With the first COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Australia today, the National Rural Health Alliance is urging Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt to ensure that vulnerable people in rural, regional and remote Australia are prioritised for vaccination.
Heart Research Australia says people make two dangerous mistakes about heart attacks, and their new Heart Smart pocket guide can help.
Stroke Foundation is urging Australians to make a healthy start to the year by getting a blood pressure check.
There are now more than 2.5 million unpaid carers in Australia – many of whom don’t even realise they’re classified as carers.
The nearsightedness epidemic affecting the vision of millions of people worldwide is continuing to grow, and change lives.
After the recent storm events, the North Coast Public Health Unit is urging residents and visitors to keep away from floodwater to avoid illness or infection.
According to new research from Southern Cross University, surfers, swimmers and stand-up paddle boarders get melanoma at six times the rate of the general population.
Hoarding is a recognised mental health condition and should be treated as such – without stigma – according to UNSW clinical psychologist Professor Jessica Grisham.
Thunderstorm season is hitting hard and fast across Australia and warnings are out for the high risk of asthma attacks.
Launched in 1999, and now celebrated in more than 80 countries worldwide, thousands of men are alive today because of International Men’s Day, according to organisers.
When you consider the importance of your oral health, you might think this is mainly about avoiding conditions such as tooth decay and gum disease. But taking good care of your teeth and gums can also help to improve your overall health and wellbeing.
Dr Patel has over 35 years’ experience as a highly respected plastic and reconstructive surgeon. He is a member of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Australasian Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, the Australian Hand Surgery Society and the Harold Kleinert Society for Hand Surgery, and is a regular participant in cosmetic and plastic surgery conferences in Australia and throughout the world.
‘Brunswick Heads Pharmacy’s mission is to to improve the quality of life of the community through expert health advice, support, and the curation of quality brands and products, in a highly individual manner.’
Ananda Clinics is a medical practice in Byron Bay specialising in endocannabinoid medicine and integrative health.
Their approach takes account of the whole person, including all aspects of lifestyle, and they emphasise the therapeutic relationship between practitioner and patient. They believe in facilitating the body’s innate healing response and using natural, minimally invasive treatments.
Providing the highest standard of patient care. Incorporating a holistic approach towards the promotion of good health, accurate diagnosis, effective management and prevention of disease. The team at Mercato don’t discriminate in the provision of excellent care and aim to treat all patients with due care and respect.
A new specialist dermatology practice has set up in the Northern Rivers. Three dermatologists have created North Coast Dermatology, and are looking forward to providing access to expert care of all things skin, nails and hair, for patients across northern NSW.
Relief from pain and recovery from injury. Brunswick Heads Osteopathy provides the benchmark for professionalism and excellence in osteopathic medicine and musculoskeletal care in the region, as well as offering a wide range of remedial massage services.
Graeme James supports people to make sense of their lives, worries, and relationships in an impartial, caring, non-judgemental way. As an integrative therapist, Graeme tailors his approach to your specific needs. Sessions aim to help: increase your awareness; recognise and address reoccurring patterns, problems and feelings, and; learn and grow so that you manage better rather than react to life’s inevitable difficulties.
‘Pilates with Brigid was a game changer for me. It was like someone lifted a brick off my back, and I still have that feeling!’ – Kate Curtin, Ballina
Casuarina Dental offers holistic treatments, understanding that the mouth is the gateway through which every organ is nourished and sustained, and that problems with your teeth and gums, as well as bacteria, toxins and chemicals present in the mouth, have the potential to affect other parts of the body, and vice versa.
National Dental Care is an Australia-wide network with 63 dental practices. They have one goal: to set the benchmark in providing the best available oral health services in the country.
Lismore’s North Coast Cancer Institute is marking ten years of operation in 2020, providing residents of Northern NSW with state-of-the-art cancer care.
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia say that taking medicines properly is essential if you want to get the most out of them.
Blue Knot Foundation, the National Centre of Excellence for Complex Trauma, is a non-profit organisation focused on helping the estimated one in four Australian adults who are survivors of childhood trauma.
The Northern NSW Local Health District has launched a new award program to recognise dedicated nursing and midwifery staff across the health service.
A recent study by researchers at the University of Sydney and Macquarie University has shown the essential role teachers play in educating children about nutrition and healthy eating. Yet a narrow view of education undermines their ability to help.
The Australian Society of Opthalmologists argues that 2020 has been the year when we’ve lost sight of the importance of everybody’s eyes, and they want to do something about it.
Dr John Langford-Smith thinks it’s unfortunate that simple measures for preventing and limiting COVID-19 are not better publicised, as the downside is insignificant compared with potential benefit.
Dementia affects close to half a million Australians and that number is set to double in the next 25 years, according to Dementia Australia.
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia has urged the federal government to require all aged care facilities to have a registered nurse on every shift.
The latest research suggests people with autism may not have as much difficulty imagining the thoughts of others as previously believed.
National Rural Health Alliance CEO Dr Gabrielle O’Kane discusses telehealth and its challenges going forward.
Things have come a long way since The Six Million Dollar Man.
People with autoimmune diseases often take medicines that suppress their immune system, but there are reports some people have stopped taking their medication due to COVID fears.
The National Mental Health Commission has announced #GettingThroughThisTogether, a national conversation to support the mental health and wellbeing of Australians as COVID-19 rolls on.
Ovarian Cancer Australia has launched its National Action Plan for Ovarian Cancer Research for 2020-2025.
Southern Cross University’s National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine is conducting the first comprehensive examination of integrative healthcare in military populations in Australia.
Dental Health Week kicks off today with some alarming statistics about what’s happening with the teeth of Australians.
Dementia directly affects 50 million people around the world, and many more family members and loved ones. When British racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart’s wife Helen was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2014, Sir Jackie created Race Against Dementia (RAD).
Contrary to common belief, stroke isn’t just something that affects the elderly. Byron Bay’s David Roland is determined to make life after stroke easier for fellow stroke survivors of working age.
Vaping is increasingly popular among the younger generations but is also being used by adult smokers as an ‘off-ramp’ away from smoking. With national drug survey results freshly out from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Australia’s smoking targets are far from being met.
Diabetes for Smarties is a new book being launched by Driving Diabetes to help people with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes make informed health decisions, reduce the risk of preventable complications, and manage the condition.
Cycling has spectacular health benefits. It can protect you from stroke, heart disease, depression, diabetes and obesity. Unlike some forms of exercise, it’s also fun and useful, as it can get you and your stuff from A to B.
Treatment effectiveness, health care costs and quality of life outcomes for the two to four per cent of Australians with the heart condition Atrial Fibrillation (AF), could be markedly improved under a new research project now underway in western Sydney.
Latest research out of the UK suggests that COVID-19 can have some alarming effects on the human brain, in addition to its better known symptoms.
Still a hazy topic, the effect of bushfire smoke on our health hasn’t been totally uncovered. Although, most of us would instinctively avoid inhaling bushfire smoke, getting to know the long-term and ongoing effects of it will aid firefighters and bushfire-prone communities alike.
As Men’s Health Week draws to a close, it’s not too late for a reminder that men over the age of 40 are 1.5 times more likely to be diagnosed and 2.5 times more likely to die of melanoma than women of a similar age.
New research out of the UK suggests that persistently engaging in negative thinking patterns may raise the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.
A revolutionary wound-healing technology developed by Australian scientists, led by Southern Cross University’s Dr Rosemary Craig, is attracting attention in an international competition run by NASA.
Last Sunday, the 31st May was World No Tobacco Day. The Australian Dental Association (ADA) is using the growing awareness of this day to set the record straight about the risks of oral cancer.
23 health organisations have collectively put pen to paper and written an open letter to the people of Australia, urging preventative action to prevent a second wave of health problems after successfully flattening the COVID-19 curve.
A study led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) researchers has revealed how the physical presence of spouses who are co-parenting can alter each other’s brain activity.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a big problem in Australia, affecting about 458,000 people. It’s an auto-immune disease that causes pain and swelling of the joints, and can strike at any age. Early diagnosis and treatment is vital. Now Arthritis Australia has designed a new, free website to help people living with rheumatoid arthritis.
As the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs threatens public health around the world, a new CSIRO study has revealed frighteningly low levels of community knowledge in the Australian public about antibiotics.
The Government has a 3-step plan in place to ease restrictions over the coming months but have they taken into account the unknown affect COVID-19 will have during our flu season?
A new website has just launched to help rural men reach their best possible mental health. ‘You Got This Mate’ provides tips, information and personal stories from rural men about their struggles with mental health and what they do to keep well.
Music is weird stuff – invisible vibrations in the air that can make us laugh, cry, or dance. In the right hands, music can also heal. Music therapy combines evidence-based techniques to achieve clinical goals, improve lives and increase social and community participation.
For some, a trip to the dentist is like a fork in the eye – it won’t kill you but you’d rather not. Although, the fact of the matter is your oral health is a gateway to all other facets of your health.
Artificial intelligence isn’t just about machines beating humans at games like chess and go, and destroying the world in dystopian Terminator-style nightmares. AI is also making great strides in health care.
Do you know your GP can prescribe exercise, and not just pills? Research and common sense suggests that getting more active is one of the most important things you can do for your health, especially if you’ve had one too many visits from the Easter Bunny.
As the health system comes under increasing strain with COVID-19, it’s getting harder to see a doctor face to face. Checkups and pathology test numbers are down. Internet searches are up.
A looming pandemic has been on the edge of global consciousness since Bill Gates delivered his chilling TED Talk back in 2015, showing how the world is not prepared for the next pandemic.
The Stroke Foundation is well on the way to its $77,000 goal with over $40,000 raised so far in the Towel Challenge.
There have been lots of photobombing opportunities for pets recently, with many more humans working from home and virtual meetings being interrupted by all sorts of happy animals with no respect for social distancing. Furry friends have a big upside though – a growing body of research suggests that getting a pet is one of the best things you can do for your health.
Don’t panic! Now that we’re all spending an unhealthy amount of time on the internet, it’s easy to get swept up in strange human crowd behaviours even while we’re self-isolating. What to believe? Who to trust? Is that thing everyone’s sending around actually true?
You need more than 24 hours a day to keep up with all the COVID-19 updates at the moment. Here’s another one. Hopefully it won’t be superceded by the time you get to the bottom!
At this fascinating and unfamiliar time in our lives, access to health professionals and their services could not be more important. But with the new social-distancing guidelines, many people in self-isolation and many who have lost the financial means to utilise these services, the traditional in-person consultation is not as effective during this time.
Northern Rivers communities are doing their best to adapt to daily changes and warnings from state and federal governments as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Having not enough iron in your system (anaemia) is a common problem, especially for women, but some people have the opposite problem. Haemochromatosis is an inherited condition that affects one in 200 Australians. It leads people to retain too much iron in the bloodstream.
The COVID-19 lockdown is gradually being wound back, but it’s clear that the fallout from the pandemic will continue to affect the mental health of many of us for quite a while. Fortunately, help is available here in the Northern Rivers (and anywhere in the world, virtually) in the form of Graeme James.
We should all be familiar with the health star rating system (out of 5) that we see on some of our staple groceries each week. What you might not be a failure with is that it is outdated and can’t be relied upon; especially if this is the only measure you look at when deciding if a product is healthy or not.
The onset of rain after a long dry spell is always a welcome relief, and though no-one wants to complain about life-giving water, extended cloudy periods can cause health issues.
Over the last decade, general medication use has only slightly increased however, the use of antihistamines alongside allergy and cold-and-flu drugs has risen by 3 million (tablets per year).
You would be forgiven not knowing Australia has an obesity problem, given the area we live in. But through all the açai bowls, soy lattes and vegan delicacies, there is a real problem. It is said that our obesity epidemic is so dire that is undermining expert attempt to reduce cardiovascular disease.
The University of South Australia has developed a radically novel vaccination that’s poised to cure a potentially life-threatening condition – peanut allergies could become a thing of the past.
Research into the safety and efficacy of cannabis for medical use has traditionally been very difficult. This difficulty has been exacerbated by the factors that made the drug illegal in the first place. Today, thousands of Australians are using medical cannabis to treat chronic pain and anorexia. Advocates of medical cannabis use say the drug […]
Lachlan Cornell Anxiety is very common, especially among younger people. Often people who experience anxiety are reluctant to seek support because they brush it off as nothing serious or don’t believe there is an issue. A survey of 1449 people, conducted by Beyond Blue, found that two out of five people who checked their symptoms […]
Addiction is generally defined as a behavioural pattern that involves a person who compulsively engages in drug-taking, gambling, drinking or gaming (amongst other outlets). Even when destructive side effects kick in and people feel like they’re losing control, addicts usually can’t stop doing the thing they’re addicted to without help and support. These people often […]
Lachlan Cornell There’s now a growing body of research showing that group walks in nature have remarkable mental health benefits including easing depression, combating stress and boosting mental well-being. For some sufferers of depression, medication is still required to get them out of bed. But once up, a hike with friends can be the best medicine to […]