1. health and fitness
2. disease
3. allergies

Spring 2015
Newsletter
Spring is finally in the air!
We would like to welcome you to our first newsletter and hope that you find it informative.
Unit 6 Ashbourne
Retail Park
You may have noticed that the flowers are beginning to bloom, the evenings are getting
lighter and that can only mean that spring is upon us and summer is on the way!
Ashbourne
We have put together some bits of information that we thought you might find interesting and
seasonal and might answer some of your queries or questions from a medical point of view.
Co Meath
Allergies
01 8351 444
www.rocdoc.ie
admin@rocdoc.ie
An allergy is a way of the body’s immune system responding to
normally harmless substances and can include pollen, food, house
dust, insect bites, medication, etc. If someone is allergic to
something then it is their immune system identifying it as a ‘threat’.
It is estimated that one in three children have an allergy and about
50% of all Europeans are anticipated to be affected by 2025.
Closed Christmas Day
Symptoms can vary from person to person and on the substance
but can include a runny nose, itchy nose, sneezing, itchy red eyes,
rashes, wheezing, coughs, shortness of breath, tummy ache,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, etc. Some people suffer from a
severe reaction called anaphylaxis which includes throat swelling,
severe asthma and a drop in blood pressure. These can be life
threatening.
GP service
To try and manage an allergy reduce the risk of the allergy by
avoiding what the cause if where possible and consider medical
treatments. Test for allergies can be undertaken if you cannot find
the source of the allergy and these are available at RocDoc.
Open 7 days
8am—10pm
Minor Emergency
Department
Private & Medical Card
patients
If someone has a severe allergy and is diagnosed as having
anaphylaxis by a Doctor then they should have a Epipen with them
at all times and an alert bracelet or something similar also. If
someone suffers from a severe reaction then you should use their
Epipen and call 999. If you are near to RocDoc then bring them
into us immediately for treatment while waiting for the ambulance.
Sinusitis
Did you know?
Sinusitis is when the lining of the
sinuses becomes swollen and
inflamed closing the opening into
your nose.
Sinusitis can cause pain in the
forehead, mouth, between the
eyes, top of the head and ears.
Sinusitis can also cause a
stuffy / blocked nose and you
can loose your sense of smell
and sometimes mucus can drain
down the back of your throat
(yuck!)
Helpful tips
Warm flannel on your face
Salt water sprays / drops
Steam inhalation (bath / shower)
Menthol Crystal steam inhalation
Decongestant medication for a
maximum of 5 days
To help reduce hay fever it is believed that unfiltered honey
produced from the local area can help reduce the symptoms. For
this to effective in any form this would need to be started in spring
time. Local unfiltered honey will be available soon from RocDoc.
Do you have one of our In Case of Emergency (ICE) cards?
If you don’t yet have one then they are available from either reception or
within our treatment area.
These are a credit card sized card that you complete with all your
important information such as personal details, emergency contact,
medication, allergies, medical history and keep in your purse, wallet or
even in your children’s school bag. If something happens and you aren’t with
anyone then the emergency services such as the Ambulance / A&E can get this
important information from this ICE card.
Health Checks
Focusing on the community
Newsletter Date
Since we launched our free medical provision at local events we have been proud to support the
following events over the last few months.
- Ratoath Community Festival on 14 September 2014
- Ashbourne Racing Day on 27 September 2014
- Ashbourne Craft & Trade Fair on 26 October 2014
- Cushionstown Fair on 7 December 2014
- Garristown Cross Country on 8 February 2015
- Windmill Run , Garristown on 1 March 2015
- Ratoath St Patrick’s Day Parade on 17 March 2015
- Ashbourne St Patrick’s Day Parade on 17 March 2015
- Cycle Against Suicide, Ashbourne on 21 March 2015
Not only have we provided this cover but we have also given talks at local schools, clubs and organisations.
- Kilbride School on 22 October 2014
- Women’s Wellbeing evening on 17 November 2014
- RocDoc Cancer Awareness Day on 4 December 2014
- Ashbourne Community College Transition Year Students on 30 January 2015
- Cushionstown School on 26 February 2015
If you think we can assist or you would be interested in organising for us to come and give a talk
then please get in touch.
Urine infections (UTI)
You should never use cotton
buds to clean inside your
It’s probably fair to say that at some point during
a lifetime the vast majority of females will
experience an urine infection; however anyone
can get a urine infection including children, and
males.
ear. Ear wax cleans,
lubricates and protects the
lining of the ear by trapping
dirt and repelling water.
Physio corner
This segment we will be focusing on Plantar
fasciitis. This is a condition that affects the heel
and can be quite painful and is often experienced
by soccer players, runners, GAA players,
walkers, etc.
It is an inflammation of the thick band of tissue in
the bottom of your foot (plantar fascia) that runs
from the heel to the base of the toes. When
placed under too much stress it can stretch too
far and tear.
If you suffer from pain at the base of your heel
which can be more severe in the mornings on
getting out of bed or at the beginning of a run.
Causes can be stress, tension, over pronation,
high arches, incorrect or worn shoes,
overtraining, etc.
There are things you can do yourself such as
stop or reduce running, apply ice for 10 minutes
every 2 hours, self massage, gradually return to
running and taking anti-inflammatory medication.
Full recovery can be 6-8 weeks.
If after doing this you’re not
getting any better then you
might well need some
physio who can provide
specific treatment to include
custom made orthotics.
By Aidan Forde
BSc Ph.th miapt
Forde Clinic
Based in RocDoc
|
01 8351 444
This health check covers 56
different areas including a wide
variety of blood tests, urine
analysis, medical history &
general examination, ear &
throat examination, respiratory
examination, cardiac
examination including ECG,
abdominal & genital
examination and health
promotion advice.
We do the blood test first and
then a separate appointment is
made for the remainder of the
health check which takes about
45 minutes. A report is then
generated and available for
collection from reception 2-3
weeks afterwards.
From 1 April 2015 the price of
this Advanced Health Check
will be changing to €135 which
is still very competitively priced
compared to over €400
elsewhere.
The symptoms can be mild or cause a lot of
discomfort and can be any of the following:
Physio corner
www.rocdoc.ie
We have been very impressed
with the amount of people that
have been in for an Advanced
Health Check.
|
admin@rocdoc.ie
- Urgency in needing to pass urine
- Excessive urination
- Pain on passing urine
- A dull pain in the pubic region
- Back pain
- Cloudy urine
- Blood in the urine
- Fishy smelling urine
- Temperature / fever
There are some preventative measures that can
be undertaken as below which can help.
- Wiping from the front to the back (females)
- Voiding (going to the toilet) after intercourse
- Washing before intercourse
- Cotton underwear
- Cranberry juice / tablets
- Good hygiene
- Preventing constipation
- Non spermicidal lubricants/condoms/diaphrams
There are treatments below that you can do
yourself but if this isn’t helping, you are suffering
from repeat doses, you have blood in your urine
(and you are not menstruating) or you are
concerned then you do need to see a Doctor /
Practitioner. Some treatments are:
- Plenty of fluids
- Paracetamol for pain relief
- Prevention tips as above
- Cystitis sachets
- Cranberry juice / tablets
- Loose fitting trousers
- Baths that are not too hot
- Sometimes antibiotics
Workshops
Did you know that periodically
we hold Parent workshops in
RocDoc?
Because we know how
important a healthy child is to
you and how worried and upset
you can be if they are ill we hold
these Parent workshops. We
say to allow 2-3 hours as such
a wide variety of topics are
included such as high
temperatures, giving
medication, rashes, cleaning
cuts / grazes, infections, febrile
convulsions, etc.
A €25 deposit is required to
confirm your place, if you or
your child are a patient then this
is refunded after the workshop.
Our next Parent workshops are
on:
Sunday 29 March at 2pm
Wednesday 22 April at 7pm
Thursday 14 May at 7pm
Call or email to book your
place . T&C apply.