A healthy heart is fundamental to overall health and wellbeing. Your heart sits in your chest, behind the left-lower part of your rib-cage. It is made of specialised muscle and works as a two-sided pump with valves to circulate blood through your cardiovascular system (arteries, capillaries and veins). The right side of your heart delivers blood to the lungs where oxygen is collected, and the left side of your heart delivers the oxygenated blood to your body’s organs (including the heart itself, via the coronary arteries). 

Chronic lung disease is a term for a group of long-term conditions that affect the lungs. At least one in 10 Australians has chronic lung disease. The most common conditions are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, also known as emphysema, chronic bronchitis), asthma, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, mesothelioma and lung cancer. These diseases are characterised by symptoms such as breathlessness and cough.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a health condition that causes widespread pain and tenderness. It is unclear what causes FM, but your body becomes very sensitive to touch and temperature changes in many areas, especially muscles. There is a wide range of symptoms involved with FM. This can include disrupted sleep; ‘foggy’ brain where it is hard to think properly; you are more prone to depression or anxiety; and sometimes your bowel and gut functions can also be affected.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted and the nerve cells die. It can affect a number of brain functions, such as movement or speech. While the damage to the nerve cells is permanent, intensive and targeted rehabilitation can help people to recover following stroke. The most common signs of stroke are summarised by the word FAST: if someone’s Face is drooping, they can’t lift their Arm, or Speech is affected it is Time to call an ambulance.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common autoimmune disease in Australia, affecting about 2 per cent of the Australian population. Women are affected by RA about 2.5 times more than men. The onset of RA usually occurs between the ages of 40 and 50 years, which are usually the peak income-earning years. Living with RA between the ages of 30-50 can be particularly difficult for women who are often navigating a pathway to parenthood.

Pain is a very common experience for us all. When we reflect on these numerous instances of pain we experience each day, they mostly come quickly and go just as fast. Many of them make very good sense to us – we bump or injure ourselves in some way, pain alerts us to this, we protect the injured area and the pain goes away. This short-lasting pain is called ‘acute pain’.

Osteoporosis and osteopenia (a milder form of osteoporosis) are conditions that affect the strength of your bones, which increases susceptibility to bone fracture. Although the conditions are more common in older people and females, males and younger people may also develop osteoporosis or osteopenia. There is a lot you can do to optimise your bone health and minimise fracture risk.

Dizziness is a common issue in the general population. It is estimated that at least five percent of the Australian population (over one million people) will experience dizziness issues at some point in their lifetime. There are a number of causes for dizziness, and treatment options include medical management (eg, medications), physiotherapy and psychology intervention. Your GP can help determine the appropriate clinician for your specific needs.