Gender-Affirming Health Care Should Be a Right, Not a Crime

Editor’s Note (2/25/22): This week Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to investigate gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth as “child abuse.” This article from April 13, 2021, is being republished to highlight the ways that anti-trans legislation is unethical and out of sync with the recommendations from prominent medical groups. In late March, … Read more

Low-Meat Diets Linked to Lower Cancer Risk, Hints Study of Nearly 500,000 People

A growing number of people are choosing to eat less meat. There are many reasons people may choose to make this shift, but health is often cited as a popular motive. A large body of research has shown that plant-based diets can have many health benefits – including lowering the risk of chronic diseases, such … Read more

We’re closing in on the causes of long covid and possible treatments

Medicines for long covid will probably be with us within a year, as the mechanisms behind the disease are finally starting to be understood Health 23 February 2022 By Michael Marshall Pete Reynolds   LAUREN NICHOLS first fell ill on 10 March 2020. Her symptoms started with crushing fatigue, swiftly followed by headaches, brain fog … Read more

Superfoods: Genetically modified purple tomato could go on sale soon in the US

A small company has applied for approval in the US to sell a genetically modified tomato that is rich in the beneficial pigments found in blueberries Health 23 February 2022 By Michael Le Page Purple tomatoes contain higher levels of antioxidant pigments Eugenio Butelli/Andrew Davis A purple tomato genetically modified to make it rich in … Read more

Large Review Identifies Common Household Things That Can Make Your Asthma Worse

One in every nine people in Australia has asthma. It is a health burden for many children, and expensive for families because of medication, hospital and out-of-hospital expenses.   The pandemic has added further stress and extra testing measures to check respiratory symptoms. COVID infection can co-exist with asthma and, although research shows allergic asthma … Read more

Does Drinking Red Wine Really Protect Against COVID? Let’s Look at The Data

A study published last month in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition made headlines around the world. Among a number of findings concerning alcoholic drinks and COVID, it reported drinking red wine was associated with a reduction in the risk of contracting COVID.   Before you start inviting people over to celebrate, it’s important to be … Read more

Weird Link Discovered Between Physical Attractiveness And The Immune System

An extensive new study has found evidence that links physical attractiveness to the functioning of the immune system. While there are still numerous questions left to answer, the researchers suggest their findings show “a relationship between facial attractiveness and immune function is likely to exist.”   Just how reliable that relationship is remains to be seen, however.  … Read more

Health Check newsletter: The spinal implants reversing paralysis

A team of Swiss surgeons have implanted electrodes into the spines of three people who are paralysed, helping them to walk again Health 15 February 2022 By Clare Wilson A man who was completely paralysed from the waist down has walked again thanks to spinal implants. Hello, and welcome to this week’s Health Check, the … Read more

Immune system: We seem to find people with a strong health defences more attractive

Previous research has shown that we are attracted to the body odour of people with better health, and now it seems the strength of your immune system is reflected in your face Health 16 February 2022 By Christa Lesté-Lasserre An attractive pair plainpicture/Daniel K Schweitzer Men and women are more physically attracted to the faces … Read more

Vast Majority of People With Depression Aren’t Getting Treatment, Global Review Finds

Depression has become a leading cause of disability worldwide with no signs of slowing down. By 2030, the World Health Organization predicts the disorder could be the main contributor to the global burden of disease.   Even though we now have some effective treatments for depression, including medications and psychological interventions, medical care remains woeful … Read more