The true cost of vapes

A new study published reveals the daily reality of vaping addiction among younger Australians, detailing how the products are disrupting lives and being relied on for stress-relief.

Demystifying dementia

New South Australian research will seek to uncover how the brain’s defence systems identify and remove damaged proteins, paving the way for new approaches to preventing and treating dementia.

Put your phone down

When our use of phones affects our mood, replace real-life experiences and interfere with face-to-face relationships, it’s time to put down our phone.

How telehealth supercharged ADHD scripts

The expansion of Australia’s telehealth services was supposed to offer greater access to people in remote and rural areas and mitigate the psychiatrist shortage but has actually led to an explosion in people seeking and getting stimulant prescriptions for dubious claims of “ADHD”.

Call the prescribing nurse!

New legislation has been passed to allow specially qualified RNs to prescribe a range of medicines subsidised through the PBS.

Smoking falls to historic low but challenges remain

The percentage of Australians who smoke has fallen once again, but while the country’s comprehensive tobacco control measures are delivering results, the widespread availability of illegal imports and vapes continues to pose a health hazard.

Tired but wired

Feeling “wired but tired” is not evidence that your body has failed to rest properly but that your brain has become too good at staying alert in a digital world that never really stops.

The five follies of fitness tracking

Fitness trackers promise to help users become fitter, happier and healthier versions of themselves but turning every human experience into data for tech companies to mine isn’t always a good idea for the user.

A stitch in time

Promising health tools that can predict a person’s risk of serious health problems before they happen are rarely being utilised in everyday healthcare, according to new Curtin University research.

Can people catch bird flu?

Bird flu can spread to humans in close contact with infected birds and can cause severe illness but the risk in Australia remains low. H5N1 is still a bird virus, and doesn’t spread easily to humans or between people.

What gets you down?

Depression arises from a mix of biological, psychological and social factors and while science has made some progress in understanding and treating it, the factors driving each person’s experience remain unique.

Mixing up the medicine

New research suggests Australians are skipping doses, taking expired medication and going without groceries to afford medicines prescribed by their doctors because they aren’t covered by Labor’s landmark Cheaper Medicines policy.