Category: Our Specialists

Start to Solve Tomorrow’s Problems Today

Start to Solve Tomorrow’s Problems Today

Dec 10, 2020 | , , , |

Dr Sue Ferguson Usually when we think of coping, we think of efforts to deal with stressful situations we are in the midst of (reactive coping). Proactive coping, on the other hand, involves identifying and dealing with stressful situations that are likely to happen in the future. This includes building our resilience and resources, making plans, and changing our thoughts and behaviour in order to deal with the situation in advance and thus reduce its impact. As we get older, we get better at using proactive coping. Among Australian older adults, higher proactive coping is associated with higher personal...

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What causes sensitive teeth, and how can I treat them?

What causes sensitive teeth, and how can I treat them?

Dec 7, 2020 | , , |

Dr Ian Sweeney Do you have sensitive teeth? Do you dread your six-monthly clean because of the cold water? Fortunately, these days we have a number of wonderful products to help reduce sensitivity. One such product is supplies in gel form. The gel is a mixture of two local anaesthetics, lidocaine and prilocaine. It is a topical anaesthetic that is simply applied to the gums to provide gentle numbing during cleaning lasting approximately 20 minutes. This gives the dentist plenty of time to perform the cleaning. It can be applied to all of your teeth or just certain areas...

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Christmas Bells – The Perfect Plant this Season

Christmas Bells – The Perfect Plant this Season

Dec 1, 2020 | , |

Brian Roach If it wasn’t for the Waratah, I’m sure our state floral emblem would be the equally iconic Christmas Bells (Blandfordia grandiflora/nobilis). There’s little wonder this plant was given its common name long ago because these delightful gems in our local bushland usually produce their stunning flowers over the festive season. The bells can vary in colour from yellow, orange or red with usually a combination of colours being the norm. But finding these gems in the bush is not an easy task. They need very specific conditions to flourish and do not compete well with other nearby...

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Applause for Paws

Applause for Paws

Oct 31, 2020 | , |

Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos) is certainly one of the better-known native plant species within the broader gardening community. Although there are many varieties around these days, they all come from only eleven species that are endemic to Western Australia. That being said, very few of those eleven species can be successfully grown over here on the eastern side of the continent. Our wet summers with high humidity are in stark contrast to the dry summers in the west with fungal problems often besetting the WA beauties when grown over here. The tell-tale sign of trouble is ‘Ink Disease’ with black...

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Give Journaling a Go

Give Journaling a Go

Oct 31, 2020 | , |

Journaling, also known as expressive writing, is a technique many of us use to help us make sense of our emotional experiences. Writing about these emotional experiences has shown to be more effective than writing about more superficial topics. So this type of journal is not the same as keeping a daily diary of events. Research suggests that writing about upsetting experiences can sometimes be painful on the day you do it, but over time often produces improvements in mood, reductions in anxiety and fewer visits to the doctor. Writing (or talking about) emotional topics has also been linked...

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