Latest news with #DrZac
News.com.au
13-07-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Why your wellness routine might be working against you
QUESTION: Hey Dr Zac, Every day I wake up to wellness advice on TikTok telling me to get 8 hours of sleep, do 10k steps, meditate, journal, strength train, eat organic, drink 3L of water, avoid blue light, and practise gratitude. By the time I've ticked off all the 'healthy' things I'm supposed to do … the day's over and I haven't done anything fun. Even your column, as much as I love it, gives me even more tasks that I need to add to my daily routine! Is this just what being healthy means now? Or is there a more realistic way to look after yourself without it becoming your whole personality? — Jess, 28, Albury ANSWER: First of all—thank you. This might be the most relatable question I've received all year. You've summed up a whole generation's collective mental breakdown. Somewhere between celery juice, journaling by candlelight and daily cold plunges, 'wellness' went from being about feeling good to being a full-time unpaid internship in self-optimisation. It's exhausting. Let me say this loud and clear: you don't need to be perfect to be healthy. Wellness isn't an achievement to unlock. It's a messy, evolving balance between doing what's good for your body, your mind, your bank account, and—crucially—your joy. This ultra-structured, hyper-scheduled approach to self-care? It's become what experts are calling 'wellness perfectionism.' According to a 2023 paper in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, many young people are experiencing increased anxiety not because they're not taking care of themselves, but because they feel like they're never doing enough. The 10-step morning routine is starting to look a lot like a to-do list for burnout. Let's blame the algorithm for a moment. Social media feeds us a conveyor belt of health advice in bite-sized, guilt-inducing doses: 'If you're not waking up at 5am and dry brushing while visualising abundance, do you even love yourself??' Its toxic positivity meets micro-influencing. And yes, while some of it comes from a good place, there's also a whole industry profiting off you feeling like you're never doing enough. But here's a radical idea: health should support your life, not consume it. A recent study in the Medical Journal of Australia confirmed what many of us already feel—that sustainable wellness practices are the ones that fit into your existing life without making you feel like a failure when you skip a day (or three). That means if you miss your 10k steps but spend the evening laughing with friends, you're still doing something great for your wellbeing. Social connection, pleasure, and rest are as much a part of health as green smoothies. Now don't get me wrong—I'm all for healthy habits. I'm a doctor, I want people sleeping well, moving often and eating real food. But it's got to be realistic. I like to follow what I call the '2 out of 3 rule': pick two things each day that are good for your body or brain, and make peace with letting the rest slide. One day that might be a workout and a good night's sleep. Another day it might be a walk and eating vegetables that weren't fried. That's still a win. I once tried doing everything the 'right' way for a week. I meal prepped. I meditated. I foam rolled like my life depended on it. By Friday, I was cranky, bored, and craving a pub schnitty. So I had one—with a beer—and felt better than I had all week. That's healthy too. So Jess, don't let self-care become another way to punish yourself. Set boundaries around what advice you actually want to follow. Ditch the one-size-fits-all guru content. And if your 'wellness' routine is making you feel less well, it might be time to swap breathwork for brunch and call it even. Health isn't a checklist. It's a feeling. And if your routine isn't making you feel free, energised, or even a little silly sometimes … it might be time to loosen the grip. Here's to imperfect wellness—and a life that includes both broccoli and beer. Cheers, to your health! Dr Zac Dr Zac Turner is a medical practitioner specialising in preventative health and wellness. He has four health/medical degrees – Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Sydney, Bachelor of Nursing at Central Queensland University, and Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast. He is a registrar for the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, and is completing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering (UNSW). Dr Zac is the medical director for his own holistic wellness medical clinics throughout Australia, Concierge Doctors.
News.com.au
25-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
‘Unsafe': Doctor warns against common shower act
It will probably come as no surprise to you that people pee in the shower. In fact, statistics show that 61 per cent of people engage in this multi-tasking habit. But while emptying your bladder when nature calls may seem harmless, it turns out that urinating while standing up can cause long-term harm, especially for women. Dr Zac, a prominent Australian GP, has warned that this shower act is particularly concerning if it becomes routine. UTI risks from urinating in the shower Firstly, it's a common misconception that urine is sterile, because even healthy people have bacteria in their urine, says Dr Zac. Therefore, when you urinate in the shower, you may be spreading bacteria over your skin, feet, and other areas (particularly if there's a cut or broken skin barrier), which could increase your risk of reinfection or spreading urinary tract bacteria. This risk is higher if you are already dealing with a UTI, as that urine contains more bacteria. It's also more concerning for women, who are four times more likely to develop a UTI than men. Urinating position linked to pelvic health issues While hygiene and infection risks are important, there's an additional aspect – how your urination position affects your pelvic health. For women, standing to urinate, such as in the shower, can interfere with complete bladder emptying. 'The female body is designed to urinate in a seated or squatting position — this allows the pelvic floor muscles to fully relax and the bladder to empty effectively,' explains Dr Zac. 'When standing upright in the shower, those muscles may stay partially engaged, meaning the bladder may not fully empty.' Over time, this incomplete emptying can strain the bladder and potentially cause issues like residual urine, bacterial growth, or urgency problems. The brain-bladder reflex If you find yourself needing to urinate whenever you hear running water, it might be because you've conditioned your brain-bladder reflex through habitual shower urination. 'You can condition the bladder to feel urgency when it's not actually full — leading to an overactive bladder or urge incontinence over time,' he adds. This phenomenon is well documented in bladder retraining studies and in research involving patients with functional urinary disorders. A 2022 study used Pavlovian theory (from Pavlov's famous dog experiments) to explain how repeated exposure to cues like being in a shower can increase urinary urgency, even if the bladder isn't full. What are the signs that something might be wrong? While it may seem convenient, urinating in the shower could be causing more damage than you realise. So, how can you tell if your bathroom routines are affecting your bladder or urinary health? 'One of the first and most obvious signs of a urinary tract infection is a stinging or burning sensation when urinating,' says Dr Zac. 'It's caused by inflammation and irritation of the urethral lining due to bacterial overgrowth. If you feel this, especially after changing your toilet habits, it's a warning sign.' Going to the toilet more often than usual is another clear indication that something isn't right. 'If you feel like you can't hold it, this could mean your bladder is irritated, inflamed, or conditioned into urgency,' he explains. 'This might be due to overtraining the bladder reflex, or it could signal the start of a UTI. Either way, it's worth consulting your GP or pelvic health physiotherapist.' Leaking urine, especially during exercise, laughter, or sneezing, is known as 'stress incontinence', and is another sign of weakened pelvic floor muscles — possibly from habitual urination while standing. Signs of infection or inflammation in your bladder or kidneys may also be another indicator, and include pelvic discomfort or lower back pain, particularly if a UTI has spread. If these symptoms are accompanied by fever, nausea, or vomiting, it could be a kidney infection, which needs urgent antibiotics. 'Cloudy, bloody, or foul-smelling urine are more classic infection signs. Blood in the urine should always be taken seriously and checked by a doctor — even if it appears just once,' warns Dr Zac. So while the occasional shower wee is likely safe for most, making it a daily habit, especially for women, is probably not the best idea.
News.com.au
20-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
What your doctors are writing about you behind your back
Have you ever wondered what your doctor is really thinking about you when you're sitting in their office? The truth is, the world of medicine has long been home to its own secret language – shorthand acronyms and slang that doctors use to communicate about patients to other healthcare staff, often behind their backs. However, this is somewhat of a dying art, as today's medical slang now largely exists in whispered conversations or informal notes. These colloquialisms rarely make their way into a patient's official records, because they're often considered unethical and potentially offensive. Also, using them could result in legal trouble for doctors or hospitals if patients discovered them and decided to pursue legal action. Adam Fox, a collector of medical slang, once shared an example from one of his annual reports to the BBC. A practitioner had written 'TTFO', meaning 'told to f**k off', on a patient's chart. When asked about the entry in court, the practitioner had to pretend the initials stood for 'to take fluids orally'. Another reason for the decline in this sort of slang is that they may be confused with genuine medical terms, potentially leading to misunderstandings. Leading GP, Dr. Zac, tells that he remembers an incident where this happened. 'A patient ended up suing – and winning – after she overheard a clinician referring to 'the cow in the room',' he says. 'She assumed she was being insulted. But the reality was that the clinician had been venting about a COW: a 'Computer on Wheels' that was malfunctioning again (as they often do). 'The context was lost, and what followed was a legal headache no one needed, but it served as a wake-up call. Ever since then, there's been a push to remove any language that could be easily misconstrued, especially when emotions are already heightened in a hospital setting.' According to ex-TedxSydney founder, Remo Giuffre, who explored this phenomenon in his book series Remorandum, some of the codes include: ART: Ain't Right There (patient has an unusual demeanour or behaviour) BWCO: Baby Won't Come Out (needs Caesarian) CFL: Chronic Frustrated Lawyer (frustrated patient who threatens legal action frequently) CSTO/DSTO: Cat/Dog Smarter Than Owner (used by vets) CTD: Circling the Drain (a critically ill patient who is deteriorating) DBI: Dirt Bag Index (this multiplies the number of tattoos by the number of missing teeth to give an estimate of the number of days since the patient last bathed) DUB: Damn Ugly Baby EGO: Excessive Gas Output (patients with frequent flatulence complaints) FF: Frequent Flyer (patient who frequently visits the ER for non-emergency issues) FLK w/ GLM: Funny-Looking Kid with a Good Looking Mum FUBAR: F**ked Up Beyond All Recognition (extremely complex or difficult situation) FURB: Funny, Unusual, Rectal Blockage (people who use unusual objects in their anus) GOK: God Only Knows (patient with symptoms that are baffling or defy a clear diagnosis) GOMER: Get Out of My Emergency Room GPO: Good for Parts Only (patients whose injuries may mean they are unlikely to survive) GRAFOB: Grim Reaper At Foot Of Bed LOBNH: Lights On But Nobody Home (patients who are alert but mentally absent) LOFA: Lack of F**king Ability (patients who struggle with simple tasks or who seem helpless) LOLINAD: Little Old Lady In No Apparent Distress NQR: Not Quite Right (patient who doesn't have a clear diagnosis but isn't healthy either) PITA: Pain In The A** TEETH: Tried Everything Else, Try Homeopathy (chronic cases that resist standard treatment) TMB: Too Many Birthdays (elderly patients, often with multiple chronic issues due to age) TOBP: Tired of Being Pregnant (especially patient demanding Caesarian) TSTL: Too Stupid To Live (patients engaging in extremely risky or unhealthy behaviour) UBI: Unexplained Beer Injury (injuries of unknown origin associated with alcohol consumption) VIP Syndrome: A high-status patient who expects special treatment that disrupts standard care WADA: Weak And Dizzy All-over (patients with vague, non-specific symptoms) Dr Zac says that while most of these terms are on the way out, some acronyms still hold a strong clinical place and are routinely used in day-to-day care. These are the ones that serve a real purpose in communication and patient safety, not 'cheap laughs', he says. Here are a few that remain in standard use: FAST – Face, Arms, Speech, Time (stroke recognition tool) ABCDE – Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure (standard trauma and emergency assessment structure) SOAP – Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan (common structure for medical notes) PEARL – Pupils Equal And Reactive to Light (used in neurological exams) AVPU – Alert, Voice, Pain, Unresponsive (used to measure level of consciousness) 'So while the cheeky acronyms of old might still make the rounds on Reddit or late-night handover jokes, in practice, they've mostly been replaced with clearer, standardised terminology,' Dr Zac says. 'And maybe that's a good thing.'
