Dr Alice Lam, GP and Health / Medical Writer

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Image by ro dion from Pixabay

Free asthma toolkit & a reminder on thunderstorm asthma

Did you know that around 1 in 10 Australians have asthma?

The symptoms of asthma vary between individuals, including cough, tight chest, wheeze and breathlessness. Some people have mild and infrequent symptoms, whereas others experience daily symptoms and/or severe attacks.

It is useful to work out your potential triggers, such as cold weather, exercise or hay fever, as taking daily preventer treatment in consultation with your GP can help you to manage your symptoms well. The risk of poorly controlled asthma includes not having a great quality of life, being more prone to serious chest infections and attacks, or being unprepared for thunderstorm asthma.

Thunderstorm asthma can occur with little warning when the weather is hot, dry and windy with a consequent high pollen count, with broken up pollen grains causing even more allergic asthma attacks. It tends to occur in spring or summer. It is a serious matter - in 2016, over 3,000 people had to attend Emergency departments and 10 people sadly died.

Asthma Australia has some useful info here about thunderstorm asthma, and they recommend seeing your GP 6 weeks before the pollen season to start preventers.

Finally, Asthma Australia also offer a free toolkit full of information including asthma basics (including the best way to use an inhaler and spacer), asthma emergencies, smoking, and pregnancy. Plus they also have apps to help you manage your asthma well. And if you need to speak to someone, they have asthma educators available Mon-Fri 9am-5pm on 1800 ASTHMA (1800 278 462).

Info on thunderstorm language is also available in other languages here.

"Adult Using an Asthma Inhaler" by NIAID is licensed under CC BY 2.

How to stay grounded during Coronavirus

Is the Coronavirus pandemic affecting your mental health? Has your usual routine has gone out of the window? Do you feel like you’ve lost direction?

Photo by Drew Coffman on Unsplash

Take me to free article

Confused by advice on masks, COVID-19 vaccines and treatments?

Take me to the COVID-19 fact check!

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

This is a great collection of practical tips produced by a collaboration between various mental health bodies, to support the mental health and wellbeing of Australians during #COVID19
#GettingThroughThisTogether

Coronavirus: Help for stress and anxiety

Feeling sad, overwhelmed or stressed out?

You are now able to access even more psychological support than ever.

In March 2020, new Medicare rebates were introduced to enable people to access up to 10 bulk-billed psychological services by telephone or video call.

As of 7th August 2020, the Australian Government extended the number to allow a further 10 subsidised sessions, subject to GP review and if public health orders (issued at any time from 1 July 2020 to 31 March 2021):

are restricting your movement, or
have required you to isolate or quarantine

Note: These extra sessions are available until 31st March 2021.

If you are feeling stressed or anxious in relation to the Coronavirus pandemic, you are not alone. It is hard to get away from the constant media, ever-changing government updates and restrictions on our way of life. Reduced social contact, temporary closure of community hubs, worries about our jobs and our children's schooling are just some of the concerns that can affect our mental health. As well as consulting with your GP, here are some other places you can get help.

The Black Dog Institute offers links to resources to help you look after your mental health. It includes guided meditations, relaxation techniques, and fact sheets including how to support and reassure young people. And they have even produced a customisable self-care plan which is full of tips and advice.

More support services* are listed below:

Lifeline Australia 13 11 14
A crisis support service offering short term support at any time for people who are having difficulty coping or staying safe.

Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
Mental health information and support for all Australians. Support includes phone, online chat, email and forum.

MensLine Australia 1300 789 978
As well as free phone counselling, you can access free online chat and video counselling.

Kids Helpline 1800 551 800
A free, private and confidential 24/7 phone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25 years.

Eheadspace 1800 650 890
Online and telephone support and counselling for 12 - 25 year olds, their families and friends.

Photo by Kat Jayne from Pexela

Coronavirus: Info and Resources

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that cause the common cold, and more seriously illnesses such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain in humans, which researchers believe may have been passed to humans by exposure to bats or pangolins, following genomic sequencing.

On 20 January 2020, Chinese authorities confirmed the novel coronavirus was spreading person-to-person. The first case in Australia was confirmed on 23 January 2020,

You can find more, including how to reduce your risk of exposure, who should get tested and what to do you if you feel unwell on the Department of Health website, the Victorian Department of Health & Human Services website or you can ring the
24/7 National Coronavirus Helpline on
1800 020 080.

For advice on who should self-isolate and how, see here.

For up-to-date travel advice, see here.

Testing is recommended in people who display the following symptoms:

Fever OR chills in the absence of an alternative diagnosis that explains the clinical presentation

OR

Acute respiratory infection that is characterised by runny nose, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath or loss of sense of smell/taste.

The Australian Department of Health particularly recommends testing for people with symptoms if:

you travelled on a cruise ship (either passenger or crew) in the 14 days before developing symptoms
you have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days
you are a health care, aged care or residential care worker or staff member with direct patient contact
you have lived in or travelled through an area where there is a higher risk of community transmission, as defined by the local public health unit

After testing you MUST stay at home until you have a negative COVID result AND your symptoms have cleared.

iF YOU ARE NOT SURE, CLICK BELOW TO USE THE SYMPTOM CHECKER WHICH WILL HELP YOU DECIDE IF YOU NEED TESTING. IT WILL ALSO TAKE YOU TO A LIST OF GP'S WHO ARE SEEING PATIENTS WITH SYMPTOMS.

healthdirect Symptom Checker

If you are looking for your nearest Covid-19 testing clinics, here is a list of links from healthdirect:

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

For daily Covid-19 updates, click here*:

Department of Health COVID-19 health alert

*Links to Department of Health website in new window

United Nations COVID-19 Response@unitednations

You should also get tested if you have headache, muscle aches, stuffy nose, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea and:

you have returned from overseas in the past 14 days
you have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19
you are a health care or aged care worker

Photo created by freepik - www.freepik.com

COVID-19 Restriction Checker

Find out what you can and can't do in your state or territory here.

Created by starline - www.freepik.com

COVIDSafe app

The COVIDSafe app is completely voluntary, and is designed to help manual contact tracing (identifying those who have been in close contact with a positive case). You can read more about it and download the app here.

Image from Australian Government Department of Health website

For more health information and tips, come and check out my Blog where we look at who can give blood and what happens to donations, insider secrets on getting the best out of your GP, online mental health support and more.

And finally another reminder, if you need a health writer who happens to have medical qualifications, please contact me today via my Health Writer Service page. I'm looking forward to collaborating with you.

Feel free to email me for non-medical matters using the Contact Form.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

All content on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for individual consultation with a qualified physician.

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