Ramadan is a holy month that is observed by many people around the world. It involves fasting from dawn until dusk, which means no food or water during that time.
Certain groups of people are recommended not to fast, including, pregnant or breast feeding ladies, frail and elderly and certain chronic medical conditions. If you are unsure of your health eligibility to fast please discuss it with your local doctor. 😊
For more Ramadan health tips head over to youtube.com/drnora.
In today’s episode I take you through some useful tips on how to get the most out of your prescribed medication to ensure that you are taking it correctly and safely.
Over 300 million prescriptions are given to patients each year in Australia alone and there are a number of pitfalls that can take place along a medication journey.
CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR
This is arguably one of the most important tips. Whilst you are in your consultation with your doctor, be sure to cover the following to get the best understanding:
- What is the medicine for
- How long should I take it
- How often should I take it
- When should I expect to see a change
- What are the side effects
- When should I come back
PHARMACY
The next step in your medication journey is to speak with the pharmacist. I have personally been dispensed expired medication which is not ideal as expired medication may not work and they may have untoward side effects. Usually pharmacists should be checking all the medications before dispensing, however as seen in my example this is not always the case. Here are some things to consider when getting your medication:
- Check the expiry
- Check the label for the correct name, medication, dosage and instructions.
- Make sure the medication is sealed.
AT HOME
Now that you have your medication, be sure to continue with your safety checks before taking your medication.
- Read the package insert
- Reflect on how you feel after taking the medication - do you have any side effects?
- Make an appointment to see your doctor for follow up.
CHAPTERS
0.05 Introduction
0:50 Doctor Consultation
7:33 Pharmacy Dispensing
11.24 Package Insert
11.58 Over The Counter Medication
13.25 Conclusion
With the above tips you can continue to take your medications safely and effectively. I hope you enjoyed this video and as always if you have any questions or comments please drop me in a line below.
It’s recommended that we have no more than 5g of salt a day or 2300mg of sodium. However, the average Australian has almost twice that much - a staggering 9g of salt a day. Having an excess of salt leads to serious health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke.
Next time you’re in the supermarket take a look at the nutritional label. You want to aim to have foods low in salt which means no more than 120mg of sodium per 100g. High salt foods are considered to have 400mg of sodium per 100g.
A new week brings new opportunities and achievements 💪
Each week, I make a list of the things that I want to achieve. These are tasks that are realistic and can be done with a little motivation. This week I am aiming to complete my final exam for the practical management of skin cancer in General Practice. Helping to provide better care for my patients in sunny Queensland.
In today’s episode of Dr Nora, I take you through what to expect if you have a common sexually transmitted infection such as chlamydia or gonorrhea.
As a General Practitioner I am presented with an array of health conditions. However, Sexually Transmitted Infections (or STIs) are becoming a more common presentation.
CHLAMYDIA
Approximately 85–90% of people who are infected show no symptoms at all, making it harder for patients to come forward for testing. However, for those who are symptomatic, symptoms for men include, discharge, pain on passing urine and testicular pain to name a few. For women, they may experience vaginal discharge, pelvic pain and irregular bleeding - such as bleeding in between periods or after intercourse.
If chlamydia is not treated, it can lead to a number of complications. For men it may lead to a condition known as epididymo-orchitis, which presents with pain and swelling of the scrotum. For women it can lead to a condition known as pelvic inflammatory disease and later infertility. In both groups, it may cause reactive arthritis - a condition where joints become inflamed and swollen and conjunctivitis. It is therefore very important to get tested.
Your medical practitioner will either ask you to present a first pass urine of the day or may offer to perform a swab or ask you to collect a swab for yourself.
Treatment includes a 7 day course of oral antibiotics, or if compliance may be an issue, your doctor may give you a one day course of strong antibiotics instead.
It is very important that you carefully follow the aftercare instructions once you have been treated. Following treatment, you should not have intercourse for at least 7 days to prevent infection spreading. You should also contact anyone you had relations with over the past 6 months and not engage in any activity with them until they test negative. This helps to prevent re-infection. Your doctor may ask for you to repeat your test after 4 weeks to ensure that the infection has been fully cleared.
GONORRHEA
Gonorrhea (or ‘the clap’) is another bacterial sexually transmitted infection, although its prevalence is not as high as chlamydia, rates are steadily rising. I am seeing a larger number coming through this year compared to last.
It is frequently found in homosexual males but also younger heterosexual couples. The prevalence is increasing, especially in women.
Most women, around 80% who are diagnosed with vaginal gonorrhea, may not experience any symptoms at all. However, men who are diagnosed with urethral gonorrhea tend to present with symptoms (around 85–90%). For men, symptoms include, penile discharge and pain on passing urine. For symptomatic women, they may experience vaginal discharge, pain during intercourse and pelvic pain.
Just like chlamydia, it is important that gonorrhea gets treated as non treatment can lead to complications. For women, pelvic inflammatory disease and later fertility issues may be a problem and for men, again epididymo-orchitis and less commonly prostatitis (inflammation and swelling of the prostate gland).
Diagnosis takes the form of either a first pass urine or a swab either collected by yourself or the doctor and treatment, if positive generally consists of a short course of an oral antibiotic and an intramuscular injection of a strong antibiotic.
It is recommended that you abstain from intercourse for 7 days post treatment and contact trace any partners over the past 2 months. It is vital to have a repeat test of cure after 2 weeks to ensure that the infection has been successfully treated.
Of course, STIs are considered to be easily preventable and this would be through the form of using barrier contraception such as condoms. If you had a previous infection with either STI and you become re-infected, you will still need to receive treatment as you will not be immune.
CHAPTERS
0.07 Introduction
0:46 Chlamydia
1:35 Chlamydia Symptoms
2:55 Diagnosis
3:46 Chlamydia Treatment
5:45 Gonorrhea
6:18 Gonorrhea Symptoms
8:17 Gonorrhea Treatment
10:26 Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this video and as always if you have any questions or comments please drop me in a line below.
