Chest pain is quite common. If you or a family member has chest pain, it will probably be caused by something minor. But chest pain can also indicate a serious problem like a heart attack, a blood clot moving to the lungs, or pneumonia. So don’t just put up with Continue Reading
Allergies
An allergy is when your body’s immune system reacts to normally harmless substances that it sees as harmful. The allergy-causing substances are called allergens. Your body’s immune system is a natural defence against infection and other foreign material. If you are allergic to something, your immune system will react every Continue Reading
National respiratory awareness month
Breathe Better September is back with a challenge For most Kiwis breathing is something we don’t think twice about. But for one-in-six living with a respiratory condition, being able to breathe properly is far from reality. On 1 September the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ will launch its annual respiratory Continue Reading
Clinical Pharmacists Could be the Answer to Reducing Medication Harm
Clinical Pharmacists Could be the Answer to Reducing Medication Harm While recent published research has shone light on the problem of medicine-related harm, some innovative pharmacy programmes are helping find a solution. Medwise, a Tauranga-based group of pharmacists, go in to patients’ homes and check the medicines they are taking Continue Reading
Chest infections (bronchitis)
Chest infections (bronchitis)There are different types of chest infections, ranging from the simple acute bronchitis that comes on with a cold, to more serious infections such as pneumonia and tuberculosis. Bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of your bronchial tubes, which carry air to and from your lungs. Bronchitis Continue Reading
What is Parkinson’s?
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurodegenerative condition. It is caused by insufficient quantities of dopamine – a chemical in the brain. Dopamine enables quick, well-coordinated movement. When dopamine levels fall, movements become slow and awkward. Parkinson’s has both motor and non-motor symptoms, and while it cannot be cured it can be Continue Reading
Winter – tips for staying well
Help keep yourself and your family healthy through winter by checking out these tips from Auckland Regional Public Health Service & the Ministry of Social Development. Ten tips for staying well in winter Have the influenza vaccination. For some people the flu vaccine is free. Wash your hands. Winter illnesses Continue Reading
Hearing loss in adults
Here are some symptoms of hearing loss: You frequently have to ask people to repeat themselves You have difficulty understanding speech in noisy places You turn up the volume on your TV or radio so loud that others complain You often misunderstand what is being said. To diagnose a hearing Continue Reading
Children Take Life Saving Seriously
Brave Kiwi children made more than 400 emergency 111 calls to St John in the 12 months ending March 2017 and 321 of them related to life-threatening and urgent situations such as cardiac arrest. In late March 2016 St John started evaluating how many emergency 111 calls came from children Continue Reading
Not Sitting Pretty
We are all conscious of the fact that today’s lifestyle means that we spend more of our working and leisure time sitting. We drive to and from work, work at a desk, drive a truck or taxi, sit at school. We drive home, sit to eat and then relax in Continue Reading