Health Advice - Bulk Billed

 

This introduction was conducted by Bob Willis - an English Test Cricket captain, introducing an Aussie Test Cricket Captain.

Mark Taylor is a diabetes Educator, with his time spread across two pharmacies, Michael Reilly and South City, and as a nurse at Calvary Hospital.

 

Mark started with statistics - around 6% of Australians have diabetes, but 15% are pre diabetic, with higher than normal blood sugar levels, and a high risk of crossing into full blown diabetes. There are two categories, with 10% having Type one diabetes, often contracted as a child, and 90% with type two. Diabetes is the condition where the pancreas ceases to produce insulin, the chemical that regulates the sugar levels in the bloodstream.

 

Type one is an auto immune condition, with a genetic link, contracted under 30 years of age, with sudden onset and treatment requiring up to 5 insulin injections daily, or an electronic insulin pump metering the supply.

Type two is a lifestyle condition, Mark used the term Fair, Fat and Forty, but there are a more complex set of risk factors. Some we cannot control, such as age, genetics, ethnicity and gender. The risk factors that we can control are diet, activity, waist measurement, high blood pressure, cholesterol and smoking.

 

There is 10 question form available to assess a persons risk of becoming diabetic, but males over 60 will find the process unduly depressing.

 

One question asked related to symptoms that one would notice to alert a self diagnosis. The answer was  a constant thirst, passing lots of Urine, and being constantly tired. A doctor would have blood tests from pathology to confirm his suspicions.

 

David Pyke moved a Vote of Thanks for the presentation.