Don't Wait for Symptoms with Dr Preeya Alexander

Layne Beachley AO (0:02)

You're tuning in to A Wake Up Call, which is your weekly dose of purpose packed with science-backed tools to beat burnout and boost happiness.

Tess Brouwer (0:09)

Hosted by us, Tess Brouwer and seven-time world champion Layne Beachley, we're the founders of Awake Academy.

Layne Beachley AO (0:16)

This podcast mixes raw life lessons, expert wisdom and practical tips to help you stop sleepwalking through life and start living it on your terms. You ready to wake up and thrive? Let's go.

Season 3 is proudly brought to you by AIA, a leading life, health and well-being insurer, supporting healthier, longer, better lives. Protect what matters most and AIA will help you to do it for life.

Tess Brouwer (0:42)

Welcome back, dream team. Today, we're cutting through the internet noise and bringing you a master class in high-performance health with one of Australia's, if not the world's most trusted medical voices, Dr. Preeya Alexander.

As a practising GP, author, an AIA health expert and a media personality, Preeya spends her days on the front lines of real human health. Today, we're putting her in the hot seat for Ask the GP, a special tackling the most top Googled health questions for high performers and we're going to ask them of her right now. We're gonna dive deep into the true science of gut health, what alcohol is actually doing to our executive function and our recovery and the absolute non-negotiables that you need in your daily routine to stay on top of your game without burning out. Dr. Preeya, welcome to A Wake Up.

Preeya Alexander (1:37)

Thank you for having me.

Tess Brouwer (1:38)

We always start every podcast with what is your wake up call? But what I'm really interested to know in that is what are you noticing about people and their wake up calls? Why do we wait?

Why is it a moment that we have to have that really shocks us for us to look after our health and well-being?

Preeya Alexander (1:59)

Look, I'm guilty of this too. I think when you're coasting and things are okay, and you've got a really full plate, particularly if you're a caregiver to anybody, you park the things that you know you should be doing because you don't have any symptoms, there's nothing quite triggering the consult with the GP.

And I get it. Like I say to people, come and see me when you will. Let's do all the prevention stuff. I'm guilty. I am due to go and see my GP. I haven't done it because I'm busy. But I think that people just go, well, I'm kind of not feeling anything, and I'm moving, and I'm eating fruit and veggies, and I'm moving the body, and I'm feeling okay, and I've got lots of things on the plate. And then it's the rectal bleeding or the chest pain.

And they come in and we go, whoa, we haven't done a heart disease risk assessment. We're not up to date with your bowel cancer screening. And it's because when you're well, I think you just coast. So I think it's normal, to be honest. I don't think I'm guilty of it. So I think it's fairly normal.

Layne Beachley AO (2:58)

Yeah, we tend to put on hold what we think we don't need when in actual fact, those little things that we do do help us sustain that stress and that intense period of time. It's funny how we have that mentality, like I'll just park my health and wellbeing until I actually need to focus on it. And then it's in that period that you're actually compromising it and sabotaging it. So when you do finally go and see your GP and the symptoms are already showing, is that almost like it's a little bit too late?

Preeya Alexander (3:27)

No, it's not too late. And I mean, I guess it depends on what it is that we're talking about. But it's never too late. And I think that the takeaway on this particular point should be, ideally go and see someone like the GP who is sub-specialized in preventative health. That is a big part of our job. But if you do have a symptom, be it a breast slump, a niggle in your chest, rectal bleeding, a change in bowel habit, whatever it is, go early because you do see people who Layne will sit on it for months.

And some people avoid and go, well, I don't want to know what it is. And I know my mother had breast cancer. And so am I higher risk? I'm going to leave the breast slump. Maybe it will go away. The takeaway has to be if you do have something, the earlier, the better. Because even if it is something sinister, even if it is, it's much easier to treat if we pick it up earlier and the outcomes are better. And that's for bowel cancer, breast cancer, lots of different things. So, you know, if we're planting any seeds today for people, it's, you know, the earlier, the better.