Heart attack, stroke, cancer: What does the latest science say? We explain
World experts tackle myths and misunderstandings about common health issues in our Explainers. We aim to bring you clear information and fresh insights in easy-to-digest reads.
Explainer
How can you tell if you’re having a heart attack?
One in every 25 deaths in Australia is from heart attack. More than half will be sudden. What are the signs?
- by Sophie Aubrey
Explainer
At 40, Jim collapsed with a stroke. Would you know the signs?
Strokes strike young and old. In most cases, time is critical in getting help. How can you tell? And what are the treatments?
- by Jackson Graham
Explainer
‘Disorders of consciousness’: The million-dollar question and the mysteries of coma
An “acute brain failure” jettisons a patient, their doctors and families into an anxious twilight zone. How aware is a person in a coma? And how are decisions made in the face of uncertainty?
- by Jackson Graham
Explainer
Why is cancer so hard to cure?
Some 50,000 Australians will die from cancer this year, despite big breakthroughs in treatments. What makes cancer so very tough to treat?
- by Kate Aubusson, Jackson Graham and Felicity Lewis
Explainer
Why is the prostate so prone to problems?
From trouble with the waterworks to deadly cancer, the prostate seems to attract trouble for men. Why? And what’s to be done about it?
- by Liam Mannix
Explainer
‘That sounds a bit made up’: Why frozen shoulder is real (and it hurts)
First comes the pain, then the immobility. Here’s what experts know about this mysterious condition.
- by Jackson Graham
Explainer
Why do men die younger than women?
Is it biology or man-made factors that lead to men dying younger in every age group until old age? And why does male risk-taking involve much more than fast cars and extreme sport?
- by Jackson Graham
Explainer
Why migraine is so much worse than a headache
Auras. Electric waves. Strange food cravings. For a condition that affects so many of us, migraine remains mysterious (and under-researched). Now a better type of treatment is finally emerging.
- by Sherryn Groch
Explainer
How are doctors unravelling the mystery of long COVID?
They call them long-haulers – people still suffering long after a bout of COVID-19. But what is the condition? Doctors expect the answer will change our understanding of immunity forever.
- by Sherryn Groch
Explainer
Side to side, up and down, all in a spin. What’s vertigo?
Vertigo can last for hours, days or longer – and it’s more common than you might think. Why does it happen?
- by Samantha Selinger-Morris
Explainer
Dim light, failing sight: Behind this classic sign of middle-age
The menu looks foggy. The tiny instructions are a blur. It’s that time when your vision, a marvel of evolution, needs some help. What’s going on?
- by Jackson Graham
Explainer
‘Dead cells all over the place’: What happens when the sun hits your skin?
We know we should be sun smart but what does that mean? How does sun cause skin cancer? And isn’t sun good for vitamin D?
- by Samantha Selinger-Morris
Explainer
It’s more than a shake or a shuffle. Inside the world of Parkinson’s disease
Every year more than 11,000 Australians discover they have Parkinson’s, and they’re not all over 65. What’s it like to live with the condition?
- by Angus Thomson
Explainer
Bruce Willis has dementia. What is it, and what’s it like to live with?
Every three seconds, someone in the world develops a form of dementia. So why is it so poorly understood?
- by Jewel Topsfield
Explainer
What is Ozempic and why is there a shortage of it?
A diabetes drug found to help with weight loss is now in short supply all over the world. Who should be using it – and is it a shortcut for shedding kilos?
- by Najma Sambul
Explainer
Most cardiac arrests happen in the home. Could you do CPR?
“Your adrenalin goes through the stratosphere,” says an expert. Our reporter quickly found out during a real-life emergency.
- by Julie Power
Explainer
What does heat do to the body – and how does it kill?
Deadly heatwaves are on the rise around the globe, but what does the heat do to us – and what’s the best way to stay cool?
- by Sherryn Groch
Explainer
‘Like an electric shock’: Why shingles is the ultimate nerve pain
It hides in the body then suddenly erupts. It can return; symptoms can linger. Who gets shingles? And what’s the new vaccine?
- by Liam Mannix
Explainer
It starts as an itch then the urge grows. What’s it like to have Tourette’s?
Most people with Tourette’s don’t swear, but their tics can be hard to control. Still, many succeed in reframing Tourette’s as just one part of who they are. What’s it like to live with this disorder?
- by Jackson Graham
Explainer
Millions are battling superbugs. What happens when the drugs don’t work?
They could wipe 20 years off average life expectancy and rock the foundations of modern medicine. What are superbugs? What can we do about them?
- by Henrietta Cook
Explainer
It can stop you breathing more than 100 times an hour. What’s sleep apnoea?
Sometimes the silence can be more alarming than the snoring. Why are sleepers left gasping for breath, and how does everyone get a good night’s rest?
- by Jackson Graham