Ang Kalatas Volume V September 2015 Issue | Page 16

16 THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 5 Number 12 | SEPTEMBER 2015 FOOD & HEALTH APCO intensifies life giving campaign Jaime Estrada and Family (1st Row, 4-7) are flanked by Nilda Carpo, Larry Perez, Dr Cen Amores and Cora Perez. Ruben is on the back row. IN its commitment to encourage the community to take an active role in saving lives, the Alliance of Philippine Community Organisations, Inc (APCO) intensified its campaign for organ and tissue donation awareness in the FilAussie community. PARTNERING w ith NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service through Jesusa Helaratne, APCO commenced its campaign during its regular monthly Board Meeting held at DOOLEYS Lidcombe Catholic Club last month. The APCO Board has pledged to take an active role in campaigning for organ do- nation first within their respective families, friends and work colleagues. A campaign meeting for organ donation awareness was also held recently at the Kapit-bahayan Cooperative Ltd’s general membership meeting. Meanwhile, representatives from APCO, composed of Cora and Larry Perez, Ru- ben, Brillo and Dr Cen Amores attended the Life Giving Stories initiative of the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service and Performance 4A held held at the Italian Forum, Performance Precinct in Leichhardt. Directed by master story teller and photographer William Yang and writer and pro- Kidney Stones (Nephrolithiasis) A Kidney Stone is a hard-crystalline mineral formed within the kidney or uri- nary tract. Stones form when the urine becomes concentrated, allowing minerals to crystallise and stick together. A kidney stone may not cause symptoms until it moves around within your kidney or passes into your ureter - tube connecting the kidney and bladder. This is the point where the following signs and symptoms may be experienced: l Severe pain in the side and back, below the ribs l Pain that spreads to the lower abdomen and groin l Pain that comes in waves and fluctuates in intensity l Pain on urination l Pink, red or brown urine l Cloudy or foul-smelling urine l Nausea and vomiting l Persistent need to urinate or more than usual l Fever and chills if an infection is present l Urinating small amounts of urine l Pain may shift to different location or increasing in intensity, as the stone moves through the urinary tract Passing kidney stones can be quite painful, but the stones usually cause no permanent damage. Depending on your situation, you may need nothing more than to take pain medication and drink lots of water to pass a kidney stone. WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR: Seek immediate medical Healthwise FE WATMORE Registered Nurse attention if you experience: l Pain so severe that you cannot sit still or feel comfortable l Pain accompanied by nausea and vomiting l Pain accompanied by fever and chills l Blood in the urine l Difficulty passing urine TREATMENT: Small stones with minimal symptoms: Small stones that don’t block the kidney or cause other problems can be treated by your family doctor. Large stones that cause symptoms: Kidney stones that can’t be treated with conservative measures – because they’re either too large to pass on their own or because they cause bleeding, kidney damage or ongoing urinary tract infections – may require more extensive treatment. Knowing the type of kidney stone helps determine the cause and may give clue on how to reduce the risk of getting more kidney stones. Types of kidney stones include: l Calcium stones l Struvite stones l Uric acid stones l Cystine stones FACTORS THAT INCREASE THE RISK OF DEVELOPING KIDNEY STONES: l Family or personal history l Dehydration l Certain diets – diet high in protein, sodium and sugar l Obesity l Digestive diseases and surgery – can cause changes in the digestive process l Other medical conditions – include renal tubular acidosis (accumulation of acid in the body due to a failure of the kidneys to acidify the urine), cystinuria (an inherited disorder), hyperparathyroidism (overactivity of the parathyroid gland), certain medications and some urinary tract infections LIFESTYLE CHANGES: l Drink water throughout the day l Eat fewer oxalaterich foods – include rhubarb, beets, okra, spinach, swiss chard, sweet potatoes, nuts, tea, chocolate and soy products l Choose diet low in salt and animal protein l Choose calcium-rich foods but use caution with calcium supplements Always consult your doctor if you have any signs and symptoms that worry you. Reference: MedicineNet.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Kidney_stones MAYO CLINIC – Diseases and Conditions – Kidney Stones ducer Annette Shun Wah, Life Giving Stories is a very moving and inspiring platform that brought together five story tellers from CALD backgrounds recounting their heartbreaking personal life saving stories. One of the five story tellers is Filipino Jaime Estrada who was given a gift of life by a generous heart donor in Australia. E-Cigarette ban takes effect NEW laws banning the sale of electronic cigarettes to children come into effect in NSW this month. THE Public Health (Tobacco) Act 2008 was amended in June, creating restrictions on the sale to minors, display and advertising of e-cigarettes and e-cigarette accessories. Changes to the Act will be implemented in two stages: l Banning the sale of ecigarettes and accessories to and on behalf of minors, restrictions on vending machine locations and the power of police to seize an e-cigarette in possession of a person under the age of 18 take effect today. l Display and advertising of e-cigarettes and accessories and the ban on the use of e-cigarettes in cars with children under the age of 16 present will come into effect on 1 December 2015. This date will allow for a public education campaign and for retailers to prepare for advertising and display require- ments. Health Minister Jillian Skinner said the NSW Government introduced the new legislation as part of its commitment to protect the health of young people and children. NSW Health has written to retailers and key industry organisations to ensure they are aware of the new laws and NSW Health inspectors will provide education as part of routine visits to retailers. NSW Health inspectors will also monitor compliance with and enforce the new legislation, with the exception of seizing e-cigarettes from minors and enforcing bans on the use of e-cigarettes in cars with children under 16, which will be enforced by NSW Police. Dental risks in sports drinks T he recently concluded dental health week became an eye opener for many Australians who consume a lot of sports drinks. The Australian Dental Association ( ADA) revealed that many Australians remain unaware about the detrimental risks and effect of frequent consumption of sports drinks in dental health. The recent survey, commissioned by the ADA, showed that ‘one third of parents with active kids admit to allowing their child to consume sports drinks at least once a week, unaware of the dangers’. One of the surprising things highlighted in the report is 1 in 3 active Aussies don’t brush their teeth twice daily and 1 in 6 couldn’t remember when they had their last professional dental check. Unfortunately, drinking sports drinks frequently and not having good dental hygiene can ultimately result to increased risks of getting dental decay. One would think that since Australia is considered a first world country, untreated tooth decay should be close to almost none. Based on a published study, 3 in 10 adults have untreated tooth decay and an alarming 50% of children under the age of 12 have experienced untreated tooth decay in permanent teeth. Interestingly, as Australians increasingly become involved in fitness and health, dental disease of teeth also increased with the trend. According to Dr Peter Alldritt, Chair of the ADA Oral Health Committee, ‘Our Your Mouth, Your Body, Your ur Health DR. ROUEL VERGARA [email protected] research has found that while active Australians are doing the right thing by looking after their health and fitness, it is worrying to see that nearly one in two are neglecting their dental health by excessively drinking sports drinks, sipping them over long periods of time frequently each week, causing potentially permanent damage to their teeth.’ So what can we do to minimise this ill effect of sports drinks in our teeth? Here are the ADA recommended ways that you can do to protect teeth from damage caused by sports drinks: 1. Drink water where possible – it has no acid, no sugar and no kilojoules. Plus the fluoride in water actually protects your teeth. For the majority of people, water is all you need before, during and after exercise. 2. Avoid sports and intraworkout drinks where possible, but if you must consume them, avoid sipping them for a long duration (i.e. over an hour) 3. Use a straw so your teeth are less exposed to the sugar and acid in the drinks 4. Protect your teeth by brushing twice daily with fluoridated toothpaste, and don’t forget to floss at least once a day. Don’t brush your teeth for 60 minutes after consuming acidic beverages, to allow time for the enamel to harden 5. Chew a sugar-free gum to help stimulate saliva flow that will help protect your teeth. If you have any further questions and concerns about the effects of sports drinks in your dental health, I highly recommend that you seek professional dental advice as soon as possible. Dr. Rouel Vergara, DMD is a general dentist practitioner focusing on patient-centred dentistry. He is a member of various dental organizations in Australia and overseas, and is also actively involved in providing lectures and workshops for dental health professionals in the Asia Pacific region. Dr. Vergara practices in Parramatta and Empire Bay, NSW.