Posted in Health and Well Being

Did you know that sleep is one of the most important factor for long term mental and physical health?

Even short-term sleep deprivation is associated with a poorer productivity and poorer mental health. Sleep is a vital time for rest, rejuvenation and cellular repair. It is during sleep that our immune system does it's finest work, alongside the liver detoxification, hormonal balance, emotional regulation and gut function.

Alarmingly teenagers and even small children are getting into bad sleep habits and are recurrently suffering from sleep deprivation affecting their learning, social functioning and mental health. In fact, sleep apnea is one of the most significant inter-relational factors in Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

Sleep apnea is one of Australia's most under diagnosed chronic health issues. The reason being apart from fatigue, most sufferers don't know that they have interrupted sleep, because the waking last only seconds but can be as frequent as 60 times an hour. This is called micro-wakings. Micro-wakings are not recalled and the sufferer often wakes fatigues, has increased daytime sleepiness and lower production.

Sometimes sleep disturbance when it happens over a long period of time can be an underlying cause of chronic fatigue, chronic depression, difficulty losing weight and treatment resistant high blood pressure.

Sleep apnea is also associated with an increased risk of sudden death, heart attacks and strokes.

At Whole Medicine we have invested in the latest sleep diagnostic machine and are offering home sleep tests for as little as $180.00.

If you are interested, please talk to your GP or simply make an appointment with our practice Nurse, Heather 03 5986-4229.

• Hot flushes, forgetfulness, joint aches and palpitations?
• Sweet or chocolate cravings?
• Afternoon fatigue?
• Waking through the night?
• PMT?
• Lowered mood?
• Excessive bloating, swelling or weight gain?

If so, your hormones may be playing a role.

Healthy hormones are one of the cornerstones of good health and well-being. Did you know that hormones affect every living cellular being? Good hormonal health is associated with good mental health, optimal performance, good energy and sleep to name a few, they are even associated with regulating our cravings and helping us find the perfect partner.

The other beautiful thing about hormones is that they all love talking to each other, so the health of one system affects the health of the other, for good and for bad.

Names such insulin, progesterone, melatonin, gherelin, thyroxine and cortisol are but a few of the crucial hormones that are at play when considering our optimal health.

But how do we affect our hormones, what can we do to make sure they are working as well as they can? Well this is where lifestyle, food choices, mental health, sleep, relaxation and other factors come into play.

Because hormones played a role in cellular health since time began, nature has evolved with nutrients, herbs and other vital things to help us along our way.

If you would like more information, why not come along to an intimate night with Dr Michelle Woolhouse and her colleagues. She will talk you through all the inter-connection that you need to know to understand and optimise your hormonal balance and your well-being.

Date:Thursday 11th October 2018
Time: 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Location: Frankston Library, 60 Playne Street Frankston
Cost: $30

Only 20 tickets left! Click here to secure your tickets.

When treating your symptoms isn't enough

Whether you are a new mum, a baby boomer or a business owner, everyone wants to be well.

But, sadly, chronic disease is Australia's biggest health challenge with heart disease, obesity, cancer, cognitive impairment, arthritis and diabetes at epidemic proportions.

Dr Preveena Nair, Whole Medicine GP (MBBS, FRACGP), says the key to staying well is to take care of the whole spectrum of your health including the physical, mental, emotional and environmental factors.

"However, if disease does strike we are determined to address the underlying reasons why," she explains.

"With every episode of a diseased condition, we help patients understand what went wrong and how this could be prevented from happening again."

To do this, Whole Medicine doctors are empowered to treat all of the medical issues a regular GP does, but also practice evidence-based natural medicine to provide a holistic approach to your health.

If you need:

• A doctor who in addition to their medical degree also has skills in evidence-based natural, non-drug therapies
• An open-minded investigation into the cause, not just the symptoms
• A detailed gathering of information to ensure your treatment plan has your big picture in mind
• Caring doctors and nurses who allow the time to listen, support and educate every patient
• Access to the best specialists, hospitals, procedures and investigations if required
• Modern rooms and a relaxed environment
• A selection of appointment times, fees and services to suit your needs
• Access to an in-house dispensary

Contact Whole Medicine to book an appointment 03 5986 4229.

Whole Medicine puts women's wellbeing in the spotlight

When women have family, friends and colleagues depending on them, it can be difficult to find time for yourself.

To help, Dr Michelle Woolhouse, Whole Medicine integrative GP, urges Mornington Peninsula women to put themselves first during Women's Health Week from 3 7 September.

"This is the perfect time to follow up on any overdue health checks such as cervical cancer screenings, skin checks, your breast health, diabetes tests, emotional support, bowel cancer screenings, bone mass density scans or blood pressure checks," she says.

"Remember, in order to look after others, sometimes we just have to put our own health priorities first!"

Here are three more ways to focus on your wellbeing this week

1. SHELVE IT
Try to stamp out at least one unhealthy habit such as smoking, sugar, skipping breakfast, being overly sedentary, drinking too much alcohol, excessive worry or not getting enough sleep.

2. MOVE IT
Finding time to exercise can be difficult when family, work and other commitments are mounting up, but it's key to long-term health and prevention of disease. You can always break down the recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise into three 10 minute bursts of moderate activity.

3. FEEL IT
Taking some time out to look after your emotional wellbeing is vital for your overall health. Give yourself permission to do something just for you read a book, practice yoga or learn to meditate, go for a beach walk, meet up with friends whatever makes you feel good.

Why not book an appointment to see one of the integrative Whole Medicine GP's and take the next step towards a holistic approach to your well-being.  Contact our friendly reception team on 03 5986 4229.

Click here for more information on Women's Health Week.

Medicare Rebates apply to all services.

Hormones are really very important to the health of everything organ and system in the human body. So what are they and what do they do?  Hormones are quite simply chemical messengers, that transfer information from place to place, think "Australia Post".

Hormones are responsible for regulating our sleep, our sexual functions, our reproductive cycles, our sugars, our fats and our energy systems. Some examples include insulin, thyroid hormone, oestrogen and melatonin.

We even have hormones that regulate our blood pressure, our kidney function, our mineral levels, our inflammation levels and our emotions.

So how do we know if hormones are an issue?

Because hormones are designed to communicate certain unique messages, when they don't function well, the patterns of symptoms are similar. Ie when your hormones are out of balance, the symptoms you feel during the pre-menstrual times, ie irritability, sore breasts, fluid retention, chocolate cravings, headaches etc are akin to deficiencies in progesterone and possibly excesses in oestrogen.   Another example is the thyroid gland, which produces hormones that regulate how much energy we have for our metabolism. If you are suffering from constipation, fatigue, dry skin, poor sleep, easy weight gain and lowered mood, this may indicate an issue with your thyroid gland.

So how do I know?

Discuss the patterns of your symptoms with your GP, certain tests, either blood, urine or saliva can indicate if you have an issue.

So what can be done?

The good news is that hormones usually get upset due to poor lifestyle choices, like too much sugar, alcohol, caffeine, stress, lack of sleep, and also in the presence of abnormal nutrient levels. They may also be out of balance in the case, where your immune system and inflammation levels are too high, which can also upset the balance.

If you would like to find out more, or feel like you need to spend some time exploring whether your hormones may be at play in your current health issues.  Why not book an appointment to see one of the integrative Whole Medicine GP's and take the next step towards a holistic approach to your well-being.