N.H.C.HEALTH CENTRES

06/12/2021

Reminder of Quarantine and Isolation guidelines

01/09/2021

If you’re over 18 you ought to have had your fundamental Covid-19 vaccine.
If not, speak to your GP.

Vaccinate
-for yourself
-for our families and friends
-for our doctors
-for our country

Let’s do this!

25/08/2021

04/04/2021

06/12/2020

GUIDELINES FOR MATRICS RETURNING FROM RAGE
Dr Sheri Fanaroff


These are our suggestions on how to slow down the spread of COVID-19 with Matrics returning from a superspreading event.
Please confirm all medical advice with your own GP.

1. IF YOU ARE SYMPTOMATIC AND STILL AT RAGE:
⁃ Try to get tested to confirm if you are positive.
⁃ Regardless of the test result, assume that you have COVID if you have any symptoms. Symptoms include sore throat, cough, headache, fever, chills, body pain, runny nose, loss of taste or smell, diarrhoea.
⁃ You need to ISOLATE for 10 to 14 days
⁃ If you want to return to Joburg and have symptoms, you CANNOT board a plane knowing you are positive. You will need to drive home or isolate in Umhlanga. The person driving the car will become a contact. To minimize risk - both the driver and the patient should wear a surgical / N95 mask in the car. Keep windows open. Infected Matric should sit in the back seat on the opposite side of the car to the driver. All car windows should be open.

2. IF YOU HAVE NO SYMPTOMS AND ARE STILL AT RAGE:
⁃ You need to QUARANTINE for a minimum of 10 but preferably 14 days.
⁃ If you have the funds and access to a test, consider having a test to guide your further management and help you notify contacts.
⁃ Regardless of a positive or negative test result, if you have attended Rage parties, you are a high risk contact and need to quarantine for the recommended period.
⁃ If you wish to return to Joburg, the ideal is to travel by car so as not to infect others on a plane. See advice from above for travelling by car.
⁃ If you are not a known close contact and do travel home by aeroplane :-
⁃ • You need to be extremely cautious on the plane and at home in case infected and contagious to others.
⁃ • Wear two masks or surgical mask / N95 mask if you have.
⁃ • Open air vents over seats.
⁃ • Try to stay as far away from people as possible.
⁃ •Sanitise hands often
⁃ •In the car on the way home from the airport, only one person should fetch ; wear masks and keep windows open; Matric should sit in back of car on opposite side to driver.
⁃ Once home, you need to quarantine (in your room to protect your family) for 14 days ideally.

3. IF YOU HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS AND ARE NOW AT HOME
⁃ Contact your doctor and go for a COVID test.
⁃ Assume you are positive anyway and ISOLATE for ten days.
⁃ Symptoms include sore throat, cough, headache, fever, chills, body pain, runny nose, loss of taste or smell, diarrhoea.
⁃ If COVID test is positive, notify your contacts, notify the COVID app, and get advice from your GP regarding any medications, recommended vitamin regime and how to monitor symptoms including temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen levels. See our previous post “So You Have COVID Now What? (https://www.facebook.com/104244764651132/posts/122899486118993/?d=n)

4. IF YOU ARE ASYMPTOMATIC AND BACK AT HOME :
⁃ Even if you are unaware of being a definite close contact, you have been at a superspreader event and need to QUARANTINE FOR A MINIMUM OF TEN DAYS (preferably 14)
⁃ If you have access to have a test, Consider testing even if you have no symptoms. A test on day 7 after your last contact will be more likely to be accurate.
⁃ If you test positive, contact your doctor for advice and follow step 3 above.
⁃ NB : Testing should only be done if resources allow and quarantine should be observed regardless of test result

We cannot stress enough the need for Matrics who have been at Rage to take responsibility and take quarantine seriously regardless of having symptoms or positive/ negative tests. While teens are likely to have mild or asymptomatic infections, the impact of this on the broader South African community if they travel around the country spreading the virus as they go is disastrous!

For the entire community:
PLEASE APPLY SAFE PRACTICES BY
⁃ Washing Hands
⁃ Wearing Masks
⁃ Maintaining Social Distance
⁃ Avoiding crowds and gatherings

25/08/2020

Insomnia in the time of COVID

Coronasomnia: Insomnia in the time of COVID
Dr Alison Bentley
Sleep therapist


Over the last 5 months, cases of insomnia have been increasing. There are a number of reasons for this. One reason is the changes in sleep routine due to changes in daytime activities during lockdown. Another reason is increased anxiety and depression due to the stress of the pandemic. Lastly, COVID infection itself has been associated with sleep difficulties in some instances, such as when patients are coughing, breathless or feeling unwell. Clinical insomnia is only diagnosed if there is a decline in daytime function. Sleeping 5 hours every night and functioning well during the day does not equate to insomnia – these people may naturally need less sleep. Patients with insomnia get limited hours of sleep and are aware of a drop off in executive function during the day such as poor memory, attention deficit and depressed mood. They may only be getting five hours but are very aware that they need more.

Don’t get fooled by Dr Google stating that “Eight hours sleep is normal”. The average hours of sleep for the general population is a bell curve centering around 7-8 hours. On either side are people who genetically need to sleep a few hours less or more than that with a range of 4-9 hours which could still be normal. There is also a normal decrease in hours and quality of sleep with aging. This happens gradually from around 40 years of age and progressively less and lighter sleep is obtained as people get older. Thus it is important to determine the correct amount of sleep for each individual. The ‘switch off the light’ time and wakeup time need to match those hours. The “going to bed time” and the “get out of bed time” are also important . With lockdown, and the decreased need for an early wake up in order to beat the traffic or to fit in a gym session, people slept in. Unfortunately, they also often kept their bedtime the same, resulting in a gradual onset of difficulty in falling asleep. Sleep patterns change if you spend more time in bed – initially getting longer, as a catch up, but then becoming fragmented. Simply going back to the pre-lockdown sleeping times can resolve this change in sleeping patterns. The increased amount of sleep often comes with more vivid dreams, so common that they have their own Twitter handle: .

Full blown insomnia is different to the sleep changes experienced during lockdown. By far the most common cause of new insomnia is psychological or physical stress. This occurs when the stress is sufficiently severe to induce anxiety and therefore difficulty sleeping. These kinds of stresses were very common over the last five months due to anxiety about the virus and financial worries caused by the economic implications of the lockdown. This type of insomnia is called acute insomnia and it usually only lasts a few days or weeks. Of those with acute insomnia, 75% will find that the sleep difficulty resolves as the anxiety fades away. The other 25% will go on to develop chronic insomnia. This is usually exacerbated if one tries to make up for the loss in hours of sleep by spending more time in bed or lying in bed for hours trying to fall asleep. These behaviors are destructive to good sleep. Another habit to be avoided is going to bed early (say 8 pm) and working or watching TV from bed (until say 11 pm ) and then insisting that the brain go to sleep. It is important to seek medical attention if anxiety persists or impacts on daily functionality.

Bad sleep habits are best addressed by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which aims to improve behaviors, improve sleep and thus change the cognitive anxiety around sleep. Sleeping tablets should only be used for a short period in acute insomnia and then phased out. There are other conditions that cause insomnia such as restless leg syndrome, obstructive sleep apnoea and depression/anxiety (the latter 2 are often fellow travellers). If you suspect you may have any of these conditions, consult your GP to make a proper diagnosis. The relatively slower paced life of the lockdown has highlighted pre-existing sleeping problems. The fatigue associated with this insomnia was often previously explained away by the stresses of high-paced living.
There is unfortunately no “quick fix” for sleep in the time of COVID (or any other time). Taking long term hypnotics (sleeping tablets) is not the best approach. Cognitive behavioural therapy and adhering to sleep hygiene rules are useful methods to help improve sleep disorders.

Cognitive behavioural therapy uses three specific techniques to improve sleep and you should expect your sleep to improve over a few weeks.

• Keep a sleep diary and document what happens and the time it happens during the night
• Sleep restriction - cut down the number of hours that you sleep. This makes the brain more efficient with sleep and usually results in falling asleep faster and better quality sleep
• Stimulus control : If you can’t sleep after 15 to 20 minutes, get out of bed and go into another room/ sit in a chair and do a quiet activity e.g. reading, using dim lighting, until you feel sleepy again. Then go back to bed and try again

LIFESTYLE CHANGES :
1. Regular moderate exercise
2. A healthy balanced diet including fruits and vegetables.
3. Avoiding excessive alcohol.
4. Avoiding caffeine (this has a long half life so should be avoided after 4pm latest!)
5. Meditation or yoga may reduce tension, promoting better sleep. Some people find sleep apps useful - there are quite a few available.
6. *NB - Limit night time screen time. Artificial light from screens/ TV/ phones causes less melatonin production and less sleep. Reduce the intensity of light at night and switch off devices an hour and a half before sleep time.


SLEEP HYGIENE RULES:
1. Establish a regular time for going to sleep and waking up. Decide which six hours work best for you and plan for these.
2. Avoid daytime naps especially late afternoon and evening.
3. Exercise during the day (not late at night as this can be stimulating).
4. Have a hot bath about an hour and a half before bedtime.
5. Do something relaxing in the half hour before bed e.g. read a book.
6. Keep the bedroom cool and well ventilated.
7. Limit night time screen time. Artificial light from screens/ TV/ phones causes less melatonin production and delayed sleep. Reduce the intensity of light at night and switch off devices an hour and a half before sleep time
8. Avoid drinking a lot from dinnertime so you don’t have to wake up to go to the loo. Also reduce alcohol consumption in the evening - it might make you fall asleep faster but the sleep quality is reduced.
9. Actively try to reduce your level of anxiety. Limit news exposure and social media - this can be upsetting (or at the very least, stimulating) and is also information overload. Stay informed but perhaps limit your sources of information to reliable sources and HAVE BREAKS by being “unplugged” for part of the day - particularly in the hours before bed. Seek medical attention for anxiety if it persists.
10. If you are prescribed a sleeping tablet, try to take this only every THIRD night, to avoid developing tolerance and dependence.

Insomnia can be debilitating. We hope the tips we have given you will be helpful. If you continue to experience sleeping difficulties, don’t hesitate to contact your GP.

28/06/2020

28 June 2020

NHC Medical Centre Northcliff is closed today.

NHC Honeydew, Bryanston and Centurion are operational.

The centre had a non-clinical staff member who was tested yesterday for COVID and resulted positive. The centre is responsible to decontaminate the building after which we will safely re-open.
This staff member does not interact with patients.

Your health and safety are of PARAMOUNT importance to us.

Please be assured of our best intentions at all times.

www.nhcltd.com

NHC Honeydew 0112149000
NHC Bryanston 011 700 6666
NHC Centurion 012 762 6300

31/05/2020

30 General Practitioners in South Africa ‘came together’ during Lockdown to do something unusual….. to sing and to express to you their own Voices that Care.

Please watch and *share* the video

https://www.facebook.com/GautengGeneralPractitionersCollaboration/

30 General Practitioners in South Africa ‘came together’ during Lockdown to do something unusual….. to sing and to express to you their own Voices that Care....

03/05/2020

NHC Medical Centres keeping everybody safe with drive-through COVID testing.

30/01/2018

We Can. I Can. Make a Difference


World Cancer Day takes place each year on February 4th, providing the platform for the world to unite and raise the profile of cancer in a positive and inspiring way.

In 2018, the aim is to inspire healthy cities and communities to fight cancer. “We recognise the vital role that schools, libraries, health clinics, service groups, sports clubs and education professionals play in promoting and educating the next generation about their health and well-being."

The global cancer epidemic is currently enormous and is set to continue rising. Over the next ten years, it’s projected that cancer deaths will increase to over 14 million per year. In South, Africa, cancer is under–reported due to the lack of a comprehensive cancer surveillance system:

In 2008, 55 286 new cases of cancer were reported to the National Cancer Registry (NCR), 52% of these cases were women and children. In 2012, 77 440 cases were referred to the NCR. The latest Stats SA figures shows a steady increase in deaths attributable to cancer from 5.6% in 2006 to 9.1% in 2015.

Read more about what YOU CAN DO! We will be sharing more over the next two weeks

- http://www.cansa.org.za/world-cancer-day-we-can-i-can-make-a-difference/
- http://www.cansa.org.za/ons-kan-ek-kan-n-verskil-maak/
World Cancer Day

07/03/2017

13/12/2016

19/02/2016

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

CENTRE MANAGER – NHC HEALTH CENTRE BRYANSTON

A vacancy exists at the NHC Health Centre Bryanston for the position of Centre Manager.

All interested candidates must please forward their CV’s to Jean Blignaut at
opsmanager@nhcltd.com on or before Friday 11 March 2016.

All suitable candidates will be notified when the shortlist has been formulated.

10/02/2016

Follow the link below to obtain information on symptoms of anxiety which should prompt you to get professional advice.
https://www.nhcltd.com/discussions/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Anxiety-Self-Assessment-Checklist-NHC.pdf

NHC Health Centres provide the best medical health care for our patients. Our website offers an online booking system for registered users.