May is Lung Health Awareness Month in Australia, and Ocean Medical Practice is raising awareness for the Bondi community about the importance of healthy lungs and the dangers of lung disease. The lungs play a vital role in regulating your breathing, circulating oxygen to the capillary systems when the exchange of oxygen occurs between the lungs and blood, enabling the body to functioning properly.
The lungs can be injured for example from respiratory infections such as influenza or covid-19 infections, from mould or related fungi, toxins from certain fumes and cigarette smoking and particulate matter such as pollution in the air. The lungs can be damaged from a single episode of exposure or damaged over the many years of exposure leading to asthma, emphysema, bronchitis or bronchiectasis.
The early symptoms of lung damage include recurrent infections, shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, and fatigue. Lung disease is a significant health concern in Australia. It is estimated that over 7 million Australians have some form of lung disease, with lung cancer being the leading cause of cancer death in the country.
Our Bondi Road Doctors recommend:
Avoiding smoking: Smoking is the most significant risk factor for lung disease. It is estimated that smoking causes 85% of all cases of lung cancer. If you are a regular smoker, speak to one of our GPs at our Bondi Road Clinic for advice on how to quit and for medication if needed. Our Bondi Doctors are able to provide medical and non-medical therapy to assist with smoking cessation.
Maintain a Regular Exercise routine: Regular exercise improves lung function and overall cardiovascular fitness. This reduces your risk of respiratory infection. In Bondi, there is no shortage of good locations for getting in daily exercise, such as swimming at Bondi Beach, jogging around the coastal walks between Bondi and Bronte or working out at one of the many gyms along Bondi Road and Bondi Junction. Campbell Hooker, our Bondi local physiotherapist can assist with an exercise plan.
Practice good hygiene: Practising good hygiene is about reducing your risk of infection. Good hand hygiene involves washing your hands regularly after contact with others, wiping down surfaces to reduce risk of infection, coughing into your elbow or tissue and washing your hands offer to offer spreading infection, and avoiding close contact with sick individuals to reduce the risk of respiratory infections.
Get your Flu Vaccine and Covid-19 Booster. This is especially important as we approach winter. Our Bondi Doctors offer bulk-billed flu vaccine consultations and bulk-billed covid-19 booster vaccines. Both the Moderna and Pfizer Bivalent BA4.5 booster is available at Ocean Medical Practice.
Get a health check: Organise an appointment with one of our friendly GPs to check a lung and heart check. This can help identify early changes to your breathing and prevent further deterioration.
Ocean Medical Practice is conveniently located on Bondi Road, 15 minutes walk from Bondi Beach and Bondi Junction. Our experienced Bondi Doctors can assist with your healthcare needs. If you have any symptoms related to your breathing or would like a health check, book an appointment to speak to one of our friendly GPs.
