Many poor families already pay a significant proportion of their household income on health care co-payments and will face increasing financial pressure with a proposed additional A$7 charge, according…
By Warwick Anderson, National Health and Medical Research Council
Quality health care can be expensive and medical research has traditionally been thought to play a role in making it so. But research can also help cut the cost of medical care. The notion of research…
By Paul Capela, Defence Science and Technology Organisation and Chris Forbes-Ewan, Defence Science and Technology Organisation
You don’t usually have to look far to find news about the virtues of probiotics, but should you go out and seek probiotic-laden products to cultivate a healthier gut? Probiotics are micro-organisms that…
Seven Australians will die today as a result of suicide, the leading cause of death in young Australian men. So the media interest surrounding one in particular, that of 45-year-old Nigel Brayley’s suicide…
Cases of plague have been reported in the Chinese city of Yumen, where a man has died of the disease. Control measures taken by the authorities include travel restrictions in and out of the city, and 151…
The suspension of Philip Nitschke’s medical registration, and the events leading up to it, has sparked one of the most heated discussions about euthanasia in Australia for some time. What’s surprising…
The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS Co-V) emerged in 2012 and has caused ongoing illness in the Middle East and more than 280 deaths. The public health response to MERS-CoV has been…
The future of HIV treatment bears no resemblance to its past. Through the lonely days of the early single-drug treatment AZT to the arrival of combination therapy in 1996, and the new generation of fixed-dose…
People with lower back pain are usually told to take some paracetamol for relief. But research published today shows that this almost universal advice is misguided. Up to 90% of the population will experience…
When AIDS first emerged in the early 1980s, HIV infection was a death sentence. But a global effort has ensured this is no longer the case for a growing number of people. The good news today is that the…
If you’re an adult and live in Australia, you’re more likely to be overweight or obese than not: 63% and 37% respectively. This excess weight is associated with increased premature death and disease, and…
Australia had a quick and effective response to HIV at the start of the epidemic. Some 30 years later, however, there’s a tendency to underestimate the sheer effort involved in maintaining HIV prevention…
By James Ward, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute
Indigenous people are estimated to comprise 4.5% of the total global population. They are often overrepresented in HIV data and recognise themselves as being particularly vulnerable to HIV. In Canada…
Watch the Honourable Michael Kirby, visiting professorial fellow at UNSW Australia, talk about how the law impacts HIV below. Michael Kirby is a former justice of the High Court of Australia, serving from…
Over the last half century, the global food industry has profoundly changed the way we eat. While we understand how these dietary changes have impacted physical health, their effect on mental well-being…
There are lots of medicines available to help with the symptoms of schizophrenia. Some are a bit more effective than others. Some have side effects that make them better suited to particular patients…
One of the greatest success stories in modern medicine is that HIV is no longer a death sentence, but a chronic, manageable disease that often can be managed with a single tablet a day. Antiretroviral…
The future of HIV treatment bears no resemblance to its past. Through the lonely days of the early single-drug treatment AZT to the arrival of combination therapy in 1996, and the new generation of fixed-dose…
We are only now realising how poor diets impact mental health and well-being.
We are only now realising how poor diets impact mental health and well-being.
Λ |_ ν-\ Γ Ø/Flickr
Over the last half century, the global food industry has profoundly changed the way we eat. While we understand how these dietary changes have impacted physical health, their effect on mental well-being…
Most gum disease is preventable through good dental hygiene.
Most gum disease is preventable through good dental hygiene.
Inside and Out/Flickr
Bleeding gums are very common but that doesn’t mean you should ignore them. They’re usually a sign of gum (periodontal) disease. If treated in its early stages, periodontal disease can be easily reversed…
Francoise Barre-Sinoussi (centre) speaks at the opening ceremony of AIDS2014 on July 20 while conference co-chair Professor Sharon Lewin looks on.
Francoise Barre-Sinoussi (centre) speaks at the opening ceremony of AIDS2014 on July 20 while conference co-chair Professor Sharon Lewin looks on.
AAP Image/David Crosling
Watch the video of Professor Rob Moodie talking to Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi below. Françoise Barré-Sinoussi is the director of the Regulation of Retroviral Infections Unit, at the Institut Pasteur…
Just 12.8% of Australians over the age of 14 are now smoking on a daily basis.
Just 12.8% of Australians over the age of 14 are now smoking on a daily basis.
Flickr: noahvoelker
Evidence is mounting that plain cigarette packaging is helping prevent young people from becoming addicted, life-long customers of big tobacco. From January 2012, all tobacco products have been sold in…
Menopausal women have been driven towards the false promises of bioidentical hormone therapy.
Menopausal women have been driven towards the false promises of bioidentical hormone therapy.
Lisa F. Young/Shutterstock
Natural or bioidentical hormones are plant-derived products closely resembling the oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone produced in the body. The hormones are made up (compounded) in pharmacies to…
A good diet is essential to maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding the risk factors for many chronic diseases.
A good diet is essential to maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding the risk factors for many chronic diseases.
Rusty Stewart/Flickr
By Amanda Lee, Queensland University of Technology and Deanne Minniecon, Queensland University of Technology
We’ve recently seen some encouraging improvements in closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage: better educational outcomes, higher child immunisation rates, more health checks, and a 35% drop in the…
Hope, faith and miracle are the operative words when it comes to stem cell tourism.
Hope, faith and miracle are the operative words when it comes to stem cell tourism.
pol sifter/Flickr
Stem cell tourism is when people travel to another country to receive treatments unavailable to them at home. It exists chiefly because most stem cell “treatments” are unproven and not readily available…
The legal landscape around rights and responsibilities for home births is growing increasingly complex.
The legal landscape around rights and responsibilities for home births is growing increasingly complex.
Flickr: Thomas
The ongoing and sometimes emotive debate about risks and rewards of giving birth in hospital or at home is nothing new. What is new is the attention being given to the legal rights and responsibilities…
Beginning in middle age, blood levels of testosterone progressively decrease in some men.
Beginning in middle age, blood levels of testosterone progressively decrease in some men.
"El Gabo" - Davide Gabino/Flickr
A whole industry has grown around testosterone supplementation for ageing men. But neither the benefits nor risks of the practice are clear yet, and they remain the subject of ongoing research. Beginning…
Energy requirements don’t rise much but nutrient requirements do, so women need to be mindful of the quality of their diet.
Energy requirements don’t rise much but nutrient requirements do, so women need to be mindful of the quality of their diet.
Shutterstock
Women are often encouraged to “eat for two” during pregnancy. While this is right in terms of eating to meet both mum’s and baby’s needs, it doesn’t mean doubling her total food and energy intake. The…
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