Dr Zelda Smook

Dr Zelda Smook "You treat a disease, you win you lose...You treat a PATIENT who has the disease, you win no matter what the outcome" All Medical Aids Accepted, even Keycare.
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Hey there SC Peeps 🌼🌤🌞🏖I thought it would be fun to do a post about just STUFF in general... which I've likely mentioned...
10/12/2025

Hey there SC Peeps 🌼🌤🌞🏖

I thought it would be fun to do a post about just STUFF in general... which I've likely mentioned before, but let's see what I can come up with...just kinda shooting from the hip 😅.

Maybe a better title for this post would be "2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ WRAP-UP" 🎉 ... It's more my thoughts and fun moments I have in my head than actually an informative post. So next time you see me smile, just remember this post...🙂🤪🥳

So the BIGGEST singulair word (s) that came out of peoples mouths for 2025 were these:
Ozempic and Ivermectin. Yoh 😬, I feel like I shouldn't even embark down this journey, but let me just touch on them....and I might be walking right into a trap...🏴🚶‍♀️

1) Being asked for Ozempic purely for Weightloss - PLEASE don't go there 🙏. There's a lot of data for other ways to lose weight... Just because it worked in Hollywood, doesn't mean it's good for you. If you deep dive into Ozempic it's MOSTLY for Diabetics that require Insulin and the side-effects in a person that is NOT a Diabetic could be, lets just call it, "less desirable" 🤢🤦‍♀️

2) Ivermectin is curing cancer - I don't REALLY know how to approach this 🤷‍♀️, but let me say this, there are some TRIALS being conducted on the POSSIBILITY that it might help in treating Cancer, but those trials are mostly still in animals 🐇🐰🐀...and if you want to watch a video📹 and solely believe whoever made it, please do the research about the video before you blindly discard any other option / opinion that you've been given. 🔍

Shortly on the heels of these, were:
"Is Intermittent Fasting safe?" or
"Should I do the Carnivore diet?" 🍖⏳

Noooo people...every person who wants to make money is putting an AI video together about drinking 8 raw eggs in the morning 🥚🐣🐔 or living on Cabbage Soup for 4 weeks 🥬...(Yes, I SEE 👀 you going through every diet you've ever tried in your head, including the pills you ordered on ABT for R3000...teehee 🤭)

What has happened to... JUST FOLLOW A HEALTHY diet...??? 🥗

The answer that I often get given in response would be, "But it's too expensive to eat healthy 💸."

Please correct me if I'm wrong...and I'm just spitballing here... Does a packet of Carrots not cost less than a loaf of bread? 🥕🍞 Would it not be cheaper to make a "sandwich" with 2 slices of ham as your "bread", and a bit of cheese 🧀, tomato and lettuce, with even a cucumber if you'd like... would that not be the same amount of effort yet, TWICE as healthy? 🥒🍅🧀

Let us be honest here... if these "fad" diets worked, then why did we change from Tim's Butter-Coffee diet ☕🧈, to Blood Group Diets 🩸, to Keto Diet 🥓, to Intermittent fasting ⏰...??? Had they all been as successfull as they claimed to be... then why did we remaster a master plan? 🤔

And then we get my ultimate favorite... "I'd like a full medical" 🩺 ... Fast forward 3 days later and I break the news to the patient that their cholesterol or sugar count is out of control...

Mannnn 😩, I'm absolutely positive I'm going to have a heart attack before any of my patients...The comments that follow are like a Mastercard 💳 Advertisement... PRICELESS 🤣

- My cholesterol has been higher than that in the past 🙄
- My sugar must be high because I ate a tub of ice-cream over the weekend 🍨
- It runs in my family...👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

These comments are often followed by the absolute BEST pearler chirps...wait for it...⏳️

- Are 3 Beers a night too much 🍺🍺🍺??
- I'm not going to have coffee without sugar, you can forget about that ☕😒
- I'm never quitting smoking, it can't be the smoking causing me to be short of breath... 🚬😤

That's when I start with my eye rolls 🙄🙄🙄... I think that must be the strongest muscle in our bodies here at the practice...🤣

I'm struggling to figure out why people want a medical done, but then don't want to accept the answers....?? 🤷‍♀️ Are they maybe looking for something SPECIFIC or coming in the hope, that everything is normal?? And, on the occasion that not everything is normal, why risk a stroke or lung cancer and not attempt to make that change? (Queue Michael Jackson) 🎶🎤

Just asking for a friend...🤦‍♀️ It's literally as if people want to fix what they expected they were coming in for me to find, and if I DON'T find THAT SPECIFIC condition, well then, the rest doesn't matter... 🤷🏼‍♀️🤔💭

I have to admit that I've come to realize that whatever question any patient asks, they already know the answer, they're just hoping I'm going to say what they WANT TO HEAR 👂 ... for instance:
- Would exercise help me lose weight 🏃‍♀️💦
- Does Watermelon have sugar in it 🍉
- Is it OK if I stop my Blood Pressure medication seeing that my Blood Pressure is normal now... 💊😑

Like Oprah once said...it took 10+ years to eat yourself into 140kg, you're not going to magically wish it away overnight...✨ It took a whole lot of food and no exercise to get to 140kg... trust me, it's going to take 4x the effort to get back to normal...and IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY, but it will be worth it!! 💪🔥

And then very IMPORTANT!! Just a gentle nudge to make you aware that there is a Coughing Bug 😷 doing the rounds 🤒...so if you have body aches, a sore throat, fever, coughing, etc...please don't wait a week trying to attack it with every expired medicine you have in your possession 💊💀. Please rather get to us sooner than later, because the longer you wait, the bigger the odds are that you'd need a Venter Trailer for all the medication we'd be needing to get you back to optimal Showhorse condition! 🐎💨

And with that laugh 😆, I want to wish you all a VERY EPIC holiday and festive season 🧑🏻‍🎄🥳 with your family and loved ones❤️💃🏼!!

Loads of love
Dr Z, Caz and Courtney

Open 🏥👐
Monday to Thursday: 07:00 till 16:00
Fridays: 07:00 till 11:00

Closed 🔒
Public Holidays and Weekends!

🤳🏼0662374548

Hey there SC peeps 🌞🏖🌊 (Enjoy the read 🤪)A glimpse into the life of a GP in an AI ruled society...📲🤳 ... How I dream of ...
25/11/2025

Hey there SC peeps 🌞🏖🌊 (Enjoy the read 🤪)

A glimpse into the life of a GP in an AI ruled society...📲🤳 ... How I dream of LIFE BEFORE CELLPHONES WERE DOCTORS 🤪🕰️

Back then, like in Grey's Anatomy, doctors juggled surgeries and symptoms, like pros. I also scratched my head and went through BOOKS 📖... 🏥 No apps...

It used to be just patients spilling their feelings, their symptoms. We’d chat, I’d examine, maybe ask for a blood test or two💉, and...problem solved with good old trust, knowledge and common sense. 📞🗣️ ❤️

Doctoring was as straightforward as unfolding an old paper map...Off you went on your finger traced route, with no adverts popping up 🗺️💪

But oh boy, then the digital avalanche hit...

A day to day example would be for instance using Waze or Google Maps 🟨🛣 :
✅️The one route promises a 45-minute joyride dodging tolls or construction (because of a new pipeline 🤣😝🚧).
✅️The next route looks enticing with an estimate of 38 minutes flat, but with warnings of speed traps lurking like nosy in-laws 👀 👮‍♂️🚔.

Go and tweak your search with "avoid highways" and suddenly there's a brand-new adventure where you find yourself looking for petrol ⛽️ stations or a loo 🚻 🚽....🤣

Let's be real...we all use these "MAP APPS", they are handy if you actually know your destination...but you might end up driving around in circles, arriving cranky and convinced the APP has not been updated😩 😵‍💫

Now, flip this fiasco to AI symptom search...you've got an instant blockbuster that not even Spielberg could dream up...🎬🎥

OVERNIGHT patients have turned into online gurus using there phones like a detective 🫣🤔🤯. You enter "fatigue" and get a diagnoses explosion of Dehydration, Iron-Defiency Anaemia, or some exotic Alaskan Sea Tiger Syndrome (no, that's not real 🤣) 💥😱

This, my dear peeps, is called...
CYBERCHONDRIA...and it's WORSE than that bug 🐛 from China 🚷😷

It is the term that has been given to that sinking anxiety you feel when you find 20 possible diagnosises after the 2nd click...And it's VERY real... 😟 👀😑

But here's the hilarious hitch: AI just parrots 🦜your fear back at you, like an echo from your OWN THOUGHTS 🤔 💭

Put in key words like "one-sided face drop" and it pops up "STROKE" on the first click... 🤯😱

After that, you find yourself scrolling through every AI generated post that says "Read Next" 🤓untill you end nd up finding out that P!nk is running for president (which isn't true 🤣).

But NOWHERE in your search do the most obvious things stand out big enough for you to go "Ahhhhh" there it is...such as:
✅️Sinus Infection,
✅️Bell's palsy (A nerve glitch cured with rest and meds), or
✅️Shingles...crashing the party like an uninvited rash.

A headache? AI will manage to bring your worst nightmare to life, changing your minor pain into a tumor 😱.

Did you really have pain shooting down your entire left side, or did it magically appear after AI played hypochondriac Pacman 🧐🍒?

Back in the good ol' days (yes, I'm nostalgic!), I could predict patient consults like a Gypsy psychic...I'd grab the "YOU" magazine and find the "Thyroid" article. In an instant I'd know what I'd be seeing in my office the following week...😁

Fast-forward to now, and it's a full-blown FBI manhunt 🕵️‍♀️🌀 You stroll in with a list of symptom, copied from AI, and I play spot-the-fake phrases like "persistent fatigue, shifting weight and brittle nails" ....I mean really... WHO SAYS BRITTLE or shifting. It used to be "My nails are breaking" or "I'm just getting fatter by the day💭🤷🏼‍♀️ l??

Suddenly I'm not just a doctor anymore...I've also had to become an BAU profiler and hound dog 🐕 🤷🏼‍♀️🤣

That statin speech you just gave me, because your aunt twice removed, sent you a FB video to watch 📹 by "Dr. AFX" 🤪🙄 Did you fact-check if he's a medical doctor or is he or she maybe a geologist with a PhD, dishing out his opinion like it's medical gold🪨👎?

Lastly, we have the new SERIOUS BREAKOUT called "The Laboratory Apps"!! YOUR OWN RESULTS IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND...weaponised by AI research...!

I might just be out of a job soon... 🤯🫣💥... coz everyone is "dying" after all...😉🤣🤦‍♀️

Suddenly all my patients are turning into Professor Doctor Sherlock. 🔍 Red Cells that are off by 0.02 becomes an instant meltdown and frantic phone calls to Caz and Courtney... because Dr Z missed my diagnosis!!!! 😵‍💫 Yet, I've already reviewed your results, considered everything "in the bigger scheme of things" and made notes that all is normal🤦‍♀️😉🤷🏼‍♀️...coz they actually are.

And then, to top things...in strolls my 55-year-old, 160kg diabetic dude who couldn't give a continental with sugars at 12, grinning like he won the lotto, blind to risks like his kidneys can fail...

Did you ever consider BASIC REAL LIFE culprits behind your problems? 🤷‍♀️

✅️Like, is that headache a muscle spasm from computer-staring marathons for work and exam time or even maybe just life stressing you out? 💻😓
✅️Or hey, maybe you're packing extra kilos because you lovvve that "healthy" whole wheat bread...🍞⚖️
✅️Stiff neck in the morning?? Maybe it's that old pillow, or a soft mattress 🛏️😤 .
✅️"Kidney infection"? Could be plain old backache from a weekend of cleaning and moving furniture. 🧹💪

Honestly now...you are NOT going to double check your Granny's koffie tert 🍮🍰 recipe against AI...are you 😉? So why come into my office with an arsenal of symptoms that you don't really have...

As your GP, I'm asking...cut out the nonsense and go back to basics. AI's meant to simplify life, such as setting reminders...not turn everyone into instant Doctors 😷🚫 !

Ditch the AI detective investigation before your random search lands you in Narnia 🦁🤪🌈

We love you all dearly and with the silly season upon us, we just wanna let you know that we've got your back!! 🥰

Office Hours ⏰️
Monday to Thursday: 07:00 - 16:00
Fridays: 07:00 - 11:00
📱066 237 4548

Love and Health🥰🌈🏖🌊
Dr Z, Caz and Courtney

🌟💪 Hey there SC peeps!! 🌞 ⛱️ Dr Zee is in the office!!! 🎉🎉Although my hand 🖐️ hasn’t healed 100% yet (still rocking the ...
14/09/2025

🌟💪 Hey there SC peeps!! 🌞 ⛱️

Dr Zee is in the office!!! 🎉🎉

Although my hand 🖐️ hasn’t healed 100% yet (still rocking the 1-armed bandit look 🤠), things are slowly getting better. The stubborn ulnar nerve ⚡ is finally starting to fire. 💥 Long road ahead... but we’re MOVING forward 🚀!

So while I CAN’T do excisions...yet... 🥴🤷‍♀🔪, What I CAN do is: Listen 👂, Diagnose , Treat 💊, Help ❤️ … AND freeze & burn lesions 🔥❄️...But we're in the office and ready to rumble!!

📖 For those who don’t know the story: A taxi 🚖 took an illegal slipway to skip his red light 🚦… crossed in front of me… and my bike 🏍️ hit its side. Bike = PERFECT ✅ … Me = not so perfect ❌. Taxi drove over my left wrist 😬 (the ONLY part not protected in full gear 🦺)...resulting in a Crush fracture Left Wrist💥, Compartment Syndrome 😖, Nerve damage Left hand ⚡ … and now rehab with playdough 🍥 & Lego 🧩 (yes, really 😂). But… step by step… claw by claw 🦀… I’m getting there!

So I used to be called Iron Man 🦾 … but after allll the steel plates, I think I’ll step away from bikes...🫣🏍️. One of my BESTIES spotted an "Alien" 👽 hiding in the images of my CT Scan... soooo I’ve now officially been UPGRADED to GROOT 🌱🌳 (WAHAHAHA!!) …

Yip, I’ve gone from Avenger to Guardian of the Galaxy! 🌌💫👩🏼‍⚕🥼

Honestly… WERE IT NOT for the below mentioned INCREDIBLE TEAM as well as my AMAZING wife ❤️ Caz, Courtney 🌸, my Dad 👨‍🦳, my friends, my children, my 4-legged kids 🐾🐶🐱…and all the love, messages and support from YOU guys... I would NOT be here today.

💥 As for my EPIC TEAM 💥 please remember:
👩‍⚕️ Dani-Leigh (Occupational Therapist) — Getting your body back on track after strokes, injuries & life’s curveballs 🏃‍♀️
👩‍⚕️ Kivani (Physio Queen) — Busting spasms, powering up limbs 💪 and setting you on your comeback journey 🚀
🧑‍⚕️ Christo (Manual Practitioner) — Hands-on healing magic 👐
👩‍⚕️ Deneo Sekese (Psychologist Extraordinaire) — Gets into your head 🧩 and helps you meet your best self ✨

🌟 SUPER EXCITED to treat you all again!!! 🌟

📅 Hours:
Mon – Thurs ⏰ 07:00 – 15:00
Fri ⏰ 07:00 – 11:00
🚫 Closed Weekends & Public Holidays
📱 066 237 4548

See you soon SC fam!!! 🥳💚 GROOT hugs all round 🤗🌱

🌦️🌦️ Hey there SC Peeps!! ⛱️With this gorgeous 🤣🫣 weather we’re having, I bet a whole bunch of you are walking around fe...
20/08/2025

🌦️🌦️ Hey there SC Peeps!! ⛱️

With this gorgeous 🤣🫣 weather we’re having, I bet a whole bunch of you are walking around feeling like a creaky old pirate ship ⚓— and no, I’m not talking about rusty door hinges… I’m talking about our joints!

Every week I have people come in saying: “Doc, my osteoporosis is killing me, my joints are so sore…” And then I have to say: “Wait…do you mean Osteoarthritis?” 🤔😅
So today let’s clear up this confusion once and for all and dive into the 3️⃣ big baddies that affect BONES & JOINTS:

1️⃣ OSTEOPOROSIS – “The Silent Thief of Bones” 🦴🧀

What it is: Your bones literally become weaker, with tiny holes forming inside, making them fragile like Emmenthal cheese 🧀 or wood eaten by termites 🐜.

Important: Osteoporosis does NOT cause pain by itself (unless you actually fracture a bone). That’s why it’s often called the silent disease.

How do we detect it?

Bone Density Scan (the gold standard)

Sometimes picked up accidentally on an X-ray

How do we prevent/manage it?
✅ Calcium: Milk 🥛, almonds, leafy greens 🥬, yogurt, salmon 🎣, cheese 🧀
✅ Vitamin D: From sunlight ☀️, but after 50 you should supplement. My favorite = Calciferol 50 000 IU (just 1 capsule per week!).
✅ Exercise: Walking, swimming, resistance training. Motion = bone strength.
✅ Healthy weight: Carrying too much = strain on bones & joints, carrying too little = weak bones. Balance is key.

👉 I recently had a patient whose bone density actually improved after starting Vit D + lifestyle changes. YES, it can be done! 🎉🙌

2️⃣ OSTEOARTHRITIS – “The Wear and Tear One” ⚙️🦵

What it is: A degenerative disease (aka age + time + strain). Joints lose their cushioning, space narrows, and bones rub on bones.

How do we notice it?

Stiffness (especially mornings or after sitting too long)

Pain in knees, hips, hands, spine 💪🏻🦵🦴

Knobbly “extra bone” around finger joints

X-rays show loss of joint space & bony spurs (osteophytes).

Risk factors: Age, obesity, previous injuries, joint deformities (“knock knees”), family history.

Treatment / Relief:
✅ Anti-inflammatories 💊
✅ Maintaining a NORMAL body weight ⚖️ (huge difference in pain control!)
✅ Exercise: Low impact (walking, swimming, cycling)
✅ Supportive aids if needed: braces, physio, walking sticks
✅ In severe cases: joint injections or replacement surgery

👉 Think of Osteoarthritis as your body saying: “Too much mileage, not enough servicing!”

3️⃣ RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) – “The Sneaky Autoimmune One” 🧬🔥

What it is: Your immune system goes rogue and attacks your own joints. It’s not just “wear and tear” — it’s inflammation + destruction.

How do we spot it?

Swelling & pain, especially small joints (fingers, wrists, toes)

Morning stiffness > 30 min

Fingers drifting sideways (classic RA sign 🖐➡️)

Fatigue, low mood, sometimes fevers

Tests:

Blood test 💉: Rheumatoid Factor (+/- Anti-CCP)

X-rays: Show joint erosion over time

Treatment:
✅ More than just painkillers!
✅ Cortisone (short-term)
✅ Disease-modifying drugs: Methotrexate, Salazopyrine, Plasmoquine, etc.
✅ Biologic therapies for severe cases
✅ Lifestyle support: physio, occupational therapy, diet

👉 RA can also affect other organs (lungs, heart, eyes), unlike Osteoarthritis which usually sticks to joints.

⚖️ Summary of the 3:

1️⃣ Osteoporosis = Weak, holey bones → risk of fracture. Silent till you break.

2️⃣ Osteoarthritis = Wear & tear → pain, stiffness, grating joints.

3️⃣ Rheumatoid Arthritis = Autoimmune attack → swollen, deformed, painful joints + systemic effects.

💡 Golden Advice from Doc Zee:
👉 Don’t rely on Dr Google 🐇— it will drag you down a rabbit hole you’ll never come back from 🤯
👉 Motion is Lotion, Rest is Rust 💃🕺
👉 Prevention is always better than a hip replacement 😜

📞 So if you’re stiff, sore, or unsure — come see us at the rooms.
We’ll help diagnose properly and get you on the right plan BEFORE things spiral.

❤️ With love & creak-free wishes,
Dr Zee, Caz & Courtney

☎️ Bookings / WhatsApps: 066 237 4548
🩺 Contracted with MOST medical aids

Dear SC Peeps, Friends, and my Facebook Fam 💙Well… life sure knows how to throw a plot twist or two. Just as I was geari...
14/07/2025

Dear SC Peeps, Friends, and my Facebook Fam 💙

Well… life sure knows how to throw a plot twist or two. Just as I was gearing up (literally and emotionally!) to return to the practice, it seems the universe had other ideas 😅

As some of you know, my precious mom passed away on Friday the 4th of July 💔— a loss I’m still trying to wrap my head (and heart) around. And then, just when I thought a little tennis with my dad might lift the spirits… BOOM 💥 — I was involved in a motorbike accident on my way there. I crashed into a taxi 🚕 and managed to break my left arm VERY badly 🦴🩼

Yes folks, this is fracture number 4 in 6 years 😭💀
I’m beginning to think I need to be wrapped in bubble wrap… or maybe take up knitting instead of biking 🧶😆

But in true "Dr Zee" spirit, I’ll be back — titanium, pins, pain meds and all (Terminator style 🤖) — as soon as my bones and heart allow.

In the meantime, my amazing team, Caroline and Courtney 👯‍♀️, will hold down the fort and keep the SC ship sailing smoothly 🚑💪

Thank you for your endless kindness, patience and support 🙏
Love you all dearly,
Dr Zee 💕🩷

08/01/2025

Dear SC Peeps 🏄🏼‍♀️🏖️ (Edited version)

THIS IS A VERY SHORT AND IMPORTANT MESSAGE...‼️ And PLEASE pass it on to all your family and friends living on the SOUTH COAST...

Discovery has a plan called, THE SMART PLAN...which is very affordable 💸🤑...but unfortunately not so SMART🤓...

There is NO 🚫GP 👩🏼‍⚕️🩺you can go to, you WILL have to PAY for the consult, NO🙅🏼HOSPITAL 🏥on the South Coast that I can send you to if you are on the Smart Plan and NO SPECIALISTS accept it either....

So in short...You'll have NO Benefits on the Lower South Coast which means GP's, Specialists and all Hopsitals.

So if you are having an emergency, then you'd better pay up or have a fast car 🏎️ or a friend with something that goes 0-100 in 4 seconds, because you then need to race🏁🏃🏼‍♂️to Durban.

This plan is meant for the Metropolitans 🌆🏙️, in other words, Durban or Johannesburg...it is NOT designed for our teeny town!! Rather then opt for Keycare or Coastal Core...

Please change your plans URGENTLY if somehow you've been placed on that!! 🙈🙉🙊

Lots of blessings ♥️🥳
Dr Zee, Caz and Courts
066 237 4548

Howzit beautiful South Coast Peeps 🏖🌊⛱️Reposting an old post due to special request and due to the mass response to the ...
23/12/2024

Howzit beautiful South Coast Peeps 🏖🌊⛱️

Reposting an old post due to special request and due to the mass response to the previous post, plus having found a few nasty lesions recently...

And well, its that time of the year where everyone spends their epic days on the beach or somewhere out in the sun with family 🏄‍♂️🏊🚣👨‍👩‍👧‍👧🌞⛈🌈⛱🌊

Skin Cancer...? Do I need to worry...?

We all have those lesions we keep looking at and keep wondering about... The moment you wonder a second or third time, well then I suggest you swing past your GP's office and get their opinion..🥼👩🏼‍⚕️🏪

Here at my rooms, should your medical aid allow it, then we get Auth from your medical aid and we quickly slice and dice 🔪 it out and stitch you up and send the sample to be evaluated... Our philosophy is that you don't cut ANYTHING OUT and NOT send it away!!

Having excised 100's of lesions off pts and finding skin cancer in quite a few plus Melanoma in 10 or more, I thought that posting some info about Melanoma and other skin cancer lesions would be appropriate...

Please do NOT IGNORE that mole on your chest or back or even under an old tattoo... Pop into our rooms and let me have a look at them! It's never too late!!!

Very importantly though...Melanoma is a great magician 🎩, often hiding in plain sight or looking like a nothing...I myself had Melanoma under my heal 🙄🤯🤷🏼‍♀️ and having played tennis since the age of 4...that was the only part of my body that has NEVER seen the sun 🌞...so look everywhere peeps, between your toes, chest, back, hands...in fact one of its secret hiding spots is under your toenail, looking like a bruised nail for years...if you're "bumped blue toenail" doesn't grow out and become normal after a few months...then IT'S NOT NORMAL!!!!

In the below photographs are some guidelines to spot a Melanoma plus pictures of a few other lesions...

If you're anywhere on the South Coast, and you have one of those once, twice, three times (a lady 😂😂) spots, then pick up the phone and book an appointment... You might just save your own life 😘❤️

Hope to see you around aswesome peeps...🎄🎅🎁

Dr Zee, Caz and Courtney❤️😘
☎️0662374548

Here's a rough guide and a few pics of spots you should have a doctor look at, ESPECIALLY if those spots:
1) Are irregular in shape,
2) Are rapidly growing,
3) >6mm in diameter or
4) Have more than 2 colors in them

Hey SC Peeps...🌞⛱️So it's that time of the year...where the South Coasters migrate to somewhere quiet and the Gautengers...
11/12/2024

Hey SC Peeps...🌞⛱️

So it's that time of the year...where the South Coasters migrate to somewhere quiet and the Gautengers 🏭🌆 flood into our BEAUTIFUL little town...

This post is about basic holiday tips for the Happy Campers from out of town 🏖️👙🩴🐬 ... (so please pass this on to your family and friends that are coming down🚗🛫)...but also just STUFF in general that's important to remember in this SILLY 😝🤩🤓🥳 season...

I'm just going to address the Holiday peeps first
- Please don't swim in any beach or lagoon that a river flows directly into as I am telling you now that I'll be seeing someone or all of your family in my practice shortly thereafter 👩🏼‍⚕️🩺 and your holiday might be ruined with fevers 🥵🤒 and other fun symptoms 🤮🤢...and please stop wondering what food it was that you ate. Find out from the locals where the BLUE FLAG 🔵🚩 beaches are and there you can go and have a JOL!!!

- 🌞🧴I know everyone thinks they've got sunscreen knowledge under control...but here's a quick few pointers:
1️⃣ The value of your sunscreen does not have to be more than 50, its just NEEDS to have UVA and UVB protection...this is super important
2️⃣ Apply Sunscreen 30 min BEFORE you go into the sun and then EVERY 2 HOURS ⏱️...even hourly if you are in the water regularly
3️⃣ CLOUDY WEATHER 🌥️BURNS WORSE than a warm sunny day!!! Yes, you read right...the rays that come through start bouncing between Earth 🌏and the Clouds so you get a higher level of UV rays...so be EXTRA careful on these days please!!

Now I just want to touch on a few other things in general over the holidays...

For those of you going away to a possible MALARIA AREA 🦟...I know there's this common myth that even if you take Malaria tablets you can still get Malaria, it just masks the symptoms...So what do we do, WE END UP NOT TAKING THE TREATMENT 💊😒. The truth is guys... You get 2 classes of Malaria.

1️⃣ There's Vivax and Ovale... which the pills DO NOT protect you against, BUT, you will ALSO likely NOT die ☠️ from it...so even if you were to take the medication, then YES, you COULD still get Malaria...so please tell your doctor if you've been to a malaria area and you get fevers or body aches, etc....

But then you get 2️⃣ FALCIPARUM... this is the Cerebral 🧠 (brain) Malaria and this COULD kill you but this is where the MEDICATION comes in...Malaria PROPHYLACTIC Pills 💊 protects you against THIS type of Malaria and THAT is why its important to take the treatment! AND the best part is, it has become ULTRA affordable to take the one that DOESN'T make you sick 🤢 or gives you nightmares!

So if you are going into a Malaria area, please get to your Dokotela 👩🏼‍⚕️🥼🏥 and get your prescription!

Also remember that Mosquito's are DUSK TILL DAWN🌄 insects...and LOVES water💧🌊...so once the sun WANTS to start going down, then you need to start applying Mozzie stuff and also remember to let your kiddo's wear long sleeves!! Even if they complain they are hot!!!

BUT VERY IMPORTANT...Going into a Malaria area if you ARE or think you MIGHT be pregnant 🤰🏼 is a NO GO!! Rather PLEASE try and avoid it, because NONE of the medication is safe for YOUR little precious life your body is creating and we can't then treat the Malaria 😔‼️

And on the point of it being that lovely FESTIVE season.... 🍗🥓🍳🍖🥮🍤🍦🎂🍫🍻🥂🍷🍹🍾...I'm going to just give away a few Pearls of Wisdom I have picked up over the years of being a GP but also from working in Emergency Units 🏥...(And please remember these are just GUIDELINES...)

- A lady with chest pain during the day, THINKING she's having a heart attack, is normally Acid-Reflux

- A Gentleman, in the middle of the night, waking up with TERRIBLE REFLUX, is likely having a Heart Attack....GET HIS BUTT TO A HOSPITAL 🏨 PLEASE!!

- And for all those Diabetics...Please watch your food intake...
1️⃣ Its not Rice and Potatos and Bread...its a pick ONE of the 3 ... and if Bread is your poison...then PLEASE make it at least Brown or whole wheat and TOASTED...and MAX 1-2 slices a day. I had a patient the other day say to me, I only have 1 slice per meal every day...and I replied, so 9️⃣0️⃣ slices of 🍞🥖 a month...and she went... WELLLL, now that you put it like that 🤔🧐🤣🤪

2️⃣ If its a fruit, and when you take the skin off it makes your fingers sticky, then it's a NO GO...Apples and Pears are SAFE, SIX Grapes are TOO MANY‼️

3️⃣ Everything green is GOOD 🍏💚

4️⃣ And whatever you dish...nothing bigger than the palm of your hand... 🫴🏻🖐🏻🤙🏻!!

Have an amazing time everyone🧑🏼‍🎄🎅🏽🎄🎁

Love Dr Z, Caz and Courtz 🥰❤️‍🩹🫶🏻
☎️0662374548

Just a feel good post 🧡🙏🏻There's a couple of good old sayings like when life gives you lemons 🍋, make lemonade 🧃...or, e...
27/11/2024

Just a feel good post 🧡🙏🏻

There's a couple of good old sayings like when life gives you lemons 🍋, make lemonade 🧃...or, every cloud ⛅has a silver lining...

Well today we had a very unexpectedly quiet🤫 day...but this silence created the opportunity for me to bring a smile to a young man's face...And this one will go down in our memory books...🥹🤩

So on this utterly frustratingly quiet day, this beautiful and well mannered young man walked in whom had apparently been trying to find us for over a month...🧐

With a beanie on his head 🧑🏼‍🎄 he walked in and in my usual, "Howzit, what are we fixing today" casual greeting 🤙🏻🤟🏻, showed me his ear 🧏🏻👂🏻...In 2021 he had an injury to his ear that had healed with Keloid scarring, which is basically an overgrowth of normal tissue.

Hesitantly I asked Caz if she agree's that we could take it on 🔪...and with it being quiet, we jumped in...

Well...I don't know whom had more Adrenalin in the end... 🤔🤷🏼‍♀️?? His ear, me or him....but the smile 🤩😃 on his face and the tear filled Thank You 🥹 is something I'll NEVER forget...

So I'm sharing this, because indeed....Unhappiness 😒is good for something... every Tuesday has its Sunday 📆, and most DEFINITELY, if you turn your face to the sun 🌞😎, well then the shadows fall behind you...That smile definitely made the shadows fall behind us!

Thank you for trusting us!!! Looking forward to seeing you around young man...you know who you are!! 🫡😇🥳

Have an epic day peeps...Thought I'd share our happiness and maybe create an amazing day for someone out there feeling gloomy ☺️💃🏼🥳

Dr Z, Caz and Courtz
0662374548

Hey there peeps 🌞⛱️🌅I got the inspiration 🤔💭from somewhere to do a few posts about medication / medical info and life a...
22/11/2024

Hey there peeps 🌞⛱️🌅

I got the inspiration 🤔💭from somewhere to do a few posts about medication / medical info and life as we now know it, together with everything else that has started ruling our world / minds / life....

I find it fascinating that in this modern world 🌍, with free access to information on healthy living 🏊🏻🚴🏼 and eating 🥗🍉, that we as the human race have becoming slaves of technology 🤳🏻📺and are losing ourselves, our imaginations, physical abilities, etc. Be honest...how many hours have you spent looking for the perfect app to help with home exercise, or your diet, or a calory counter...and THEN...How often have you ACTUALLY USED THEM...🤔

What am I saying....?? 🤷🏼‍♀️⁉️

Let me explain myself...and I'm going to do it by giving different scenarios in this post and posts to follow.

So people are starting to blame medication 💊for memory loss and the development of possible Alzheimer's. In the process of blaming medication, it has become increasingly hard to treat various POSSIBLE future life threatening conditions because the medication to treat that condition causes XYZ...because that's what I read 📖 on Google, or what my Aunt 👵🏻who lives in Scotland told me, or what I read on the package insert....

No peeps....I blame memory loss on Technology 👨🏼‍💻💻🤳🏻📲....!!

Where are the days where you knew the number for all your neighbors, family and friends 👨‍👨‍👧‍👧, your doctor, the local bakery 🎂🍰, your OWN HOUSE, your office and any other number you can think of, off by heart🤓. You would simply step up to the phone, pick up the earpiece and DIAL ☎️📞(literally like stick your finger in the little round hole and turn the dial) away at the number you needed to.

And you were able to do that because the first couple of times you needed to phone that number, you would open the telephone book 📖and read 👓🥸the number and say it to yourself as you're dialing it...coz you're kinda reading it out aloud and IN THAT PROCESS of reading, speaking 👅, hearing 🙉👂🏻 and doing, you were practicing your brain 🧠and subconsciously starting to remember it until one day you didn't need the book anymore...

Come on, tell me you didn't just imagine yourself by that phone on the wall in the kitchen, or in a quiet corner of the house...🤪😊

Some might even recall the 2 shorts and a long one on the farms....🌽👨🏼‍🌾

WE, ourselves as a society, are creating some of the more often found diseases....

I have adults not knowing their ID numbers or cell phone numbers with the excuse being, I never phone myself...🫣🤔🤷🏼‍♀️⁉️They then go onto their phones to look for wherever they saved their own cellular number. NEVER in the days of a good old landline ☎️, did you go somewhere such as the doctor or your dentist 🦷and take a little booklet out of your pocket to look up your number so that you could fill in a paper🖊️📝.

We knew our bank account numbers, ID numbers, etc....ALL OFF BY HEART...yet now we have become a society ruled by LAZINESS because we'll just pull out our information filled device...🤳🏻📲

Medication is not the main cause of memory loss...WE ARE OUR OWN WORST ENEMY!!

Let me take you back to the good old days of school projects...!! You would go to the library, may or may not ask for assistance as to where you might find a book 📖📚🎒 about, ag let's say Volcano's, because that's what your project is about. You would then go and find the aisle, the shelf, the row and then the book. While paging and glancing through the book, reading bits and pieces here and there, you would try to find the most interesting and appropriate information on your topic and then you'd go to the photocopier.

Ever so gently, you'd aim and place the book so as to get the best angle where you would be able to read everything nicely...🤣🤪 MANNNN was that a mission and sadly, not something the new generation will ever know about!! The struggle was real 😶‍🌫️🧐🥴. If the angle was just off then you ended up with a piece cut off or a few words were too dark to see 🕶⚫️, or even blacked out😫🧐. Armed with packs of paper, neatly organised with paper clips or in folders, you'd go home and start your project....

Right, so again, you have read👀it once, photocopied it and without even knowing, you actually read it again to check that the photocopies contain all the information you need, and then you'll read it again while WRITING📝, your project and while you're writing it, you would softly mouth 👄🙊whatever you're writing to make sure that your grammar and spelling is correct...and in allllll of that, your brain 🧠🤓just soaked up all this information.

Now place that scenario against what gets done today...children or adults would google, then they'd COPY AND PASTE it into a WORD Document 💻, print that out, cut ✂️out the paragraphs, stick them on a piece of A3 paper or cardboard along with a few pictures and VOILA 🪄...you have yourself a project...

Now I ask YOU to ask yourself....how much information do you think you retained in the second scenario ... NOTHING....‼️

So in the good old days, above and beyond practicing your memory, you also developed the skill of speed reading as well as practiced your fine motoric skills by WRITING.

Yes, you read correctly, I mentioned writing because studies have proven that Electronic devices have created a generation that don't have the ability to read or write fast enough, Dyslexia is on the rise, children don't even have the strength in their hands to hold a pen...and all of this, in the long run leads to an anxious and panic stricken child that ends up in my office or with a psychologist and inevitably on some medication 💊or therapy, because they aren't able to read the exam questions fast enough, they can't spell which leads to them losing marks and they are also not able to finish the whole exam as they can't write with enough speed 🐢 ...ALL of this because we thought it was "cute" when he/she was able to use a phone when she was only 1 year old....👶🏻🍼

It's sad...but it's the truth. And yes, technology is the way of the future...but THAT FUTURE is not here yet, and unfortunately kids are still PHYSICALLY WRITING exams...Trust me...I see this in my office over and over again. In fact, legislation is being passed overseas that children under the age of 1️⃣6️⃣, BY LAW, will not be allowed access to ANY SOCIAL MEDIA...Tiktok, Instagram, Whatsapp, you name it.

So what I'm trying to say is...go to a book shop and buy your children books 📚where they need to find the words, or join the dots, buy good old fashioned newspapers 🗞️📰 and do the Crossword Puzzles or Sudoku, ensure that your children have maximum 2️⃣ hours of SCREEN time a day....SCREEN time means phone, tablets, TV, laptops, etc, lose yourself in a book...lie on the grass and look for shapes in the clouds ☁️⛅...STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES 🌹again...

Keep your eyes peeled for the next post which will be about fatigue....🥴🥱😴

Have an amazing weekend 🥳☺️
Dr Zee, Caz and Courtz
☎️066 237 4548

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To Vaccinate or not to Vaccinate..? That is the question...!

(Please note that this article is just MY opinion based on the research I did, and is definitely not the be all and end all of medical articles. Please discuss any options I might have voiced here, with your personal doctor.)

With yet another year flying past and Christmas having come and gone, followed by New Year and school starting, valentines coming up, we have the NEXT winter hovering on our doorsteps.

So now we all start wondering do you go to your nearest pharmacy or doctor and get that vaccination...or don’t you?

Here’s the short and sweet about the flu vaccine…