Drug use has been increasing, whether it be cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, hallucinogens, or ketamine. That includes recreational use and substance abuse.

So it begs the question: Has criminalising drugs ever worked? And what needs to be done to drive down the harms associated with this increasing drug use?

If you're in need of support, you can contact the National Alcohol and Other Drug hotline on 1800 250 015, or contact Counselling Online. 

A new kind of ADHD clinic is cashing in on surging demand for diagnoses—and promising salaries of more than $900,000 to recruit psychiatrists. As the need for services has grown, so have waitlists.

Given the choice between a ChatGPT bot or a real doctor, a panel of health care professionals found the bot's responses were both more empathetic and gave higher quality information.

More and more people are tackling the bracing discomfort of ice bath sessions. Alongside several touted health benefits there are some serious risks. Norman is at Bronte Beach to chill.

Researchers observed the cardiac and neural signals from a small number of ICU patients at the point when ventilatory support was withdrawn. They recorded the quite new phenomena of electrical activity in a particular area of the brain.

Keeping motivated to exercise can be difficult, but for people getting over a traumatic brain injury it's even more so. An exercise program at Liverpool Hospital uses gaming to encourage activity.

Feeling dissatisfied with their appearance can become an obsession for some people, and affect quality of life and relationships.

Most people can benefit from reduced salt intake, and so reduce the risk of heart attack, atrial fibrillation, stroke, dementia, and kidney damage.

A few months ago the program there was a story on an under-recognised cause of high blood pressure called primary aldosteronism. One listener asked to be tested.

An area of Australian healthcare that might be a candidate for review is drug subsidy. We might consider what New Zealand's PHARMAC does, and conduct a competitive tender.

Bringing clarity to health and medical issues from social, scientific and political points of view.

There are eerily familiar of clusters of respiratory infections being reported across China.

We know that for some health conditions women are more likely to have a worse time than men. But for the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the chances of a woman sustaining an injury to it are up to 6 or even 10 times as likely as men.

When someone has a complex or severe mental health issue, the specialist they really need is a psychiatrist. However, GPs are finding it now more difficult to track down a psychiatrist to accept their patients.

Another COVID wave, another COVID vaccine and another episode of Coronacast ... sort of?

Norman and Tegan will be providing coronavirus updates when needed, so subscribe to The Health Report feed so you don't miss out!

References:

• The unequal effects of the health–economy trade-off during the COVID-19 pandemic

In 2016 Australia legalised cannabis for medicinal use and now the Greens party are advocating for its recreational use as well. The Australian Medical Association say that would send the wrong message.

Antimicrobial resistance has been described an emerging public health emergency. A major cause is overuse of antibiotics and other drugs to combat microbes, like fungi.

When a baby is born premature time is of the essence, and the idea of slowing things down in those first few moments seems counter-intuitive.

In March 2023 a Senate inquiry began to review how the health system manages people with ADHD, and the Government has now three months to respond.

The ABC's Birth Project invited people to share their experiences of birth in Australia—and if improvements could be made to the system. The responses indicate that there's plenty of scope

Yellow Fever is spread by mosquitoes, and some U.S. researchers say that it's ripe for a comeback. The same species of mosquito is already either in Australia or nearby.

The latest report on what we're spending on health in Australia has offered a clear picture of what COVID has cost.

What's that rash contact details:

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If we don't get enough sleep we're apt to doze off in the day, but for some people, dozing off can signal rare disorder of the brain's sleep-wake cycles, and it plays havoc with their lives.

In one 24-hour period our body undergoes a number of synchronised  biological changes, which are also linked to our mental health.