It has been long-rumoured that gobbling up turkey meat has a mysterious soporific effect, rendering its consumers progressively drowsier. Sounds like a good story, and certainly one that’s worth checking…
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Health – Articles, Analysis, Comment
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A couple of facts: 1) At least 10% of the world’s population are “needle phobic”, which means they’re missing out on being vaccinated and/or have a horror of receiving jabs of any kind. Several studies…
Some of the most serious forms of cancer are less likely to be the subject of a clinical trial than cancers with a less significant health impact. Research shows that even being a disease is a popularity…
Ah, salt. We love its taste and yearn to use it liberally in our cooking. But we’re told to limit our salt consumption for the sake of our health. Much like a low cholesterol product, the low salt option…
Competition between twins hit the headlines this week as, for the first time in AFL history, identical twins Brad and Chris Scott will coach different teams against each other on Saturday. Both twins played…
Children who are bottle-fed until the age of two are 30% more likely to be obese at five-and-a-half years of age, a new study has found. Of the 6750 children studied by researchers from Temple University…
As the days get shorter and we approach winter, many of us have a lowered mood, reduced energy levels and seem to need more sleep. Such seasonal changes in mood and energy are common and most of us adapt…
Queensland doctors have seen a surge in the number of patients presenting with mental health problems following a spate of natural disasters earlier this year, a survey by an industry body has found. A…
If you look closely at the ways diseases are defined and at the panels of experts who draw the line between sickness and health, you find an extraordinary phenomenon. Many of these panels are heavily conflicted…
At the heart of the Gillard Government’s health reform are an Independent Hospital Pricing Authority and a National Health Performance Authority. New details of how these bodies may work have been leaked…
Scientists have pinpointed a new link between a particular gene and a rare form of dwarfism, opening the door to prenatal testing and paving the way for new approaches to treating common diseases such…
It’s almost exactly two years since the emergence of the swine flu virus was announced by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This was the first flu pandemic in 41 years and the start of another flu season…
We’ve come a long way in our understanding of diabetes over the past few decades. Rather than cutting down on sugar, the prevention and management of diabetes hinges on weight control and a balanced diet…
My life was entirely shaped by the successes and failures of medical research so, to me, it seems incomprehensible that there should even be a debate about the importance of funding medical research. My…
On Sunday, China banned smoking in public places such as restaurants, bars and other indoor spaces. But a lack of public understanding about the dangers of smoking in the nation of 300 million smokers…
Scientists have identified a link between a particular gene and depression, marking a potential breakthrough in ways to treat the condition in future. In a study of 15,000 people, researchers from Germany’s…
It’s a cruel catch-22. Vastly improved antiviral drugs have the potential to significantly improve the lives of people with HIV. But before this can happen, they need to take a test. Trouble is, the test…
According to a recent report in the Canberra Times, Thomas Barry Moore, a former air force serviceman, has been in a persistent vegetative in a Chinese hospital for 118 days. He suffered a stroke on December…
If your child were diagnosed with a taste disorder, you’d be forgiven for welcoming an impending disinterest in sweets and salty chips. But for the one in ten Australian children who can’t perceive sweet…
Spending on health is the most rapidly expanding part of federal and state budgets, driven by chronic diseases, an ageing population and unrealistic expectations. The $100 billion spent this year on health…
A recent application to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) requested alcohol be rescheduled as a prohibited substance “unfit for human consumption”. The application quickly got the thumbs down…
Every year we are bombarded by messages about the importance of road safety as holidays approach and regaled every night with state-specific road toll statistics. But we know roads are not the only places…
The two pieces of Commonwealth legislation strictly regulate research use of human embryos in Australia are currently being reviewed. The Australian public is overwhelmingly in favour of stem cell research…
Expected cuts in health and medical research in the May Federal budget have led to a predicable backlash from vested interests. We are informed that any cuts will detrimentally affect standards of healthcare…
There is nothing like chocolate. When it comes to the hedonistic appeal of chocolate, the taste, texture, aroma and packaging are hard to beat. Australians eat an average of five to six kilograms of chocolate…