6 New Year’s resolutions worth keeping
New Year’s resolutions — do you make the same ones nearly every year? Join a gym! Quit sugar! Stop smoking! They’re all worthwhile lifestyle changes, but sometimes they can be really hard to stick to. So, here are some practical…
How long should you stay out of the pool after diarrhoea?
Summer’s here – which means more sun, surf and swimming. Your local aquatic centre can get more crowded than the shops during Boxing Day sales. But it’s not always safe to go into the water. Health authorities, such as NSW…
How to make a phone call when you’re deaf or can’t speak
One in 6 Australians has some hearing loss. And about 30,000 Australians have total hearing loss and use the national sign language, Auslan. Other Australians who have speech impairments can be difficult to understand on the phone, while some can hear but…
The truth about skin cancer
Each year, there are more new diagnoses of skin cancer in Australia than of any other cancer, but there’s still confusion about what causes it, and how you can best protect your skin. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of…
Get the answers to your postnatal depression questions
It’s not something that comes up often in conversation, but perinatal anxiety and depression is incredibly common. Up to 1 in 5 expectant or new mothers and 1 in 10 expectant or new fathers will experience perinatal anxiety and depression…
What not to say to an amputee
Prince Harry has accomplished a lot in recent years: he co-founded a charity to support orphans in Lesotho; he championed mental health issues with William and Kate; and he sealed the deal with Meghan Markle. His biggest achievement, however, may…
Testing times for HIV
New notifications of HIV (the Human Immunodeficiency Virus) have — overall — stabilised in recent years. But HIV diagnoses have also increased in some population groups. Australia has made great progress in HIV prevention within the gay community. For example, HIV diagnoses in gay…
How exercise is changing lives
Most people know that physical activity cuts the risk of heart disease and diabetes, helps maintain weight and boosts happiness. What’s less known, however, is its surprising role in the care of people with cancer and other chronic health conditions. …
PrEP, the pill that can stop HIV infection, on PBS from April 1
There’s a pill that, when taken once a day, can prevent HIV infection. It’s called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and at the moment it’s prohibitively expensive. In 2016, for example, one year’s supply could cost as much as $10,000. That’s about to change. From…
Thinking about your death can make life easier
Most people have probably thought more about how they’d spend lottery winnings than how they’d prefer to spend their final days. But unlike winning the jackpot – the probability is about 1 in 8 million – death is a given….