Manufacturers of energy drinks are coming under pressure from governments and regulatory bodies following concerns about the health impacts of their products on teenagers and other at-risk groups.
Typically…
The risk of cancer from air pollution is a fraction of the hazard posed by smoking.
EPA/Alex Hofford
The fixation on potentially cancer-causing chemicals in the air, food and consumer products is diverting attention from the real risks, according to a review of global evidence by an Australian cancer…
You can mix "the grape and the grain" and avoid a hangover if you drink in moderation.
Erwyn van der Meer
As a general practitioner, I hear a lot of colourful advice from my patients about what they believe constitutes “safe” drinking and how to avoid a nasty hangover.
Some of the more pithy sayings – “beer…
Few antibiotics preclude drinking alcohol but it's a bad idea to get drunk when you have an infection.
DeusXFlorida
Staying off alcohol when taking antibiotics has been hallowed advice from GPs, pharmacists and well-meaning relatives for decades.
It’s difficult to work out exactly where the advice orginated, but Karl…
The real cost of the alcohol price war is the damage heavy drinking does to public health and the social fabric.
Rick Audet
In recent days, Woolworths and Coles have put out a flurry of media releases, each staking a claim to being the cheapest place to buy alcohol this summer. Coles have “declared war” on liquor prices and…
Focussing on 'harmful' alcohol use means attention is diverted from reducing alcohol intake across the population.
Visit Greenwich
Non-communicable diseases – Paula O'Brien looks at the what The Lancet NCD Action Group and the NCD Alliance name as one of the priority interventions for mitigating the impact of NCDs: reduction in hazardous…
Alcohol is currently exempt from the labelling requirements that all other products we eat and drink have to follow.
Klearchos Kapoutsis
Despite known risks of drinking, health and safety warning labels have been noticeably absent from alcoholic beverages in Australia.
But that might be about to change, with the Government today seeking…
There's been an upward trend of cocaine use in the general population.
Marcin Wichary/Flickr
The National Drug Strategy Household Survey Report 2010, which indicates the behaviour and attitudes of Australians to drug use, shows reductions in daily tobacco smoking, a range of mixed findings on…
Lack of discussion of alcohol's harm to others contributes to how little it is regulated.
AAP
A coalition of representatives from leading national health bodies are briefing parliamentarians today, calling for alcohol pricing to be placed on the agenda of the upcoming Federal Tax Forum in October…
Women should be allowed to have fun, without the media judging them.
AAP/Jack Tran
Wilding, a word seldom used outside of sociology, describes compounded acts of immorality. Of teenagers, apparently, running amok. In packs usually, with rage and ribaldry in their eyes.
I was thinking…
More data on the effects of alcohol and energy drinks is needed to inform policy.
loop oh/Flickr
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has called for a ban on the sale of pre-packaged alcoholic energy drinks based on recent research, echoing a similar call for bottle shops to stop selling pre-packaged…
A full English breakfast just doesn't cut it.
Iban
Piping hot cups of coffee. A fat laden fried breakfast. Going for a run. Or maybe just going back to bed. There are plenty of claims about how you can cure a hangover. So, what’s the reality?
If you’ve…
The Cancer Council's alcohol abstinence message isn't helpful.
flickr/MrTinDC
The marketing of public health messages can bear some disturbing similarities to the way the tobacco, alcohol and food industries go about promoting their products.
Recent suggestions by the Cancer Council…
Who would actually manage to get a prescription for alcohol from their doctor?
AAP
A recent application to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) requested alcohol be rescheduled as a prohibited substance “unfit for human consumption”.
The application quickly got the thumbs down…
