Location:
United States
Description:
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.
Language:
English
Episodes
Where have all the eggs gone?
2/7/2025
While Australia has so far dodged the H5N1 strain of bird flu that's been infecting humans, we're still recuperating from an outbreak of a different strain.
If you've noticed a shortage of eggs at the supermarket, farmers are warning it's likely to persist as they rush to get their chickens back up to speed.
Also, an update on vaccination against COVID-19 — who needs what and when.
References
H7 high pathogenicity avian influenzaCOVID-19 vaccine advice and recommendations
Duration:00:09:06
What menopause hormone therapy is (and isn't) for
2/7/2025
For some considering Menopause Hormone Therapy (MHT), the risks are low and the benefits are high.
A new review has underlined the need to take an individualised approach, tailoring the dose and duration of MHT to the person.
However it also highlighted a lack of evidence for nonwhite people, those experiencing socioeconomic adversity and complex comorbidities.
Guest/s
Professor Susan DavisReferences
Update on Menopause Hormone Therapy; Current Indications and Unanswered Questions
Duration:00:09:10
When time outside doesn't slow short-sightedness
2/7/2025
Myopia, also known as short-sightedness, is a common problem that often develops in early life.
It’s becoming more common as children spend more time inside staring at screens, but there is also a strong genetic component.
For those unable to prevent myopia through lifestyle changes, atropine eye drops are proving tolerable and effective at slowing progression.
Guest/s
Dr Gareth LinghamReferences
Efficacy and Safety of Different Atropine Regimens for the Treatment of Myopia in ChildrenAxial Growth and Myopia Progression After Discontinuing Soft Multifocal Contact Lens WearSeeing benefits: Eye drops delay short-sightedness
Duration:00:10:00
A Stroke of Luck: Gillian's story
2/7/2025
When Gillian suffered a stroke at age 50, Kylie was one of the first friends she reached out to.
But before that she spent months in hospital relearning how to breathe, talk and walk on her own.
It wasn't her first life-altering medical emergency, having gone through cancer treatment years earlier.
In episode two of A Stroke of Luck, we hear from Gillian and her husband Steve about how their lives changed all over again.
Duration:00:09:16
Mailbag: Psychiatrist fallout and breast density
2/7/2025
A look at some of the Health Report correspondence this week.
You can email us at healthreport@abc.net.au
Duration:00:03:39
Falling rate of vaccination in pregnancy
1/31/2025
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination rates amongst pregnant people has been falling in New South Wales.
Also in NSW, we provide an update on the situation with public psychiatrists as resignations continue.
And concerns over the decision in Queensland to put a pause on the prescription of puberty blockers to minors.
References
Patterns of reporting of influenza and pertussis vaccination during pregnancy to the Australian Immunisation Register, 2022
Duration:00:11:55
Online coaching to maintain your brain as you age
1/31/2025
We know there are lifestyle changes people can make to reduce their risk of developing dementia as they age.
A landmark trial has compared personalised coaching on this to stock standard public health messaging.
Providing online modules to educate people about physical activity, brain training, nutrition and mental health improved cognition scores.
Researchers say those who underwent coaching “demonstrated the greatest benefit to date in a randomised control trial to prevent cognitive decline”.
Guest/s
Scientia Professor Henry BrodatyReferences
An online multidomain lifestyle intervention to prevent cognitive decline in at-risk older adults: a randomized controlled trial
Duration:00:08:37
Screening asymptomatic people for coeliac disease
1/31/2025
When left untreated, coeliac disease can lead to malnutrition, osteoporosis, infertility and cancer.
A person can be asymptomatic, and still these conditions can be silently developing as a result of the autoimmune disorder.
It raises an important question – should we be screening people for coeliac disease, regardless of symptoms?
Guest/s
Associate Professor Jason Tye-DinReferences
Self Assessment Tool - Coeliac AustraliaPolicies Around the World - Celiac Disease FoundationPrevalence and detection rate of celiac disease in Italy: Results of a SIGENP multicenter screening in school-age children
Duration:00:07:06
A Stroke of Luck: Kylie's story
1/31/2025
Kylie and Gillian had been friends for years when Kylie had a stroke in her early 30s.
It turned Kylie's work-driven life upside down, and forced her and husband Chris to re-evaluate everything.
Just 12 months after the stroke they decided to have children, and were soon navigating stroke recovery with raising Beren and Corey.
In episode one of A Stroke of Luck, we hear from Kylie and her family about the experience.
Duration:00:10:02
Mailbag: B6 toxicity
1/31/2025
A look at some of the Health Report correspondence this week.
You can email us at healthreport@abc.net.au
Duration:00:03:37
Online coaching to maintain your brain as you age
1/30/2025
We know there are lifestyle changes people can make to reduce their risk of developing dementia as they age.
A landmark trial has compared personalised coaching on this to stock standard public health messaging.
Providing online modules to educate people about physical activity, brain training, nutrition and mental health improved cognition scores.
Researchers say those who underwent coaching “demonstrated the greatest benefit to date in a randomised control trial to prevent cognitive decline”.
Guest/s
Scientia Professor Henry BrodatyReferences
An online multidomain lifestyle intervention to prevent cognitive decline in at-risk older adults: a randomized controlled trial
Duration:00:08:31
Psychiatrist resignations — canary in the coalmine for NSW?
1/24/2025
The mass resignations of public psychiatrists in New South Wales is already having a huge impact, limiting beds and closing wards.
Psychiatrists reached breaking point when the state government refused their demands for a 25 per cent pay rise, to attract new doctors and take the pressure off those in the public system.
Duration:00:05:35
The consequences of Trump's withdrawal from the WHO
1/24/2025
Donald Trump's withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) has global health consequences that experts say could come back to bite the United States.
And his order to immediately pause reports from US health agencies means there's a risk the rest of the world will be kept in the dark about the evolving outbreak of avian influenza H5N1.
References
The Radio National Hour - US withdrawal from the WHO undermines fight against HIV
Duration:00:04:37
Redefining how we diagnose and treat obesity
1/24/2025
How should obesity be defined? For a long time we’ve relied on the body mass index (BMI).
But that blanket approach means some people are being treated unnecessarily.
It also contributes to the sometimes harmful assumption that everyone who is overweight is inherently unhealthy.
A commission of experts has changed the criteria for a person to be considered clinically obese, meaning they require intervention.
Guest/s
References
Definition and diagnostic criteria of clinical obesityRedefining obesity: advancing care for better lives
Duration:00:14:22
No, fluoride in drinking water doesn't lower IQ
1/24/2025
Whether or not Robert F. Kennedy Jr finds a place in Donald Trump’s cabinet, the US politician has put water fluoridation back in the spotlight.
If he’s picked as health secretary, RFK Jr will push to eliminate the practice of adding fluoride to drinking water for dental health.
He claims it’s related to neurological disorders in young people. It’s an issue that has been extensively studied, including here in Australia.
Guest/s
Professor Loc DoReferences
Early Childhood Exposures to Fluorides and Cognitive Neurodevelopment: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study
Duration:00:06:43
Genetic study could lead to new treatments for depression
1/24/2025
We might soon have more treatment options for depression.
Depression has a strong genetic component, and a huge international study has uncovered another 300 genes linked to the condition.
Based on these findings, drugs used to treat chronic pain and narcolepsy could be repurposed for the treatment of depression.
Guest/s
Dr Brittany MitchellReferences
Trans-ancestry genome-wide study of depression identifies 697 associations implicating cell types and pharmacotherapiesAustralian Genetics of Depression Study
Duration:00:06:14
Mailbag: AI scams and socks!
1/24/2025
A look at some of the Health Report correspondence this week.
You can email us at healthreport@abc.net.au
Duration:00:02:37
How much sugar are you feeding your toddler?
1/17/2025
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 ultra-processed foods.
References:
Ultra-processed foods are ‘pushing aside’ all other food groups to dominate global diets
Duration:00:37:04
What's your sports bra got to do with your knees?
1/10/2025
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.
It's a good thing because knee injuries can have devastating consequences for women's health and mobility.
And why vaping become one of the biggest health issues of 2024.
Duration:00:37:10
Why aren't kids getting the food they need at childcare?
1/3/2025
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 provide proper nutrition: children are going hungry, and meals often don't meet basic dietary standards.
Experts are calling for better food support in disadvantaged areas and improved nutritional guidelines for early childhood centres to help children get the nourishment they need.
Duration:00:40:04