2009 May: Health

2009 May: Health

Anchor: Base Index
Other months: April June
Other areas: Business climate computing education international Internet science social technology Others

Topics: Addiction aged care alcohol allergies anorexia causes children cures death dental detection diagnosis diet disabilities disease doctors drugs fitness health care hospitals immunity mental nurses obesity pain pollution prevention sleep stress suicide surgery technology teenagers therapies violence waste women

Addiction and Alcohol

(see also Drugs and in Social)

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Julia Medew, Fewer smoke now, but those who do are young, The Age, 2009 May 22 (smoking rates have dropped by a fifth in Victoria over the past 10 years, thanks to higher cigarette prices, bans on tobacco advertising and graphic health campaigns)
Adrian Lowe, Death-crash driver was drunk and speeding, The Age, 2009 May 20 (a driver who killed two friends was almost one-and-a-half times over the blood alcohol limit and driving at double the speed limit, a court has heard)
Brigid Delaney, Wither our real selves in an internet age, The Age, 2009 May 4 (Internet addiction is a growing phenomenon; the University of Sydney website refers students who worry that they may be addicted to the Centre for Online Addiction, which tells users (online of course) that it "offers hope and valuable resources to those seeking information about internet addiction; internet addiction is a type of compulsive disorder, (a) new form of addictive behaviour")
David Rood, Alarming increase in alcohol abuse, The Age, 2009 May 2 (ambulance call-outs for drunks more than double since 2002, as health system bears the weight of worsening problem drinking in Victoria)

Aged Care

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Beth Wilson, Grow old gracefully, The Age, 2009 May 17 (as seductive as Dr Levin's chemical approach to anti-ageing seems, it is not without serious risk)
Louise Hall, Action on claims of 'anti-ageing', The Age, 2009 May 11 (drug regulator has put on notice expensive anti-ageing creams and potions that are marketed as "clinically proven" or "scientifically tested" when they are only based on pseudo-science)
Dan Harrison, Getting connected not a priority for seniors, The Age, 2009 May 8 (more than 15 years after the invention of the World Wide Web, almost half of Australians over 65 have never used the internet)
Dan Harrison, Probe after mice gnaw veteran, 89, The Age, 2009 May 1 (the Federal Government has ordered an investigation into an incident in which a bedridden war veteran was bitten repeatedly by mice in a Queensland nursing home)

Allergies

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Cures and Therapies

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AAP, Contact lens cells may restore sight, The Age, 2009 May 28 (coating a common contact lens with stem cells could help restore a person's sight, scientists have found)
Tim Lott, Online therapy the latest tool to beat the blues, The Age, 2009 May 17 (most people with depression need some kind of therapy, but could a computer program replace a counsellor?)
Marika Dobbin, Jail welcomes arrival of some four-legged inmates, The Age, 2009 May 8 (four black pups to begin 16-month stay at Fulham Correctional Centre in Sale as part of a new inmate rehabilitation scheme in Victoria)
Ari Sharp, Drug test hopes for cystic fibrosis, The Age, 2009 May 5 (a locally developed drug that helps people with cystic fibrosis clear mucus from their lungs could be available by the end of next year after strong results from a clinical trial)

Death and Suicide

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Andrew Stafford, A death wish isn't selfishness—it's an illness, The Age, 2009 May 13 (it is unhelpful to talk about suicide as an ethical issue)
Gabrielle Carey, You do not have the right to die, The Age, 2009 May 11 (when most of the world is fighting to live, is suicide the ultimate act of selfishness?)
Lithium in water 'curbs suicide', BBC, 2009 May 1 (drinking water which contains the element lithium may reduce the risk of suicide, a Japanese study suggests)

Detection and Diagnosis

(see also in Technology)

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Julie Robotham, Sound warning of brain disease, The Age, 2009 May 13 (patients with schizophrenia are less able to differentiate between sounds—and this correlates to the loss of brain matter, scientists have found)
Hope of new prostate cancer test, BBC, 2009 May 13 (scientists have developed a potential new way to assess whether prostate cancer is aggressive)
Kate Benson, Bowel cancer tests bungled, The Age, 2009 May 12 (almost half a million people have been given faulty bowel cancer screening kits in the latest debacle to plague the Federal Government's screening program)
Chemical clue to dementia decline, BBC, 2009 May 11 (spinal fluid compounds may give an early warning of how fast patients with mild dementia will decline)

Diet

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AAP, Huge task to reverse weight gain, The Age, 2009 May 13 (an Australian expert who has measured the rising kilojoule load of the American diet says the developed world faces a monumental task to turn around poor eating habits)
Daniella Miletic, TV glut of junk food ads, The Age, 2009 May 1 (Australian children are exposed to about 2200 junk food advertisements on television each year, according to a study)

Disease and Immunity

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The origin of swine flu: A better understanding of how the new strain of influenza arose, Economist, 2009 May 30 (you are now officially permitted to blame the pigs)
Nick Miller, Alert, not yet alarmed, The Age, 2009 May 26 (the number of confirmed cases is growing daily yet the so-called swine flu's relative lack of clout has surprised experts)
Eczema's link to asthma: Breathe easy, Economist, 2009 May 23 (researchers discover how a skin disease may trigger a lung complaint)
A mystery bat disease: And coming, sadly, to a cave somewhere near you, Economist, 2009 May 23 (swine flu may get the headlines; but white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that shows as a powdery pattern on the face, wings and legs of bats, is moving far more swiftly across America)
Women 'fight off disease better', BBC, 2009 May 13 (men really do have an excuse for being wimpy about coughs and colds—their immune systems are not as strong as those of women)
Swine flu could hit one in three, BBC, 2009 May 12 (a third of the world's population could be infected with swine flu, expert projections suggest)
Richard Macey, First pig flu case no cause for alarm, The Age, 2009 May 11 (health officials say it is very unlikely that the country's first confirmed human case of swine flu could have infected other Australians)
Leader, The pandemic threat: It's deadly serious, Economist, 2009 May 2 (so even if the current threat fades, the world needs to be better armed)

Drugs

(see also Addiction and Cures)

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Ben Schneiders, Tired truckies turn to drugs, The Age, 2009 May 21 (almost a third of long-distance truck drivers have used stimulants such as amphetamines, research shows; work pressure is a key factor, it shows)
Kate Hagan, Merck mocked idea of risk, court told, The Age, 2009 May 20 (drug company Merck made fun of alleged cardiovascular risks attached to its anti-arthritis drug Vioxx in a marketing team skit, a court has heard)
Beth Wilson, Grow old gracefully, The Age, 2009 May 17 (as seductive as Dr Levin's chemical approach to anti-ageing seems, it is not without serious risk)
Kate Hagan, Merck 'watered down' warning on Vioxx, The Age, 2009 May 12 (drug company Merck watered down warning on heart risks attached to its drug Vioxx to make it more "palatable", court hears)
Louise Hall, Action on claims of 'anti-ageing', The Age, 2009 May 11 (drug regulator has put on notice expensive anti-ageing creams and potions that are marketed as "clinically proven" or "scientifically tested" when they are only based on pseudo-science)
Kate Hagan, Name in Merck journal surprised doctor, The Age, 2009 May 9 (an arthritis specialist has told of his surprise at picking up a copy of a "medical journal" created by drug company Merck and seeing his name listed as a member of its editorial board)
Kate Hagan, Merck begins Vioxx defence, The Age, 2009 May 5 (selective research used against drug company Merck in class action over alleged heart risk attached to its anti-arthritis drug Vioxx, Federal Court hears)

Fitness and Sleep

(see also Obesity and in Social)

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Michaelle Hamer, Too young to diet?, The Age, 2009 May 17 (child-only gyms, boot camps for fat kids; is the junior fitness industry helping or worsening the childhood obesity crisis?)

Health Care and Doctors

(see also Cures, Drugs)

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Kate Hagan, Doctor convicted of rape retains right to practise, The Age, 2009 May 22 (a convicted rapist will be allowed to work as a doctor in Victoria after the Court of Appeal dismissed a challenge to his re-registration)

Hospitals and Nurses

(see also Surgery)

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Julia Medew, Thousands left to wait in parked ambulances, The Age, 2009 May 22 (thousands of seriously ill and injured Victorians are waiting in parked ambulances for more than an hour outside Melbourne's hospitals as the system struggles to cope)
Julia Medew, Bed shortage causing emergency logjams, The Age, 2009 May 12 (thousands of Victorians waiting on trolleys in emergency departments, in some cases for more than four days, before they are transferred to a bed)

Mental

(see also Stress and in Science)

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Tim Lott, Online therapy the latest tool to beat the blues, The Age, 2009 May 17 (most people with depression need some kind of therapy, but could a computer program replace a counsellor?)
Carmel Egan, Cause of schizophrenia identified, The Age, 2009 May 17 (in a world first, Melbourne scientists discover a form of schizophrenia is linked to lack of certain proteins in the brain's lining)
Jane Dreaper, Dementia music project to expand, BBC, 2009 May 14 (the writer and broadcaster, John Suchet, is backing a project which uses music to help people with dementia)
Julie Robotham, Sound warning of brain disease, The Age, 2009 May 13 (patients with schizophrenia are less able to differentiate between sounds—and this correlates to the loss of brain matter, scientists have found)
Chemical clue to dementia decline, BBC, 2009 May 11 (spinal fluid compounds may give an early warning of how fast patients with mild dementia will decline)

Obesity and Anorexia

(see also Diet and Fitness)

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Bridie Smith, Monkeys may hold clues to human obesity, The Age, 2009 May 25 (some monkeys manage their diet in a similar way to humans, suggesting that the origin of human obesity could go back earlier than previously thought, research shows)
Richard Telford, Measure for measure, BMI has big flaws, The Age, 2009 May 22 (the "quick and easy" method of assessing fatness, using height and weight to calculate the body mass index, is likely to misclassify individual fatness because the "body mass" aspect of the ratio measures muscle and bone as well as fat; consequently, big framed and muscular people are likely to be wrongly branded as fat)
Anorexic says men need more help, BBC, 2009 May 12 (a teenage man from Cornwall treated for an eating disorder has spoken out to tell other sufferers that there is "life beyond anorexia")
Nick Miller, Obesity spreads amid calls for action, The Age, 2009 May 12 (adults and children, especially boys, are getting fatter, a national survey shows)

Pollution and Waste

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Tom Arup and Adam Morton, Polluters to get $12.5 billion in carbon hand-outs, The Age, 2009 May 20 (Australia's six biggest polluting industries will get an extra $1.1 billion compensation over five years under changes to the Government's emissions trading scheme)
Chemical cocktail 'risk to boys', BBC, 2009 May 13 (chemicals found in many food, cosmetic and cleaning products pose a real threat to male fertility, a leading scientist warns)
Kelly Burke, Australia slow to ban toxic products, The Age, 2009 May 12 (a list of highly toxic chemicals about to be deregistered or already banned in the European Union remain widely available in Australia and can be found in everything from pets' flea control collars to head-lice treatments for children)
Marcus Godinho, Let's waste not while others are wanting, The Age, 2009 May 1 (every year in Victoria enough food to fully stock 30,000 supermarkets is dumped at tips across the state; that's 750,000 tonnes a year sent to landfill)
Ben Cubby, Target bans plastic bags next month, The Age, 2009 May 1 (retail giant Target has confirmed it will ban plastic shopping bags in its Australian shops next month, saving an estimated 100 million bags a year)

Prevention and Causes

(see also Diet)

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Carmel Egan, Cause of schizophrenia identified, The Age, 2009 May 17 (in a world first, Melbourne scientists discover a form of schizophrenia is linked to lack of certain proteins in the brain's lining)
Steve Butcher, Seized toys contain lead and choking hazards, The Age, 2009 May 16 (a successful Chinese business couple face outlays of about $30,000 after Victoria Consumer Affairs inspectors seized children's toys with dangerous levels of lead and choking hazards last month)
Climate 'biggest health threat', BBC, 2009 May 14 (a leading medical journal describes climate change as the single largest threat to health in the 21st century)
Folic acid protects baby hearts, BBC, 2009 May 12 (mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid slashes the risk of babies being born with a heart problem, experience from Canada shows)
Scientists offer thalidomide clue, BBC, 2009 May 11 (Aberdeen scientists say they have "solved the 50-year puzzle" of how and why limbs are targeted by thalidomide)
Nick Miller, Cover-up could be bad for your health, The Age, 2009 May 1 (Baker IDI deputy director Jonathan Shaw said he was particularly interested to find out whether Victorians had taken the "sun smart" message too far, avoiding sunshine so much that they have lowered their vitamin D to dangerous levels)

Stress and Pain

(see also Mental)

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Stephen Cauchi, Stress might save your life, The Age, 2009 May 17 (you've had a stressful day, your blood pressure's up, you're in a terrible mood; stop whingeing—all that angst might be doing wonders for your health)

Surgery and Dentistry

Teenagers

Julia Medew, Fewer smoke now, but those who do are young, The Age, 2009 May 22 (smoking rates have dropped by a fifth in Victoria over the past 10 years, thanks to higher cigarette prices, bans on tobacco advertising and graphic health campaigns)
Chemical cocktail 'risk to boys', BBC, 2009 May 13 (chemicals found in many food, cosmetic and cleaning products pose a real threat to male fertility, a leading scientist warns)
Misha Schubert, Disability services to get funding, The Age, 2009 May 1 (an extra 250 teenagers with disabilities are tipped to gain access to after-school care so their parents can work, in an initiative to be announced in this month's federal budget)

Women and Children

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Cameron Houston and Jill Stark, Children at hormone risk, The Age, 2009 May 17 (short parents are injecting their healthy children with human growth hormone in a bid to make them taller, despite medical experts warning of serious risks)
Steve Butcher, Seized toys contain lead and choking hazards, The Age, 2009 May 16 (a successful Chinese business couple face outlays of about $30,000 after Victoria Consumer Affairs inspectors seized children's toys with dangerous levels of lead and choking hazards last month)
Women 'fight off disease better', BBC, 2009 May 13 (men really do have an excuse for being wimpy about coughs and colds—their immune systems are not as strong as those of women)
Folic acid protects baby hearts, BBC, 2009 May 12 (mandatory fortification of bread with folic acid slashes the risk of babies being born with a heart problem, experience from Canada shows)
Sarah-Jane Collins, State to expand help for troubled children, The Age, 2009 May 8 (the number of Victorian children who needed to be separated from their families rose by 25 per cent in the past three years, pushing the out-of-home care system to breaking point)