Berwick Medical Centre

The patient  health summary is the  most  useful information you can present to a doctor you are seeing  for the first time or when attending Accident  & Emergency or being admitted to   hospital.  Patient  health  summaries are  readily printed by your GP and  ususally  are  1-2 A 4 pages that are easily carried and read by a health professional. They also faciltate any practioner  contacting your regular doctor and assist  in providing  the  address for communicating results , correspondence  and discharge summaries to.   We encourage you to ask  your doctor to print you a copy to carry

Approximately 1000 children  die from inhaled foreign bodies  per year  and around the age of   3 yo. Mostly between  1 –2  yo. The  most  common  inhaled  objects are  food and nuts but  potentially any  small item. A history of choking /coughing with associated respiratory distress like  wheeze noisy whistling  breathing ,  “ turning blue “ with coughing or wheeze., a subsequent  quiescent  asymptomatic phase may prevail  then be  followed  by  respiratory complications  like bronchitis  or pneumonia  with symptoms  of  cough , fever  and being generally unwell. Metal and glass objects  may show  on  xray but plastic and food  or other...read more

Community  immunity  protects   those  members of the community  who cannot or  have  not  already been vaccinated  - like the  immunocompromised  with serious other illness like cancer  or dialysis, old age debility , those undergoing  chemotherapy and  new borns  not  yet vaccinated. To achieve community immunity  at least   92% of the community need to be vaccinated. Potentially  life threatening diseases that  are  vaccinated against in Australia are: Diptheria , Whooping  cough , Tetanus , Poliomyelitis, Measles, gastroeneteritis from Rotavirus.and chickenpox Additionally  significant  diseases  like  cancer of the cervix, meningococcal infection, hepatitis B  pnemococcal disease are  also  vaccinated through  school  and  retired ...read more

“ use  it  or lose it  “  is  a useful adage  to remember  for  osteoarthritis  especially of weight  bearing  joints. Weight  reduction of   5% in  20  weeks  is a  worthwhile  goal to aspire  to with  real benefits remembering that for every 1 kgm  weight loss  there is a 4kgm reduction in pressure  on the major  weight  bearing  joints of the leg  like the knee. Regular Exercise   reduces  pain and maintains or  improves  joint function. Balance training  reduces   the  likelihood  of falls  and  enhances  joint movement. Active  aerobic  exercise  should be  done  for   30 mins / day – most  days at...read more

Lifestyle  modification   is the  mainstay of  treatment of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and generally achieves around   5% weight loss and  should be maintained  for at least 2 years preferably 3 years to be considered sustained and permanent. It  is  best  if this weight loss is  apparent in a  reduction in waist  circumference  - less than 94 cm for  men and 80 cm for women  or  waist / hip ratio that is sustained. These  measurements reflect  the  fat load on central blood vessels. Three  forms of bariatric    weight  reduction surgery are available in Australia. Laparascopic   gastric  band, gastric sleeve  and   gastric...read more