Punishing one person for STI transmission weakens public health efforts
NSW has changed its laws imposing criminal penalties on someone with an STI who doesn't take "reasonable precautions" to not infect their sexual partner.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Analysis and Comment
I’ve always wondered: why is the flu virus so much worse than the common cold virus?
Why is it the flu virus is so deadly compared to the common cold virus?
A new way to regulate surrogacy to give more certainty to all involved
Surrogacy is fraught with uncertainties. Proposed regulation, inspired by the way the caring professions are regulated, would protect the surrogate and provide certainty about legal parentage.
Should the family court have to approve hormone treatment for transgender teens?
Currently the Family Court has to decide for parents and teens whether or not transgender young people can get the hormone treatment they need. This could change today.
Health Check: what’s better for you, fresh, dried or frozen fruit?
Dried and frozen fruit contain more sugar than their fresh equivalents. So, why do we think they're healthy?
Hurricane Irma nursing home deaths shows stark dilemma of whether to stay put or evacuate
Evacuating nursing home residents during a disaster can be even more dangerous than staying put.
As Victorian MPs debate assisted dying, it is vital they examine the evidence, not just the rhetoric
There is now a reputable body of research evidence from places that have introduced assisted dying, and MPs must examine that evidence before deciding how they will vote.
Artificial intelligence won’t replace a doctor any time soon, but it can help with diagnosis
The first generation of medical artificial intelligence systems are already rolling out to clinics. What are the plus- and down-sides?
How the media oversold standing desks as a fix for inactivity at work
Here's how reporting of the world's first specific advice on reducing inactivity at work has overplayed the role of standing desks.
Children and sleep: How much do they really need?
Poor sleep in infants and children has been linked to an array of problems, from aggression to poor school performance to diabetes, obesity and suicide. Our expert reviews the science.
I’ve always wondered: does anyone my age have any chance of living for centuries?
Reader Adam Barclay, 44, wants to know if someone his age has any chance of living forever.
Most private patients are wasting money on costly rehab after major knee surgery
Private patients who stay in hospital for costly rehab after major knee surgery recover just as fast as people who go home and have physiotherapy. So, why pay more?
Children of convicts transported to Australia grew up taller than their peers in the UK
A new study highlights the stark difference in living conditions experienced by old- and new-world working-class adults in the Victorian era.
Isolation, collapsing lungs and spitting bans: three ways we used to treat TB, and still might
Tuberculosis has had a significant impact on the world, from influencing fashion trends to helping understand how the human body works.
Science or snake oil: is manuka honey really a ‘superfood’ for treating colds, allergies and infections?
Manuka honey has a lot of evidence-based benefits, and a lot of rubbish claims too.
We can use AFL to boost school attendance and improve mental health in Indigenous communities
Much has been written about success of Indigenous players at elite levels of the game. But perhaps the more important story is one of Indigenous participation in grass roots and community football.
Power naps and meals don’t always help shift workers make it through the night
Taking a power nap on a night shift can leave you feeling groggy. And eating a large meal can reduce your alertness. So, what's a tired shift worker to do to make it through the night?
Health Check: is margarine actually better for me than butter?
Depending on the overall quality of your diet and intake of saturated fats, you may need to swap your butter for margarine.
Is evidence for or against drug-testing welfare recipients? It depends on the result we’re after
Most of the evidence drawn on by critics of the trial comes from places that have implemented such programs. So, have they worked?
Health risks of light drinking in pregnancy confirms that abstention is the safest approach
The UK health guidelines on drinking during pregnancy have probably got it right – don't drink any alcohol at all.
Health Check: should I replace sugar with artificial sweeteners?
We know we need to cut back on sugar, and focussing on eating more whole foods can help change our desire for sweetness.
Essays on health: Australia is failing new parents with conflicting advice – it’s urgent we get it right
From the moment their baby is born, Australian parents receive conflicting advice on how to cope with newborn issues. What we are doing wastes our resources, but we're not investing in alternatives.
We need to close legal loopholes to ensure everyone is safe when going under anaesthesia
After the tragic death of a young woman undergoing a cosmetic procedure, people are rightly asking who should be able to administer anaesthetics.
New autism diagnosis guidelines miss the mark on how best to help children with developmental problems
There are several problems with the recently released guidelines for diagnosing autism. But the fundamental issue is that we're striving for diagnosis first, and help later.
Research and News
Should the family court have to approve hormone treatment for transgender teens?
Currently the Family Court has to decide for parents and teens whether or not transgender young people can get the hormone treatment they need. This could change today.
As Victorian MPs debate assisted dying, it is vital they examine the evidence, not just the rhetoric
There is now a reputable body of research evidence from places that have introduced assisted dying, and MPs must examine that evidence before deciding how they will vote.
How the media oversold standing desks as a fix for inactivity at work
Here's how reporting of the world's first specific advice on reducing inactivity at work has overplayed the role of standing desks.
Hedonism and health
Hedonism not only leads to binge drinking, it’s part of the solution
Hedonism has a complex relationship with binge drinking – part cause, part solution. Here's why.
Gender medicine
Medicine’s gender revolution: how women stopped being treated as ‘small men’
In medical training and practice, gender differences have at last become a vital part of diagnosis and treatment.
Biology is partly to blame for high rates of mental illness in women – the rest is social
Both men and women need strong bones, but their skeletons grow differently across ages
Women have heart attacks too, but their symptoms are often dismissed as something else
Man flu is real, but women get more autoimmune diseases and allergies
What happens in the womb affects our health as adults, but girls and boys respond differently
Flu season
This may not be the ‘biggest flu season on record’, but it is a big one – here are some possible reasons
By mid-August, the 2017 year had recorded more flu notifications across Australia than the previous five years. So why is the flu season so bad this time around?
Flu vaccine won’t definitely stop you from getting the flu, but it’s more important than you think
As we head towards flu season, many people are wondering if it's worth getting vaccinated against influenza and if so, when. Here's what you need to know.
Curious Kids
Curious Kids: I heard that breathing through your mouth makes your IQ go down. Is that true?
Breathing in through your nose has many medical benefits over mouth breathing. As usual, be wary of misinformation and bias when looking up health on the internet.
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Columnists
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
What is the flu?
Explainer: what is the flu?
When people say they have “the flu”, what they’re experiencing most of the time is the common cold, which is not caused by the influenza virus at all. But the term “flu season”, which Australia is in the…
HPV screening
Recommended cervical screening regime will save even more lives
Australian women may soon have fewer of those uncomfortable visits to the doctor for cervical cancer screening. After an extensive evidence review, the Medical Services Advisory Committee has recommended…
Assisted dying
As Victorian MPs debate assisted dying, it is vital they examine the evidence, not just the rhetoric
There is now a reputable body of research evidence from places that have introduced assisted dying, and MPs must examine that evidence before deciding how they will vote.
Buying influence
Drug companies are buying doctors – for as little as a $16 meal
An important new study in the United States has found doctors who receive just one cheap meal from a drug company tend to prescribe a lot more of that company's products.
Sugar tax
A sugary drinks tax could recoup some of the costs of obesity while preventing it
Obesity imposes enormous costs on the community, through higher taxes to fund extra government spending on health and from foregone tax revenue because obese people are more likely to be unemployed.
Junk food advertising
Junk food advertisers put profits before children’s health – and we let them
It’s like putting the fox in charge of the hen house – food advertisers can make and break the rules as they like.
Zero Childhood Cancer
How cancer doctors use personalised medicine to target variations unique to each tumour
Personalised medicine is based on the idea that by understanding the specific molecular code of a person’s disease, and particularly its genetic makeup, we can more accurately tailor treatment.
Methylprednisolone
Weekly Dose: methylprednisolone, a drug for treating inflammation but not rare kidney disease
A trial of methylprednisolone in kidney patients was halted recently because of safety concerns. But this doesn't affect people taking the drug for asthma, arthritis or other inflammatory conditions.
Artificial sweeteners
Health Check: should I replace sugar with artificial sweeteners?
We know we need to cut back on sugar, and focussing on eating more whole foods can help change our desire for sweetness.
School activity
Why do we still make girls wear skirts and dresses as school uniform?
Wearing a skirt at school can make girls less likely to participate in physical activity, and it's time schools changed their uniform policies.
Antidepressants in pregnancy
Should I stop taking Prozac if I’m pregnant?
A study has shown an association between antidepressants in pregnancy and risk to the baby. But there are many factors to consider if deciding whether to stay on an antidepressant if you're pregnant.
Gardasil
Weekly Dose: Gardasil 9, the vaccine that could soon protect against cervical cancer in fewer doses
A new version of the HPV vaccine Gardasil protects against nine types of the virus, and is already being used overseas.
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- Explainer: what is psychoanalysis?
- I’ve always wondered: why is the flu virus so much worse than the common cold virus?
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