Patient Health Resources
Plain-English guides written and reviewed by the doctors you actually see.
CT Coronary Calcium Score: What It Is and Who Should Consider It
A CT coronary calcium score is a non-invasive CT scan that measures calcium in the coronary arteries to assess heart-disease risk.
Dr Christopher Irwin · MBChB, FRACGP, MMed (Skin Cancer), FACAM, ASCD →
Heart healthHigh Cholesterol and Triglycerides: Natural Ways to Lower LDL, Plus When Treatment Is Needed
Dr Chris Irwin explains how to lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides — together called hyperlipidaemia — and when medication is needed.
Dr Christopher Irwin · MBChB, FRACGP, MMed (Skin Cancer), FACAM, ASCD →
Men's healthHow to Increase Testosterone Naturally: Causes and Treatment of Low Testosterone
Dr Chris Irwin explains how to increase testosterone naturally.
Dr Christopher Irwin · MBChB, FRACGP, MMed (Skin Cancer), FACAM, ASCD →
Vitamins & nutritionIron Deficiency: Symptoms, Causes and How It's Treated
Dr Chris Irwin explains iron deficiency: why it causes fatigue before anaemia develops, what ferritin actually measures (an indirect guide to iron stores that can look falsely normal), the four main causes, why finding the cause matters as much as replacing the iron, and the treatment ladder — diet, alternate-day iron tablets, and an intravenous iron infusion when tablets are not enough..
Dr Christopher Irwin · MBChB, FRACGP, MMed (Skin Cancer), FACAM, ASCD →
Mental healthMental Health Care Plans: How They Work and How to Get One
A patient's guide to GP mental health care plans (formally, mental health treatment plans) under Medicare's Better Access initiative: what the plan is, who is eligible, how to get one from your GP, the up-to-10 individual and 10 group Medicare-rebated sessions per calendar year, the 6-session initial referral and GP review, what it costs, and what to do in a crisis..
Dr Christopher Irwin · MBChB, FRACGP, MMed (Skin Cancer), FACAM, ASCD →
Heart healthNatural Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure
Dr Chris Irwin explains how to lower high blood pressure naturally.
Dr Christopher Irwin · MBChB, FRACGP, MMed (Skin Cancer), FACAM, ASCD →
DiabetesNewly Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes? A Practical Management Guide
A practical guide to type 2 diabetes for newly diagnosed patients, from the GPs at The Local Doctor in Diamond Creek and Ivanhoe.
Dr Christopher Irwin · MBChB, FRACGP, MMed (Skin Cancer), FACAM, ASCD →
DiabetesType 2 Diabetes Diet, Weight Loss and Exercise: A Practical Guide
A practical diet, weight-loss and exercise guide for type 2 diabetes from the GPs at The Local Doctor, Diamond Creek and Ivanhoe.
Dr Christopher Irwin · MBChB, FRACGP, MMed (Skin Cancer), FACAM, ASCD →
DiabetesType 2 Diabetes Medications Explained: Metformin, Ozempic and More
A plain-language guide to the medicines used for type 2 diabetes in Australia, from the GPs at The Local Doctor.
Dr Christopher Irwin · MBChB, FRACGP, MMed (Skin Cancer), FACAM, ASCD →
Liver & blood testsUnderstanding Gilbert Syndrome: A Harmless Cause of Raised Bilirubin
Dr Chris Irwin explains Gilbert syndrome: a common, inherited and harmless condition in which bilirubin sits mildly higher than average because the liver processes it a little more slowly.
Dr Christopher Irwin · MBChB, FRACGP, MMed (Skin Cancer), FACAM, ASCD →
Vitamins & nutritionUnderstanding Vitamin B12: Low or Borderline Results Explained
Dr Chris Irwin explains what a low or borderline vitamin B12 result means: what B12 does, why absorption problems (not just diet) cause deficiency, the four main causes, the symptoms — including nerve and mood changes that can occur without anaemia — and how it is treated, from diet and high-dose tablets or sprays to injections, with guidance on when injections are essential..
Dr Christopher Irwin · MBChB, FRACGP, MMed (Skin Cancer), FACAM, ASCD →