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Health – Articles, Analysis, Comment

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Minimise bed rest and take short walks around the house if you’ve got low back pain.

Monday’s medical myth: bed rest is best for back pain

Severe low back pain is a common and dreaded problem that rivals only hay fever, asthma, hypertension and dermatitis as Australia’s leading cause of long-term illness. The instinctive response to severe…
Facing up to our carbon responsibilities might make Australians happier. the waving cat/Flickr

A carbon tax is good for Australia’s mental health

Let’s face it; we just don’t like the word “tax”, do we? Such a brouhaha, such a fuss. But let’s just take a break from the group hysteria to look at the carbon tax from a few different points of view…
Global justice and human rights are remarkably absent in discussions of bioethics. Julien Harneis

Whose profit? Why bioethics needs a global perspective

Innovations deriving from genetics research, stem cell research, nanoscience and neuroscience will soon revolutionise medicine. With the potential for biotechnologies to alter natural processes and redefine…
The world’s first cyborg, artist Neil Harbission wears an eyeborg as an extension of himself rather than as part of his performance. NeilHarbisson.

Peer review: Enhancing Human Capacities

Human enhancement is one of the most controversial and exciting areas in bioethics: advances in science promise a future world where we can radically alter our basic capabilities. This future may include…
Chiropractors may be good at what they do but immunisation is not their field. Planetc1/Flickr

Having a crack: what do chiropractors know about vaccinations?

The publication by Australian Doctor of a controversial public lecture given earlier this year by Sydney chiropractor, Nimrod Weiner, has created a flurry of criticism about the lecture, particularly regarding…
If health and water reform are anything to go by, COAG is in for a challenge.

The rocky road to a national disability insurance scheme

The stakes are high for today’s Council of Australian Government (COAG) meeting in Canberra, as it decides how to respond to the Productivity Commission’s report into disability care and support in Australia…
Uncertainty about how drugs will be listed on the PBS has patient groups, health professionals and the pharmaceutical industry worried. LadyofProcrastination/Wikimedia Commons

New PBS listing rule spooks pharma, doctors and patients

Any parent who watches kids’ weekend footy knows that if the ref misses a breach of the rules, merry hell breaks loose. But referees are human and sometimes make errors. We forgive the odd one pretty quickly…
Signs of ageing are seen as lending distinction to some while the rest of us scramble to retain our youth. AAP

George Clooney is the exception – the rest of us need Botox

While we celebrate certain celebrities who age gracefully like Dame Judy Dench, or exult the distinctiveness that ageing brings to particular male celebrities, such as George Clooney, the signs of ageing…
Alcohol is currently exempt from the labelling requirements that all other products we eat and drink have to follow. Klearchos Kapoutsis

Cheers to health warning labels for alcoholic drinks

Despite known risks of drinking, health and safety warning labels have been noticeably absent from alcoholic beverages in Australia. But that might be about to change, with the Government today seeking…
Better understanding of sibling risk will lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment. Flickr/kmakice

One-in-five risk of sibling autism

A study published overnight in the journal Paediatrics shows the siblings of autistic children have a much higher risk of autism than previously thought. Nicole Rinehart, clinical psychologist and Associate…
Each hour of television shortens the viewer’s life by between eight and 25 minutes. Jack Brodus

Dying to watch something good on TV? You might be

Watching television for an average of six hours a day could shorten life expectancy by almost five years, according to a study we published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. What’s more…
While it may make you unpopular, cracking your knuckles won’t cause arthritis. Flickr/orijinal

Monday’s medical myth: cracking your knuckles causes arthritis

For some it’s a morning ritual – cracking your knuckles before beginning the day. For others, it’s a way to pass time while pondering a thought or reading something particularly interesting online. But…
Early detection means a better chance of successful treatment but are some women being treated unnecessarily? AAP

Breast cancer screening – are women given all the facts?

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in Australian women. But experts disagree on the benefits of breast cancer screening programs, with some arguing that it’s unclear whether…
The epidermal electronic system can measure your vital signs in a completely unobtrusive way. John A. Rogers

Tattoo you: the stick-on medical revolution

When you think of tattoos you probably imagine bikies, celebrity tats or that Japanese flourish on your left foot that means “Honour” (or so you think). You probably don’t picture medical revolution…
These genes exert their influence through the immune system. Flickr/Natashacld

Revealed: 57 pieces of the MS puzzle

In one of the largest human genetic studies ever undertaken, scientists have identified the major common genetic variants that contribute to the cause of the devastating neurological disease, multiple…