talk to your GP. Speaking about abuse is not easy but your doctor is there to listen and help. Being heard is often the first step to better health and wellbeing.
Remember that it was not your fault. No child is ever to blame for being abused.
Your doctor may suggest you see a counsellor or refer you to an organisation called ASCA (Adults Surviving Child Abuse). ASCA runs workshops for survivors around Australia. Go to www.asca.org.au for more information or ring 1300 657 380.
Treatment of premature ejaculation.
Premature ejaculation (PE) affects up to 2 in 3 men at some time. Although treatment has a success rate of about 75%, many men avoid getting help due to shame and embarrassment.
PE is the condition of ejaculating (‘coming’) too fast during sex, before the man and/or his partner is ready, usually within 1-2 minutes of penetration.
PE was originally thought to be a psychological disorder but is now known to be a medical or physical condition in most cases.
Two thirds of cases are primary (lifelong) and involve a lack of control from the first experience.
One third are secondary (acquired) and start after a period of normal function. Most secondary cases are due to stress, performance anxiety, relationship problems, medical issues (such as diabetes) or erectile dysfunction (impotence).
PE can have a significant impact on a man, his partner and their relationship. It can reduce sexual satisfaction and self-esteem and lead to anxiety. PE itself can also lead to performance anxiety which only makes matters worse.
Treatments for PE
Treatments are used alone or in combination:
1. Behavioural techniques. These include:
a. Stop-start technique. Stop stimulation just before ejaculation. When the feeling has passed, start again and repeat the cycle.
b. Squeeze technique. Squeeze the end of the penis firmly for 10-15 seconds just before ejaculation. This is repeated a number of times.
2. Reducing penile sensation. Local anaesthetic creams and gels and condoms reduce stimulation.
3. Counselling. Can address any underlying psychological, sexual or relationship issues.
4. Medication. Some antidepressants delay ejaculation as a side-effect and are used to treat PE, although this use is not approved by local health authorities. Hopefully, an approved drug therapy for PE will be available in Australia soon as it is in some overseas countries.
Don’t be embarrassed to ask your GP for help. For more info, refer to the Andrology Australia website at www.andrologyaustralia.org or the book Too Fast. Learn to last longer, by Dr M Lowy & B McCann.
Most children who take vitamin and mineral supplements do not need them, according to a recent, large American study. Healthy children who eat a varied diet and spend a little time in the sun each day will get all the vitamins and minerals they need.
A supplement is not a substitute for a balanced diet. Whole foods are the best source of vitamins and minerals (e.g. iron and calcium) and also provide a range of other nutrients such as anti-oxidants and fibre.
Give your child a wide variety of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, dairy foods, lean meats, poultry, fish, beans and eggs.
Who needs a supplement?
Children who may benefit include:
- Vegetarians. Some vegetarian diets miss out on important nutrients, especially calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin B12.
- Fussy eaters. An unbalanced diet may be lacking in essential nutrients.
- Children on a restricted or ‘elimination’ diet for food allergy or intolerance.
- Children with certain medical conditions e.g. eating disorders, cystic fibrosis, coeliac disease, liver disease, epilepsy.
The risks of supplements
While vitamins and minerals are essential for good health, too much can be harmful. For example, in high doses, vitamin C can cause kidney stones, vitamin B6 can damage nerves and vitamin D can stunt growth.
Large doses of some supplements can cause nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Megadose vitamin treatment (very high doses) is particularly dangerous.
A child formulation of a general multivitamin or mineral supplement is preferred in most cases. Speak to your GP if you think your child may need a supplement.
Peanut allergy has doubled in the last 5 years and now affects 1/50 infants. Tree nut allergy (e.g. almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts) is also increasing.
Fortunately the majority of allergic reactions to nuts are mild, causing swelling of lips/face/eyes, hives, abdominal pain and vomiting.
However, serious reactions (anaphylaxis) can occur. Symptoms include difficult or noisy breathing, swelling of the tongue or throat, difficulty talking, hoarse voice, wheeze, cough, loss of consciousness and collapse.
Living with nut allergy
Nuts are widely used in cooking and can be hard to avoid. In some cases even trace amounts can trigger symptoms.
- Children should take their own nut-free food to school and not swap/share food.
- Always check food labels. Laws require foods which contain nuts to indicate this.
- Become familiar with high-risk foods.
- Be cautious with any food that you have not prepared yourself.
- Ring restaurants before dining out. Don’t rely on the menu. Speak to the manager.
Notify the parents of your child’s friends if your child is visiting or staying over. However, even with the greatest care, a nut-allergic person will have an accidental exposure every few years. Know in advance what to do if this occurs. Ask your GP for an ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis. If your child has an adrenaline autoinjector, make sure it is always available wherever your child goes.
www.allergy.org.au www.allergyfacts.org.au
Are these foods sabotaging your weight loss attempts?
- Bought salads. A salad swimming in oil is not diet-friendly! Get the dressing on the side and add just a little.
- Fat-free frozen yoghurt. It may be fat-free but is still laden with sugar and kilojoules. Watch your portion size.
- Muffins and banana bread. Most are packed with sugar and fat. Remember that they are actually cakes.
- Coffee. Extra large, full-cream lattes with 3 sugars are a catastrophe! Have a small size with skim milk and no sugar.
- Sweet drinks. Beware of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and fruit juices. One 600ml bottle of soft drink contains a whopping 14 teaspoons of sugar!
Source: Australian Healthy Food Guide magazine
www.healthyfoodguide.com.au
Chicken soup is a great home remedy for colds and flus and is a wonderful comfort food.
Serves 6. Prep 10 min, cook 10 min.
1 small barbecued chicken
2 teaspoons of olive oil
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated
4 cups reduced-salt chicken stock
350g fresh Singapore noodles
310g can corn kernels, drained
Step 1. Remove chicken meat from bones. Discard skin and carcass. Shred chicken and set aside. You will need about 2 cups of shredded chicken.
Step 2. Heat oil in a large deep saucepan over medium heat. Add green onions. Cook for 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute. Add stock and 2 cups water, then bring to boil.
Step 3. Add noodles, corn and chicken. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until noodles are tender and chicken is heated through. Serve.
Per serve: 1710kJ, protein 44g, total fat 14g, sat fat 4g, carbs 25g, fibre 2g.
Source: Australian Healthy Food Guide magazine
www.healthyfoodguide.com.au
The perfect partner
The 5 secrets for a perfect partner, from the woman’s perspective, are:
1. Find a man who helps at home, cooks from time to time, cleans up and has a job.
2. Find a man who makes you laugh.
3. Find a man whom you can trust and who doesn’t lie.
4. Find a man who is good in bed and who likes to be with you.
5. It is very important that these 4 men don’t know each other.
Swine Flu Hotline
There have been many complaints about the Swine Flu Hotline. Apparently it is hard to get a clear line. As one angry man said, ‘All I am getting is crackling’
