Dr. Sam Hay

Did you know that back pain is incredibly common? According to medical professional and HIF blogger, Dr. Sam, "If you’re an Aussie, then you’re almost certain to suffer a bout of back pain at some stage in your life, in fact 80% of us do. It’s just far too common, associated with more global disability than any other condition." We chatted to Dr. Sam to get his advice on everything you need to know about back pain. Including the serious red flags to look out for, what can help to prevent back pain and what can help ease the pain and aid recovery.

We’re all familiar with the ‘2&5’ rule, not to mention the popular raw food movement. For many Aussies however, enjoying raw fruit and veg simply isn’t an option. Enter ‘Oral Allergy Syndrome’, or OAS to its friends. A relatively common condition which causes a range of different reactions from tingling tongues, itchy throats and swollen lips to more serious consequences like vomiting and abdominal pain. In some extreme cases, although uncommon, OAS can even trigger life-threatening anaphylactic shock. The thought of being unable to snack on a juicy peach or crunchy carrot made us curious -  what are the symptoms and triggers of OAS, and how can it be treated? Thankfully, our resident GP Dr. Sam Hay was on hand to tell us more...
 

Do you suffer from migraines? If you do, you're not alone. According to GP, Dr. Sam, "Overall 12% of Aussies are estimated to suffer a migraine at some stage in their lives, that's nearly a whopping 3 million people! Striking most commonly in our thirties, migraines carry significant social, economical, and personal consequences." So what exactly are migraines and what do we need to know about them? We caught up with Dr. Sam to find out more. 

When it comes to medical procedures, an anaesthetic is usually required; however, patients are often unclear about the various types of anaesthesia. To help clear up the confusion, we asked Dr Sam Hay to explore the differences between local, regional, twilight and general anaesthesias, so that we can understand what it is and how it works.

Did you know that 70,000 Aussies are affected by Inflammatory Bowel Disease? According to health professional Dr. Sam, "Inflammatory bowel diseases, which include Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are a bit mysterious in the sense that we don't really know what triggers the immune system to attack our body this way, but we do know the main risk factors. IBD is a serious condition, but if you look after yourself, it shouldn't rule your life." In this article, Dr. Sam explains what Inflammatory Bowel Disease entails, factors that may affect IBD risk, and the treatment that is available.