There has been a continuing debate about prostate cancer testing. None of the tests are perfect. Rectal examination only feels one side of the prostate gland. The PSA blood test is not closely related to the degree of any disease which might be present. But one has to keep checking. A new MRI-based test is being developed which may lead to another and fans in this area and we can all look forward to it.
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Conventionally blood pressure is taken in the doctor's consulting room and the decisions about what to do are based on those figures. It is however, a well-known fact that blood pressure goes up. Under those circumstances the best BP results at the moment are those done in the home. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure measuring devices are being put on the market, but so far they have costs of around $3000 each. Frequent monitoring is a good idea before leaping in to treating a high figure. It is the patient one treats, not the number.
The screening test for bowel cancer using the detection of blood in people's faeces is well-established. It was pioneered in Yass by the Rotary club who did a good job. There is now a central authority which monitors this program and sends out reminders and the like. Unfortunately the take-up is not as high as one would want. It may be that general practices should show more activism in this and promote it amongst their patients much in the same way as the flu injection is promoted.
Have you noticed that when some program is not to the liking of a politician it is immediately declared "unsustainable"? The justification for this label is never produced. It is simply a device to damn the idea with the buzzword. One must always be wary of these epithets which are used against new ideas. A long time ago Medicare was going to bring the country to its knees; instead we have probably the best health system in the world.
The government has recently cut out the free supply of vaccinations against whooping cough, pertussis. This was undoubtedly done to save money and a few that mightt die or suffer serious injuries are thought not to be enough to pay for the cost of the program. This is the continual problem with health economics. Some programs have become sacred and no government would touch them; breast screening is a good example. A bit more thought might have reduced the idea of targeting parlicular groups who should be protected against whooping cough, pregnant mothers and close relatives of newborn babies are an obvious group.
Some time ago we proposed that the council should investigate installing a
therapeutic pool for people with joint problems and arthritis. This project is going on, though slowly. As an extension of it another idea would be to heat the Yass swimming pool. This would not be to the same temperature as a therapeutic pool, it would simply be warm and would enable people to swim throughout the year with an obvious benefit to the health of the community.
Dr Ann Stephenson, psychiatrist 28th April
Dr Hannah Burn-Petersen, Women's Health, Yass and Murrumbateman.
Sue Leitner, foot nurse, May 2 and 16.