Thanks to The Conversation for providing this wrap of recent health and medical stories covering youth alcohol use, breast cancer, men’s health, circumcision, GM food and more….
NDIS: a step out of the dark
By Hal Swerissen, Professor of Health Policy at La Trobe University
http://theconversation.edu.au/ndis-a-step-out-of-the-dark-7565
Early on in my career I was part of the process of closing down large-scale institutions for people with disabilities.
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How to set teens up for a healthy relationship with alcohol
By Steve Allsop, Professor and Director, National Drug Research Institute at Curtin University
http://theconversation.edu.au/how-to-set-teens-up-for-a-healthy-relationship-with-alcohol-7370
Young Australians are exposed to a range of risks from alcohol, both from drinking themselves and other people’s use.
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How likely is my breast cancer to recur and spread?
By Sarah Lloyd, Research Fellow in Epidemiology, NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre at University of Sydney and Nehmat Houssami, Associate Professor in Public Health at University of Sydney
http://theconversation.edu.au/how-likely-is-my-breast-cancer-to-recur-and-spread-7715
Over 13,500 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia each year. After completing initial treatment, the immediate question for many, if not most, is – what are the chances my cancer will return?
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How big pharma opens the market to new expensive drugs
By Agnes Vitry, Senior Research Fellow at the Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre at University of South Australia
http://theconversation.edu.au/how-big-pharma-opens-the-market-to-new-expensive-drugs-7620
New medicines are often marketed on the basis of clinical trials of limited size and duration. So clinical studies of a medicine after it has reached the market (post-marketing studies) can be a useful way to get more data on its benefits or possible adverse effects.
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Men’s health report highlights what’s missing from policy
By John McDonald, Foundation Chair in Primary Health Care at University of Western Sydney and David Thompson, Research Officer in Men’s Health at University of Western Sydney
http://theconversation.edu.au/mens-health-report-highlights-whats-missing-from-policy-7687
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report on men’s health focuses the spotlight on widely unrecognised aspects of male health. This could mean that policy can now address men’s health in a much more holistic manner
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German case opens up another battle in the circumcision war
By Bruce Arnold, Lecturer in Law at University of Canberra
http://theconversation.edu.au/german-case-opens-up-another-battle-in-the-circumcision-war-7967
Bioethicists, human rights advocates and criminal lawyers are watching another outbreak of the “circumcision wars”, after yesterday’s decision by a provincial court in Cologne, Germany, that circumcision of male infants is illegal.
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Disasters and mental health in rural and remote areas
By Helen Louise Berry, Professional Research Fellow and Deputy Director, Centre for Research and Action in Public Health at University of Canberra
http://theconversation.edu.au/disasters-and-mental-health-in-rural-and-remote-areas-7685
Mental health problems cause profound suffering and are worthy of attention for that reason alone. But despite policy and service reform, such problems remain as common, expensive and disabling as they were a decade ago.
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Genetically modified crops shrink farming’s pesticide footprint
By Professor Richard Roush, Dean, Melbourne School of Land and Environment at University of Melbourne
http://theconversation.edu.au/genetically-modified-crops-shrink-farmings-pesticide-footprint-3004
Recent news reports claim one in ten Australians believe the world will end on December 21, 2012, based largely on internet gossip about the meaning of ancient stone carvings from the Mayans of Central America. Such is the disturbing power of frightening myths to influence human belief.
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Closing the gap between rich and poor could save billions in health care costs
By Laurie Brown, Health Research Director, National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling at University of Canberra
A person’s health is strongly influenced by that person’s wealth. In the past, we thought this was because higher incomes meant better access to health care; we thought this was why the rich lived longer. Today we know more.
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Creating a stink about traffic pollution
By Adrian Barnett, Associate Professor of Public Health at Queensland University of Technology, Joacim Rocklov, Senior Lecturer, Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umea University and Nicholas Graves, Professor of Health Economics at Queensland University of Technology
http://theconversation.edu.au/creating-a-stink-about-traffic-pollution-7661
The World Health Organization’s recent decision to categorise diesel fumes as carcinogenic is yet another reminder of the negative health effects of traffic pollution. Cancer can now be added to a list that includes asthma, reduced lung function, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, hospitalisation and death.
