Take the time to #CheckWhatMatters this Diabetes Awareness Month
In South Africa, it is estimated that 3.85 million South Africans suffer from diabetes, with many remaining undiagnosed. The truth is we check our social media activity more than enough,
Period tracker: How your menstrual cycle affects your brain, weekly [infographic]
Studies show that hormonal changes may actually alter the chemical balance in the brain and trigger some of the mood swings associated with a woman’s monthly cycle. Learn how your hormones affect your mood week-by-week and how to master your menstrual cycle.
Do women need more sleep than men?
Do those of us with XX chromosomes need more ZZs than our XY counterparts? Sleep is essential to wellbeing. Depending on age or life stage, most people need between seven
Swollen limbs, could it be lipoedema?
A chronic condition, lipoedema is caused by an abnormal build-up of fat cells in the legs, thighs and buttocks, and sometimes in the arms. An oncologist and an endocrinologist, both practicising at Mediclinic hospitals, explain how this condition is diagnosed and treated.
Is excessive sweating a medical problem?
It’s not life-threatening but being constantly drenched in perspiration can cause extreme embarrassment and painful skin conditions. It could also be a sign of an underlying medical problem.
DID YOU KNOW?
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Our nursing units are designed to minimise the distance between nursing staff and patients.
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Immunisations save lives and help stop diseases from spreading.
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We found a practical solution to a shortage of theatre nurses by becoming a registered teaching institution.
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Mediclinic has the highest number of internationally accredited facilities in Southern Africa.
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The triage admission system in our emergency centres has been able to reduce mortality by up to 50%.
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Most nursing units have windows overlooking gardens to promote healing.
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Our hospitals are designed to minimise ambient noise to promote sleeping and the healing process.
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To make the most of every second, we strive to synchronise all our clocks in the hospital.
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We monitor the temperature of our neonatal units as newborn babies are extremely sensitive to temperature change.
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Trauma patients with a critically low temperature will often be wrapped in a space blanket to reduce heat loss.
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Fighting the ‘midlife fat attack’
One of the main health concerns for those over 40 is that hormonal changes will cause weight gain. A Mediclinic gynaecologist and obstetrician explains that while hormonal changes can indirectly cause weight gain, it’s not as simple as that.
Hypothyroidism can be treated: get tested
Have you gained weight and feel tired all the time? Do you seem to feel the cold more than most and do you feel down a lot of the time? If you answer yes to all or some of these questions, you may have hypothyroidism, which means your thyroid gland is underactive.
DID YOU KNOW?
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Mediclinic uses building materials that reduce background noise for minimal disturbance.
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The only one in Africa and one of only 13 in the world, the P-I BrÅnemark Institute of Excellence at Mediclinic Morningside, specialises in facial reconstruction.
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Some of our hospitals have operating tables that can support patients of up to 370kg in weight and 2.2m in height.
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Our 24-hour emergency centres feature state-of-the-art life-saving equipment.
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Most nursing units have windows overlooking gardens to promote healing.
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Trauma patients with a critically low temperature will often be wrapped in a space blanket to reduce heat loss.
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To ensure sterility, our surgical instruments are twice wrapped in sterile fabric.
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Our hospitals have been awarded international accreditation for best practice in the management of environmental systems and practices.
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Mediclinic has the highest number of internationally accredited facilities in Southern Africa.
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A baby has a 70% better chance of surviving a motor vehicle accident if in a secure car seat and properly restrained.
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Discussing diabetes
If caught in time, diabetes doesn’t need to be debilitating. We chat to Dr Alkesh Magan, a specialist physician and endocrinologist at Mediclinic Sandton, and Dr Heidi Ackermann, a paediatrican at Mediclinic Geneva in George, to find out more about the disease and how to manage it.
Kidney transplants
Once you have reached end-stage chronic renal failure you have two options – dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Hope for kidney sufferers
Without kidneys, the body’s purification plant, you’d be like a coffee machine without a filter. But there is hope: here we explain how dialysis could take over the kidneys’ function.
Diabetes 101
Dr Magan shares his insight on diabetes and discusses the trends in developing countries.
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