Our Services
Women’s Health Checks
Because women are more susceptible to certain illnesses or conditions at different stages of their lives, we vary our checks accordingly. We will also tell you what signs to look out for as you grow older. For instance, you're more likely to experience depression in your 20s, weight problems in your 30s and 40s, high blood pressure and diabetes in your 50s. Naturally, we provide breast screening, Pap smears and other standard tests. And with new studies showing that Australian women are four times more likely to die of heart disease than breast cancer, we have been putting additional emphasis on your cardiovascular health. We also offer family planning advice and contraceptive implants.
Men’s Health Checks
By discussing the medical history of you and your family, we can determine which tests are most suitable for you. Commonly, we will check your height, weight, eyes and ears. Recommend blood tests to check your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Conduct a prostate screen. And assess your cardiovascular risk. We might also talk about your lifestyle and how it affects your health. This could lead to the development of an exercise and weight reduction plan. Alcohol and drug counselling. Dietary advice. Methods to stop smoking. And stress management techniques. In short, whatever is most appropriate for you and your situation.
Children’s Health Checks
We like to see newborn children every two months until the age of six months, then again at 18 months. During these consultations, we will administer their recommended immunizations, conduct routine exams and screenings, and chart their growth. When your child reaches the age of four, we carry out the Federal Government's Healthy Kids Check. This consists of taking your child's medical and social history (or updating an existing record), carrying out examinations, giving the four-year-old immunisation and then making a health assessment based on what we learn. Where we identify problems, we may need to arrange for referrals and follow-up visits.
Childhood Immunisations
Childhood immunisation is a safe, free and effective way to protect your kids from serious diseases. Our experienced doctors and nurses are fully qualified to administer on-time vaccinations to your children across their entire immunisation schedule.
Skin Lesion and Mole Exam
Even if you didn't live in the land of sun and sand and surf, you should still have a total cutaneous examination every year. More often if you're particularly fair, freckled, have had previous lesions or a melanoma diagnosis in the family. Like many cancers, skin cancers start as pre-cancerous lesions. We are quite experienced at finding and assessing these lesions. Using liquid nitrogen cryotherapy, we can treat most of them on the spot before they become dangerous. For more advanced lesions, we will remove a small section to be biopsied. Because skin cancer is the most common cancer in Australia, this 15-minute consultation could end up saving your life.
Weight Reduction
If you're significantly overweight, shedding kilos is easily the most effective way to improve your health and add years to your life. However, for a lot of people, the main problem seems to be where to start; you have myriad options, each of them with strong advocates. The advice we offer is all based on sound physiological knowledge and the latest advances in medical research. Normally, we start by recommending you modify your lifestyle, commonly a change in diet and a regimen of exercise or increased activity. If this doesn't achieve the desired results, we might prescribe drug therapy. In severe cases, the best option is surgery, where we’ve seen some gratifying success stories.
Smoking Cessation
Everyone knows that smoking isn't healthy. However, relatively few people realise just how deadly this addiction can be. Aside from lung cancer, emphysema and clogged arteries, there are more than 20 potentially fatal diseases caused by smoking. Not to mention a host of debilitating, disfiguring, downright disgusting conditions. Quitting is unquestionably the single best way to dramatically improve your health. And life expectancy. Gradual reduction, nicotine replacement therapy and going cold turkey can all work, but efficacy varies from person to person. That's where we come in. Over the years we have been successful in finding the best way for our patients to give up this incredibly dangerous habit.
ECG Test
The spikes and dips of an electrocardiogram (ECG) allow us to find the cause of unexplained chest pain or rapid, irregular heartbeats or other heart-related symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting. ECGs are also very informative when other diseases or conditions are present, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, diabetes or a family history of early heart disease.
Lung Function Test
Using our spirometer, we administer preliminary tests to measure both lung volume and airflow. The results should help us determine whether you suffer from an obstructive lung disease such as asthma or a restrictive disease like pulmonary fibrosis. If so, we can then decide on appropriate management. If you're scheduled for a spirometry test, something to bear in mind. Because your stomach can prevent your lungs from expanding properly, don't eat too much prior to testing. You also shouldn't smoke or exercise heavily for at least six hours beforehand. These tests are simple, safe and well tolerated by patients, with minimal side effects or complications. (We can't say the same for smoking.)
Diabetes Management
Type 2 diabetes, the most common form, is a long-term disease now affecting some one million Australians. That number is expected to double in the next few years. The good news is that up to 60 percent of diabetes cases could be prevented, or at least delayed, by people maintaining a healthy weight. Using a simple but informative test called the Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool (DRAT), we can identify those people aged 40-49 who are at high risk. Click here to download a PDF of the test to fill out before coming to see us. The results guide us in suggesting lifestyle interventions that will help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes and in many cases dramatically affect life expectancy. Our formalised care includes dietary advice, exercise plans and weight loss assistance.
Health Care Planning
A number of our patients have chronic, often complex medical conditions that require treatment not only from us but other health or care providers as well. Such conditions have generally been present for at least six months and include asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, musculoskeletal conditions and stroke. In order to provide each of these people access to allied health services that are eligible for Medicare rebates, we prepare an individualised management plan taking into account each patient's medical and care needs as well as the general guidance set out in the Medical Benefits Scheme.
In-house Dietician
If you desperately want to lose some weight or if you suffer from diabetes, food allergies, high cholesterol, coeliac disease, osteoporosis, persistent heartburn, diarrhoea or any other ailment affected by what you put in your stomach, you might want to make an appointment with Pennie McCoy. Since gaining her degree in Health Science from university in 2004, Pennie has helped hundreds of people feel better than they had in years. She takes a very practical approach to nutrition, eschewing myths and fads to provide science-based advice relevant to your specific health needs. After an initial consultation to identify what needs changing, Pennie will work with you to set and prioritise goals. Follow-up consultations focus on measuring progress and making any adjustments necessary to ensure you not only achieve your goals but continue to maintain them into the future. Pennie is with us every Saturday morning from 8:00 till noon. To make an appointment directly, click Pennie McCoy.
Travel Medicine
Unfortunately, some of the most alluring destinations on this planet - particularly in the so-called Third World - happen to be among the most virulent. Fortunately, we happen to subscribe to Travel Health Advisor (formally MASTA), the global advisory service with the largest and most up-to-date database of travel diseases on the planet. This allows us to offer patients the very latest advice on what medical dangers they're likely to encounter just about anywhere in the world. We can also provide malaria protection and inoculations against the most common infectious diseases. And that includes yellow fever vaccinations. You might also want to check out The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade smartraveller.gov.au and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control cdc.gov websites.
Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology
Douglass Hanly Moir has a pathology collection centre on our premises, providing procedural tests Monday through Friday from 8.00am - 1.00pm. In many cases you'll be able take a referral from your doctor and walk straight into the collection centre. No appointment necessary.