As an after hours Doctor, I am often called out to see patients suffering from migraine. It is one of the most common acute conditions requiring urgent medical care – with 7% of men and 18% of women in the population suffering from migraines.

As Keith Urban says, “Life is a rollercoaster, you’ve just gotta ride it.” But what happens when you feel stuck, locked in and overwhelmed that you can’t get off? Life’s not always an easy ride and we all feel blue sometimes, but how do keep going through the low times and keep the blues at bay?

I have spoken to our doctors all around the country, and I constantly get that same feedback. The best part of our job is how appreciated we are!

Allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever, can be triggered by pollen from grasses, weeds and trees.

Understanding the sleep cycles of infants will go a long way to helping you cope with the first few months with your new baby. It’s important to realise their sleeping patterns are quite different from ours.

If you develop symptoms (fever, a cough, sore throat, tiredness or shortness of breath) within 14 days of leaving a country or region that is at higher risk for COVID-19, or within 14 days of last contact of a confirmed case, you should arrange to see your doctor for urgent assessment.

In my many years practising as a GP and after hours home doctor, I have seen thousands and thousands of cases of acute respiratory infections (e.g. colds and flu). When treating this type of illness, there is one question patients ask more than any other.

Without doubt the illness that causes my female patients the most grief (albeit temporarily) is when they contract a urinary tract infection. With cries like, “Doctor, it really, really hurts!”, “It’s really stinging when I pee”, or “I have the urge to ‘go’ 20 times a day!” – it really is the infection that women hate the most.