Cancer can be prevented too
11-Feb-2010 This year’s World Cancer Day (4 February) message was ‘Cancer can be prevented too’.
Given the current public focus on preventative health, it was a timely reminder that lifestyle choices can often lead to cancer.
Limiting alcohol consumption, avoiding excessive sun exposure, maintaining a healthy weight by eating well and regularly exercising ...
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Remember to pack your puffer
11-Feb-2010 As the new school year gets underway, parents and teachers are being urged to prepare for a spike in asthma emergencies.
According to National Asthma Council Australia chairman, general practitioner Dr Noela Whitby, the ‘February epidemic’ is a well-documented phenomenon that will hit soon.
“Every year we experience a big asthma spike in both ...
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The true cost of mental illness
11-Mar-2010 According to the National Advisory Council on Mental Health, mental illness is costing us an estimated $20 billion every year, despite 65 per cent of Australians with a mental illness not actually accessing support services.To put this into perspective, the Council of Australian Governments agreed in July 2006 to commit $4 billion over five years ...
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Better medical care for people with diabetes
08-Apr-2010 Medical support groups have applauded the Federal Government’s announcement to invest $436 million into better GP and specialist care for people with diabetes, an initiative aimed at reducing the stress placed on hospitals.
Under the plan, diabetes patients will have the option of signing up with a GP practice of their choice, so they can be ...
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The cost of blindness
20-May-2010 A new report has put a $3,164 billion figure on the global cost of vision loss. According to a report prepared by Access Economics for AMD Alliance International, there are 733 million people across the world who are blind or have low vision.The cost is said to include direct healthcare expenditure, informal caregiver time, lost productivity and ...
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How dangerous is the flu vaccine?
20-May-2010 It is fair to say the recent reports of children apparently suffering adverse reactions to the seasonal influenza vaccination, including febrile convulsions and the possibility of one death, sent shockwaves through the medical community.
It is nothing short of a tragedy that a Queensland family caught up in this saga has lost a much loved ...
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Electronic health records can save lives
03-Jun-2010 On the whole, medical organisations and doctors have welcomed funding announced in the May Budget of nearly $467 million to begin building a secure national system for personally controlled electronic health records.
Despite the significant sum, it may surprise many that this is really only ‘seed’ funding, needed to provide the fledgling e-health ...
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Kick a goal for men’s health
17-Jun-2010 General practitioners around the country have teamed up with the AFL Coaches Association this week to encourage men to become more proactive about their health and find out about the help available from their local GP.
Men’s Health Week, from 14-20 June, aims to promote awareness of important male health issues while acknowledging and celebrating ...
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Never too late to lose weight
15-Jul-2010 That obesity has an image problem is difficult to deny.
It is already a known risk factor for a string of serious health problems, and now with the release of a new report showing how it can harm the sex lives of people with the condition, there is yet one more reason to give fat the flick.
The French study which surveyed 12,364 men and women ...
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Avoid sitting on a serious problem
12-Aug-2010 More than one million Australians have
poor bowel function and the evidence appears to suggest that social
taboos are contributing to the problem.
In a survey released recently by the
Continence Foundation of Australia (CFA), to coincide with Continence
Awareness Week (1-7 August), 78 per cent of women admitted they have
at some point avoided ...
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Hearing help is at hand
26-Aug-2010 Earlier this year, the Australian Senate handed down its report into hearing heath, which importantly acknowledged not only how hearing impairment affects a person’s ability to communicate, but the ‘profound impact’ this can have on a person’s emotional wellbeing.
Among the evidence presented to the Senate Committee, the Department of Health and ...
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Breathing easier with asthma
09-Sep-2010 For reasons that are still unclear, the prevalence of asthma has increased dramatically over recent years to the point where asthma rates in Australia are now the second highest in the world.
Research has shown the disorder is more likely to occur in people who have eczema, hay fever, or a family history of asthma. A person may also develop asthma ...
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