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Author: Nathan Onias

World Cancer Day: Early Detection Saves Lives in Australia

Posted on by Nathan Onias

Each year, on February 4th, the world stands together on World Cancer Day. It’s a stark reminder of the ongoing battle against this disease, but also a day filled with hope. Because while cancer remains a challenge in Australia, with an estimated 165,000 new cases diagnosed in 2023, the good news is this: early detection is key to winning the fight.

Imagine detecting the most common cancers – breast, prostate, colorectal, melanoma, and lung – not when they’ve grown like a large, mature tree, but when they’re just tiny seedlings. Regular check-ups and screenings allow us to catch these “seedlings” early, leading to effective treatment and much better outcomes.

But early detection isn’t just about tests and appointments. It’s about empowering yourself with knowledge. Understanding your risk factors, both unavoidable like age and genetics, and controllable ones like smoking, sun exposure, and unhealthy diet, is crucial. Millions of Australians are affected by cancer, directly or indirectly. By raising awareness, encouraging loved ones to prioritise their health, and taking action for yourself, we can create a ripple effect of positive change.

Here’s what you can do to help:

  • Early detection saves lives, so don’t delay – prioritise your health and schedule your recommended screenings.
  • Talk to your doctor. Understand your individual risk factors and work with your doctor to create a personalised prevention plan.
  • Making healthy lifestyle choices like maintaining a healthy weight, eating well, and exercising regularly can significantly reduce your cancer risk.
  • Spread awareness by talking to your family and friends, encourage them to prioritise their health and screenings, and share reliable information about cancer prevention and early detection.
  • Remember, knowledge is power, and early action is your best weapon.

Contact your nearest Atticus Health clinic to learn more about cancer screening and prevention options, and let’s create a healthier future. Together, we can turn the tide against cancer. Let’s make World Cancer Day not just a day of awareness, but a day of action.

Empowering Men for Lifelong Wellbeing

Posted on by Nathan Onias

In a world where health concerns often take a back seat to work, responsibilities, and daily routines, Atticus Health has spearheaded a revolutionary initiative that is empowering men for lifelong wellbeing. The Atticus Health Men’s Health Check – “Check Your Balls” Initiative has not only created a movement for men to attend an annual health check but is also championing a lifelong commitment to self-care and peace of mind.

Empowering Men for Lifelong Wellbeing
Check your balls

 

A Paradigm Shift in Men’s Health

Traditionally, men have been hesitant to seek regular health check-ups, often dismissing subtle signs and symptoms that could indicate serious underlying conditions. However, the Atticus Health Men’s Health Check initiative has challenged this status quo, triggering a paradigm shift in men’s health awareness. By focusing on a specific aspect of men’s health, this initiative has captured attention and sparked conversations that will extend beyond Men’s Health Week.

Empowering Men for Lifelong Wellbeing

 

Creating a Movement for Lifelong Well-being

The “Check Your Balls” Initiative is proving to be a catalyst for change, not just during designated awareness periods but throughout the year. Atticus Health recognises the significance of maintaining health vigilance beyond a single week, understanding that a yearly check-up alone is insufficient to address the evolving health needs of men. Atticus Health is fostering a movement that advocates for continuous care, encouraging men to proactively monitor their well-being for long-term peace of mind.

Empowering Men for Lifelong Wellbeing

 

Empowering Men for Self-Care

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Men’s Health Check initiative is its emphasis on empowerment. One of our core values. Atticus Health recognises that providing accessible and comfortable avenues for men to prioritise their health is crucial to effecting real change. By offering comprehensive health check-ups that address both physical and emotional aspects of well-being, Atticus Health is creating an environment that encourages open dialogue, destigmatises men’s health issues, and inspiring men to take charge of their own care.

Promoting Mental and Emotional Well-being

The Men’s Health Check initiative extends beyond physical health by acknowledging the importance of mental and emotional well-being. The initiative incorporates mental health screenings and encourages open conversations about stress, anxiety, depression, and other psychological concerns. By addressing the holistic well-being of men, Atticus Health is empowering individuals to confront and overcome the challenges they face, nurturing a culture of emotional resilience and self-care.

Nurse Dayna with Dratticus - a school initiative

 

Driving Inspiring Outcomes

Through our commitment to ongoing men’s health check-ups, we’ve witnessed firsthand the positive impact this initiative has had on the lives of countless men. By catching potential health issues early, fostering preventive measures, and facilitating appropriate interventions, this movement is becoming a catalyst for transformative outcomes, helping men lead healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives.

By creating a movement for lifelong well-being, Atticus Health is redefining the narrative surrounding men’s health, inspiring individuals to prioritise their physical and emotional well-being throughout the year. With the emphasis on empowerment, open dialogue, and holistic care, this initiative is not just promoting health screenings but also transforming lives and providing peace of mind.

Brett Thiedeman – Business Development Motivator

Driven by Soul

Falls & Balance Education Evening

Posted on by Nathan Onias

The Atticus Falls & Balance information evening was recently held on 17 & 18 May.

Our panel of experts (Podiatrist, GPs, Registered Nurse and Geriatrician) provided education and advice to the community about the risk of falling, how to improve balance and live safer at home.

Our resident podiatrist David Lee provided tips on recommended footwear to avoid falls, what footwear would more likely cause falls, and useful guidelines and reminders about mobilising (look, lead and land).

Atticus GPs then provided education about factors that can affect a person’s mobility and increase their chance of falling due to medical conditions, such as hypotension (low blood pressure) which can lead to dizziness, heart disease, infections and environmental factors.

Lastly, our Geriatrician provided his comprehensive insight about important related factors including cognitive impairment and dementia, management and the treatment of delirium, and muscle weakness as we age. In addition, education about medications and any side effects that can affect our balance and increase falls (e.g. benzodiazepines, and opiates) was elaborated on.

At the end of the session, the audience was given the opportunity to ask questions and that lead to some great discussion.

Feelings, Habits and Reasoning

Posted on by Nathan Onias

Above: Floyd, Steve and Di –  fortunate friends.

My kids are growing up a bit these days.  Whilst I used to be able to tell them what to do, now I have to make sure my arguments stack up or I’m in trouble.  My eldest son especially is one heck of a debater.  And somewhere in that mix of questions and fingers being pointed my way, I realised – I don’t really know what I’m doing as a parent.  

So, as it is with such things that I feel I don’t know enough about, I looked to educate myself.  In this case, I turned to books, and I stumbled across a concept that I find compelled to share. 

A long time ago, I think I wrote an article in this newsletter that asked the question, when a child gets hurt, in a minor way, should you (I) encourage them to brush themselves off quickly, “chin up”, or sympathise with them.  I asked myself this question because I wanted my children to grow to be compassionate for others, for society, yet be strong within themselves and have fortitude all the same. 

And now, many years later, I’ve formed a stance. 

When a child or an adult has an experience, good or bad, they get a feeling.  That feeling comes in a wave and it’s very compelling and not so easily “nipped” in the bud, or if it is, not naturally so.  After that feeling, classically there is a behaviour.  Such an automatic behaviour, we call a “habit”.  Beyond the habit, our conscious mind (pre-frontal cortex) brings in a period of reflection and reasoning, a lucid moment occurs where logic comes in.  “Okay, it was just a graze on my knee, I think I’ll be alright now that the band aid is on.” 

The thing is, I have concluded that it’s vital that a child be given the time and opportunity to move through the above steps at their own pace.  This is because at the point of having a feeling, if one is rushed through it, for example, “Don’t worry about it, you’re fine,” too abruptly by an external source (e.g., a parent), that child actually gets confused and worse still, can end up feeling a degree of guilt, “I was in pain, but mum or dad said I shouldn’t be”.  

Even as an adult, just like a child, our experiences cause us to rather automatically have feelings.  Those feelings, coming in a wave, can almost be unavoidable.  If we haven’t learnt to allow ourselves time to sit with a feeling, pause before we act and then move to reasoning and reflection, we’re left in our day with our experiences triggering internal crises leading to confusion, anger, frustration and guilt. These crises we find hard to resolve.

As an example of this, recently, our clinic has been involved in training about domestic violence and how to best support victims and perpetrators.  On the perpetrator side, it’s conceivable that a failure to adequately grapple with feelings triggers just such an internal crisis, that, unresolved, escalates to anger and the behaviour of violence which ensues. 

So, to conclude, I reckon kids need time to move through their experiences, feel what they need to feel, do what they need to do and then reflect, for themselves. In giving them the space to do this, we in fact give them the space to develop their own inner guide, their own self-regulation.  Once developed, these attributes, this quiet confidence, they carry for life. 

I could actually keep writing for a very long time about this, particularly the phenomenon of a “habit” and the power of it.  Habits dominate our day, they save our conscious mind, and provided we cultivate good ones, wow – that’s powerful.  Food for thought – for another The River’s Mouth!

Finally – just a wrap up from a few articles ago “Ode to the Bee Gees” about CPR, well it so happened that amazingly the person who had the cardiac arrest and received CPR did survive and he (Steve) got in touch with me after the event.  I was overjoyed to learn that he’s doing great.  ABC ran with the story.  Here’s the article and here’s a link to the video.  The experience spurred me to become a CPR trainer, so I’m moon lighting with the path to that.  And of course, looking forward to my next catch up with Steve! 

Dr Floyd Gomes

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Posted on by Nathan Onias

Any gas appliance, especially if faulty or used incorrectly, has the potential to leak carbon dioxide.  This can cause a health risk, or even death, when used in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas such as inside the home or in a caravan.  Gas appliances include gas heaters, wood heaters or fireplaces, and equipment or items powered with a gas or petroleum engine.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are non-specific and can be confused with other more common conditions. This increases the potential that carbon monoxide exposure is not identified by health professionals which may have serious or potentially fatal consequences.  Read the full Department of Health advisory: Carbon monoxide poisoning.

  • Carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless gas. It is a combustion product made by burning substances such as petroleum products (eg. gas, oil, kerosene, diesel, petrol), wood and tobacco.
  • Very high levels of carbon monoxide can cause loss of consciousness, seizures and death.
  • Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are non-specific and can be mistaken for flu-like illness or food poisoning. Symptoms may include headache, nausea and vomiting, skin flushing, muscle pain, weakness, shortness of breath, dizziness, coordination difficulties, confusion, or chest pain.
  • Sources of carbon monoxide may include:
      • gas heaters
      • wood fired heaters and decorative gas log fires
      • gas cooking appliances
      • barbeques, heat beads, and patio heaters
      • indoor hot water services
      • portable power generators
      • car exhausts
  • Any gas appliance can become faulty. Energy Safe Victoria recommends that all gas heaters are serviced and tested at least once every two years by a licensed or registered gasfitter. Refer to the Energy Safe Victoria’s safety alert list for models of open-flued gas heaters that should be checked by a qualified gas fitter immediately.
  • Medical professionals should be aware of symptoms that could suggest carbon monoxide poisoning and follow the recommendations in this Advisory.

Easter Activities at Atticus Health

Posted on by Nathan Onias

Pictured Above: Dr Karande and Dr Ragunathan with a winner of our Easter colouring-in competition.

A very successful colouring competition and Easter Egg Hunt was held with students from Jindivick Primary School on Friday 8th April.  At least 50 students, mums and dads gathered in the garden of the clinic to see what the Easter Bunny had left them with Drs Karande and Ragunathan, Fiona the nurse, our receptionist Helen and clinic manager Toria looking on and helping to find that elusive egg.  The clinic staff had a great time as did the students and we are already plotting what Christmas might bring. Thanks to Jindivick Primary for joining us and Michelle for organising the colouring to be completed and dropped to the clinic. Our Hastings clinic hosted an Easter egg guessing contest as well as a colouring competition. Congratulations to Summer who won the jar of chocolates with a winning guess of 76 eggs.

Helen & Fiona share a moment with students from Jindivick Primary

Summer won our Easter egg competition with a guess of 76 eggs