MedHeads

In this episode, we discuss a holistic approach to stress management. We will also discuss a simple an effective ‘ A +B = C’ approach. 

Stress as we know it, is inevitable in our day-to-day lives. We also know that if managed appropriately, stress can, in fact, be a driving force to strive further. One of the most significant aspects of poor stress management is that it can lead to people often resorting to the use of alcohol, smoking and recreational drugs for  relief. However, as we know the relief or ‘good feeling’ that such substance use creates is temporary and may lead to poorer mental health and coping skills.

Blog https://www.meducate.com.au/Lifestyle/stress-management

About Meducate ®

Meducate provides online education for doctors, clinicians, health professionals and the public.

See the website to browse the many different talks and courses available

https://www.meducate.com.au

Dr Ferghal Armstrong talks with Standout Medical MD Anita Fletcher.

Standout Medical Careers is an advice-based specialist Medical Career Consultancy practice.

Their goal is to provide doctors with a pragmatic and strategic approach to successfully seeking out and navigating career opportunities.

Providing assistance with career planning, creating impactful CVs and developing effective interview skills, we support doctors at every step of the way in order to help them achieve career fulfilment.

For a private discussion about your career goals, book a free career strategy session via the website: https://standoutmedicalcareers.com.au

This is not a paid promotion video. We invited Anita because we thought it an important topic.

If you have something you would like to discuss on our show, reach out to us via our website https://www.meducate.com.au/contact

Part 2 of our Discussion on Stress

They say that depression is fear of the past, stress is fear of the present, and anxiety is fear of the future.

Stress is ever present in our daily lives. We need stress to keep us motivated, low levels of stress are harmful to us because we become bored, moderate levels of stress are good for us because we become more productive. If, however we feel we cannot cope with the stress and or if we experience high levels of stress then our performance falls off again.

They say that depression is fear of the past, stress is fear of the present, and anxiety is fear of the future.

Stress is ever present in our daily lives. We need stress to keep us motivated, low levels of stress are harmful to us because we become bored, moderate levels of stress are good for us because we become more productive. If, however we feel we cannot cope with the stress and or if we experience high levels of stress then our performance falls off again.

The Yerkes-Dodson curve illustrates this well and illustrates the relationship between stress and boredom, eustress and distress

About Meducate ®

Meducate provides online education for doctors, clinicians, health professionals and the public.

See the website to browse the many different talks and courses available

https://www.meducate.com.au

This week we discuss Alcohol.

Alcohol affects everyone. How it affects you depends on how much you drink, your health, your age and other factors. Drinking too much can lead to harmful short-term and long-term effects.

The harms of smoking are related to three constituents in tobacco smoke. Firstly, nicotine causes addiction, secondly the tar causes progression of atheroma and cancer, and thirdly, carbon monoxide causes poor oxygen delivery to tissues. 

The benefits of smoking cessation occur within minutes, and it is never too late to consider quitting. In fact, one should never quit quitting. Smoking cessation by will power alone has a very low success rate because nicotine is so addictive. 

We know that people do better with a combination of treatments, including counselling, nicotine replacement therapy and medication such as buproprion, varenicline and nortriptyline. 

Vaping has recently become an issue in Australia because it is now illegal to possess nicotine vaping liquid without a prescription. Vaping can be a useful adjunct for smoking cessation for those who have tried unsuccessfully to quit using other treatments, but it is not recommended for children because it can act as a gateway to smoking.

This week we feature Julie Schutz who is a Fellow of the Australian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, a Physiotherapist and a Health Coach who predominantly supports women with autoimmune diseases and other chronic diseases. 

Julie’s interest in Health Coaching stemmed from her personal experience of being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. She was determined to face the challenge of this autoimmune condition by including lifestyle changes to manage her chronic condition and has not looked back since.

These include the 3Fs (feet, fork and fingers) and 3Ss (stress, sleep and socialisation) which we covered in our first episode.

Health Coaching is an evidence-based approach to health involving sustainable changes to behaviours that are consistent with one’s personal goals and beliefs. In an ideal world, every doctor should be able to use these approaches in their practice, but this is not always practically possible. Therefore, the collaboration between a Health Coach and a doctor is very helpful in order to holistically manage a patient’s chronic medical condition. There are various evidence-based techniques used to assist in behaviour changes such as motivational interviewing, positive psychology etc. 

If one is keen on finding a health coach, there is list of highly qualified health coaches that can be accessed at Health Coaches Australia and New Zealand.

The concept of fasting is not new to many especially if we look at the various cultures and religions around the world e.g., Muslims fast during Ramadan, or the various fasts practiced by Hindus and Buddhists. Even Greek philosophers such as Hippocrates and Aristotle have prescribed fasting for various ailments. This week, we look at how and why intermittent fasting works.

This week Saveena and Ferghal discuss the Keto Diet

The highs and the lows of the “Low Carb High Fat” diet.

Many people tend to subscribe to the famous “Low Carb High Fat” diet and others swear by it but a pertinent question to ask is whether these individuals do it well or if they are successful?  Can the diet really improve diabetes control?