HEALTH & WELLBEING

Victoria's chief health officer has issued new thunderstorm asthma warning for Gippsland and north-east Victoria following the severe event that killed eight people last week.

The most recent results from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) shows that Australian students have fallen behind Kazakhstani and Slovenian students.

Scurvy, an 18th century disease historically associated with sea sailors, has made a surprise comeback to Australia.

A recent study has shown that the young generation is overconfident about their condom-using skills, even when they often do so inconsistently and incorrectly. The study included data from interviews with 290 people aged between 18 and 29. The respondents attended a northern New South Wales music festival.

Promising Alzheimer’s drug Solanezumab by Eli Lilly & Co, which was considered a significant amyloid buster, has failed clinical trials.

A US woman who was diagnosed with Vibrio vulnificus may have gotten infected by flesh-eating bacteria that came from a tilapia.

In a major turnaround of events that has baffled medical experts and researchers, a protein that was long believed to cause Alzheimer’s, has proved to be one that actually fights off the degenerative disease.

Victoria is rolling out a revolutionary melanoma blood test that can diagnose the disease within hours, thereby greatly improving patients’ chances of overcoming the disease. This liquid-biopsy is an Australian-first that allows patients to begin treatment immediately. It cuts weeks off the time taken to detect the fatal skin cancer.

Experts are concerned of the overuse of anti-psychotic drugs prevalent nowadays. They say that these may damage brain and will even lead to early death. However, critics oppose the argument, contradicting the theory for lack of scientific evidence. Most of the claims are exaggerations, they say.

Australia still has a big economic gender gap problem. In the new World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2016, Australia has slipped down to 46th place from 36th in 2015, lagging behind New Zealand, Canada, United Kingdom and even behind United States.

University of California-San Francisco Medical Center’s assistant clinical professor of dermatology, Dr. Jenny Eileen Murase, says that people who sweat excessively do not realise that they have a treatable medical condition.

The 29-year-old Sydney Entrepreneur, Adam Brimo, has launched Openlearning.com to provide free vocational courses to students who cannot afford to pay for their education. It is the solution to the non-completion of government-funded VET courses.

World Mental Health Day is observed every October 10 to spread mental health awareness and education. This year’s theme is “Psychological First Aid.”

Here are some general tips for both men and women on how to dress appropriately for work.

People at Victoria, who are at a risk of HIV, have signed up for a new HIV trial hoping that positive outcomes may force the Federal Government subsidise PrEP drugs as preventative measure.

Australian doctors have slammed celebrity chef Pete Evans for proposing a paleo diet to an osteoporosis suffer that doctors believe could be potentially damaging. Evans advised the sufferer to remove dairy from his diet. Queensland obstetrics and gynaecology specialist Brad Robinson, furious at Evans’ advice, reminded him he is a chef, not a doctor.

Italian experts have claimed that a Mediterranean-styled diet is good for the heart and way better than cholesterol-lowering drugs. Researchers involved in the study said that people following diets rich in fish, nuts, vegetables and olive oil are a third less likely to die early compared to those eating larger amounts of beef, butter and red meat.

A new study has suggested that smoking cannabis can make one lazy. Marijuana users may perform less in education and work because of their reduce willingness to exert themselves.

A study has revealed what the brain actually does when it is deprived of a good night’s sleep. Researchers involved in the German study states that not getting enough sleep may lead to connectivity changes in the brain.

Scientists have developed injectable hydrogels to prevent heart failure. The gels can be injected into the heart that shore up weakened areas after a heart attack and can prevent further heart failure. These gels may one day make open-heart surgeries to prevent heart failures a thing of the past.

Queensland Health is contacting cardiac patients who have undergone open-heart surgery, especially heart valve replacement, as experts are concerned that they may have been exposed to mycobacterium chimaera bacterium in the medical equipment used to perform the procedures.

Australian and Belgian scientists have made a breakthrough in infertility treatment as they have developed a new in-vitro maturation (IVM) method that can eliminate painful hormone injections required in in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).

NSW medicinal cannabis trials for children with severe epilepsy are showing “promising” early signs. They have started taking an experimental cannabis-based drug Epidiolex under the supervision of the NSW government. The trials are a part of the NSW government’s $21 million commitment that will explore therapeutic use of medical marijuana.

Australians returning from the RIO Olympics 2016 are being reminded to practise safe sex in order to prevent the possible spread of the Zika virus. Even though people mainly contract the virus via Aedes aegypti mosquito bites, there is also a low risk of person-to-person transmission through sexual activity, Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley warned.

A spate of heroin-related deaths in recent weeks has prompted the South Australian government to issue a health warning and health services have been put on high alert. As per Substance Abuse Minister Leese Vlahos, 10 deaths have been reported, of which eight have been caused due to heroin use and the rest two from the highly-potent synthetic painkiller fentanyl.

The HIV drug that has led to a significant drop in the number of HIV cases in Australia’s Brisbane will not be included on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Queensland advocates believe that this omission is a big mistake. As per reports, Brisbane HIV infections have fallen 30 percent in five years and this achievement is significant.

The American Chemical Society has uploaded a video on their “Reactions” YouTube channel informing public how peeing in the pool can expose people to major health risks. Taking a leak while frolicking in the swimming pool is not only disgusting but also harmful.

Aussie smokers are helping the government to fill up tax coffers. Cigarettes in Australia already cost a bomb and they are set to become more expensive. Currently, a cigarette contributes 53.7 cents to the Federal Government. In another five years, this figure will go up to 80 cents per cigarette, thanks to a series of planned tax increases.

South Australian health officials are reminding people to use condoms when having sex as there has been a spurt in chlamydia and gonorrhoea cases. As per SA Health, 735 people have been diagnosed with gonorrhoea this year up to now, compared to 523 at this time in 2015. About 3,454 chlamydia cases have been reported so far this year, up from 3,352 in 2015.