Health Report - Separate Stories Podcast

A 'temporary stroke' means people get the warning signs of a stroke but the symptoms go away without treatment. The medical name for this has been a Transient Ischaemic Attack - or a TIA. 

A study yet to be peer-reviewed has assessed the evidence on treating COVID-19 with antibody infusions—particularly monoclonal antibodies. It has found that in the early days of the pandemic doses were too high—but things are different with Omicron and its variants, because the antibodies target different sections of the virus.

We know that when people's cognitive abilities decline they may develop mental health issues like depression and anxiety. But could mental health issues actually raise the risk of cognitive decline—because there are similar causes in the brain.

There's plenty of research to support the idea that a good diet—including wholefoods, fruit and vegetables—is really good at helping you to not get sick. But when people talk about using food to treat diseases the picture isn't so clear. And this is especially so with a disease like multiple sclerosis.

Knowing your blood group is handy information if you need a blood transfusion, or even an organ transplant. And it's essential information for the blood bank recruiting donors who match your blood type—and for people needing a blood product.

A study published in Lancet Public Health describes the large administrative data sets from four countries—covering 80 million people—and it looks at what's behind the reduction in mortality from cardiovascular disease.

US heart transplant patient David Bennett Senior died recently, and it reminded Norman of his 1985 interview with Dr Leonard Bailey—and Dr Bailey's revolutionary operation on Baby Fae, who was given the heart of a baboon. During the interview there was a surprising revelation.

The rise of JEV in Australia happened when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the IPCC) were writing a report. A key aspect of it was the effect of climate on health.

The Japanese Encephalitis virus is spread by mosquitos—it's a common virus in Asia but has travelled south to Australia and is causing concern in several Australian states.

A stoma is a portal in your body—often built-in during bowel cancer surgery—where your intestine is joined to a small hole in your abdomen wall and a pouch then attaches to your belly to collect your poo. It may be permanent or temporary—but it can be quite confronting to learn that you will poo into a pouch, even if just for a few months.