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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

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

Could you give up caffeine for six months?

There has been a rise in people that cut gluten out of their diet to address gut symptoms, despite not having a diagnosis of coeliac disease. 

New research is shedding light on what might actually be at play in non-coeliac gluten sensitivity. 

Also, how a common antibiotic might lower the risk of developing schizophrenia when given to young people at risk. 

And a look at the cancer prevention strategies that could have a big impact, but that most countries aren't taking on board. 

References

Government expenditure on public health activities in Australia 2023–24 - AIHWGlobal prevalence of hypertension among children and adolescents aged 19 years or younger: an updated systematic review and meta-analysisNon-coeliac gluten sensitivity - the LancetGlobal prevalence of self-reported non-coeliac gluten and wheat sensitivity: a systematic review and metaanalysisDoxycycline Use in Adolescent Psychiatric Patients and Risk of Schizophrenia: An Emulated Target TrialCancers attributable to alcohol - IARCAlcohol: a major preventable cause of cancer (IARC Evidence Summary Brief No. 6)

Got gut issues? Don't assume it's gluten

If you live with chronic pain, getting referred to a psychologist for pain management can feel like another dismissal. 

What does a session with a pain psychologist look like, and how effective can it be if you don't have any mental health diagnoses?

Also, some practical information for parents introducing allergens to their babies. And how the nervous system might inadvertently be fuelling gastrointestinal cancers. 

References

Deaths due to acute respiratory infections in Australia - ABSNeurodevelopmental Outcomes of 3-Year-Old Children Exposed to Maternal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection in UteroPain Management NetworkPain Management and Research Centre - patient informationManagement of Chronic Pain - for health professionalsOPEN pain training - for health professionalsNip allergies in the bubThe impact of reversing peanut allergy adviceAre allergen starter packs safe?Sensory neuropeptide CGRP and its co-receptor RAMP1 drive tumour cell growth in gastrointestinal cancers

Pain isn't all in your head — but psychotherapy can help

For 50 years we've known pulse oximeters are less accurate on darker skin, and it could lead to misdiagnoses. 

Also, allergen starter packs are being advertised to parents. Are they safe?

Guidelines have been released for male infertility care so men aren't left out. 

And joint replacements don't last forever, but there are ways to extend their life.

References

Guidelines for the management of male infertility - Healthy MaleData Resource Profile: The Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR)Novel Hypoglossal Stimulation Markedly Improves Airflow and Airway Collapsibility in OSARacial Bias in Pulse Oximetry Measurement - NEJMFind a clinical trial

Uncovering the brain circuit for creativity

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