February 2020 Newsletter Bowel Disease Part Two

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February 2020 News

A warm welcome to the Millhouse Community and to other readers.
2020 may be a determining year for New Zealand. The Australian bush fires that began in December, and are still burning, are making us constantly aware of the adverse effects of climate change. The same message is being told on TV ONE's 'Seven Worlds, One Planet' series presented by David Attenborough, reemphasising the need to act now to prevent an over-heated world causing greater catastrophic events. The Ministry for the Environment's website highlights that 48% of New Zealand''s greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture and current farming practices.
In this newsletter Sharon Yiu, now a final year medical student, finishes off her presentation on Bowel Cancer, which is largely caused by a lack of plant fibre and a diet of mainly animal meat and processed food. This information is not new. In the 1970's, surgeon Dr Dennis Burkitt noted that colon cancer was a rare event in the indigenous African population, and advocated consuming a high plant-fibre diet. This accelerates the elimination of toxic bowel waste, which protects against the development of bowel cancers.

In this issue...

  • CORONAVIRUS - if you have suspicious flu-like symptoms, ring us for advice, Don't come into the waiting room.
  • Practice Nurse roles expanding; two nurses now able to write prescriptions. 
  • Accessing your results online - make sure you register for new "Patient Portal

and this month 5th year Medical student Sharon completes her series about 

Bowel Disease

If we adopt a plant-based diet, drastically reduce our consumption of meat and dairy products, and eliminate processed food, the need for farm animals will fall, lowering methane emissions, as well as preventing the development of colon cancer. This will require creative thinking from the farming sectors.

MILLHOUSE NEWS
PRACTICE NURSE CLINIC

Leonie and Gabriella are both prescribing nurses. Gabriella will commence her weekly Nurse Clinic shortly, seeing patients with acute needs as well as offering lifestyle advice to those with chronic disease. You can book directly through the ManageMyHealth online to see Gabriella.

RECEIVING BLOOD RESULTS – PATIENT PORTAL

A reminder again that we no longer notify normal results. However, if there are any concerns, we will contact you immediately, by phone and/or TEXT. Remember you have access to all your own results through the ManageMyHealth on-line patient portal. (You will need to register at reception and receive an activation code, before you can access your on-line investigations).

This month's theme - Risk Factors and Prevention of Bowel Cancer

5th year Medical student Sharon Yui was part of our team in Term 4, 2019. This month we finish off her helpful article on Bowel Cancer.  Exercise and dietary factors like folate are preventative, and turmeric, green tea and lots of fibre have also been shown to help. However, heavy drinking of alcohol is associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer. There is good evidence for the benefits of vitamin D and calcium – including sunlight-induced, diet-derived and supplemented - in preventing bowel cancer. Sharon gives some useful charts. And Dr Ric says don't forget the whole kernel corn test for transit time!

 Want to read the full newsletter? Download it here.... 

Want to read other articles by Dr Ric and the team?

Yours in good health 

Dr Ric Coleman and the Millhouse Team

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