Tracy Woods
Coronavirus update
Tracy Woods
Merry Christmas
Tracy Woods
Is it still worth getting a flu vaccination?
Tracy Woods
The vaccine procedure for children at ...
Derrick Kuan
Cosmetic Medicine

Currambine Family Practice is happy to offer cosmetic injectable treatments performed by two of our experienced GP’s, Dr Jessica Johnson and Dr Jan Fonseca.

We only use the highest quality products approved for use in Australia and manufactured by industry leaders in cosmetic medicine.

We aim to understand your skin concerns and help make improvements that produce a natural, refreshed appearance.

Cosmetic Medicine

Thank you Heather

Dear Patients, 
It’s with mixed emotions that I announce that I will be leaving Currambine Family Practice in mid April 2016. I feel terribly sad to leave my colleagues and patients, but excited about the next chapter for my husband and I as we move to live in Busselton (250km south of Perth). My last day at Currambine will be Friday 15 April.

I have been at Ocean Keys and Currambine Family Practices for just over 7 years. Thank you to all my patients for allowing me to be part of your lives for this time. 

I have great respect for my colleagues, and know your health is in good hands when I leave the practice. I wish you all the very best for the future. 


With kind regards, 
Dr Heather Brand

 

How To Create A Diet Plan For Weight Loss

One of the biggest challenges when dieting is knowing what a healthy diet looks like, it is best to avoid the urge to cut something completely out of your diet because our bodies require nutrients from multiple sources.  Instead of cutting all those carbohydrates it would be better to focus on improving your diet quality instead.  A healthy diet should focus on increasing your fruit and vegetable intake, exercising portion control, monitoring what you are drinking, and minimize your exposure to scenarios, which cue the urge to eat when you are not hungry. 

What can you do to avoid eating when you are not hungry?  You can train yourself to avoid food cues by exposing yourself to favorite foods and allowing yourself only a taste of the food without eating them.  You will have to follow several steps to remind yourself why you are not eating the food.  This will mean reminding yourself that you are responding to a food cue, resisting the urge to respond to it by using an alternate behavior such as drinking water or going for a walk, and remembering the larger picture of your goal. You will want to develop a plan to get yourself off of the diet rollercoaster.  This involves assessing you diet quality, planning more balanced and nutritious meals, using smaller dishes, smaller portions, changing your food environment and food cues to eat, minimize where you allow yourself to eat, and avoid exposing yourself to foods you do not want to eat by driving or exercising away from those places and recording television programs to allow you to skip those fast food commercials. 

What is a nurse practitioner?

Nurse Practitioners are Registered Nurses who have undertaken further education to Masters Degree level.  In the General Practice setting, the nurse practitioner works closely with your GP to provide care to patients within the surgery.

NP’s are able to provide a wider range of services including the ability to request a range of blood tests, refer for x-rays and some ultrasound scans.  NP’s are also able to issue prescriptions for antibiotics, simple analgesia etc as well as repeat scripts (medications already prescribed by the GP with some exclusions).

The role of the NP includes:  Assessing patients with chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease, creating care plans to assist in providing the best treatment and education, with regular review to achieve better outcomes.

Providing health assessments for the over 75’s, immunisations for children and adults, wound care, triaging of emergency patients, warfarin care, consultations for patients with minor complaints such as viral illness (coughs, colds, sore throats), ear infections, urinary tract infections etc, as well as providing contraceptive advice including insertion and removal of implanon and routine pap smears

Back to school – is your child’s asthma plan ready?

The return back to school is a busy time for kids and especially parents. Aside from the usual array of tasks to do, most schools ask that children with medical conditions such as asthma to have some documentation ready.  The asthma action plan is an important document because it provides critical information about your child’s medical needs if they become unwell.  The return to school coincides with an extremely busy time for doctors treating patients with asthma, so much so that it is known as the “February epidemic”.  

An asthma review appointment allows your GP to review the asthma action plan as well as check important things such as asthma inhaler technique and when prescriptions will be due.  If your child needs an asthma review, please let our reception staff know.

 

https://twitter.com/BreakfastNews/status/692469047338897409

 

Good Social Relationships Have A Positive Impact Your Physical Health

While we know that diet and exercise play an important role in our physical wellbeing, new research is showing that our social life has a tangible effect as well. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Renmin University in China conducted a study examining the association between a participant’s physical measurements and the quality of their social relationships.  The possible link they found? Stress. 

One of the professors who led the study noted that good social relationships reduce the daily stresses of life. So, cultivating good relationships are one more preventive measure we can take. If you’re a teen or senior it’s good to have a large social group and if you fall in the middle, you’ll opt for smaller close relationships. In the end, however, everyone can do themselves good by cutting down on relationships that cause strain and choosing ones that bring fulfillment. 

Merry Christmas

We would like to wish all of our patients a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy 2016. 

Christmas opening hours

Tuesday 24th December 7am-3pm

Wednesday 25th December CLOSED

Thursday 26th December CLOSED

Friday 27th December 8am-5.30pm

Saturday 28th December 8am-12pm

Monday 30th December 8am-5.30pm

Tuesday 31st December 7am-3pm

Wednesday 1st December CLOSED

Thursday 2nd December 8am-5.30pm

Why is my doctor running late

Why is my doctor running late?

Running on time is really important to us. We understand that people have busy lives and coming to the doctor can be a stressful experience.  As a practice we recognise the importance of providing timely highly quality service for our patients and we have designed our bookings system to support this.  Unfortunately in general practice things don't always go to plan!  Part of being a caring and comprehensive family practice means we endeavour to look after emergencies and unwell patients.  If your doctor is running late, please bear with us - your time is important and we will do our best to provide the highest quality care for you and your family.

 

Going to Bali?

Most people who go to Bali let their guard down because it's so familiar and close by. Bali is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and as a result, a very popular destination, full of upscale hotels and resorts., but just because you are staying at a 4 or 5 star location doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider your health prior to departing for your trip. Even in Bali, there can be some serious medical issues that all travellers should be aware of and, when appropriate, take the necessary steps to ensure you have a happy and healthy holiday.

The most common medical issues facing travellers to Bali are related to poor local hygiene, safe water and food, and diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. It is reported that up to 40% of tourists may deal with diarrhoea, so be sure to pack appropriate medication in case your are affected. It is also strongly recommended that travellers are vaccinated against hepatitis A, a viral disease that is transmitted via contaminated food or drinking water. Other highly recommended immunizations include tetanus and diphtheria, as well as typhoid, which is suggested for adventurous travellers who plan to venture “off the beaten path.”

Travellers are also warned to avoid close contact with animals as there have been reports of animal and human rabies in Bali. While immunizations are not necessary, if you are bitten by an animal, you must report to a medical professional immediately for post-exposure treatment. While travellers are recommended to use protection against mosquitoes, the risk of being infected with malaria is very low in Bali, especially in the tourist areas. 

Navigating the treatment of depression

After a diagnosis of depression, you may receive lots of ideas and advice on how to treat it. However, some generally recommended methods may not be effective for you. Here are three commonly suggested treatment methods. Probably the most effective method in the treatment of depression is talk therapy such as cognitive behavior therapy. This type of therapy works well as it stops the cycle of isolation that can occur by encouraging people to confront the beliefs and behaviors that lead to social isolation and depression. The best way to find an effective therapist is to have a doctor refer to a therapist as a credentialed therapist will most likely give you the best support.

A mental health care plan may help make talk therapy more affordable. And ongoing review with your doctor maximises the likelihood of overcoming depression.

Antidepressants can be another effective type of treatment especially when talk therapy has not been effective. However, medication really only works when it is well managed by a physician. This means that you have the correct dosage for your needs as too high or too low a dosage can have problematic side effects. If a medication is not working for you, always consult a doctor before making changes to the dosage of that medication.

Finally, you may have people recommending diet and exercise to help with your depression. While some research suggests that a good diet and fitness routine can help with your depression, there has been very little research about how to use diet and exercise as an intervention to treat your depression. Instead, consider changing your diet and exercise, but use it in addition to talk therapy and/or antidepressants. For further information about these types of treatments consult this link.

The FODMAP Diet

What is the low FODMAP diet?

The low FODMAP diet is an eating plan that is often recommended for people with irritable bowel syndrome which may cause symptoms such as excessive wind and bloating and variable bowel habit.

These symptoms are always worth checking with your doctor.

FODMAPs are types of sugars found in common foods such as certain fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy.  They are poorly absorbed in the gut and ferment which may result in stretching of the bowel and gas production.  

More information about the low FODMAP diet may be found at 

http://www.gesa.org.au/consumer.asp?id=190