Imagine that a soft touch or brush of the skin was enough to evoke excruciating pain. This experience is common among people who suffer with chronic pain from nerve damage. The causes are varied and include…
Religious groups claim "ex-gay" therapies have scientific merit
flickr/michael keith photography
It’s been decades since electroshock therapy or other psychiatric interventions were routinely employed to “treat” homosexuality. These days, reparative therapy is more popular. It involves a combination…
Journals can make it easier for reporters to do a good job by providing balanced information and accurate media releases designed to inform.
NS Newsflash/Flickr
Journalists are having an increasingly hard time producing high-quality health stories. Medical journal articles feature in many health stories but new research shows their press releases may contribute…
Medical schools once battled with a shortage of cadavers, which led to some unsavoury practices.
Derek Harper
The recent discovery of hundreds of human body parts in the University of Cologne’s cellars shocked Germany’s academic community and raised broader questions about the rights of people who donate their…
Twin studies tell us how environmental and genetic factors interact.
ethermoon
On Sunday, more than a thousand sets of twins from around Australia and the world will gather in Melbourne to celebrate the bond they share with their identical or fraternal twin.
The physical similarities…
Successful weight losers have higher levels of nerve activity than those who struggle to lose weight.
Flickr/the great
If you put a group of people on a calorie-restricted diet, you’ll see that some seem to lose weight easily, while others struggle to shed each pound. This difference doesn’t just come down to how much…
The value of medical research extends beyond pure economics.
Flickr/left hand
The Federal Government’s main medical research funding body, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), last week announced its 2011 program and development grants, and postgraduate scholarship…
Pigs may be the answer to Australia's organ donor shortage.
Thornypup
Transplantation is the best available treatment for many serious health problems including diabetes, kidney failure and heart disease. These conditions affect millions of people worldwide and the cost…
A new study shows the liver destroys the cells responsible for rejected organ transplants.
Most people only think about their liver when recovering from a big night of drinking when it’s busily producing enzymes to break down the alcohol. But this “factory” of the body is vital for survival…
Bringing research, education and health care delivery together will improve patient care.
In an attempt to bring Australia’s medical research, education and healthcare sectors into line with world leaders, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is planning to develop a new…
While it may make you unpopular, cracking your knuckles won't cause arthritis.
Flickr/orijinal
For some it’s a morning ritual – cracking your knuckles before beginning the day. For others, it’s a way to pass time while pondering a thought or reading something particularly interesting online.
But…
These genes exert their influence through the immune system.
Flickr/Natashacld
In one of the largest human genetic studies ever undertaken, scientists have identified the major common genetic variants that contribute to the cause of the devastating neurological disease, multiple…
Patients achieve real outcomes with homeopathic therapy – we more research to work out why.
Flickr/Missy the universe
It seems the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is likely to follow the lead of the UK and denounce homeopathy as an ineffective and unethical therapy that shouldn’t attract scarce government…
Why does seeing an injury cause some people to experience pain?
You expect to feel pain when you fall off a bicycle but should you feel pain when you see someone else do the same? Some people do because pain is more than the actual injury; it’s a perception.
For some…
The tongue can register all tastes in all locations but with varying sensitivity.
The myth that the four common tastes of sweet, sour, salty and bitter are located at different regions of the tongue has existed for more than a century.
It arose from studies in the late 19th and early…
Being able to measure growth hormone secretion in mice opens up a field of research into diseases.
The phrase “growth hormone” conjures up images of either the very tall or the very short. And yes, growth hormone is important for promoting linear growth but this hard-working hormone also controls many…
The difficulty in diagnosing lupus lends itself to the treatment it receives on the TV show House.
eeb d o/Flickr
On the television show House, doctors try to diagnose mysterious illnesses, and often when time is running out all other options have been exhausted, one of the characters will offer a diagnosis of last…
Researches have uncovered a vital piece of the anti-malaria puzzle.
Larah McElroy
More than 200 million people are infected annually with the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, and around 800,000 people die every year of the mosquito-borne disease, most of them children.
As reported…
Historically, lefties have had a rough trot.
Flickr/Incurable Hippie
Left handers have copped their share of bad publicity in the past.
The term used to describe left handers in English is “sinistral”, which is derived from the word “sinister”.
And it’s no better in other…
Heart attacks damage important muscles but now scientists think that a special protein can awaken the stem cells that grow new muscles.
Flickr
Vital heart muscles damaged during cardio arrest can be replaced by stem cells within the organ with the help of a special protein, scientists have discovered.
Heart attacks cause dangerous damage to…
The breast cancer research agenda is more balanced due to its public profile.
AAP
Some of the most serious forms of cancer are less likely to be the subject of a clinical trial than cancers with a less significant health impact.
Research shows that even being a disease is a popularity…
