We need to better detect depression but that shouldn't mean more medication

May 23, 2016 00:21 am UTC| Health

About 4% of Australians have suffered from depression in the past 12 months, but half of them have not had it diagnosed. They may not have recognised it, may have feared the stigma of mental ill health, or had a sense of...

Confused about the Medicare rebate freeze? Here's what you need to know

May 20, 2016 10:05 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

The Australian Labor Party announced yesterday that it will lift the Medicare rebate freeze if elected to office in the July federal election. We know health issues feature strongly in election debates, but what does this...

HIV 'test and treat' strategy can save lives -- but it needs to be easier for patients to start treatment

May 19, 2016 07:05 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to take a tremendous toll on human health, with 37 million people infected and 1.2 million deaths worldwide in 2014. In sub-Saharan Africa, where the HIV epidemic has been...

How reducing penalty rates will affect workers' health

May 19, 2016 05:29 am UTC| Insights & Views Law Health Business

Despite only being two weeks into an eight-week election campaign, penalty rates have already become a significant issue, with Labor so far refusing to guarantee it will keep Sunday penalty rates for hospitality and retail...

Hand washing stops infections, so why do health care workers skip it?

May 18, 2016 08:19 am UTC| Health

Hospital infections affect almost two million people in the United States every year, 100,000 of whom die. Up to 70 percent of these infections could be prevented if health care workers follow recommended protocols, which...

Lyrica, the epilepsy drug that treats chronic nerve pain

May 18, 2016 07:21 am UTC| Health

Lyrica is the brand name for a prescription medicine called pregabalin. Although it is an anticonvulsant, or an anti-epileptic drug, pregabalin is commonly prescribed to alleviate nerve or neuropathic pain a type of pain...

Hypertension: why the approach has changed to tackle the silent killer

May 17, 2016 16:43 pm UTC| Health

Traditionally, someone who suffered from hypertension or high blood pressure would only receive treatment when his or her blood pressure was measured and the reading was found be higher than normal. But this meant that...