Bringing clarity to health and medical issues from social, scientific and political points of view ..read more

There are eerily familiar of clusters of respiratory infections being reported across China. We know that for some health conditions women are more likely to have a worse time than men. But for the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the chances of a woman sustaining an injury to it are up to 6 or even 10 times as likely as men. When someone has a complex or severe mental health issue, the specialist they really need is a psychiatrist. However, GPs are finding it now more difficult to track down a psychiatrist to accept their patients ..read more

Another COVID wave, another COVID vaccine and another episode of Coronacast ... sort of? Norman and Tegan will be providing coronavirus updates when needed, so subscribe to The Health Report feed so you don't miss out! References: The unequal effects of the health–economy trade-off during the COVID-19 pandemic ..read more

In 2016 Australia legalised cannabis for medicinal use and now the Greens party are advocating for its recreational use as well. The Australian Medical Association say that would send the wrong message. Antimicrobial resistance has been described an emerging public health emergency. A major cause is overuse of antibiotics and other drugs to combat microbes, like fungi. When a baby is born premature time is of the essence, and the idea of slowing things down in those first few moments seems counter-intuitive ..read more

In March 2023 a Senate inquiry began to review how the health system manages people with ADHD, and the Government has now three months to respond. The ABC's Birth Project invited people to share their experiences of birth in Australia—and if improvements could be made to the system. The responses indicate that there's plenty of scope Yellow Fever is spread by mosquitoes, and some U.S. researchers say that it's ripe for a comeback. The same species of mosquito is already either in Australia or nearby. The latest report on what we're spending on ..read more

If we don't get enough sleep we're apt to doze off in the day, but for some people, dozing off can signal rare disorder of the brain's sleep-wake cycles, and it plays havoc with their lives. In one 24-hour period our body undergoes a number of synchronised  biological changes, which are also linked to our mental health ..read more

A question asked about COVID-19 was whether high doses of intravenous vitamin C could fight it. Two randomised controlled trials showed no benefit for COVID-19. But high-dose Vitamin C can benefit cancer treatment. Arthritis of the hands is common, painful, a bit of a mystery, and hard to treat. Researchers have trialled a drug commonly used for rheumatoid arthritis, and found some benefit. In Victoria, hospital researchers have been watching how COVID and lockdowns affected births there. Some hospital adaptations persisted well past the lockdown phases—including ..read more

Two of the most common causes of death in Australia, and globally, are stroke and dementia. One cause of stroke is atrial fibrillation—an abnormal heart rhythm—it may also cause dementia. Faecal microbe (or poo) transplants are something we've talked about on the program, but until recently, they've not been widely available. In fact, the product is made in Australia. Australia is to participate in a survey of the experiences of patients in general practice who have a chronic illness ..read more

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an extreme form of anxiety caused by the laying down of bad memories when someone is involved in a threatening situation. A new treatment has been developed for people to write about their experience, and feelings about the memory. Having your blood pressure checked at the doctor's or hospital is a health care basic. A recent trial has found a significant and possibly unexpected source or error: the size of the cuff, relative to the thinness or thickness of your upper arm. For people with cancer, being offered a place in a clini ..read more

Australians will soon vote on changing the Australian Constitution to recognise First Nations people—the Voice to Parliament. When it comes to health, there's a strong evidence base for the Voice. In a slightly edited form, we hear again a conversation from a few weeks' ago with two key people working in this area. Over the past two decades, deaths from cardiovascular disease among people with diabetes have gone down, but is revealing other trends ..read more