Health Report - Separate stories podcast

By ABC listen

What's Health Report - Separate stories podcast about?

Specialist and mainstream audiences alike rely on the Health Report to bring clarity to health and medical issues from social, scientific and political points of view.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Health Report - Separate stories podcast episodes:

04.19.2024
Cow's milk or formula and when? Changes to WHO guidelines for babies
Recently updated World Health Organisation guidelines say babies as young as six months can start drinking cow’s milk rather than infant formula – that could be a good thing if you have challenges accessing safe drinking water, but in Australia...
04.19.2024
What gender means for autism and lives saved by COVID vaccines
Researchers look at the possible influence of gender for an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Calculating just how many lives were saved by the Covid-19 vaccines. And how to spot a fake Dr Karl, or Dr Swan, in the wilds of social media...
04.19.2024
The $10m our bone marrow donor registry can't use
Around 80% of bone marrow transplants in Australia rely on overseas donations, increasing costs and the time it takes to find a match. The Federal Government has recently released more funds to build the local donor system in Australia… but is...
04.19.2024
Exploring whether cognitive behavioural therapy works on trauma
Trauma can be a complex thing to tackle. It can present in many different ways depending on the cause (or causes) and the person themselves. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a common tool used in many circumstances, but is it effective...
04.12.2024
Could a cure for recurrent UTIs be a spray away?
A needle-free vaccine sprayed under the tongue could prevent UTIs from occurring. In a long-term observational study, more than half of the participants remained UTI-free nine years after receiving the drug. MV140 contains heat-inactivated bacteria from four of the major species that...
04.12.2024
'Australia is not the UK': Major reviews into gender affirming care
UK's approach to gender affirming care has come under massive scrutiny off the back of two reviews into the system. However experts here are warning that applying these findings to Australia, misses important context. Associate Professor Elizabeth Scott explains what she sees...
04.12.2024
The underestimated risk of PFAS 'forever chemicals'
A new UNSW-led international study has assessed the levels of PFAS contamination in surface and ground water around the globe. It found that much of our global source water exceeds PFAS safe drinking limits. Professor Denis O'Carroll, senior author of the study,...
04.12.2024
Immune treatment for common cancer goes straight to the source
Bladder cancer is common, but it doesn’t get much attention. Safe and effective treatments are needed to treat this cancer early, with fewer negative side effects. As Professor Dickon Hayne explains, a first-in-human trial has injected a type of immunotherapy directly into the...
04.05.2024
SIDS research: virus and inflammation
New technology is allowing researchers to look beyond standard autopsy results to investigate viruses and inflammation to point to possible causes of some cases of SIDS. Dr Robin Haynes from the Boston Children's Hospital, working in part with Australian charity River's...
04.05.2024
Literacy barriers for early health care
It's not the apple a day keeping some people away from the doctors' office. For up to 60% of Australian adults reading a medication label, instructions on their referral, or filling in the forms in the waiting room can present a...
04.05.2024
COVID tech to help dementia
mRNA became a part of the vernacular during the pandemic, but it's not just for COVID vaccines. Dr Rebecca Nisbet at the Florey Institute is using mRNA to target proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
04.05.2024
When your private health insurer won't pay
Your doctor's just told you you're going to need a medical procedure, and you pat yourself on the back for paying those private health insurance premiums for all those years. But on closer inspection you realise – you're not covered...
04.05.2024
Cows with bird flu, vaccines for human flu, and GLP-1s for Parkinson's
This week in health news a look at how cows in the US are catching bird flu. What's new on the menu for flu vaccinations this year. And could GLP-1s, commonly recognised by brand names like Ozempic and Mounjaro, be used in...
03.29.2024
Free RSV vaccines for infants
Thousands of babies at risk of respiratory syncytial virus will be better protected as cases surge. New South Wales and Queensland are following WA's lead with new RSV vaccine programs for vulnerable infants. Also making health news this week, a drop in PBS subsidised...
03.29.2024
Identifying a bacterial cause for bowel cancer
Colorectal cancer is happening more often and in younger people, but why? Part of the answer might have to do with the microbiome. Researchers at University of Melbourne have identified a particular strain of bacteria that causes DNA damage that leads to...
03.29.2024
Changes to WHO guidelines for anaemia diagnosis
Anaemia is a common condition where there's not enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to the body's tissues. It can cause debilitating symptoms, including tiredness, weakness and shortness of breath. For the first time in 50 years the World Health...
03.29.2024
Blueprint for improving indoor air quality
We spend 90 per cent of our time indoors but the quality of the air we breathe while we're there is largely unregulated. It's something experts have been wanting to change for two decades, but came into the spotlight during the...
03.22.2024
Using the immune system's own cells to attack brain cancer
In this small study, brain cancer tumours shrank rapidly in the first few days when treated with chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR, T cells injected into the fluid around the brain. While some tumours returned in time, Dr Marcela Maus, from...
03.22.2024
How often does the average person think about suicide?
Suicidal thoughts are more common than researchers expected in people who do not fit with conventional diagnoses of depression or other psychiatric disorders. Dr Maria Oquendo, from the university of Pennsylvania, says changes are needed to broaden suicide risk screening and...
03.22.2024
Could ADHD treatment save your life?
Three scientific papers looking at ADHD: research into the risk of death from unnatural causes like accidents; medication for ADHD and potential cardio vascular disease; and the likelihood of developing dementia. And new vaping legislation and lung cancer screening that's been...
03.22.2024
Will cancer treatment damage your ovaries?
There’s a glaring lack of data about new cancer treatments, like immunotherapy, and their effects on women’s reproductive organs and fertility. Reporter Lauren Roberts has been speaking to cancer patients and researchers to find out why this has been overlooked
03.15.2024
The sick quitter effect - when data can be misleading
Numbers of alcohol related deaths may have been under reported because past abuse isn't captured when a reformed-drinker dies. It's called the 'sick quitter effect', where someone is no longer drinking at the time of their death, because previous harm has...
03.15.2024
How much added sugar is in toddler foods and milk drinks?
It's the ultra-processed milk powder intentionally marketed as a follow-on to breastfeeding or infant formulae. But evidence suggests toddler or transition milks are unnecessary at best and harmful at worst. Anthea Rhodes, a paediatrician at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, says...
03.14.2024
Why it might be too early to stop saying long-COVID
Queensland's Chief Health Officer says the term "long-COVID" should be scrapped, saying its use implies there's something unique about longer term symptoms associated with COVID infection. Queensland Health research, due to be presented to a European conference in late April, found...
03.08.2024
Health news: What was the result of over 200 SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations?
A 62-year-old man in Germany—called HIM—deliberately received 217 vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2 within a period of 29 months. Researchers were keen to know more.
03.08.2024
Short sleep and risk of diabetes —but diet may have a preventive role
Sleep has become a bit of an obsession and has us questioning just how much we need. A large study has compared participants' duration of sleep against their risk of Type 2 Diabetes. The researchers also assessed whether participants' diet...
03.08.2024
Researching the connection between menopause and depression
In pop culture and news coverage menopause and mood changes seem inextricably linked—to the point where depression around menopause feels almost inevitable. A special series on menopause has just been published in the Lancet, with one paper specifically on mental...
03.08.2024
Virtual reality to the rescue in hospital emergency rooms
In hospital emergency rooms emotions can run high, and tempers can get frazzled, which is confronting for both staff and other patients. But now student staff are using virtual reality and ChatGPT to learn how to calm situations right down. Producer: Shelby Traynor Guests: Martin...
03.01.2024
Health news: Mifepristone and research papers | smoking and vaping stats
Two scientific papers regarding Mifespristone have been retracted due to uncertainty about the data. Less Australians are smoking—but more of them are vaping. Hosts: Dr Norman Swan and Tegan Taylor
03.01.2024
How good is exercise for depression?
Major depressive disorder is a leading cause of global disability, and although medication and psychotherapy are effective, many people are resistant to treatment. So more evidence-based treatments are needed, and exercise looks like a candidate. But, the guidelines for which...
03.01.2024
Melanoma awareness and care lacking where it's needed most
For a country as sunny as Australia, skin cancer is a major health risk. But access to proper cancer screening and treatment is falling short, especially in regional areas in some of our highest-risk areas, such as Far North Queensland.
03.01.2024
Comprehensive research for sarcoidosis
Sarcoidoisis is an enigmatic condition that may attack different parts of the body. Diagnosis is difficult and there are few treatments. SARI (the Sarcoidosis Advocacy and Research Initiative) at UNSW, is a new approach for Australian sarcoidosis patients to gain...
02.23.2024
Government response to long COVID inquiry | Fine particulates in the air
News this week is The Government response to the long COVID inquiry, which looked into how many Australians are living with long COVID and what could be done to support them. And, a report on fine particulates in the air, and...
02.23.2024
Looking inside your own arteries could help avoid a heart attack
A heart health check usually results in a cardiovascular disease risk score—a probability that you’ll have a heart attack or stroke in the next five years. If your risk is high, you’ll be asked to review your diet or lifestyle,...
02.23.2024
This under-tested type of blood fat could be driving heart disease
A senior cardiologist calls it The Hidden Killer, and it may contribute to about 50% of heart attacks, especially people who may be younger and with relatively normal cholesterol levels. It’s called Lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a). It’s rarely measured, and entirely...
02.23.2024
What does the justice system do to kids' health?
We know that people who spend time in prison are more likely to have both physical and mental health problems, but new data is showing that, for children, any contact with the criminal justice system means they’re more likely to...
02.16.2024
News this week: Insomnia, and sun exposure
Insomnia: what kind of therapy and/or behaviour changes are more likely to work? New advice on sun exposure that reflects Australia's diverse population -- previous guidelines have been about limiting exposure which is generally good advice for people who are white,...
02.16.2024
Not all low-carb diets are equal—or even healthy
Low-carb diets have grabbed a lot of attention because they promise weight loss and improved health. There are several different ways people reduce their carbs and not all have the same results.
02.16.2024
What change gives best bang for buck in reducing salt?
Diet is important for health, but foods high in sodium are a risk factor for high blood pressure, and stomach cancer. But it’s difficult to reduce sodium in the diet if a food is produced with high levels of it.
02.16.2024
What was behind this sudden surge of children's hepatitis?
In early 2022, after nearly two years of the COVID pandemic, doctors started to notice another alarming trend: severe and unexpected liver disease in children all over the world. Questions grew about whether it was caused by COVID, an adenovirus,...
02.16.2024
Social prescribing works, so why isn't it everywhere?
Some activities really make us feel good—like working up a sweat, preparing a healthy meal with lots of veggies, or spending time connecting with other people. So might it be possible for a doctor to prescribe such activities, instead of...
02.09.2024
Getting an autism diagnosis as an adult
Getting a diagnosis for autism for a child or adolescent is a series of complicated and oftentimes expensive hoops to jump through—and it’s even harder for adults.
02.09.2024
Are Australian kids’ brains being starved?
Many children will spend most of their first five years in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services and rely on them for much of their nutrition and brain development. A groundbreaking study from the Queensland Brain Institute has found serious...
02.09.2024
What's new in health this week: King Charles' cancer diagnosis | Rishi Sunak's fasting
In the UK, while King Charles received a cancer diagnosis. It was detected while he was receiving treatment for an enlarged prostate, but the diagnosis is not prostate cancer. There's speculation on what else it might be. And we learned that...
02.02.2024
News in health ... when school goes back, asthma cases go up
It's been noticed that there's a peak for asthma hospitalisations, visits to the doctor, and emergency presentations in February, about the time that school goes back. The asthma needs to be brought under proper medical control.
02.02.2024
Why hasn't the fentanyl epidemic come to Australia?
The addictive painkiller fentanyl has swept through the USA—but its effects haven’t been as big in Australia. Why? It’s not necessarily something we’ve done right. Global drug trends could see that change so now is the time to introduce health...
02.02.2024
How risky is being under vaccinated against COVID-19?
We know that vaccination against COVID-19 can save lives. We also know that it reduces the risk of severe disease that require hospital visits. But by how much?
02.02.2024
Your long-term breast cancer risk after an early scare
An early form of breast cancer—ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)—is often found by women themselves, not as part of screening programs.
02.02.2024
AI is already shaking up healthcare—especially radiology
The power and potential pitfalls of AI in medicine have been the topic for much debate, but one field where it’s already having an impact is radiology.
01.26.2024
‘I can hear you blink’: The sensory superpower of synaesthesia
We all see the world differently, but a percentage of us have sensory superpowers. Welcome to the world of Synaesthesia where you can taste colours and feel sounds.

What's Health Report - Separate stories podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Health Report - Separate stories podcast episodes:

Cow's milk or formula and when? Changes to WHO guidelines for babies

What gender means for autism and lives saved by COVID vaccines

The $10m our bone marrow donor registry can't use

Exploring whether cognitive behavioural therapy works on trauma

Could a cure for recurrent UTIs be a spray away?

'Australia is not the UK': Major reviews into gender affirming care

The underestimated risk of PFAS 'forever chemicals'

Immune treatment for common cancer goes straight to the source

SIDS research: virus and inflammation

Literacy barriers for early health care

COVID tech to help dementia

When your private health insurer won't pay

Cows with bird flu, vaccines for human flu, and GLP-1s for Parkinson's

Free RSV vaccines for infants

Identifying a bacterial cause for bowel cancer

Changes to WHO guidelines for anaemia diagnosis

Blueprint for improving indoor air quality

Using the immune system's own cells to attack brain cancer

How often does the average person think about suicide?

Could ADHD treatment save your life?

Will cancer treatment damage your ovaries?

The sick quitter effect - when data can be misleading

How much added sugar is in toddler foods and milk drinks?

Why it might be too early to stop saying long-COVID

Health news: What was the result of over 200 SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations?

Short sleep and risk of diabetes —but diet may have a preventive role

Researching the connection between menopause and depression

Virtual reality to the rescue in hospital emergency rooms

Health news: Mifepristone and research papers | smoking and vaping stats

How good is exercise for depression?

Melanoma awareness and care lacking where it's needed most

Comprehensive research for sarcoidosis

Government response to long COVID inquiry | Fine particulates in the air

Looking inside your own arteries could help avoid a heart attack

This under-tested type of blood fat could be driving heart disease

What does the justice system do to kids' health?

News this week: Insomnia, and sun exposure

Not all low-carb diets are equal—or even healthy

What change gives best bang for buck in reducing salt?

What was behind this sudden surge of children's hepatitis?

Social prescribing works, so why isn't it everywhere?

Getting an autism diagnosis as an adult

Are Australian kids’ brains being starved?

What's new in health this week: King Charles' cancer diagnosis | Rishi Sunak's fasting

News in health ... when school goes back, asthma cases go up

Why hasn't the fentanyl epidemic come to Australia?

How risky is being under vaccinated against COVID-19?

Your long-term breast cancer risk after an early scare

AI is already shaking up healthcare—especially radiology

‘I can hear you blink’: The sensory superpower of synaesthesia