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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.

Health Report - Full program podcast

If you're having a month off the beers to kick off the year, do you know what a short stretch of sobriety could achieve?

Some companies in the United States are even pushing people to trade their alcohol for THC, for "high" January. 

Also, there hasn't been a big COVID spike over the holidays, but the flu has been going around. 

People aren't accessing palliative care early enough to reap the benefits, but are there enough services to go around?

And a study finds women notified of their breast density are often confused and anxious about what to do next. 

References:

NSW respiratory surveillanceSenior CDC official: Loss of measles elimination status in U.S. would be ‘cost of doing business’Prenatal paracetamol exposure and child neurodevelopment: a systematic review and meta-analysisAlcohol consumption and mortality from four alcohol-related cancers in Australia 1950-2018: a time series analysisEarly Palliative Care and Quality of End-of-Life Care for People With Terminal Cancer, Victoria, 2018–2023: A Retrospective, Population-Based Cohort StudyImpact of population based breast density notification: multisite parallel arm randomised controlled trial in BreastScreen

What are the benefits of having a dry January?

How far would you go to save your dog? One owner has used ChatGPT and other AI models to find a treatment for his pup's cancer. 

Also, we could be missing cases of liver disease because of differences between pathology centres. 

The final instalment of Stroke of Luck, a series on the experience of having a stroke and the recovery process. 

And a look back at the year: does artificial intelligence have a place in your local doctors' office?

References

What AI scribes can (and can't) do for healthcare - the Health ReportPaul is using AI to fight his dog's incurable cancer - UNSW

Can AI make personalised medicine accessible?

People with osteoarthritis used to be told to take it easy and avoid overdoing exercise. But the advice has changed drastically. 

Also, should everyone going onto GLP-1 medications for weight loss be screened and monitored for eating disorders? 

Another instalment of Stroke of Luck, a series on the experience of having a stroke and the recovery process. 

And a look back at the year: Robert F. Kennedy Jr and his hyperfixation on autism as an epidemic. 

References

Trump links paracetamol to autism, urges parents to delay vaccinesThe EPIPHA-KNEE trial: Explaining Pain to target unhelpful pain beliefs to Increase PHysical Activity in KNEE osteoarthritis – a protocol for a multicentre, randomised controlled trial with clinical- and cost-effectiveness analysisManagement of eating disorders for people with higher weight: clinical practice guideline
Eating disorder resources:

The Butterfly Foundation • on 1800 33 4673 or 
webchat • .
Eating Disorders Foundation VictoriaEating Disorders Families Australia • — 1300 195 626
Professionals Credentialed in Eating DisordersLifeline • on 13 11 14
Kids Helpline • on 1800 551 800

Walking the Camino with knee osteoarthritis

Anxiety can manifest in an excessive worry about your health, and it can be debilitating. But there are effective treatments. 

Also, antidepressants can be difficult to come off because of the withdrawal symptoms. An expert highlights the need to better educate patients and doctors on deprescribing. 

Another instalment of Stroke of Luck, a series on the experience of having a stroke and the recovery process. 

And a look back at the year: infectious diseases. 

References

Why the US measles outbreak is so concerningHow Australia's measles vaccine coverage compares to the USAntidepressant prescribing in Australian primary care: time to reevaluateRELEASE information and resourcesHealth anxiety information and workbookHealth anxiety in Australia: prevalence, comorbidity, disability and service use | The British Journal of PsychiatryThe global economic burden of health anxiety/hypochondriasis- a systematic reviewIncrease in the prevalence of health anxiety in medical clinics: Possible cyberchondriaCognitive behavior therapy for health anxiety: systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical efficacy and health economic outcomesA clinician’s quick guide to evidence-based approaches: health anxiety

Is Dr Google fuelling your hypochondria?

There's a paradox in neurodegenerative disease – sometimes as the brain deteriorates, creativity flourishes.

Researchers have used imaging techniques to map creativity in the brains of people with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Also, the exercise program that could change the game for colorectal cancer survivors. 

And a look back at the year: GLP-1 medications for weight loss. 

References

Answering common questions about GLP-1s for weight lossWeight loss drugs could help people with schizophreniaGLP-1s and eating disorders — what are the risks?Structured Exercise after Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer - NEJM Mapping Neuroimaging Findings of Creativity and Brain Disease Onto a Common Brain Circuit

Uncovering the brain circuit for creativity

Substituting your table salt for something with lower sodium could drive down your risk of heart attack and stroke. 

Also, what expectant parents might not know about screening for genetic diseases before conceiving. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) could soon be used to help predict decisions a person might make at the end of life. 

And a look back at the year: Make America Health Again. 

References

Salt Substitution and Recurrent Stroke and Death: A Randomized Clinical TrialMackenzie's MissionNationwide, Couple-Based Genetic Carrier Screening - NEJMUnlocking the secrets of your DNA - the Health ReportCan Artificial Intelligence Speak for Incapacitated Patients at the End of Life?Should artificial intelligence guide surrogate decisions in healthcare? - Journal of Medical Ethics blogA Personalized Patient Preference Predictor for Substituted Judgments in Healthcare: Technically Feasible and Ethically Desirable

Swapping salt for a heart healthier option

Despite facing an increased risk of chronic disease later in life, remote Indigenous babies start life with a more diverse gut microbiome. 

A new study in Nature also found the infants have bacteria that have completely disappeared from non-Indigenous populations. 

Also, a guide to living healthy after a fatty liver disease diagnosis. And why fewer people are getting the HPV vaccine. 

References

Eating For Your Liver - Liver Foundation2025 Cervical Cancer Elimination Progress ReportIndigenous infants in remote Australia retain an ancestral gut microbiome despite encroaching Westernization

Indigenous babies born with more gut bugs

Historically women have had a hard time being heard in the doctor's office, with dismissiveness and delays in diagnosis all too common. 

The state government in Victoria has held an enquiry into women's pain to come up with recommendations aimed at shifting that experience to a more positive one. 

Also, we get a better sense of what's nature vs nurture when it comes to our attributes and our disease risks. 

And research suggests antibiotics, and their effects on the gut microbiome, could weaken vaccine response. 

References

The effect of shingles vaccination at different stages of the dementia disease course • 
WHO issues global guideline on the use of GLP-1 medicines in treating obesity • 
Product warnings updated for GLP-1 RA class - TGA • 
Inquiry into Women's Pain - Victorian GovernmentGovt backs green whistle during IUD insertion in response to women’s pain inquiryEstimation and mapping of the missing heritability of human phenotypesBifidobacteria support optimal infant vaccine responses - NatureAntibiotics-Driven Gut Microbiome Perturbation Alters Immunity to Vaccines in HumansThe Antibiotics and Vaccine Immune Responses Study (AVIRS) • – people must be in Adelaide to participate!

Taking women's pain seriously in healthcare

The dentists' chair is not everyone's favourite place. Have you ever sat there wondering, why would anyone become a dentist?

We take a trip to dental school to find out why so many people get into dentistry, and the skills it takes. 

Also, are we doing enough to weigh up the risks vs benefits of CT scanning? 

And how an autoimmune skin condition actually affects the whole body, particularly the heart.

References:

Stronger safety controls to be introduced for products containing vitamin B6 - TGABird flu confirmed in elephant seal population at Heard IslandDecades of data missing: Metastatic breast cancer cases double previous estimatesProjected Lifetime Cancer Risks From Current Computed Tomography ImagingStudy on current CT scanning practices and the incidence of future cancersMediterranean Diet and Patients With Psoriasis: The MEDIPSO Randomized Clinical Trial

Why do people become dentists?

No coffee for six months, not even decaf. That's what participants of a trial looking into the effect on atrial fibrillation were asked to do.

Also, could we be on the verge of changing guidelines for asthma care in children? Or is it too early to call?

And catching cancer early can be important. How far away are we from harnessing blood, urine and even saliva tests to help?

References

PFAS inquiry hands down 47 recommendations to better regulate 'forever chemicals' in Australia - ABC News • 
The Lancet series on ultra-processed foodsOrforglipron, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, for the treatment of obesity in people with type 2 diabetes (ATTAIN-2): a phase 3, double-blind, randomised, multicentre, placebo-controlled trialCaffeinated Coffee Consumption or Abstinence to Reduce Atrial Fibrillation: The DECAF Randomized Clinical TrialBudesonide–formoterol versus salbutamol as reliever therapy in children with mild asthma (CARE): a 52-week, open-label, multicentre, superiority, randomised controlled trial

Can AI make personalised medicine accessible?

Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

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