If you’d like to see a Physio for a personalised consult, please give us a call on 0437 749 746.

Is there anything more powerful than a woman moving furniture around her house, alone, on a timeframe (before the baby wakes up)? I ponder this thought as I carry our large microwave/oven from the kitchen to its new resting place: in the laundry on top of the drinks fridge. The husband was not on board with this idea. “Leave it on the bench”, he says, “that makes the most sense”. It does, of course, seem sensible to have a kitchen appliance residing in the kitchen. But the kitchen has been newly renovated, with beautiful white pressed tin as a splashback, so the large, yellowed mi­crowave felt out of place and took up valu­able bench space.

So I decided to move it. Grunting, I shuf­fle to the outside laundry, using all my en­ergy to carry the remarkably heavy metal box, praying my c-section scar would be up to the task.

No doubt, you’ve moved heavy furniture too. Or on the farm, you’ve lifted a heavy, wet ewe from the mud onto the back of a motorbike or ute. Maybe you regularly lift a drum of roundup, or the fat labrador that refused to “get up”. We ask a lot of our bod­ies, and sometimes, they give out on us.

Ever noticed when a tennis player hits the ball, they groan, or when a boxer makes a punch, they blow out through pursed lips? It’s how they let go of air during exertion: decreasing the pressure inside their body.

I’ve seen so many farmers that come to see me, after a hernia repair and I ask, how’d you do it? Often they aren’t sure – which terrifies them, as they don’t know if it will happen again.

Often, they are the breath-holders. Got to lift the tractor tyre? They’ll take a deep breath in, fill up the lungs with air, put maxi­mum pressure on their abdomen, hold their breath and then lift a ridiculous weight, the perfect storm for a hernia or disc bulge to appear: a sign of a pressure system under great strain.

How to decrease the strain and still get the job done? Take a breath in, then breathe out as you lift. Your pelvic floor, back, and potential hernias will thank you for it.

Yours in pursuit of regular home-rear­ranging,

Rach x

Diabetes- Diabetic retinopathy is the lead­ing cause of avoidable vision loss and blindness in working-age Australians.

It is a chronic disease that occurs when there is too much glucose in the blood. This happens because the body is not produc­ing insulin or not using insulin properly.

This National Diabetes Week, we’re shin­ing a light on something many people don’t realise: your eyes can be one of the first places diabetes shows itself.

At Hansen Optometrist Parkes, we often see patients who feel perfectly fine and have good eyesight, but their eye exam has revealed early signs of diabetic eye disease.

Diabetes can quietly damage the small blood vessels in the retina which we call di­abetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy can be seen long before symptoms appear and leads to permanent vision loss. The good news? Early detection of diabetic retinopa­thy through regular eye checks can prevent severe vision loss.

If you live with diabetes, or are at risk due to family history, weight, or lifestyle, then a yearly eye exam is vital. It’s quick, painless, and could save your sight and at Hansen Optometrists Parkes we have the latest technology to assess your eye health.

Visit us at 267a Clarinda Street, Phone 6863 5577 or book online at hansenoptom.com.au

Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor pictured at the recent child restraint checking events in Parkes and Forbes.

The recent free child restraint checking events, a service provided by Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils, dis­covered that 79% of the child restraints checked were incorrectly fitted.

The service provided free child restraint inspections in Parkes, Forbes and Con­dobolin, by local Authorised Child Restraint Fitters. Nineteen child restraints were brought in by parents and grandparents for checking – mostly rearward/forward facing converter child restraints or forward facing/booster converter child restraints. There were also two installations.

The Councils’ Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, said these bi-annual events continue to be pop­ular.

“The child restraints that were incorrectly fitted had minor problems that needed fix­ing to ensure the safety of the child” Ms Suitor said.

“The correct fitting and adjustment of child restraints is vital. It is important to make sure that your precious cargo is safe and buckled up every time they are in the car – whether it’s a five minute or five-hour journey” Ms Suitor said.

While these safety checks were free biannual events, local Authorised Child Re­straint Fitters can install and check child re­straints all year-round for a small fee. The local fitters in Parkes are Col Fletcher Ford & Kia and Parkes Tyrepower. The local fit­ter in Forbes is Jelbart Dawson. The local fitter in Condobolin is Central West Tyre Service.

National child restraint laws have been in effect since 2010. All children must be safe­ly fastened into the correct child restraint for their age and size. Children need to be at least 145cm or taller to use an adult lap sash seatbelt.

Research shows children who are not restrained correctly are seven times more likely to sustain life-threatening injuries in a crash than those who are properly secured.

You can visit www.childcarseats.com.au for more information about child restraint rules.

Have you had your macula checked? May is Macular Month, and a good reminder that if you are over 50 you should be having regu­lar macula health checks.

The macula is the most sensitive part of the retina which deals with fine detail. A healthy macula is vital for good vision.

Macular Degeneration is a disease that causes central vision loss. This makes it very difficult to read, recognise faces, watch TV and even obtain a driver’s license.

Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in Australia. It is more common as we age, and the risk of Macular Degeneration increases if there is a family history of macula problems, cardiovascular disease or you are a smoker.

Like most diseases, early detection and treatment for Macular Degeneration is vital to maintain good vision throughout life.

Hansen Eyecare Plus has all the latest technology for a comprehensive eye exam, including Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). OCT is the gold standard for the early detection of Macular Degeneration.

Unlike standard retinal photography, OCT enables detailed assessment of the deeper layers of the retina.

DRY MD
Characterised by a slow, progressive loss of the RPE cells due to the build up of drusen at the macula. This makes up about 85% of moderate to advanced MD cases resulting in a gradual deterioration of the central vi­sion. Diet and a special formulation of vita­mins and high-dose antioxidants, such as MD eyes have been shown to slow down the progression of MD in those with moder­ate to advanced MD in at least one eye.

WET MD
This affects about two-thirds of advanced MD patients. This occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow underneath the macular and these vessels canspontaneously bleed, leading to a sudden loss of vision requiring immediate medical treatment. Treatment of­ten requires regular injections to shrink the blood vessels.

To have your macular thoroughly checked, make an appointment today with Hansen Eyecare Plus P: 6863 5577. Book online www.opticalbookings.com.au/hansen-optometrists-parkes/store