Health Report
ABC Australia
300 episodes
Covering the health stories that make a difference. Dr Norman Swan and Dr Preeya Alexander dissect the latest and breaking news in the medical world.
Episodes page 3 of 6
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How much sugar are you feeding your toddler?
We try to give little kids the best start in life, and in supermarkets there's an ever-expanding range of foods marketed specifically for them But how much sugar is in them? Plus, we peer into the evidence around…
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What's your sports bra got to do with your knees?
Bras might seem unrelated to knee injuries, but research suggests otherwise. Women are significantly more prone to tearing their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and wearing the right bra could help reduce this risk.…
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Why aren't kids getting the food they need at childcare?
The first 2,000 days of life are crucial for brain development. Children learn and grow more during this time than at any other point in their lives. However, research shows many childcare centres are failing to…
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Could a bacterial strain spark bowel cancer?
Scientists are increasingly concerned about the rising incidence of colorectal cancer among younger populations, and emerging research points to the gut microbiome as a key factor in understanding this trend. A study…
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Should you exercise more or get surgery for knee pain?
Many individuals with knee osteoarthritis are being subjected to unnecessary tests and procedures, even though exercise is often the most effective treatment. New clinical care guidelines have been introduced,…
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Are they natty, or are they taking steroids to get buff?
Performance and image-enhancing drugs are more common than you might expect, especially if you're not enmeshed in gym culture. Experts are worried the medical community has fallen behind the rise in steroid use,…
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Why these fertility experts are worried about plastic
There's already a lot to think about when you're trying to get pregnant. Should plastic be one of them? Some fertility experts think that yes, cutting down your exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical used…
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Chair yoga: as good as the real thing?
Sore back from sitting all day? A new study suggest virtual yoga — much of which can be done from a chair — could help relieve low back pain. AI-generated deepfakes of health professionals are promoting a supplement,…
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Why Australia's called the 'allergy capital of the world'
Some describe Australia as the allergy capital of the world, noting high rates of food allergies — what can parents do to help kids early? Why the term 'Munchausen by Proxy' is making headlines, and how to spot…
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Can your noisy knees predict the future?
Our joints are capable of making a cacophony of sounds, even more so as we get older. Is it ever a cause for concern? Research shows once more that vaccination protects against long COVID, but the timing of the jab…
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Another Trump presidency could give kids more cavities
Donald Trump's re-election could spell big health policy changes for the United States, including the rolling back of a 20th century intervention. Also, a major review into how health professionals operate in…
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Inside the lab growing sheets of replacement skin
Spray-on skin already helps many burns patients, but what about those with deeper burns? Meet the team trialling a technique to grow sheets of replacement skin. Takeaways from the inquiry into Australia's COVID-19…
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The parkrun phenomenon — and which runners keep coming back
What keeps some people running while others drop off? New data from parkrun groups shows why some keep coming back to jogging. New draft limits on 'forever chemicals' PFAS in Australia's drinking water from national…
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Why are thousands of bags of blood being binned instead of donated?
The ancient practice of blood letting is still a vitally important treatment for some people. But for years that blood was being discarded. The viruses behind the recent burst of infections this Spring, and why your…
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Not all screens are equal — some help kids with mental health conditions
There are plenty of app games on the market claiming to help kids with ADHD, depression or anxiety, a review examines if they do. MicroRNA researchers have won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. What's…
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Got ADHD? There's a chance you have dyslexia too
There's long been an assumed link between ADHD and dyslexia, and now a study has looked at the genes of thousands of people to find the overlap. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that can be found in homes and…
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The key to living past a hundred? Lie about your age
There are areas known as 'Blue Zones' where people were thought to live very long lives. It was thought to have something to do with lifestyles in these spots, but one demographer has debunked the entire notion.…
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Why don't we screen everyone for high risk genes?
The government bans life insurers from using genetic testing results to demand higher premiums. Inflammation in childhood is linked to metabolic disorders and mental illness in later life. Australian invention could…
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The man who dated his own kidney stone
A scientist carbon dated his own kidney stone to better understand the mysterious, and painful, formations. How a new approach could curb the biggest killer of young people. The Ebola vaccine is put to the test. And…
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Playing sport might protect against concussion harms
You hear a lot about the dangers of concussion in sport, but maybe sport can actually mitigate the harms of concussion. We navigate the link between tablet use in children and angry outbursts. How erectile…
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Your phone might help you get a good night's sleep
Most people struggling with insomnia at least once in their life, and for some it's a long-term struggle. Can an app help with treatment? We give an update on all things COVID-19, including the latest research on…
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Struggling to keep kids off screens? Here’s how to reduce the harm
Tips on how to fend off the behavioural problems and cognitive troubles that come with too much screen time, too young. What a new paper has to say about semaglutide and suicidal ideation, plus promising results from…
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Going for a bush walk? Your microbiome will thank you
We know a varied diet of veggies is good for our microbiome, but what about a varied environment? Where we spend our time also influences the good bacteria in our bodies. Also, we take a look at the mpox outbreak…
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Sport has two sex categories, but biology isn't that simple
The Olympics has reignited a century-old debate about sex categories in sport — and what happens when policy doesn't align with biology. A look at the Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Melbourne. Also, a response to…
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The 'fertility' test that isn't a fertility test
Marketing of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) tests could be exploiting the anxiety women might feel about their fertility. An update on influenza, COVID-19 and whooping cough in Australia. Two more risk factors for…
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The running group chasing pain relief
Research is clear on the benefits of exercise for certain types of pain, including for pain associated with cancer treatment. A running group is putting this into practice. An update on mammal-to-mammal transmission…
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Small steps to boost teen mental health
Adolescence is a stressful time. Researchers have been investigating simple ways to help improve teen mental health. The US president tests positive for COVID, plus the results of a large study into COVID vaccines and…
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Making pleasure accessible to every body
Sex tech is giving people with disability better access to their own bodies. What Australia is doing to prepare for the migration of birds that could be carrying a potentially catastrophic strain of avian influenza.…
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Your winter blues might be seasonal depression
Clarity on vaping changes and a look at the national diabetes inquiry. It turns out Australians are getting close to half of their energy needs from ultra-processed foods which can increase the risk of chronic disease…
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Counting steps or minutes: How to track exercise
Is it 10 thousand steps or 30mins? How advice on regular exercise varies. What's being done in response to medication shortages. Deprescribing is when you wean off a prescription medication you no longer need, but it…
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What space travel tells us about ageing
Take a look at changing teaching methods in the classroom, and why that matters for future health. Australian researchers are developing a new drug to fight the potentially deadly condition of sepsis. Could a common…
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Can you cut a common cold short?
A comprehensive review has delved into the current research into zinc supplements and their effectiveness. Research has shown that people experiencing chronic pain see the world as a harsher place – distances are…
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A plan of attack for migraine sufferers
Many people with migraines suffer in the dark for years before they find the right treatment, but one neurologist has suggested a framework to ease the pain. What's happening at the cellular level when an ageing brain…
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Life-saving changes that could detect breast cancers earlier
Australia has a successful breast cancer screening program, but experts say it can (and should) be better. New research drives home the importance of treating type 2 diabetes as early as possible for lifelong…
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Maintaining your mental fitness – and a new culprit for Alzheimer's disease?
The top five things you can do to keep your mental health in check, plus an update on the virus everyone is talking about: bird flu.
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The 'sweet poison' fructose myth, and outgrowing childhood allergies
Correcting the record on fructose, and new research offers some clues about whose allergies might desist as they grow up. Also, new insights from a vaccine complication, and the risk of catching a common virus during…
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Are cows giving us bird flu? And everything we (don't) know about nanoplastics
How bird flu has (probably) gone from cows to humans, as well as the latest on psychedelics for depression and psychotropics in healthcare. How much time you should spend sitting, standing, moving and sleeping for the…
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Iron for long-COVID, 'holy grail' flu shots, and prolonged grief disorder
Researchers have found a possible link between iron and long-COVID Each year the flu vaccine is reformulated to target the current strains of influenza A and B that are circulating globally — but what if it didn't…
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Sports bras support knees, bird flu in milk, and health after prison release
Avian influenza particles have been detected in US milk supplies, just how concerning is that? Why are COVID treatment recommendations different depending on what country you're in? And how much does the average…
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Cow's milk for babies, therapy for trauma, and lives saved by COVID vaccines
Research into the influence of gender on autism spectrum disorder diagnoses. Calculating how many lives were saved by Australia's Covid-19 vaccine roll-out, and how to spot a fake Dr Karl, or Dr Swan, in the wilds of…
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Norman Swan on what is schizophrenia?
In light of the Bondi Junction attack, there's been a lot of commentary about mental illness - including schizophrenia. So what is schizophrenia? While the exact cause isn't known, it's a serious mental illness that…
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Treating UTIs (without cranberry juice) and re-examining gender care
Is a simpler solution to recurrent UTIs on the way? Plus when should you exercise to get the most benefit? A deep dive into the UK's reviews of gender affirming treatment, and how Australia's system differs.…
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When your private health won't pay, and flu vaccine options
In health news this week it's cows with bird flu, vaccines for human flu, and GLP-1s for Parkinson's and possibly bowel cancer prevention. When your private health insurer won't pay, have you read the fine print on…
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The bacteria causing bowel cancer, and how to make indoor air safer
How changes to codeine access impacted the use of PBS-listed opiods. Pinpointing particular strains of bacteria that could lead to bowel cancer. The Australian research that helped change our definition of anaemia.…
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ADHD medication a lifesaver? Will cancer treatment damage your ovaries?
Three recent scientific papers looking at ADHD treatment and other health outcomes. Why no one knows what your cancer treatment will do to your ovaries. In a small US study, brain cancer tumours shrank rapidly in the…
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Scrapping the term Long-COVID? Is toddler food bad? And the sick quitter effect
Queensland's Chief Health Officer says the term "long-COVID" should be scrapped, but there are different definitions of what long-COVID is and different ways data is collected Evidence suggests toddler or transition…
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Short sleep and diabetes | Menopause and mood | VR patients and emergency
A 62-year-old man in Germany—called HIM—deliberately received the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination 217 times within a period of 29 months. Researchers were keen to know how he fared. Sleep has become a bit of an obsession and…
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Exercise and depression | Melanoma and access to treatment | Comprehensive research on Sarcoidosis
Major depressive disorder is a leading cause of global disability, and exercise looks like a candidate for treatment. But which type? Skin cancer is a major health risk for Australians, but access to proper cancer…
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CORONACAST BONUSCAST: New numbers around (super rare) vaccine side effects
When COVID vaccines first became available in 2021, they were met with celebration. Finally we had some defence against this virus that had struck down so many and triggered such heavy lockdowns. But once they started…
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News on long COVID and indoor air quality | Visualising plaque in your arteries | An under-tested blood fat | Kids' risk of poor health in the youth justice system
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…
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