Dr Anna Hall

Dr Anna Hall GP Practice in Plattekloof Glen, Cape Town Dr Anna Hall is a GP based in Monte Vista, Cape Town.

Subscribe to her MediChat newsletter for health information delivered to your inbox.

15/02/2026

BLADDER INFECTION?

In most cases, symptoms of a bladder infection are clear: frequent, painful urination is the commonest symptom. But the infection may be silent, and other clues in your report to the doctor may lead him/her to test your urine. How does this work?

“Dipsticks” are strips of plastic holding little squares of test material, each one for a specific substance. This stick is dipped into the urine, and after a three-minute reaction time, the changes in colour indicate where the problem lies. If a good brand of dipstick is used and the correct technique is followed, the results obtained are accurate and reliable. This test will confirm the presence of a bladder infection but may not indicate which antibiotics should be used: for this a urine sample should be sent to the laboratory for analysis.

Many pharmacists advise using products such as Citrosoda or Pyridium to relieve symptoms. These are useful, but do not treat the underlying cause. Also, Pyridium discolours the urine so heavily that a dipstick test cannot be done: you will need to be off this medication for a day or so, until your urine returns to it normal colour to allow dipstick testing. Cranberry juice is another popular supplement: this can also give a false negative urine test, so stop your cranberry for at least a day before you have a urine test.

Treatment for bladder infection may be straightforward, but, in some resistant cases, may need laboratory analysis of urine. It is important to find the cause of any recurring infection, to prevent long-term complications which may eventually require surgery.

If you are bothered with frequent bladder infections, please consult your family doctor.

07/02/2026

CHEST PAIN OR HEARTBURN - HOW TO TELL ONE FROM THE OTHER

Heartburn – that burning discomfort felt at the bottom of your breastbone – is a familiar complaint, especially in the festive season when we tend to overindulge. There are many specific causes for heartburn, but all share a common mechanism: irritation or inflammation of the lining of the upper gut. This is felt as pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen or chest, though it may sometimes be felt as “shooting through” to the back as well

Heartburn and chest pain are often confused, and it may be difficult, even for a doctor, to sort them out. This is a very important point, because true chest pain indicates serious heart disease needing urgent medical attention, whereas heartburn is seldom an emergency.

Pain experience varies with individuals, but the table below gives a brief summary of the classical types of pain. Both kinds need medical attention, but chest pain is a medical emergency. If you have any doubt at all, go to the nearest casualty department immediately!

N.B. Women are particularly at risk here: those with heart disease may have vague symptoms, totally different from the classical chest pain described. Because of this, many heart attacks in women are not recognized or treated correctly.

HEARTBURN - felt in Midline, lower end of breastbone. Burning in nature, may radiate to the back or throat, is associate with burping, nausea, bile taste in the mouth, bloating fullness, is associated with meals/foods/ stress and usually helped by using antacids. Indicates GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEM
TRUE CHEST PAIN – felt in central part of breastbone, is a Crushing, heavy pain which can radiate to the jaw, throat and arm, associated symptoms are sweating, fainting, fast/irregular pulse, is associated with exertion/stress, helped by rest or specific medication, and indicates HEART DISEASE.

If your symptoms persist or worsen, DO NOT DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL ATTENTION

17/12/2025

VEGAN OR VEGETARIAN – NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES?

Many of you choose to be vegetarian or vegan, which is your right to do. However, there some facts you need to bear in mind so that you can continue with your choice of lifestyle with optimum benefits.

Many body systems – especially our immune system – require adequate iron to function well. Iron can be obtained from both animal and plant sources, but we as humans need the haeme form of iron which is found in animal products such as red meat and eggs. Plant foods do contain some iron, though far less per gram of product when compared to animal products, and the plant form of iron is not the haeme iron our body needs. To get the benefits of iron from plants, you have to consume much more plant products, and your body then has to then convert the plant form of iron into haeme. This process is not very efficient, so only a portion of the plant iron is eventually transformed into haeme iron. As a result of all of this, many vegetarians and vegans develop iron deficiency causing notable fatigue, hair thinning and hair loss, possible anaemia and an immune system that is far less efficient.

Vit.B12 is also found mainly in animal products, so avoiding these can also lead to deficiency, with its own symptoms.

A simple solution is to do a blood test to establish whether there is a deficiency, and if so, how severe. If you do not want to change your lifestyle or eating preferences, both iron and Vit.B12 supplements are readily obtainable without prescription.

Please consult your doctor if you have any queries on these matters, so that you can be tested and advised of the best supplements, informed how best to use them and which side effects to look out for.

Good wishes for the festive season – may you be safe and find peace and joy in the company of your loved ones.

09/12/2025

POST-MENOPAUSAL LADIES

Not everyone wants to use Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to combat the troublesome symptoms of menopause. For many, the main concern is the slightly increased risk of cancer linked to the use of HRT.

Fortunately, we now have credible data on this matter to better inform you and help you make a decision. This is an extract from a reputable source citing findings from the Women’s Health Initiative study: “The increased risk in breast cancer cases observed in the original WHI study (one additional non-fatal breast cancer diagnosis for every 1 000 women treated for a year) has been subsequently recognised to be attributed to the particular progesterone formulation used in the study, medroxyprogesterone acetate – a formulation that is not in common use today for hormone therapy.”

Knowing this may influence our decision, so if this applies to you, further discussion with your GP or gynaecologist would be beneficial.

22/11/2025

YEAR END CLOSING DATES

Due to staffing issues, the rooms will close earlier this year – the last working day will be Friday 12th December 2025, and the rooms will re-open on Monday 5th January 2026. Please ensure that you get your script renewals before 12th December so that you are not without your medication over the holiday period. You can conveniently book a consultation online using Recomed.

In the meantime, please ensure that you wear a hat and use a good sunblock if you are doing any outdoor activities, and maintain good hydration by including an electrolyte-based drink as part of your overall fluid intake.

09/10/2025

SEMAGLUTIDE (OZEMPIC) & TIRZEPATIDE (MOUNJARO)

Are you considering using either of these injections to assist with normalising your weight and offsetting the negative metabolic effects of being overweight?

Overweight leads to changes in overall metabolism which affect your wellbeing and mortality risk.

In many people, diet and exercise alone have too little effect and some might not be sustainable in the long term: often these people have a hormone problem that can be helped with either of these injections. This may particularly affect mature women as they approach menopause. The injections are costly and will still require some dietary and exercise input, but often adding these injections will give good results when previous diet and exercise alone failed.

If you are battling with weight issues and need more information, please consult your doctor.

30/09/2025

SPRINGTIME, SKIN AND WEIGHT

Winter is on the way out, and as the weather warms up, our thoughts turn more to outdoor activities to enjoy the lovely sunshine.

Remember to use your sunblock daily, and re-apply regularly once outdoors, especially if swimming or sweating. SPF 50 is advisable, but there is also SPF 100 available for more sensitive skins or those with a history of sun-damaged skin problems.

The other thing that many will be contemplating is how to shed the extra kilos gained during the winter months of “comfort eating”. Getting back to a normal weight has huge health benefits beyond just making us look and feel better. As we get older – especially for women around menopause - it becomes more difficult to lose weight in a healthy way, so if you are considering this, consult your doctor for information on how you may be helped on a safe weight-loss journey.

28/11/2024

SUMMERTIME IS GASTRO-TIME

Warm weather favours the spread of enteric (gut) viruses. In the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town there has been a notable rise in the number of patients with sudden onset of cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

In most cases this is a self-limiting
condition, but can become severe enough to warrant admission to hospital for intravenous rehydration.

For most adults, fluid replacement, medications for cramps, nausea and diarrhoea are all that is needed. Any accompanying fever or body aches usually responds to regular paracetamol or other similar medications.

Replacing the fluids lost by the vomiting and diarrhoea is the most important point. Remember that these are complex biological fluids, so the replacement fluid should be as close as possible to what has been lost. Fizzy cool drinks are NOT the ideal here. Balanced rehydration solutions to replace the lost minerals and salts are available at pharmacies.

Young children are particularly vulnerable with gastroenteritis, and can very quickly become dehydrated. Don’t delay in seeking medical advice, especially if your child has a persistent fever, refuses his/her feeds or appears drowsy.

21/11/2024

IMPORTANT ALERT!!! – CHECK YOUR YAZ CONTRACEPTIVE?

An alert was broadcast this morning - I cannot verify the content, but rather check than run the risk of unwanted pregnancy.

Manufacturers today announced on radio, a fault in the packaging of a particular batch of Yaz oral contraceptive. There should be 24 pink pills and 4 white (inactive) pills. In a recent batch there were 24 white (inactive) pills and only 4 containing the contraceptive hormone.

If your pack has 24 white pills, it is part of the faulty batch and may mean that you have NO CONTRACEPTIVE COVER for now. Please return any faulty batches to your pharmacy and ask for a substitute pack – which you must open right there and check that there are the correct number of active (pink) pills. Please also note that you will need alternative contraceptive cover until your next period.

If you are in doubt, please consult your doctor Please also advise any of your friends that might be using Yaz to do the same.

18/11/2024

MOVEMBER

Women have their “breast awareness” month in October, and now a pathology laboratory is offering a special service to men for the month of November.

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is a simple blood test that monitors prostate size/enlargement: this test is reliable and is advised for men over the age of 45. This is advised as a baseline for future reference if the man has no prostate related symptoms, and if no new symptoms arise, can be done annually or every 2 years thereafter. But the PSA test can be done at any age if there are significant prostatic symptoms.

This local laboratory is offering the test for R140.00 cash with an extra 5% discount for pensioners.

There are important and relevant facts relating to PSA testing, so please contact your doctor to access this service, and to inform yourself about prostate health.

12/11/2024

YOUR VISIT TO THE DOCTOR

There are different reasons for consulting your doctor – e.g. to find out what the problem is; to get treatment; to learn how to prevent this and other problems recurring; for a regular check-up; to be referred to a specialist etc. An important factor here is what you can do to get the best outcome from the consultation, and you may be surprised at some of the basic things you can do to this end.

1. Be as clear and accurate as you can about what you need help with – when did it start, what was the first thing you noticed, what were you doing at the time, what have you already tried (medication name and dosage) to help the symptoms? Have you recently had another illness or operation?
2. Always disclose any other medical issues you may have – e.g. hypertension, diabetes – and any medication you are using for them. These “background” issues may seem unrelated, but to your doctor they might provide valuable information to help deal with the present problem.
3. Remember to dress appropriately – e.g. if you have a chest complaint, wear a blouse or top that can easily be either unbuttoned or lifted up so that the stethoscope can be placed onto bare skin – stethoscope sounds heard through clothing are totally misleading; If you need a BP reading, wear either a sleeveless top or a garment that lets you take your arm out of the sleeve: a rolled-up sleeve may get so tight that it affects the BP reading.
4. The nature of your work and any details of family illnesses are always relevant.
5. Be prepared to pass a urine sample – samples brought from home may be time-saving, but a “fresh” sample will more likely give accurate test results.

These may seem unimportant but will be a big help towards getting a good outcome for you.

04/11/2024

MANAGE YOUR HEALTH BETTER – SOME TIPS

There are many things you can do “at home” to better manage your health and these are becoming more relevant as medical costs escalate and investigations become more expensive.

The basic advice from all doctors is to quit smoking, exercise moderately, maintain a healthy weight and get enough good quality sleep. Whilst your age, s*x and genetic background cannot be changed, these 4 factors will help get you into optimum condition.

But apart from these basics, there are several things that you can do, especially if you have already been diagnosed with a condition. Here are some tips, starting with MEDICATION.

1. Medication is specific and tailored for your individual needs and circumstances. It is thus risky to “borrow or try out” someone else’s medication, which might be perfect for them, but could be unsuitable – or even dangerous – for you.
2. Prescription medication should be kept in a cool dark place unless it specifically needs to be refrigerated (e.g. insulin).
3. Tablets or capsules should not be removed from their original packaging sheets. The name, dosage and expiry date appear on each sheet so there can be no confusion about which “little white pill” you are taking. Some patients prefer to decant a week’s supply at a time into little plastic pill boxes marked with days of the week: that may save time and one can easily see if a dose has been taken or missed. However, if this is done, the remainder of the month’s supply should be kept in its original packaging.
4. There are specific instructions for taking medication – some on a full stomach or at night or not combined with other medicines. Following these instructions will ensure that you get optimal effects of your medicine.
5. In general, prescribed medication should not be mixed with homeopathic ones as there are some possible unsafe interactions.
6. If you miss a dose, check the package insert for instructions on managing this – this may be very important for those taking contraceptives.
7. Always inform any doctor you consult about which medications you regularly use. It may be easier simply to take a photograph of the boxes with the name and dosage clearly visible. Know the names of your medication -especially if you have recently used an antibiotic and now need another one: this is very relevant in selecting the right medication for you for your current illness.

More tips to come on Medichat….

Address

15 Tugela Circle, Plattekloof Glen
Cape Town
7746

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 13:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 13:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 13:00
Thursday 09:00 - 13:00
Friday 09:00 - 13:00

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Dr Anna Hall posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category