Thrive Family Practice

Due to the electricity outage, our phone lines are unfortunately not working. We are however open and working so please contact us on 0609534038 or book your appointment on our website www.thrivefamilypractice.co.za.

🌱Are you an allied medical professional who is looking for a space to practice from? We have a beautiful space available at our practice from 1 January 2022.

🌱The office park is tranquil and green and invites a sense of healing from the moment you arrive. We are situated in the heart of Ballito with easy access from all major roads.

🌱If you’re interested please call us on 0873549016 or email [email protected]

It’s not too late! We still have flu vaccines in stock so make sure that you and your family are protected this winter. You can call us on 0873549016 or book an appointment online at thrivefamilypractice.co.za.

🌱 A little Monday reminder
🌱 Take back your power

🌱 We’re online!
🌱 You can now book your appointment any time of day online via our website
🌱 Just go to www.thrivefamilypractice.co.za. It’s so easy!

🌱 As most people return to work and some form of normality this week, there may be a lot of questions about what the best practices are to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.

🌱 Dr Sheri Fanaroff posted a very informative article which should give you most of the answers. But don’t forget that we’re always hear to give advice and help.

🌱 Link in comments.

🌱 We’re fully open and back to normal hours as from today with both Dr Philippa and Dr Tess in the office.

🌱 As we start the first full week of the new year, we wanted to say a sincere and very heartfelt thank you to all our patients for their amazing support in 2020. It was a difficult and tumultuous year for everyone and we so appreciate the understanding and kindness we received.

🌱 We look forward to being here for you in 2021 and will continue to provide the best care in the safest environment possible

🌱 With the sudden rise in Covid cases in KZN, we thought that we would share some useful tips and interesting info over the next few days.

🌱 If you need specific questions answered or any medical help, please get in touch with us.

🌱 A strong immune system is something we’re all striving for.
🌱 There may be a few subtle signs that you’re missing which would indicate that your immune system needs a boost.
🌱 Link to the full article in the comments below

Experiencing feelings of happiness and hopefulness can activate our parasympathetic systems, reducing the stress hormones in the blood - allowing our immune system to repair and rest - obvious health benefits!
🌱 When last did you experience‘kefi’?

🌱 With all the talk about the lockdown levels being raised, we decided it was time to look at the positives
🌱 According to our top scientists, the hard lockdown may have had an unexpected, but really quite amazing, side effect. Link to the article below.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-south-africas-covid-lockdown-may-have-created-herd-immunity-12116494

🌱Today’s 5 to Thrive comes courtesy of our in-house psychologist Joanne Goss.
🌱This is a short list of reminders to help us deal with our emotions- especially the uncomfortable or difficult kind
🌱Well-being is so much more than purely physical- our psychosocial health underpins how we experience our physical health

This Friday’s

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter whose business-name is 5-hydroxytryptamine and whose nickname is the Happy Hormone.
But it's role in the body is even broader than you might realise. Serotonin is necessary for normal bowel function, quality sleep, effective blood clotting, adequate bone density, sexual function and a sense of well-being.

Symptoms of depression should always be addressed with a healthcare professional and in the right setting, antidepressant medication can be life-changing. Here we'll expand on a few other things that have been shown to increase serotonin's availability in the body.

1. Probiotics
Approximately 95% of your body’s serotonin is produced in the gut! Natural sources of probiotics like kimchi, kefir, kombucha will help maintain gut integrity.

2. Sunlight
10 to 15 minutes of sunlight a day is all you need to prevent darkness-induced low serotonin levels. It’s still unclear as to what portion of this time should be without sunscreen but most sources advocate for some of the time unfiltered by SPF, so it’s wiser to avoid harsh midday sun for your daily dose.

3. Vitamin B
Vitamins B3 and B6 are needed to make amino acids called tryptophans. Tryptophan is used as a building block for serotonin. It seems having sufficient Vitamin B in your diet is more beneficial than eating tryptophan- or serotonin-rich foods like turkey and bananas due to better absorption and use.

4. Exercise
Along with a myriad of other health benefits; regular exercise, (particularly aerobic exercise) can increase both the synthesis (making) and release of serotonin.

5. Massage
Along with an increase in serotonin levels, massage (even non-professional) has been shown to lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

How do you plan to boost your serotonin this weekend?

🌱Something to remember on a Monday morning as you start your week

🌱We liked it so much, we put sprinkles on it and hung it on our wall

🌱 Don’t hesitate to contact us if there is any way that we can help you thrive this week

Who's with us in feeling like Saturday morning's are a fresh start?

WELCOME TO , our new Friday feature!
This week we are looking at two articles highlighting some of the possible mood boosting benefits of Spring.
A 2005 study published in Psychological Science looked at the effects of increased time outdoors, increased sun exposure and warmer temperatures on people’s mood valence, ability to remember information and ability to adapt their first impressions. While it was a small study and it would be nice to see some South African equivalents; the authors described a link between pleasant sunny spring weather and better mood, memory and mental flexibility.
A 2016 article in the Journal of Affective Disorders looked at 16, 452 adults over 6 years for relationships between mood and weather. The findings supported a significant link between increased sun-time and decreased psychological distress.
Five more reasons to smile this Spring!
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7624488_A_Warm_Heart_and_a_Clear_Head_The_Contingent_Effects_of_Weather_on_Mood_and_Cognition
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032716306553

🌱Did you know that living within 5km of a coastline is linked to mental health benefits?
🌱A study published in October 2019 in the journal Health & Place looked at 26,000 people to analyze the mental health well-being effects of being close to the coast. The results showed that those who live less than 1km from the sea are 22% less likely to have mental health symptoms compared to those living over 50km away.
🌱What benefits have you experienced living nearer to the sea?

Wearing a mask can be uncomfortable and frustrating, but when it is, try to remember this...

Yay for level 2, but please remember to be sensible!

Struggling to explain to your teenager why she/he shouldn’t visit their friends? This might help...

Do you like our new look? No, we don’t either. We know it’s clinical, impersonal and a bit scary, which is exactly what we aren’t about...but please bear with us as we try to make our practice a safer place for you. Wearing scrubs and protective gear are just some of the measures we’ve introduced to protect ourselves and our patients from COVID.

Such a useful article. Thanks for sharing Beverly Mare.

The Effects of Chronic Pain on the Family Unit | Pathways Chronic pain affects not only the individual, but also their loved ones. This article looks at this topic in more detail and provides guidance for healthy family coping mechanisms.

Some ideas of interesting and developmentally appropriate activities to do with younger children from an occupational therapist.
https://instagram.com/rachie_ot_mom?igshid=yqry6np8t6jr

Rachel Carey (@rachie_ot_mom) • Instagram photos and videos 533 Followers, 339 Following, 758 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Rachel Carey ()

A visual way of explaining to children how COVID spreads from contact and on surfaces, is to put some glitter on their hands (warning: you may end up with a messy house). Not only children benefit from this- although it’s a very rough approximation of spread, I couldn’t believe how easily surfaces and people became contaminated!

A very useful article as we relax lockdown restrictions:

https://medium.com//a-sensible-way-to-estimate-the-risk-of-everyday-activities-b5e70811a780

A sensible way to estimate the risk of everyday activities. States are reopening, but the choices are yours.