News Articles
Free meningococcal vaccine for teens in WA
Date of Posting: 30-01-2017
A free meningococcal vaccine will be provided to teenagers aged 15 to 19 in WA after a "disturbing" increase in cases of the W strain, and the health minister hopes the rest of the nation will follow the state's lead. The vaccination Read More...
Date of Posting: 30-01-2017
Sjogren's syndrome, a chronic autoimmune disease, affects mainly women and in 2011 halted the career of Australian Open 2017 finalist Venus Williams. WHAT IS SJOGREN'S SYNDROME?[subscribe] An autoimmune disease where the tear and saliva Read More...
Smartphones can be used as cancer scanners
Date of Posting: 27-01-2017
US researchers say a Google algorithm could be a powerful tool in catching deadly skin cancers. A computer algorithm can catch skin cancer with the same accuracy as a doctor, a study has found.[subscribe] Researchers say the "exciting" Read More...
12 hour shifts linked to more nurse errors
Last Updated: 27-01-2017
Nurses who work at least 12 hours on a single shift face a greater risk of making errors that can injure themselves or their patients, research shows. New Zealand nursing researchers Dr Jill Clendon and Dr Veronique Gibbons, who published their sy Read More...
Study shows Lithium better at treating bipolar disorder
Date of Posting: 26-01-2017
An Australian study has found lithium to be better at protecting the brains of bipolar patients than that of a newer and more popular antipsychotic drug. A treatment for bipolar disorder introduced in the 1970s is much more effective at protecting Read More...
Here are ways to keep your heart healthy
Date of Posting: 26-01-2017
Middle-aged Australians are encouraged to get their heads out of the sand and adopt some healthy lifestyle measures to ensure a healthy heart. THE BEST WAY TO LOOK AFTER YOUR HEART - A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE[subscribe] Quit smoking - Smoking Read More...
New research points to breast cancer prevention
Date of Posting: 25-01-2017
New research in Adelaide has pointed to what may cause breast cancer in some women, raising hope the disease may be prevented. New research has identified what causes increased breast density in women, identified as a key factor in breast cancer r Read More...
Flat head syndrome at heightened risk of developmental delays
Date of Posting: 25-01-2017
An Australian study has for the first time found a link between flat head syndrome and developmental delays in children. Babies with flat head syndrome may be at heightened risk of developmental delays, a study has found.[subscribe] A review of Read More...
Can the way we move after injury lead to chronic pain?
Last Updated: 25-01-2017
Siobhan Schabrun, Western Sydney University When people suffer musculoskeletal pain – that is, pain arising from muscles, ligaments, bones or joints – they change the way they move. Sometimes these changes include completely avoidi Read More...
What is heart failure? It's not as common a cause of death as reports would have us believe
Last Updated: 25-01-2017
Frank Bowden, ACT Health When George Michael died last year news reports all over the world announced the cause as heart failure. The same condition was cited as the cause of death of 61 year old Devo band member Bob Casale, 27 year old Ec Read More...
Date of Posting: 24-01-2017
Australian women often find themselves feeling isolated as they grieve after losing a baby, with up to one in four pregnancies ending in miscarriage. Rebecca sits in an emergency department for five hours bleeding and crying, feeling a life and th Read More...
Australian scientists discovered treatment for pre-eclampsia
Date of Posting: 24-01-2017
An international team of scientists have found a treatment that could save many of the 60,000 lives lost each year to pre-eclampsia. Australian scientists have discovered a drug used to treat reflux has the potential to "wipe out" pre-ec Read More...
Human error blamed for the loss of embryos at a fertility clinic in Adelaide
Date of Posting: 24-01-2017
A report has found human error was the likely reason a back-up power unit at an Adelaide hospital failed during last year's statewide blackout. Human error has been blamed for the loss of embryos at a fertility clinic in Adelaide in September Read More...
Study shows birth date linked to ADHD diagnosis
Date of Posting: 23-01-2017
The validity of ADHD diagnosis in Australia is again being questioned with a WA study showing the youngest children are more likely to be receiving medication. The youngest children in class are more likely than their older classmates to receive m Read More...
White spot disease remains a threat to prawns in Queensland
Date of Posting: 20-01-2017
Treatment to eradicate white spot disease has finished at five prawn farms in southeast Queensland where the infection was detected late last year. White spot disease remains a threat to prawns in Queensland despite the state's unprecedented a Read More...
A new camera-fitted brain needle unveiled at the University of Adelaide
Date of Posting: 20-01-2017
A new camera-fitted brain needle has been unveiled at the University of Adelaide and it is expected to make neurosurgery safer and save lives. A camera-fitted brain-probing needle might sound like something to steer well clear of.[subscribe] Bu Read More...
NT government will legalise abortion drugs outside hospitals
Date of Posting: 19-01-2017
The NT government is moving to legalise the use of abortion drugs outside hospitals but advocates say the reforms don't go far enough. Medical abortions are still a crime in the Northern Territory, but likely not for much longer thanks to new Read More...
Queenslanders are urged to cover up as UV reaches extreme levels
Date of Posting: 19-01-2017
Queenslanders are being urged to cover up as ultraviolet radiation hits extreme levels across much of the state. Brisbane is expected to reach a top of 17 on Thursday, more than five times the safe limit.[subscribe] The Bureau of Meteorology pr Read More...
Boosting mental health patients' physical health
Last Updated: 19-01-2017
New international research has cast a spotlight on the unmet physical health needs of patients with severe mental illnesses. Obesity, smoking, lack of exercise and high blood cholesterol levels are prevalent in people diagnosed with schizoph Read More...
Youngest in class more likely to be medicated for ADHD
Date of Posting: 19-01-2017
Curtin University researchers have established that the youngest children in West Australian classrooms are more likely than their older classmates to receive medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The results raised conce Read More...
Call to step up management of legionella disease risks
Date of Posting: 19-01-2017
Occasional testing for Legionella bacteria in hot water services, air-conditioner cooling towers and other potable water is not an adequate safeguard against a disease outbreak, a public health expert warns. Flinders University researcher Dr Harri Read More...
How to recognise a stroke and what you should know about their treatment
Date of Posting: 19-01-2017
Caleb Ferguson, University of Technology Sydney One in every six people will experience a stroke during their lifetime. And by the time you have read this article, it’s likely that someone in Australia will have experienced one. Stroke k Read More...
Can marijuana treat MS symptoms? It's hard for researchers to find out
Last Updated: 19-01-2017
Thorsten Rudroff, Colorado State University An estimated 400,000 Americans are currently living with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune cells attack a fatty substance called myelin in the nerves. Common sym Read More...
Bondi beachgoers risk of skin cancer
Date of Posting: 18-01-2017
More than 9800 Australians are expected to die from melanoma in the next five years, with the number being drawn in sand at Bondi Beach on a sweltering day. Bondi beachgoers escaping a Sydney heatwave have been reminded there's a far more imme Read More...
Remote health workers safety needed boost
Date of Posting: 18-01-2017
A report into the risks facing remote health workers has recommended upgraded alarms and better training. Clinic and accommodation alarms should be upgraded and personal alarms considered to keep remote health workers safe, a report has found.[sub Read More...
Blood cancer death rates in Australia is increasing
Date of Posting: 18-01-2017
Greater awareness and research is urgently needed to stop the rising number of Australians dying from blood cancer, says The Leukaemia Foundation. Michael Chamberlain was this week remembered as a true and honest man who never lost his faith, but Read More...
Surviving your first year as a nurse
Date of Posting: 18-01-2017
An Australian College of Nursing (ACN) 2015 Emerging Nurse Leader (ENL) has urged graduate nurses wanting to survive and thrive in their first year in the workforce to continue learning, avoid office politics, connect with nurse leaders, prioritise s Read More...
Australians not to become complacent about the humble bee
Date of Posting: 17-01-2017
Australians are warned not to become complacent about the threat bees and other insects pose to a person's health. Bees and other insects, not snakes, spiders or jellyfish, pose the biggest public health threat in Australia, experts warn.[subs Read More...
A drug-resistant bacteria may be spreading more widely
Date of Posting: 17-01-2017
Scientists in the US have warned about the spread of a 'nightmare' drug-resistant bacteria that appears to be flying under the radar. A family of drug-resistant and potentially deadly bacteria may be spreading more widely and with increasi Read More...
Recreational cannabis smoking is still harmful to health
Last Updated: 17-01-2017
A major report on the health-effects of marijuana and cannabis-derived products has found evidence of both therapeutic and harmful effects. Medicinal cannabis effectively treats chronic pain and significantly helps those with multiple sclerosis (M Read More...
Eating spicy food may lead to a longer life
Date of Posting: 16-01-2017
Adding hot chilli to your meals won't just create a bit of spice, but may also help you live longer, according to new research. Eating spicy food may lead to a longer life, according to a new US study.[subscribe] Researchers at the Larner C Read More...
Telehealth to connect New Zealand
Last Updated: 16-01-2017
An integrated telehealth advice service will work to enhance rural health care in New Zealand, linking pharmacists, nurses and GPs to people right across the country. Tele-triage organisation Homecare Medical was recently announced as the preferre Read More...
Professional Training in Creative Arts Therapy
Last Updated: 16-01-2017
The School of Health Professions, at Murdoch University in Perth WA, has been providing training in person-centred counselling at Graduate Diploma and Masters level for ten years. The success of these qualifications has seen student numbers grow and Read More...
Suicide hotline Lifeline is closing its doors in Darwin
Last Updated: 16-01-2017
The start of National Mental Health Week is bittersweet for Darwin's Lifeline suicide call centre, which has shut down after severe funding shortfalls. Suicide hotline Lifeline is closing its doors in Darwin after severe budget cuts from the N Read More...
Community access program seeks support
Date of Posting: 13-01-2017
An innovative new health program, CarFreeMe, is helping to address the needs of people who have sustained complex trauma injuries and are unable to drive. Each year more than 2,400 Australians sustain a moderate or severe traumatic injury, w Read More...
Deadly soil disease spreads to the Northern Territory's desert region
Date of Posting: 12-01-2017
Central Australian residents are being warned against a deadly soil disease following recent flooding in desert regions across the Northern Territory. The risk of a deadly soil disease has spread to the Northern Territory's desert region follo Read More...
Myth: weather can make your aches and pains worse
Date of Posting: 11-01-2017
Australian researchers have dismissed centuries of anecdotal reports of how the weather can make your aches and pains worse. Blaming the weather for making your aches and pains worse is a waste of time as it has no effect whatsoever, medical resea Read More...
Taking on obesity with science and education
Date of Posting: 11-01-2017
We all know simply telling teenagers what’s good for them seldom gets through (and the same goes for adults). That’s why a unique science education programme developed in New Zealand is giving teenagers the knowledge and tools to figure o Read More...
The Royal Flying Doctor Service has been given a boost in Western Australia
Date of Posting: 10-01-2017
A new medical plane will boost the Royal Flying Doctor Service in the northern area of Western Australia as part of $23 million in state government funding. The Royal Flying Doctor Service has been given a boost in Western Australia with a new air Read More...
Fixing overuse and underuse of medical care can improve health and save money
Date of Posting: 10-01-2017
International experts have pinpointed how reforming the overuse and underuse of health and medical services around the world can improve health outcomes and stem spiralling costs of healthcare. Launched today by The Lancet, the ‘Right Care S Read More...
