News Articles
Authorities say toxic chemicals found in SA firefighters' blood
Date of Posting: 21-12-2018
Authorities say a large number of South Australian firefighters tested for a toxic chemical have above average levels in their blood Blood tests on 300 South Australian firefighters have revealed 126 have above average levels of a toxic chemical u Read More...
The Australian Red Cross launches Xmas "Blood Blitz"
Date of Posting: 20-12-2018
The Australian Red Cross is calling for donors to come forward and give blood to help boost supplies over the festive season. The Australian Red Cross has launched a "Blood Blitz" to drum up extra donations this festive season so life-sa Read More...
Can artificial intelligence help us beat skin cancer?
Date of Posting: 20-12-2018
Cancerous skin lesions are not always easily identified. Currently, visual examinations play a significant role in the diagnosis of skin cancer. However, recent research from the University of Birmingham confirms that visual inspection, even by knowl Read More...
A revolutionary cancer treatment therapy has been approved for use in Australia
Date of Posting: 19-12-2018
Children battling leukemia and adults fighting aggressive lymphoma will have access to a new revolutionary treatment after its approval for use in Australia. A revolutionary therapy that has the potential to cure aggressive blood cancers has been Read More...
3 Things Teenagers Need to Know About Sleep
Date of Posting: 19-12-2018
Many Australian teens and young adults underestimate the importance of sleep. “We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” they tell us. They need to be made aware that a growing body of research points to the importance of sleep for avoidi Read More...
Trials of a new technique against dementia will begin on humans next year in Queensland
Date of Posting: 18-12-2018
Australian dementia sufferers could have their memories restored if a Queensland trial of a breakthrough ultrasound technique proves successful in humans. The technology removes toxic plaques from the brain and has successfully reversed Alzheimer& Read More...
Alcohol was linked to one-in-five admissions at 30 of the hospitals
Date of Posting: 18-12-2018
Emergency doctors are calling for better drinking habits after alcohol-related harm was related to one in seven ED admissions at one stage over the weekend. One-in-seven people in Australian emergency departments on the weekend were there because Read More...
Victorians are dropping the ball on skin protection from harmful UV rays, a study reveals
Date of Posting: 17-12-2018
Victorians need to lift their game on sun protection with most people found not to be covering up their skin enough during summer, a new study reveals. Five per cent of people observed over six weekends in January and February covered their arms a Read More...
Funding for research and development is decreasing
Date of Posting: 14-12-2018
Universities Australia has launched a campaign to highlight the importance of research and development, as it faces dwindling levels of federal funding. What do a vaccine to help prevent cervical cancer, the origins of wireless internet and using Read More...
Survey shows sugar tax wins support from young Aussies
Date of Posting: 14-12-2018
Most young people would support a tax being slapped on sugary drinks if the money was used to subsidise fruit and vegetables or exercise facilities, a study has found. Deakin University researchers surveyed 1793 young people aged 18 to 30 and foun Read More...
Pharmacists are being urged to stop selling homeopathic products
Last Updated: 13-12-2018
Pharmacists are being warned not to supply homeopathic or "alternative" medicines if they lack medical evidence showing they are effective treatments. Australia's peak body representing pharmacists is urging members to stop selling h Read More...
Official data shows Sydney hospitals wait times still too long
Date of Posting: 13-12-2018
New data shows 43 per cent of those requiring almost-immediate care aren't seen on time in major Sydney hospitals. Two in five people presenting to major Sydney hospitals with the second-most critical needs aren't being seen on time, offic Read More...
One of NSW's major rehab services Odyssey House sees spike in meth addicts
Date of Posting: 13-12-2018
One of NSW's major rehab services Odyssey House says record numbers of people with methamphetamine-type drug problems are seeking help. The number of people seeking help with their addictions to methamphetamine-type drugs such as "ice&quo Read More...
New data shows an increase in NSW emergency department visits
Date of Posting: 12-12-2018
There has been an increase in the number of people being treated within the clinically recommended time frame at emergency departments in NSW public hospitals. A milder flu season this winter meant fewer people presented themselves to emergency de Read More...
Alcohol tax is the most cost-effective way to tackle worrying rates of obesity in Australia
Date of Posting: 12-12-2018
A tax on the alcoholic content of drinks has topped a Deakin University list of the most cost-effective ways to tackle obesity. Analysis by health economists at Deakin University found a levy based on alcoholic content, of 84 cents per standard dr Read More...
Authorities are investigating the SA fire station for toxic chemical
Date of Posting: 11-12-2018
Authorities are working to find the source of a potentially dangerous chemical found in the blood of firefighters at an Adelaide station. Testing is underway at an Adelaide fire station after staff were found to have concerning blood levels of a c Read More...
Aussie scientists have made a poo breakthrough that should help people battling chronic gut disease
Date of Posting: 11-12-2018
Aussie researchers have worked out a way to identify ideal poo donors in a promising breakthrough that should help people with chronic gut disease. Researchers have finally identified which bacteria are good and which are bad when it comes to poo Read More...
A medication used for autoimmune diseases could be given to treat patients with high-blood pressure
Date of Posting: 10-12-2018
A Victorian-led study has found people with high-blood pressure could be given medication used for autoimmune diseases to treat their condition. The research found inflammation-suppressing drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and gout, reduced Read More...
Vision loss a devastating problem in rural and remote communities
Last Updated: 10-12-2018
Vision loss is a growing problem in rural and remote Australian communities, and blindness among Indigenous Australians is three times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians, said Dr Angus Turner, Director of Lions Outback Vision. The need for hig Read More...
Aboriginal scholarship program to support mental health in remote communities
Date of Posting: 10-12-2018
Curtin University and Managing Director of Indigenous Psychological Services Dr Tracy Westerman have launched a unique scholarship program to support Indigenous students to study psychology. The Dr Tracy Westerman Aboriginal Psychology Program wil Read More...
Investigation on anaesthetic gas given to patients undergoing cancer surgery
Date of Posting: 10-12-2018
A Melbourne-led study will examine whether anaesthetic gas being used on cancer patients having surgery could increase the odds of the disease recurring. A Melbourne-led study will investigate whether anaesthetic gas given to patients undergoing c Read More...
A breakthrough drug trial to give hope to women with advanced breast cancer
Date of Posting: 07-12-2018
Victorian researchers have successfully used two drugs to give hope to women with advanced breast cancer. For Victorian Julie Baulch, a breakthrough drug trial to treat her breast cancer has given her a new lease on life.[subscribe] Ms Baulch, Read More...
APA calls for protection of the term 'physio'.
Last Updated: 06-12-2018
The Australian Physiotherapy Association has called on the Government to protect the term ‘physio’, in the same way ‘Physiotherapist’ and ‘Physiotherapy’ are already protected, ensuring that practitioners usi Read More...
Council of Australian Governments to consider suicide prevention system
Date of Posting: 06-12-2018
Suicide prevention will be raised as a priority with the Council of Australian Governments following an emergency mental health summit. A national suicide and self-harm monitoring system could be established in the aftermath of an emergency mental Read More...
Top Melbourne venues where alcohol consumption has led to hospital emergency visits revealed
Date of Posting: 06-12-2018
Crown Casino and the MCG are among top Melbourne venues where alcohol consumption has led to hospital emergency department visits, a new study shows. Crown Casino and MCG are among the top Melbourne venues behind rising alcohol-related hospital ad Read More...
Many diseases increase the risks of hip fracture surgery
Date of Posting: 06-12-2018
Parkinson's disease, osteoarthritis, rheumatic diseases, alcoholism and mental health disorders increase the risk of surgical complications after a hip fracture surgery, a new Finnish study analysing nationwide registers finds. 4.6% of all hip su Read More...
Home detox - supporting people to overcome alcohol addiction
Date of Posting: 06-12-2018
Alcohol detox at home is an excellent option for most people with alcohol addiction, according to Sydney GP Dr Chris Davis in the December edition of Australian Prescriber. Dr Davis says the majority of dependent drinkers can detox safely an Read More...
A third of hospitalised adolescents with life-threatening anorexia are not thin
Date of Posting: 06-12-2018
Health workers are being urged to closely monitor adolescents losing weight after a study of patients with anorexia nervosa found 31 per cent had all the cognitive features and physical complications of the disease without being underweight. Dieti Read More...
Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Pain
Last Updated: 06-12-2018
Plantar fasciitis is a common complaint, characterised by pain in the sole of the foot that is at its worst first thing in the morning or upon getting back up after a period of rest. Pain can be localised to the arch of the foot or under the heel. Read More...
Queensland scientists developed a test they hope could be "the holy grail" for diagnosing cancer
Date of Posting: 05-12-2018
Queensland researchers have developed a quick and cheap test that can detect cancer in any tissue, including blood. The test has been developed by University of Queensland researchers who have discovered a unique DNA nanostructure that appears to Read More...
New reports shows Australia's high demand for transplants is helping the black market trade
Date of Posting: 05-12-2018
Australia's demand for organ transplants is far outstripping the supply and it's forcing desperate people to turn to the black market, a new report reveals. Australia's high demand for transplants is helping the black market trade in o Read More...
The Queensland government's digitising program is over budget
Date of Posting: 05-12-2018
The cost of going from a paper to an electronic system in Queensland's public hospitals is costing hundreds of millions of dollars over budget. The cost of taking Queensland's public hospitals online is expected to blowout by almost $257 m Read More...
Australian researchers have developed a tiny brain stimulator that could treat epilepsy
Date of Posting: 04-12-2018
Australian researchers have developed a tiny device to electrically stimulate the brain, opening the door to new potential treatments for brain diseases. Australian researchers have developed a tiny device to electrically stimulate the brain in th Read More...
Government calls an emergency mental health summit
Date of Posting: 03-12-2018
Mental health groups are meeting in Canberra to tackle suicide prevention following an alarming jump in Australians taking their own lives. An alarming spike in the number of Australians taking their own lives last year has prompted the government Read More...
Some diseases, like mine, deteriorate rapidly - disability services need to keep up
Date of Posting: 03-12-2018
Justin Yerbury, University of Wollongong Many people living with the cruel and often rapidly progressing motor neurone disease (MND) are going underfunded during what is likely the most stressful time of their life. An independent ev Read More...
A new report is urging the NSW government to invest in community mental health services
Date of Posting: 03-12-2018
Almost one in six people in NSW are living with a mental health condition, yet many aren't getting the help they need until they reach crisis point, a report has found. The report, released on Monday by the Mental Health Coordinating Council, Read More...
Rogue science strikes again: The case of the first gene-edited babies
Date of Posting: 30-11-2018
G. Owen Schaefer, National University of Singapore The idea of scientists tinkering with the genes of babies was once the provenance of science fiction, but now it’s apparently entered the realm of reality: On Nov. 26, Chinese scienti Read More...
Ambulance call-outs for pregabalin have spiked - here's why
Date of Posting: 30-11-2018
Shalini Arunogiri, Monash University; Dan Lubman, Monash University, and Rose Crossin, Monash University Pregabalin (sold under the brand name Lyrica) is prescribed as an anti-epileptic and a painkiller for nerve pain. Australian prescripti Read More...
Eating more red meat under the Paleo diet linked to heart disease
Date of Posting: 30-11-2018
Australian researchers have found elevated levels of a biomarker linked to heart disease in the blood of people on the Paleo diet, possibly caused by red meat. Eating more red meat under the Paleo diet paired with a lack of whole grains results in Read More...
Five more critical cancer treatments will be listed on PBS
Date of Posting: 30-11-2018
Five more critical cancer treatments will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from Saturday in a boost for thousands of Australians. Australian cancer sufferers will have greater and more affordable access to five treatments from Satur Read More...
