Dr Feelgood Sunday 9th March 2003
Thanks for listening Brisbane ! This is our
last show of the season ...but make sure you keep listening to 4BC and watch
this space for more news ..very very soon - you can listen to the program online
for the next couple of weeks from www.3aw.com.au
as there are a few more weeks before footy stats in Melbourne.
THE
WORLD WIDE CHALLENGE OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY
We
have a worldwide epidemic on our hands that no other generation would have ever
thought of. Childhood obesity. It is almost ironic that for centuries we have
battled to feed people and give them safe environments. And while in many parts
of the world the battle is still raging, here in comfortable Australia we have
the opposite battle to contend with- the battle of the bulge . We eat too much
of the wrong things and do too little exercise and it seems so do our children.
The
next generation are at major risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular
disease much younger than previous generations and we have to act
Assoc
Prof Kate Steinbeck is an Endocrinologist
a specialist in Adolescent Medicine . She sits on the National Health and
Medical Research Council Working Party on Overweight & Obesity Guidelines.
She will be joining me to tell us where Australia is at in the war against
obesity.
Allison
Leigh is from That's Life magazine. They are doing a special feature in this
edition of the magazine on the problem of Childhood obesity. She’ll be joining
me to tell us about her article
Over
the past 12 months or so there have been serious efforts made by state
governments to address the problem of Childhood obesity and they have held
summit meetings to get input from interested groups in the community
to read the report of the
Victorian summit - go here http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/phd/obesityforum/
to read the report of the NSW summit go here http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/obesitysummit/about.html and click on presentations and then Communique
the
following link leads to a good article on understanding obesity and its
treatment http://members.iinet.net.au/~aacb/pubs/cbr_obes.html
This
link leads to a good article in the Medical Journal Of Australia on the problem
of Childhood obesity
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/176_08_150402/goodman_letter.html
AUSTRALIAN
FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX 2003
Today
Melbourne is testosterone city ! The Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix is on and
every petrol head will be watching as the multi million dollar machines roar
around the track.
Prior to the BIG race is the Mini Celebrity Challenge, where sportsman are
pitted against entertainers in Mini Coopers for fun and to warm up the crowd
before the REAL RACE comes on. But dont think for a minute these celebs don’t
take it seriously ! By day 5 of training you cant help but feel a little of the
competitive spirit entering your veins .I drove in 1996 and I still recall it as
the most exciting event of my life. We’ll
be crossing to John Gibbs host of
Southern Cross Sydney 2UE’s SPORTS TODAY after he has completed his
celebrity race. And hopefully catch up on a bit of the trackside gossip
watch the Grand Prix on channel 10 and visit the website here - www.grandprix.com.au
PETS
AS THERAPY
BREEDING
BRITISH SHORT HAIR CATS
I
have to confess I am a cat person. I have had cats since I was little and my
mother was an avid long hair cat breeder. I have two gorgeous British Shorthairs
who are members of the family. Cat ownership has
responsibilities that go along with it. We need to protect our native fauna and
inside cats are good cats ! Unless you are a breeder then there is no reason NOT
to neuter your cats, feral and stray cats are pests and can reek havoc on our
native birds and animals. Both my cats are neutered.
The
world of pedigree cat breeding and showing is amazing, its full of wonderful
characters and politics. If you saw the movie “Best in Show” you will have
some insight.
Today
we are privileged to be allowed into a meeting of some British Short Hair Cat
breeders to find out all about breeding and showing pedigreed cats.
Feline
Control Council http://www.hotkey.net.au/~fccvic/
The
Coordinating Cat Council of Australia http://cccofa.asn.au/index.htm#cccaindex
Feline
Control Council of Queensland http://www.geocities.com/fccq0001/page2.html
to
read about what makes a “good show cat” check out http://cccofa.asn.au/standard.htm
For
a list of cat shows in Queensland
http://www.geocities.com/qldcatshows/calendar.html
http://www.geocities.com/qldcatshows/
This
is Kaloofa Will Power a magnificent
British Blue who was one of the 2002 Queensland cats of the Year
– his home page is http://www.hotkey.net.au/~kaloofa/
SUPPORT
GROUP OF THE WEEK
SANE
AUSTRALIA
BIPOLAR
AFFECTIVE DISORDER
Mental
Illness is the last bastion of stigma that needs to be broken down. Sane
Australia is a fabulous support and advocacy group working hard to do just that
.
Bipolar
Affective disorder – previously known as manic depression –is a medical
condition affecting the normal functioning of the brain, to cause extreme mood
changes. People can have a very ‘high’ mood – referred to as a manic
episode – or very low and depressed mood. Some people are so affected they
will experience periods of psychosis.
This condition is manageable
and treatable but stigma still exists and it is misunderstood in the community.
SANE has produced a new video for people who have this disorder and especially
those newly diagnosed.
Dr Paul Morgan is the Deputy Director of SANE Australia and he will be joining me today to discuss this condition
The Bipolar Disorder Video Kit
costs $45, plus postage and handling, and can be purchased from the SANE online
Bookshop or by contacting the SANE office 03 9682 5933 for an order form or to
place a telephone order.
Please
visit the fabulous website of SANE AUSTRALIA www.sane.org
PROCEDURE
OF THE WEEK
APPENDICECTOMY
(
ie the Australian pronunciation – Appendectomy has an American accent )
The
Appendix is an interesting body part. Its proper name is the veriform appendix.
The word “appendix” originates from Latin “to hang on” and it does just
that as a wormlike appendage to the
bowel. It hangs off the junction between the small and large intestine in the
right lower part of the abdomen. It usually varies from 3 to 6 inches in length
and about ¾ inch in diameter. However it may be much longer curling up under
the liver or dangling down into the pelvis. Its purpose is debated. We do know
that some animals have a similar organ, which is used to process vegetable
fibre. These animals have larger well-developed appendices. It is thought that
maybe our appendix is a remnant of a time when evolution had us digesting fibre,
a function our bowel can no longer perform. The human appendix contains lymphoid
tissue – the cells that can produce antibodies to fight infection. It isn’t
really clear why the appendix contains this tissue
The significance of the
human appendix really lies in its unfortunate ability to get infected and cause
potentially serious even life threatening disease if not diagnosed and treated
properly. In my youth it was the norm for people to have their appendix out at
some stage but the incidence is decreasing.
Mr
Alex Auldist is a Paediatric General Surgeon and Divisional
Director of Surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne
he will be joining me to discuss appendicitis in 2003.
Follow this link to read an article about the declining rate of Appendicectomy in Australia http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/175_01_020701/hugh/hugh.html
read my article on THE APPENDIX by clicking HERE or clicking on the Articles button to the left of this page
HEALTHY
EATING
FLIP
SHELTON
The
Fabulous Flip Shelton joins us again to talk healthy eating. You know her from
TV with Huey ‘s Cooking
Adventures and Surprise Chef and her great book GREEN – well there is another
book on the way
Find
out more about Flips book Green http://www.thecookbookkitchen.com/flip.html
DISEASES
OF THE WEEK
TONSILITIS,
SINUSITIS SNORING and other things that go snort
in the night
Just
like it is with appendicectomy when I was young we all expected to get our
tonsils out not so these days. So why is this? Mr Andrew Wallis is an Ear Nose
and Throat surgeon or more properly an
otorhinolaryngologist and he
will be joining me to discuss all manner of things ear nose and throat !
SUPPORT
GROUP OF THE WEEK
ORGAN
AND TISSUE DONATION
THE
QUEENSLAND BONE BANK
Bone
is the second most commonly transplanted tissue, second only to blood. It
has been estimated that between 200 and 300 thousand people worldwide receive
bone transplants each year; more than 25 times the number of people who undergo
kidney transplants and 100 times the number who undergo heart transplants.
Regional bone and tissue banks have been established in order to satisfy an ever
increasing demand for bone tissue. The Queensland Bone Bank was first
established in 1987 to meet the needs of the Orthopaedic Department of the
Princess Alexandra Hospital. It is now the largest bone bank in Australia.
Bone may be donated by
people who are living when they are undergo operations where bone is being
removed as part of that
operation– for example a total
hip replacement.
But the much of donations
of bone come from people who have died and wish their tissue to be used to help
others.
There are never enough organ or
tissue donations to meet the needs of all those people on the waiting list
and so it is vital that people understand the issues and discuss
their wishes with relatives. So that if a tragedy happens your relatives know
that your wishes have been complied with. A posthumous donation of bone can help
other people regain mobility.
The Queensland Bone Bank is a non-profit organisation; partial
funding is received from the Queensland Health through the Princess Alexandra
Hospital. In addition to being responsible for retrieving and distributing
bone tissue throughout Queensland and Australia, the Bank conducts studies to
evaluate the clinical effectiveness of tissue transplants and also performs
related research.
Dr
David Morgan is an orthopaedic surgeon and Medical Director, Queensland Bone
Bank he’ll be joining me to tell us all about the Queensland bone bank
Find
out more about the Queensland Bone Bank
http://www.health.qld.gov.au/queenslandersdonate/bonebank/home.htm
Find out more about becoming an organ and tissue donor visit the organ and tissue donor register http://www.hic.gov.au/yourhealth/our_services/aaodr.htm