Navigating a Healthy Back-to-School Season: A Comprehensive Guide for Parents
By Dr Miriam Blashki
We are well into the swing of Term 1 back at school and a lot of us are finding ourselves back in the routine of packing lunches, helping with homework, and managing the whirlwind of extracurricular activities. Amidst the excitement, it’s crucial not to overlook the health and well-being of your child. In this blog post, we’ll cover essential back-to-school topics, including Year 7 immunisations, asthma and allergy plans, health checks, healthy lunch ideas, and strategies to manage the overwhelm of too many extracurricular activities.
- Year 7 Immunisations
Starting high school is a significant milestone, and along with it comes the opportunity for important vaccinations. Ensure that your child is up-to-date with their immunisations, including any recommended for their age group. These vaccinations not only protect your child but contribute to the overall health of the school community.
Most schools offer vaccination clinics, however, if your child would prefer a calm environment away from the drama of mass teenage immunisations, bring them to Honeycomb Health.
For immunisations that appear on the Australian Schedule, we offer bulk billed immunisation only appointments. These include Year 7 immunisations Gardasil (HPV) and Boostrix or Adacel (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis) https://www.health.vic.gov.au/immunisation/immunisation-schedule-and-vaccine-eligibility-criteria
- Asthma and Allergy Plans
For parents of children with asthma or allergies, it’s crucial to collaborate with the school to create a comprehensive asthma or allergy management plan. Schedule a meeting with one of our doctors to review your child’s specific needs, emergency protocols, and the location of any necessary medications. This proactive approach can help prevent and manage potential health issues during the school year.
The most common plans that we do are, allergy, anaphylaxis and asthma. If you would like to prefill the form with your child’s details, please see the links to the action plan forms below. Once your form is completed, you can then send it to reception@honeycombhealth.com.au prior to your appointment. Don’t worry if you can’t fill the form out in advance, we always have access to the plans and can easily print them out in colour for your school on the day of your appointment.
Anaphylaxis: https://www.allergy.org.au/images/stories/anaphylaxis/2023/ASCIA_Action_Plan_Anaphylaxis_Red_General_2023.pdf
- Health Checks
Is your child starting kindergarten? At Honeycomb Health, we believe in proactive health care. If your child is over 3 and under 5, there is a Healthy Kids Check for children. We can link this in with 4-year-old immunisations or they can be done as a stand-alone appointment. These ensure that any potential health concerns are addressed early on; and provide the opportunity to discuss any physical or emotional changes your child may be experiencing. Allowing for a more comprehensive approach to their healthcare. Ways to book can be found here.
- Healthy Lunch Ideas
A well-balanced diet plays a crucial role in your child’s overall health and academic performance. By bringing your kids into the discussion around how to create an enjoyable and nutritious lunch box, you can minimise your own workload by giving them age-appropriate autonomy over what they eat and how to prepare it. Meals and lunch boxes are a constant source of overwhelm and stress for many parents, but our wonderful dieticians who consult at Honeycomb Health often share wonderful resources and are a fantastic source of evidence-based support. See their links below for more great tips:
Everyday Nutrition
https://everydaynutrition.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/theguthealthdietitian/
And
Food For Thought
https://www.rachelleopie.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/foodforthought_dietitian/
- Managing Overwhelm
There can be many pressure points for families throughout a child’s school journey, from starting kindergarten through to VCE. If you or your child are struggling, take action early. there are often ways that we, as your GP, can support you and often prevent family dynamics from deteriorating. Both myself (Dr Miriam) and Dr Ingrid are experienced GPs who have first-hand understanding of the reality of living with school aged family members.
As you manage the back-to-school season, prioritise your family’s health and well-being. From immunisations to managing mental health and nurturing healthy habits, taking a proactive approach sets you all up for a positive year.
February Focus: NUTRITION by Joanna Baker
Decoding Healthy Eating: A Simple Guide to Nourishing your Body
Nutrition
As we dive into the new year, we find ourselves surrounded by a myriad of enticing healthy eating plans, all promising a revitalized version of ourselves in 2024. Yet, in this age of information overload, deciphering the secrets of healthy eating can often feel like navigating a maze. Social media and the internet are constantly bombarding us with conflicting advice, leaving us in a state of perpetual confusion. Potatoes are labelled toxic by some, while others swear by veganism. Amidst the chaos, terms like gluten-free, sugar-free, intermittent fasting and keto just add to the complexity, how is anyone supposed to know what to eat anymore?
To make sense of all of this, let’s get back to basics and start by looking at the five regions around the globe that are known for people living exceptionally long and healthy lives. These regions are known as the blue zones and include Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; and a Seventh-day Adventist community in Loma Linda, California.
Interestingly, while many of these areas share similarities, they also exhibit vast differences. Emphasizing a crucial truth: healthy eating is a personalized journey influenced by genetics, lifestyle, and individual health needs. No single rule applies to all individuals, and perhaps broader patterns in the bigger picture are more significant than specific details.
So what do the Blue Zones have in common?
Variety:
The first aspect to note is that all these regions eat a lot of variety. We have five food groups, and each food group brings different nutrients. For example, fruits & vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals, whole grains like oats and wheat provide fibre and B vitamins, while dairy and meat has protein and iron. Our body needs a range of nutrients to function, so a balance across all the food groups is a good way to ensure that you’re getting everything your body needs.
One way to achieve variety is to aim for 3 different food groups in a main meal and two different food groups in a snack.If you do have an allergy or an intolerance and have to limit a food or food group, it’s a good idea to consider replacing it with foods that are nutritionally similar. For example, if you struggle with milk, look for a milk replacer that has similar calcium (120mg/100ml) and protein (3g/100ml).
Fruit, Veggies, Legumes & Wholegrains
The second characteristic of note is the abundance of plant foods across the blue zone diets. The reality is that we want plant foods to make up the majority of our diet. Research is strong that a diet that is abundant in a diverse variety of plant foods is associated with increased abundance and variety of healthy gut bacteria, decreased inflammation throughout the body and decreased risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.
Eating Behaviours
A key part of blue zone diets is not about what you eat, but how you eat. These cultures value enjoying food in a relaxed way in the company of friends and family. Furthermore, Harvard recently released findings of an 80 year study that found the people who lived the longest healthiest lives, were the ones who were the most socially connected.
Food is about so much more than just nutrition. Food brings people together, its about celebrating, commiserating, exploring cultures and pleasure. The way we eat, think and behave around food can nourish the soul or cause emotional distress. At the end of the day, its likely healthier to grab an ice cream with a friend than to eat a salad alone.
Final Thoughts
Remember what works for one person may not work for another. Embrace the uniqueness of your dietary needs and focus on a style of eating that brings both physical and emotional well-being. Variety is your ally, providing a broad spectrum of nutrients necessary for overall health. Prioritize whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits, and consider making mindful swaps to enhance the quality of your diet. Above all, reject rigid food rules; life isn’t about perfection. Enjoy the occasional indulgence, knowing that balance and variety contribute to a sustainable, healthy lifestyle.
Feeling inspired to tailor your nutrition to your individual needs? Take the next step towards a healthier you by booking a personalized consultation with an Everyday Nutrition dietitian. We can provide expert guidance, taking into account your unique lifestyle, preferences, and health goals. Make 2024 the year you invest in your well-being – schedule your appointment today and start your journey towards a healthier, happier you!
About the author:
Joanna in a dietitian and registered nurse who loves food. Her passion for digestive health stems from a lifelong battle with debilitating gut symptoms. At Everyday Nutrition, Joanna works with a team of expert dietitians who love to support people to resolve digestive issues and fall in love with food again. You can book with Joanna here.
December focus: Reducing Stress for the Holidays by Acacia Yoga
Whilst the end of the year is often a time of celebration, for some it can also be a busy time of year where tensions can run high. With kids on school holidays, travel plans booked, festivities to plan (Christmas, Boxing Day, Hanukkah, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day) as well as our everyday work and household tasks to complete, it won’t be long before our friends ‘Stress’ and ‘Burnout’ try to join the party.
But fear not! There are tools from Yoga we can use to help navigate the holiday season and reduce stress along the way. In our Yoga classes at Honeycomb Health (Book Here), several techniques we practice can be highly effective in de-escalating our nervous system, creating a sense of calm in the mind/body and help us reconnect to the present moment and enjoy this exciting time of year with our loved ones. Keep reading below to learn my best tips for managing stress during the holiday season:
Remember to breathe.
It may sound silly, but breath is our number one ally when it comes to self-regulation. By taking the time to stop and notice our breath, connect our body to breath (such as by placing a hand on heart and the other to our belly) and by regulating our inhale and exhale, we can assist our parasympathetic nervous system to slow down and reduce anxiety.
Try this exercise the next time you need a breath check-in:
Find a comfortable seated position, close your eyes (or soften your gaze) then notice your breath.
Check in with the length of your inhale and the length of your exhale. Is one longer than the other or are they even?
Enjoy 3 comfortable breaths with your natural inhale and exhale.
From here, inhale for four counts (1-2-3-4) then exhale for four counts (1-2-3-4), evening out our inhale and exhale to the same length.
Repeat this even breath for four breath cycles.
Return to your natural breath. Pause to notice any changes that have occurred in your mind or body.
Repeat as needed.
Move the body, shift the stress!
The field of Somatic psychotherapy has shown us that stress is not just cognitive and does not just live in the mind. Stress also flows through our bodies, and the more stressed we are, the more this stress can become stagnant or “stuck” in the body. This then leads to the common physical symptoms we feel when we’re stressed such as tension headaches, muscle aches, stomach pain, gut upset, fatigue etc. Of course, you should always have physical symptoms checked by your doctor. But if the doctor tells you “It’s stress!” then movement can be very useful in shifting that stress out of the body.
During the holidays, I recommend including the family when moving our stress out! Practicing Yoga Asana (postures) with your family and friends can be a fun way to relieve stress, shift stagnant energy through and out of the body, improve our physical wellness and help us to feel better for the holidays. Just choose some of your favorite postures or stretches and you’re good to go!
Stuck for ideas? Send me an email at acaciayogamelbourne@gmail.com and I’ll share with you some of my favourite Asana to choose from.
Focus, focus, focus.
As much as our mind can overwhelm us, it can also be just the tool we need to draw our attention back to the present and self-regulate. One of my mentors shared with me a quote that proves true every single day: “energy flows where attention goes”. If during the holiday season your find your mind racing, your to do list endless and feel like you’re drowning in your thoughts, use your mind to counteract this. Pause for a moment, notice the present then choose what you would like to draw your attention to.
Some suggestions for choosing what to focus on include:
- Drawing awareness to only the current task you’re completing
- Noticing the present moment (your surroundings, breath, bodily sensations etc.)
- Visualization – use your imagination to see your happy place, visualize yourself completing a goal, cultivate a certain feeling in the body etc.
- Listen to a guided meditation and really focus on what is being offered to you
Selective focus is a skill like anything else and practice makes improvement. If you try to quiet your mind and you start to struggle, try speaking kindly to yourself, acknowledge your thoughts, saying “hello thoughts. I see you there, but I am going to let you fade into the background” and consider practicing some self-care instead.
Thank yourself, love yourself.
My final tip for you this holiday season is to take time regularly to celebrate yourself. Praise yourself for everything that you have achieved this year, show gratitude for the strength you showed during your challenges and allow yourself to rest, relax and practice selfcare – whatever selfcare looks like for you.
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and enjoy this beautiful summer!
Laura Baxter
Acacia Yoga
International Mens Day – Spotlight on Mens Health.
International Mens day is Sunday November 19th. Despite Honeycomb Health having a female heavy workforce that doesn’t mean we don’t do mens health! Welcome to Movember, the month dedicated to raising awareness about men’s health. So let’s discuss two of the big men’s health issues of today – prostate cancer and mental health.
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting people with a prostate gland over 45 years of ageii.
So, what is your prostate gland and when should you start thinking about screening for prostate cancer?
The prostate gland is a walnut sized gland that sits just under your bladder and wraps around the urethra, or tube, that empties your bladder (ideally when it is sociably acceptable to do so). The prostate gland produces the fluid secretions that support and nourish the sperm. Part of this fluid is made up of PSA, or prostate specific antigen, which is what doctors can measure in a simple blood test to try and detect prostate cancer. As you get older, your prostate gland will grow, which means the PSA level will also naturally go up, however, the pattern of this growth can be a way to help detect prostate cancer.
Doctors will also look at whether you have any risk factors that may place you at increased risk of developing prostate cancer, because early detection is the key to preventing complications. These risk factors will also influence the age you should consider screening for prostate cancer, and include:
- Increasing age – similar to bowel cancer, start thinking about having the conversation with your GP around the age of 50;
- Family history of prostate cancer, particularly in brother, father or uncle, consider screening from the age of 40;
- Strong family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, consider screening from the age of 40; and
- Male persons of colour or with African ancestry, should also consider screening from the age of 40i
Mental Health
Are u ok?
Have you noticed a mate who’s not been themselves lately? Perhaps they’ve been more irritable, more withdrawn from social situations, struggling with work, or feeling tired more often. These can all be signs of depression or anxiety. On average, 1 in 8 men will experience depression and 1 in 5 will experience anxiety at some stage in their life. Worse though is that men make up an average of 7 out of 9 suicides every single day in Australiaii. The team at Honeycomb Health encourage everyone to look out for one another and talk about mental health to help remove the cultural, professional and personal stigmatisation associated with it. A simple conversation can literally save a life.
The causes of depression are complex, involving an interplay between social, biological and psychological factors. It can affect anyone. The good news is that we can help. Treatment may include talk-therapy, exercise or lifestyle changes, psychotherapy or medication. Therapy is a wonderful tool that looks at teaching you new ways of thinking, and how to change any habits that contribute to depression, on the other hand medication changes how the brain produces or uses certain chemicals involved in mood and stress. There are a range of options available, in combination or alone, the point is there is many avenues to explore, you simply have to take the first step.
If you would like to talk more about your mental health, prostate cancer and screening, or anything else on your mind please book in to see one of our doctors at Honeycomb Health via our contact page, we are here to listen and help. More information on these and other men’s health topics, can be found on the Healthy Male website.
Telephone or online mental health resources can often be effective, especially if you aren’t able to access a health service, or find talking to someone face-to-face difficult. We have also provided resources below should you or anyone you know need them:
If you are having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 for immediate support.
Lifeline for anyone having a personal crisis — call 13 11 14 or chat online
MensLine Australia is an online counselling and forum for men — call 1300 78 99 78
Dads In Distress is a peer support for separated dads — call 1300 853 437
Head to Health — for advice and to get connected to local mental health services, you can call 1800 595 212.
Mens Shed – A huge range of support, socialization, programs and opportunities to engage with likeminded individuals. Call them on 1300 550 009.
Beyond Blue has health resources specifically designed for men — call 1300 22 4636
MoodGYM is a free online cognitive behaviour therapy program.
Qlife – If you are experiencing mental health issues related to your sexuality or gender identity (LGBTIQA+), Qlife provides a counselling and referral service for LGBTIQA+ people.
i Prostate cancer. Know your risk. Take action. – Movember
iiMen – Beyond Blue