Ban or prescribe? Who got it right on vapes
England encouraged smokers to switch to vapes and even gave them to pregnant women at antenatal clinics. Now it’s looking to Australia’s tough stance as medics say the English policy has been a disaster.
Medical
What the government’s boost to menopause support means for women
For women who experience adverse effects of menopause, help can be hard to come by. Soon, experiences such as Reena Murray’s should be the norm, not the exception.
This disease is hitting too many Australians. Why is no one talking about it?
About 180,000 Australians live with this painful, lifelong condition involving inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. But as cases grow globally, Australia leads the pack.
How disability was hijacked by the privileged
I have ADHD but I am not disabled, I am not a victim. We need to direct our conversation, attention and – most important – funding to the right causes.
Why can’t I pick up my prescription? Australia’s medicine chaos explained
ADHD drug shortages wreak havoc on patients returning to work and school. It is just one symptom of Australia’s ailing medicine access systems, explained here.
Labor to invest $573m in women’s health
Improved access to birth control and treatments for UTIs, menopause and endometriosis will reform care for a health area ‘shrouded in shame and stigma’.
How much sleep do you need to stay heart healthy?
Sleeping too little or too much doesn’t just make you cranky, forgetful or tired. This little-known risk factor affects millions of Australians.
The scientific fight over whether ageing is a disease
A small but growing movement of scientists wants to classify ageing as a disease. They face an uphill battle.
I can’t do cryogenics; I’d get brain freeze
Who knows where you might end up if you opt for future freezing. Planet of The Apes anyone?
Naloxone shortage puts lives in danger
Access to lifesaving overdose medicine has become ‘critically’ precarious, foregrounding the shortcomings of a federal program in a crisis of stigma, stimulants and supply issues.
‘If I had waited any longer, I could have gone blind’
Eye exams for under-65s are subsidised every three years under Medicare, but optometrists say that’s too long and goes against best practice.
Doctors divided on digital records fix
Doctors will likely soon be obligated to provide patients with digital access to test results, provoking appeals not to crack down on noncompliance.
Think you’ll have access to a specialist doctor if you need one? Don’t be so sure
The mass resignation of psychiatrists from the NSW public hospital system may be only the first tremor of a seismic shift in the way our public hospitals work in the future.
When Daniella was told she was in perimenopause, she cried with relief
Not all women will experience adverse effects of perimenopause, but for those who do, they say it can be a confusing and isolating time.
Don’t worry about perimenopause, says a doctor who’s not gaslighting you
Women are concerned about a decades-long hormonal rollercoaster and doctors are accused of ‘gaslighting’ their patients.
Is a new medical discovery the key to treating cancer?
Scientists have discovered a new type of cell in the body that has a ‘super power’ that can help in the fight against cancer.
Butler shows the way in guideline review
Australia’s Health Minister has decided to seek a new national treatment guideline for the care of young people with gender distress.
Worried about what’s going on up top? Here’s how to best manage going bald
Balding is optional, the experts say, if you are prepared to seek treatment early enough. We have the latest on balding treatments, and what’s in the pipeline.
Labor’s blocking move on gender
Labor’s plan to take nearly two years to review transgender medicine for children and teens has been condemned as ‘just a device to avoid dealing with the issue’ as the new federal probe effectively halts any attempts by states to ban puberty blockers.
Bupa, Healthscope reach last-minute deal
Millions of patients could benefit as Bupa and Healthscope reach a deal at the 11th hour to get patients back into Healthscope hospitals.
A good start to reining in ‘rogue’ gender clinics
What would a ‘rogue’ clinic look like, if it were following the child-led ‘gender-affirming’ treatment model?
Hormone therapy for kids on hold after revelations involving 12-year-old
An immediate statewide freeze on hormone therapy for new patients under 18 has been ordered in Queensland, after it was discovered a 12-year-old was allegedly given puberty blockers without parental consent.
How can runners prevent injury? Five tricks to try
Don’t let runner’s knee and shin splints slow you down – try these easy exercises to keep you speeding ahead.
Switch the salt: new global guidelines urge uptake of salt substitutes
The World Health Organisation has issued new guidelines urging people to swap regular table and cooking salt for lower sodium substitutes at home.
Clinical trials for rural patients in doubt
John Robson thinks he’d be dead if not for the cutting-edge clinical trial that started near his home in Bendigo after he was diagnosed with stage 4C melanoma four years ago.
Covid honour roll to be phased out
Special measures to honour emergency workers and public servants in the pandemic have been clawed back, slowing any future acknowledgment of national contributions from the time.
Australia to pull nurses from overseas
Internationally registered nurses from the UK, Ireland, the US, Singapore, Spain and Canada will soon be able to practice in Australia faster than ever.
What’s behind the rise in early onset cancer (and what we can do about it)
Cancer at younger ages is becoming more common in Australia. What do you need to watch out for?
Alarming toxic cookware study deeply flawed
Demonising ‘the old plastic spatula’, an American study has had to walk back its findings after falsely claiming dangerously high levels of contamination in plastic cookware.
Politicians must help cure ailing Medicare
General practitioners are the backbone of health care. But without increased rebates for longer consultations, the system will soon buckle.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/health/medical/page/4