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

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. 

Credits

• Abigail Leeder, Reporter
• Shelby Traynor, Producer

The shock of a cancer diagnosis is familiar for far too many people.

But when Na'ama Carlin was diagnosed with breast cancer, her health wasn't the only consideration. 

If you're in need of support you can contact Mummy's Wish or Hope for Two.

More people are injecting drugs than ever before. So what are the harms, and what are we doing to minimise them?

People with schizophrenia have a life expectancy 25 years younger than the average Australian, and one of the reasons is heart attacks. 

Meanwhile, do surgeons need to change their approach to coronary bypass surgery? 

And Australian researchers uncover a potential new treatment for a rare blood disorder — that could replace blood letting. 

Australia's bone marrow donor registry is funding a cheek swab program to recruit more donors, as it awaits government funding. 

Also, the latest in alopecia treatment for those who want to reverse hair loss — and the perspective of those who don't. 

And prostate cancer screening can be imprecise and invasive. Could delving into the genome help narrow things down?

Discussing the importance of addressing social determinants of health with a pioneer for health equity. 

Should vaping products be banned? Many young Australians are getting addicted to nicotine without always being aware that's what they're consuming. 

And eye drops could be used to slow the progression of short-sightedness, which is on the rise thanks to our screen-dominated world. 

The debate continues on whether the TGA acted too soon on the rescheduling of psilocybin and MDMA for the treatment of some mental illnesses. 

Calls for Australia's cardiovascular disease guidelines to recommend coronary calcium scoring for patients at intermediate risk. 

And did you know ovarian cancer often originates in the fallopian tubes? A simple surgical procedure could drive down cases. 

How much screen time is too much for young kids? Taking a looking at what digital playtime is doing to children's brains. 

Calls for better models of care for people living with lymphoedema, to avoid deterioration and costly hospital stays. 

And organ donation is yet to fully recover from a pandemic-driven dip. Why aren't more people consenting?

Mind Medicine Australia share their thoughts on the recent approval of psychedelic compounds for treatment-resistant depression and PTSD. 

A study in Sweden has looked at a possible association of maternal and paternal primary antibody immunodeficiencies — and if this provides a natural test of a hypothesis about parental immune activation.

An intriguing story about people who can't burp, and turn to the internet for answers. Turns out there's a surprising treatment to unlock their gas.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration recently approved the psychedelic compound psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression; and MDMA–or ecstasy–for treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder. A group of researchers think this is premature.

More people are tackling the bracing discomfort of ice bath sessions—for the touted health benefits ... but there are some serious risks, so pay attention to the instructions before hopping in.

Chronic, non-cancer-related pain is hard to treat and so alternate medications—like antidepressants—are used because of their action on the brain. A group of researchers has compiled the available evidence on their efficacy.