Sleep deprivation a torture for new parents
MIKI PERKINS Exhausted and near the end of their tether, parents are turning to sleep schools so they and their babies can learn the art of a good night's rest.
Electronic cigarettes: the truth behind the smoke and mirrors
Eamonn Duff, Amy Corderoy The debate over the health and legal implications of e-cigarette use has divided experts across the world. Local authorities will now need to face up to the issue after e-cigarettes were banned in Western Australia.
Smoke signals: retailers may face tough new restrictions
AMY CORDEROY 12:43am Mandatory licences and other tough restrictions on tobacco retailers could come into place after the state government convened a taskforce to examine how the drug should be sold in NSW.
Aspirin halves the risk of colon cancer - if you have the right gene
Aspirin can reduce the risk of colon cancer by half, but only in people who carry high levels of a specific type of gene, a study has found.
Screening revolution: foetal blood test a breakthrough with disadvantages
LUCY CARROLL New non-invasive prenatal testing is an exciting step forward, but there are drawbacks.
Genetic test will enable parents to see unborn child's characteristics
LUCY CARROLL Parents will soon be able to examine their unborn child's future health, height and even eye colour before it is conceived, with a new genetic test likely to be available in Australia within the next five years, a leading fertility expert says.
End of life treatment for elderly under question
LUCY CARROLL Maria Tosti was 85 when her son broached a seldom-discussed topic: what his mother wanted as she neared the end of her life.
Five ways to keep running when you're out of routine
Pip Coates Does the sight of your abandoned running shoes in a corner makes you feel a little uncomfortable?
Paramedic skills give stretcher bearers a real lift
RACHEL OLDING Bob Wright is considered a pioneer in paramedic training in Australia.
The high cost of holding on
Amy Corderoy, Rachel Olding, Alexandra Back Australia needs to rethink how it keeps sick, elderly people alive in hospitals and stop overtreating them at the end of their lives, the outgoing director of St Vincent's Hospital's Intensive Care Unit says.
Commentary: Autism and the Agitator
FRANK BRUNI What do you call someone who sows misinformation, stokes fear, abets behavior that endangers people's health, extracts enormous visibility from doing so and then says the equivalent of "Who? Me?"
Science
Scientists use cloning to make stem cells matched to two adults
Monte Morin Scientists have replicated one of the most significant accomplishments in stem cell research by creating human embryos that were clones of two men.
Science
Man flu? When 'the flu' is really just a cold
Frank Bowden Contrary to popular (female) opinion, you can have all the symptoms of the flu without being infected.
Call to modify guidelines on light drinking in pregnancy
JULIA MEDEW The National Health and Medical Research Council's guidelines on drinking during pregnancy provide insufficient and potentially alarming advice to women about the effects of low-level drinking, a leading pharmacist says.
Overlapping health system just helps to 'jump queue'
INGA TING Sam Taylor's children were just 6 and 14 when she was asked to make a choice no woman ever wants to make.
Call to get homeopathic remedies off pharmacy shelves
JULIA MEDEW Pressure is mounting on pharmacists to stop selling homeopathic products after a major review found there was no credible scientific evidence to support the alternative medicines.
Shockwave therapy cure for shin splints, researcher hopes
LARISSA NICHOLSON It is a painful condition which plagues runners, but an effective treatment for shin splints could be within reach, a researcher says.
Splint ends in sight for researcher Phillip Newman and work on shin splints
LARISSA NICHOLSON A Canberra researcher believes an effective treatment for shin splints - the painful condition that plagues runners - may be within reach.
Science
The truth about memory
John Elder Ever walked into a room and forgotten why? You are not alone. Many middle-aged people are convinced they are showing signs of early dementia when in fact they are just showing signs of, well, middle age.
Wikipedia hits help track flu spread
DAN HARRISON US researchers have developed a highly accurate model for tracking the spread of the flu, using the number of hits on flu-related articles on Wikipedia.
Gene increases meat-eaters' cancer risk
DAN HARRISON One third of us have a gene that makes us more susceptible to colourectal cancer from eating processed meat, according to new study.
Doctors delay vote on unseen contracts
AMY REMEIKIS The state's senior medicos have so little trust in the government, doctors have refused to vote on whether they will even consider the new contracts, without seeing them first.
Health: Study shows 4 million Australians deficient in vitamin-D
LUCY CARROLL Almost 4 million Australians are not getting enough vitamin D, data released by the Bureau of Statistics shows.
Whooping cough vaccine loses its effectiveness
LUCY CARROLL The bacteria that causes deadly whooping cough has mutated to more easily evade its vaccine, potentially putting hundreds of thousands of children at risk.
It eats your skin, then explodes inside: meet the demodex mite
AMANDA HOH They crawl around your face at night, feeding off your oil and skin cells. They have no anus, so eventually explode inside your hair follicles.
Drinkers in danger rate their usage as average, study finds
Amy Corderoy, Lucy Carroll Australians are in denial about their alcohol use, tens of thousands are potentially drinking at risky levels and those in the most danger are seemingly clueless they have a problem, the Global Drug Survey has found.
Payment bid to boost IVF cycle
COSIMA MARRINER Women who donate their eggs so others can have children would be paid for their trouble, under changes to the IVF code of ethics being considered by Australia's chief medical advisory and research authority.
Alcohol losing its attraction for teenagers
FLETA PAGE The number of teen teetotallers has increased dramatically over the past decade, with more than half now abstaining from alcohol, according to research by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.
Get out your hankies: droplets from coughs and sneezes travel further than thought
AMANDA HOH Coughing and sneezing into your elbow or a hankie is more important than previously thought, a new study says, after researchers in the United States found that violent respiratory events produce turbulent gas clouds that play a key role in transferring infectious germs.
Healthcare put at risk as patients shy away from cost
LUCY CARROLL Year-long waiting lists and high medical fees are causing people in NSW to stop or delay treatment, health professionals say.
