Doctors fear strain of Greens’ autism, ADHD diagnosis promise
The latest ‘Robin Hood’ reform from the Greens would have $181m committed annually to free all-ages diagnoses for ADHD and autism.
Medical
‘It took a heart attack for me to quit’: alarming rate Aussies are dying from smoking
Worrying findings from a study examining tobacco smoking and cause-specific mortality have raised the alarm on Australia’s biggest killer.
Bird flu: do humans get it (and do I need to hard-boil my eggs)?
Avian influenza has again been found on Victorian poultry farms. It’s not the strain spreading worldwide killing birds, cats and elephant seals – and infecting people – nor last year’s variant that caused national egg shortages. But you do need to understand the concerns.
A cardiologist explains what high blood pressure really means
The best time to reduce your risk of long-term heart disease is right now, says a cardiologist who explains what you can learn from monitoring some vital signs
Australia worst for breast cancer
Australia and New Zealand face the highest prevalence of breast cancer internationally, a new study has found, also showcasing progress on reducing mortality.
We still won’t be able to bulk bill: doctors
Labor’s massive injection into Medicare is being treated with scepticism by many doctors who say the economics of bulk billing still do not add up.
Hungry for insights on diet, pregnancy experts make guinea pigs of themselves
Two baby-science researchers have used their own pregnancies to trial a groundbreaking supplement that promises to reduce cerebral palsy, deafness and blindness in infants.
Sugar substitute potentially linked to heart disease
A new study has underlined the feared health risks of sugar substitutes like aspartame, suggesting it could leave consumers at risk of heart disease.
Women hesitating on ambulance calls, study shows
When Debra Clare had a sudden heart attack, her first thought was not to call an ambulance; she is not alone in that.
Labor’s $8.5bn bulk-bill boost ‘no quick fix’: doctors
Doctors have warned Labor’s $8.5bn plan to extend bulk-billing incentives will not immediately lead to everyone in Australia getting to go to the doctor for free.
‘We’re treating people like lepers’: Rural Australia wants a better health deal
Rural Australians are making the case for a better health service, pitching for a national plan. Will they be heard above the noise of a federal election campaign?
How a nurse uncovered one of medicine’s most confounding scandals
Amanda Duncan, who uncovered years of serious failings at the Launceston General Hospital, had a deeply personal reason to advocate for patients. Her sister had needed someone just like her.
Private maternity services to close in Darwin and Hobart
Embattled private hospital provider Healthscope has announced the closure of its maternity services in Darwin and Hobart.
What really makes us hungry?
Little has been understood about what goes on in the brain’s ‘appetite control centre’. The first cell map of the human hypothalamus, though, is set to supercharge future weight loss drugs.
How swimming helped me overcome a stroke at age 26
When the novelist Emilia Hart became seriously ill at 26, she stopped trusting her own body — until she started visiting her local pool.
Vital heart test’s funding in doubt
For six years the Medicare Heart Health Check has been the only diagnostic test for heart disease risk; by June it will run out of funding without government intervention.
Genetic discrimination ban stranded by Labor
What should have been a celebratory final sitting week for Stephen Jones saw him grilled by crossbenchers for leaving a long promised genetic discrimination ban to the next government.
From ‘death sentence’ to ‘treatable disease’: lung cancer battle levels up
Lung cancer is the biggest killer of all cancers, with one person in Australia dying of the disease every hour. But with a new screening program, it need not be a death sentence.
RFK Jr and the measles outbreak
Now he’s health secretary, not a gadfly, as unvaxxed children are hospitalised.
Free online mental health care a lifesaver
More Australians will soon have services tailored to support them through mental crisis, ranging from self-care tools to treatments for severe and chronic disease.
We could be paying too much for knee and hip replacements
As more baby boomers have their joints replaced and the population struggles with obesity, we need to ask whether our care is too expensive and too reliant on private insurance.
Breakthrough: Trial offers miracle ‘cure’ for advanced melanoma
A groundbreaking clinical trial has proved that the majority of melanoma patients whose cancer has spread to the brain can be ‘cured’.
Pandemic measures drove mental health disparity
‘Unintended consequences’ of pandemic health policy left inequality in psychiatry access at their highest since 2015, research shows, with declining care hitting low-income households hardest.
Bulk billing going backwards in every seat
Not one electorate in the country had recorded an increase in GP bulk-billing rates since Labor came to power, analysis shows.
Battling cancer was no walk in the park. I wasn’t prepared for what came next
When Aalia Ahmed visited her doctor about her ‘strange symptoms’, he assured her she was not going crazy.
How Christian’s prostate cancer went from ‘out of control’ to undetectable
Scientists ‘excited’ by promising trial results showing men with aggressive prostate cancer felt better and lived longer when taking a combined therapy.
The pill’s about to get cheaper for some. What are your new options?
Women might want to revisit their choice of contraception as changes are about to be made on price and availability. Here’s an expert’s take on what’s happening.
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.
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.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/health/medical/page/4