There’s abundant advice out there on what you should or shouldn’t eat, drink, swallow, or stand next to, to avoid cancer. But it’s often lacking in evidence and the jumble of messages can be confusing. [ + ]

Experts in toxicology have warned that wastewater is the canary in the coal mine. University of Queensland scientists from The National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology (Entox) worked with Professor Wayne Hall of the Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research to confirm that methamphetamine residue found in the wastewater of a Queensland city has multiplied five times since 2009. [ + ]

What is medication non-adherence and why does it matter? Medication non-adherence is the extent to which a patient’s behaviour matches agreed recommendations from the prescriber1. In chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), roughly 1 in every 2 prescribed medications are not taken as recommended with many people completely stopping their medications prematurely. 2,3,4 [ + ]

What are the most addictive drugs? According to Eric Bowman, from the University of St Andrews, while the question seems simple, the answer depends on whom you ask. From the points of view different researchers, the potential for a drug to be addictive can be judged in terms of the harm it causes, the street value of the drug, the extent to which the drug activates the brain’s dopamine system, how pleasurable people report the drug to be, the degree to which the drug causes withdrawal symptoms, and how easily a person trying the drug will become hooked. [ + ]

This is a great example of how clear communication is so important. Sometimes what we say and what our patients hear are two different things. [ + ]

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Health Minister Sussan Ley announced private health insurance premiums will increase by an average of 5.6% from April. This amounts to the average family paying about $300 more a year for an average policy. [ + ]

Working 12+ hour shifts is linked to a heightened risk of burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intention to leave among hospital nurses in 12 European countries, finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open. [ + ]

New tests and drugs have impacted health care for many decades. But according to Tim Usherwood, from University of Sydney, we’re now seeing the emergence of completely different kinds of technologies that will radically alter how health care is both accessed and delivered. [ + ]

If you care for someone with a rare disease, you are not alone. There are over 6000 rare diseases. For most, there is no cure. For many, there is no independence. [ + ]

When you’re working a shift schedule, your eating and exercise habits can suffer.  People who work shifts sometimes skip meals, eat irregularly, eat unhealthy food, and may find it hard to keep up a regular exercise schedule. Shift workers are at higher risk for weight gain and heart disease as well. Healthy eating and exercise help improve your sleep and your overall health. These ten easy tips can help you stay healthy even with an irregular or shift work schedule. [ + ]

One in ten Australian children miss school at least once a week, almost one in six have been bullied, and one in thirty – a child in almost every classroom – goes to bed or school hungry nearly every day. That’s the disturbing reality being revealed in Canberra today (Thursday 25 February) at the launch of the final report of the Australian Child Wellbeing Project (ACWP), the largest study of its kind in Australia. Lead researcher, Flinders University’s Associate Professor Gerry Redmond, said the ACWP findings reveal that young Australians are suffering because of a systematic failure to meet their most basic needs, with the most marginalised reporting low scores in almost every aspect of wellbeing. [ + ]

Prior to the airing of the 7:30 Report's story on a chemo under-dosing scandal at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Professor John Grygiel had received assurances from Hospital administration that he had their full support. He was told that "...the segment would not name me or anyone else personally, and that it was not a finger-pointing exercise. I was informed that the Hospital completely supported me and my clinical decisions, and that they would not ‘hang me out to dry’." [ + ]

We know your priority - best practice germ control. [ + ]

Those who struggle with obesity, take heart. Losing as little as 5% of your body weight is enough to reap significant health benefits, according to a study published February 22 in Cell Metabolism. The randomized controlled trial of 40 obese men and women compared, for the first time, the health outcomes of 5%, 10%, and 15% weight loss. While additional weight loss further improved metabolic health, 5% weight loss was sufficient to reduce multiple risk factors for type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. [ + ]