How
much exercise do you need for a healthy heart?
October
25, 2005
How much exercise did you get this week?
Was it enough to keep you healthy? If you're exercising to lose
weight, you've probably got a good idea of what you need to do
to achieve your goals - basically, it's about burning more energy
(calories) than you consume. But keeping active is about much
more than fat-burning. Even if you're already at your ideal weight,
a regular exercise program can have enormous benefits for your
health - and may even add years to your life!
Check
out these important benefits: · Regular, moderate-to-vigorous
exercise over a sustained period of time helps to reduce the risk
of adult-onset diabetes. This effect is so powerful that experts
estimate that as many as one in two new cases of diabetes could
be prevented through exercise alone.
When
you consider that over 1 million Australians already have the
disease, and levels are predicted to rise to 1.7 million over
the next few years, that's a lot of good reasons to get moving!
· Along with maintaining adequate levels of calcium and
vitamin D, regular weight-bearing exercise (such as weight-lifting,
walking or jogging) is an important way to help sustain your bone
health and reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis as you
get older.
Osteoporosis
affects around 2 million Australians, and as with diabetes, the
incidence is predicted to increase in coming years, creating an
enormous burden on our health system.
· Exercise may help protect you from cancer - research
has shown that staying physically active decreases the likelihood
that you'll develop bowel cancer and pre-cancerous bowel polyps.
It also appears to reduce your risk of developing breast or prostate
cancer.
· Exercise improves psychological wellbeing, and can play
a valuable role in the treatment of anxiety and depression. Why
not share the benefits by taking a walk with a friend, or playing
a team sport, and turning your work-out into a social occasion?
· Perhaps most importantly, regular exercise and keeping
fit reduces your risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular
disease. Research indicates that if you are sedentary (i.e. do
little or no exercise), you are nearly twice as likely to experience
a significant cardiovascular event (such as a heart attack) as
someone who exercises moderately.
On
the other hand, the more exercise you do, and the fitter you are,
the more heart protection you have.Yet even with all of these
benefits as motivation, around 15% of Australians simply don't
exercise, and many of the rest of us don't exercise enough.
The situation is so bad that the Department of Health and Ageing
estimates that physical inactivity contributes to around 6400
deaths per year. The good news is that by increasing your fitness,
you are likely to create significant improvements in your health,
now and into the future.
For
example, one study demonstrated that for every additional minute
of exercise capacity (i.e. cardio-respiratory fitness) that he
gains, a man's cardiovascular risk decreases by 8%. So, how much
exercise do you need to protect yourself from cardiovascular disease
and gain all the health benefits listed above?
Whilst
it's comforting to know that the large-scale Nurses' Health Study
and Women's Health Study have demonstrated that doing only a small
amount of exercise is better than doing none at all, experts advise
that to obtain health benefits, we need to exercise at a moderate
intensity for 30 minutes a day, at least five days of the week.
So, over the course of a week, you should be aiming for at least
150 minutes of brisk walking or other moderate-intensity physical
activity (such as weight-lifting, playing golf or social tennis,
or mowing the lawn).
Any
time that you spend doing more vigorous activities (such as jogging,
cycling on steep terrain, circuit training or swimming laps) counts
as double, so you can reduce your workout time by 50%. Having
said that, it's important to bear in mind that regular activity
is the key here, so accumulating your weekly exercise time over
five or more sessions is ideal. That means that if you're fit
enough, and you're pressed for time, you may prefer to jog for
15 minutes five times a week, rather than walk for 30 minutes.
On the other hand, if you're not very fit or are just starting
your exercise program, you might be better off taking three walks
per day, each of ten minutes duration.
The
most important thing is to find out what works for you - and stick
with it for the long haul. And remember, 150 minutes a week is
considered the minimum you need to enjoy the health benefits that
exercise can bring - working out more vigorously or for longer
periods confers even more benefits, and further reduces your risk
of heart disease and other health problems.
As
always, we recommend that you consult your health professional
before starting an exercise regime.
Jayne
Tancred ND is a naturopath, herbalist, nutritionist and health
writer. She is contributes regular features for Nature & Health
magazine, is the author of Healthy Vitamins and Minerals (Lifetime
Distributors) and chief Australian consultant for Nature's Medicines
(Reader's Digest).
We thank Blackmores for this article and you may
see their Web site by Clicking
here
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Drug
offers hope for
Alzheimer's cure
Sunday Jul 23 2006
Melbourne scientists believe they may have found a cure for Alzheimer's
disease if tests on mice prove successful in humans.
In a world first, a Melbourne research team has developed a once-a-day
pill that could stop the debilitating disease in its tracks.
Human trials of the drug PBT2 will begin next month.
Professor George Fink, director of the Mental Health Research
Institute of Victoria, which developed the drug in partnership
with Prana Biotechnology, said it was a major breakthrough.
"I'm getting great excitement out of it, it's certainly another
Eureka," he told Channel 10.
"If we can replicate in a human what occurs at the lab bench
then this will be of great, immense importance."
Prof Fink said the drug could prevent or delay Alzheimer's from
developing.
PBT2 works by attacking a build up of the protein amyloid, which
is thought to cause the brain to rust.
Clinical tests on animals have found the drug acts fast, with
amyloid levels dropping by 60 per cent within 24 hours of a dose.
About 700 Australians are diagnosed with Alzheimer's each week,
with that figure expected to triple within 40 years.
"It is a major breakthrough and very much a Melbourne discovery,"
Prof Fink told the Sunday Herald Sun.
"Though much depends on the next phase of human clinical
trials ... early results indicate this drug offers hope to people
with Alzheimer's disease."
Alzheimer's Australia (Victoria) executive director Lynette Moore
welcomed the development.
"The earlier we can get at this disease the more likely it
is that we're going to halt it in its tracks or reverse it and
the people aren't going to suffer the consequences," Ms Moore
told Channel 10.
AAP 2006
A
Special thank you to MSN & Channel 9 for this article..
www.ninemsn.com/aca
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Circumcision
Could Cut HIV Infection
Male Circumcision Would Prevent Millions of AIDS Deaths in
Africa By Daniel DeNoon, WebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD, Tuesday, July 11, 2006
July 11, 2006 -- Male circumcision, if widely adopted in
Africa, would prevent 3 million deaths over 20 years. It would
work as well as a moderately effective AIDS vaccine.
The prediction comes from an international team of researchers
including Brian G. Williams, PhD, of the World Health Organization.
They report their findings in the July issue of the public-access,
online journal PLoS Medicine.
"Male circumcision could avert 2 million new HIV infections
and 300,000 deaths over the next 10 years in sub-Saharan Africa,"
Williams and colleagues write. "In the 10 years after that,
it could avert a further 3.7 million new infections and 2.7 million
deaths."
About a fourth of the impact would be in South Africa, which is
particularly hard-hit by the AIDS pandemic.
These estimates are based on a 2005 clinical trial that found
male circumcision reduces female-to-male spread of HIV -- the
AIDS virus -- by 60%.
This would be the same effect as an AIDS vaccine that was 37%
effective in protecting both men and women against HIV infection.
Preventing HIV infection of men would slow HIV spread to women.
But Williams and colleagues note that women need protection of
their own -- a safe, HIV-killing agent that could be applied directly
to the vagina prior to sex.
And while it's important to find ways to cut the spread of HIV,
it's even more important to get effective treatments to people
already infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
"The need to keep HIV-positive people alive through the provision
of [AIDS drugs] remains the most immediate priority," Williams
and colleagues write.
SOURCE: Williams, B.G. PLoS Medicine, July 2006;
vol: 3 pp e262.
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Doctors
Now Ease Pain of Circumcision
Survey Shows Most Residency Programs Teach Doctors to Treat Baby's
Pain
By
Jennifer Warner WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MDon
Thursday, July 20, 2006
July 20, 2006 --
More than nine in 10 doctors who are taught circumcision techniques
are also now taught to take pain into consideration before circumcising
a baby boy; that's compared with only seven in 10 a decade ago.
A new survey shows that 97% of these doctors now learn effective
pain relief techniques for circumcision, such as using a local
anesthetic.
"This is a large leap ahead in how physicians are trained
to perform circumcisions, which at 1 million annually, is the
most common surgical procedure," says researcher Daniel Yawman,
MD, MPH, a pediatrician at Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong
and Rochester General Hospital, in a news release. "There
is no reason a newborn should have to endure the pain of circumcision
without a local or topical anesthetic."
Researchers say the results show that the debate over whether
babies feel pain during circumcision has ended. Since 1999, most
major medical associations, including the American Academy of
Pediatrics, have recommended the use of anesthetics to provide
pain relief for infant circumcision.
Circumcision Pain Taken Seriously
In the study, which appears in the journal Ambulatory Pediatrics,
researchers surveyed more than 800 pediatrics, family practice,
and obstetrics and gynecology residency programs across the U.S.
in 2003.
Of the programs that taught circumcision as part of its training
program, 97% of them report teaching residents to ease circumcision
pain with either a local or topical anesthetic.
Researchers say that's substantially higher than the 71% who reported
training residents to treat circumcision pain in a similar survey
conducted in 1995-1996.
However, there is still room for improvement. The survey also
showed that pain relief techniques were used frequently or always
in only 84% of the programs that taught circumcision.
The most common pain relief techniques used for treating circumcision
pain are the dorsal penile nerve block and the subcutaneous ring
block, which involve injecting the painkiller lidocaine to decrease
pain.
Researchers say topical anesthetic creams are less effective at
reducing pain but are safe and provide some pain relief.
SOURCES: Yawman, D. Ambulatory Pediatrics, July-August 2006; vol
6: pp 210-214. News release, University of Rochester Medical Center.
SOURCES: Yawman, D. Ambulatory Pediatrics, July-August
2006; Vol. 6: pp. 210-214. News release, University of Rochester
Medical Center.
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Remember,
all articles here or on any other areas on this site are made
available for information purposes only! Such information is not
intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis,
or treatment.
Doctors4U® or any of its advisors do not accept any liability
for any injury, loss or damage incurred by use of or reliance
on any such information.
Prostate
Cancer
By
Sheryl Taylor
National Nine News medical reporter
Prostate cancer is the second-leading cancer killer of men in
Australia, and now there's a new treatment which offers a cure
if its diagnosed early. Widely available in Europe, the technology
uses high frequency ultrasound to gently heat and melt tumours
with virtually no side effects.
Queenslander Noel Harbrow knows the treatment well. Faced a dilemma
when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he knew it killed
2500 Australian men each year but he was afraid of potential side
effects like incontinence and impotence, which current treatments
can cause.
"I wasn't real keen on radiation, or chemo or having an operation
for that matter," the 71-year-old says.
Instead, Noel booked overseas flights to visit a centre using
High Intensity Focused Ultrasound. The machine first maps the
tumour, then, focussing on a small section at a time, delivers
powerful sound waves which heat and kill malignant prostate cells
in seconds without harming healthy tissue.
Luckily for Noel though, the technology came to Australia last
month and he didn't need to fly.
Dr Bill Lynch, who treated the first patient at Sydney's St George
Hospital says the technique isn't suitable for where cancers have
spread, but effective for early cancer. "Certainly it's a
curative treatment, not a palliative treatment," he says.
The High Intensity Focused Ultrasound has been used in Europe
predominately for five years, he adds. But because it's such a
new treatment here, the procedure will cost from $10,000 and upwards
unless it meets PBS approval.
"Because it uses ultrasound there's no cuts, no knife wounds
or needles at all for the patient. "Recovery is very rapid,
they can go home the same day or the next day."
Noel was the second patient treated in Australia, at John Flynn
Hospital on the Gold Coast. His specialist, Dr Alistair Campbell,
says: "patients who have failed radiotherapy can have this
procedure to once again potentially salvage their situation. "Before,
these patients had very few options."
The High Frequency Focussed Ultrasound is a portable unit which
can be moved to different hospitals as needed. New software is
also expected to slash treatment times from the current three
hours to less than an hour.
Noel has had no side effects, his cancer has gone, and his outlook
has dramatically improved. "I think I might go and play a
bit of bowls," he says with a grin.
© National Nine News 2005 -
A
Special thank you to National 9 News for this important article
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Bowel
Cancer-
Funding
boost for bowel cancer
Tuesday Oct 4 18:00 AEST
By
Sheryl Taylor
National Nine News medical reporter
With bowel cancer now the second leading cause of cancer deaths
after lung cancer, sufferers are welcoming a government move to
pay for new chemotherapy, which doctors describe as the most significant
treatment improvement in a decade.
Major trials have show this new course of drugs can prevent cancer
spreading through the body, as Robyn Gibson's doctors found when
they spotted a major tumour in her bowel three months ago.
"It was all so fast," she says. "I didn't have
time to think about it to be honest, found out one day, had a
CAT scan the next and three days later had the operation."
When surgeons checked her lymph glands to see they'd got to the
tumour in time, one gland was completely infected with cancer.
It meant the cancer was on the verge of spreading, and she needed
chemotherapy to prevent that.
So Robyn was given special one off access to Eloxatin, until now
only available for patients at a cost of thousands of dollars.
"[Eloxatin] will reduce the risk of the tumour coming back
and it will reduce the risk of recurrence by almost 25 percent,"
says Professor John Zalcberg, from the Peter MacCallum Cancer
Institute. "That's a very significant reduction in the recurrence
rate."
Robyn is delighted with the treatment, and calls it a second chance
at life.
"To have just the best available to be one of the 70 percent
who will survive at five years after advanced bowel cancer is
a huge second chance at life," she says.
Now thousands more Australians will have that second chance, with
this chemotherapy made available from October 1 through the Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme, or PBS.
Previously it was on the PBS only for patients whose cancer had
already spread. Now it's approved to stop cancer spreading in
the first place.
"That will affect about 40 percent of new patients,"
Dr Zalcberg says. "This is the drug that's going to help
those patients."
© National Nine News 2005
A Special thank you to National 9 News for this important article
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Breast
Cancer Myths
Survey
shows breast cancer myths persist
Wednesday Sep 28 18:00 AEST
By
Sheryl Taylor
National Nine News medical reporter
Breast cancer kills 2500 Australian women each year, but the results
of a national survey on women's' knowledge about the cancer show
that many are ignoring risk factors and delaying early detection
tests, putting their lives at risk.
The survey of 3000 women found myths are often believed ahead
of lifesaving facts. "It's frightening," says Professor
Don Iverson, from the National Breast Cancer Centre. "Not
just because it's the biggest cancer killer, but because it's
the program we spent the most money on."
Half the women surveyed thought breast cancer was a young person's
disease. "But the risk of breast cancer increases with increasing
age," says Dr Helen Zorbas, from the centre.
Pam Bell found an aggressive breast cancer lump herself seven
years ago, even tho she'd had a mammogram a year before. Surgery,
chemotherapy and five years of Tamoxifen means she's now clear,
but Pam believes one thing really saved her life .
"If I had not seen the GP straight away it would have been
a very different story for me today," she says.
But nearly 40 percent of survey respondents waited more than a
month to report symptoms.
"What we found most disturbing was 23 percent of women who
found a change in their breast didn't see a doctor at all,"
says Dr Zorbas.
Doctors say it seems many fear breast cancer is a death sentence.
But the good news is that nine out of 10 women who are diagnosed
before the cancer has spread will survive. But if the cancer has
spread the difference is chilling, they add, as 80 percent die
within five years of a late diagnosis.
The survey also found one in three women thought alcohol and being
overweight were not risk factors, when in fact having more than
two standard drinks a day increases the risk of breast cancer,
as is being overweight.
The survey results are so concerning the NBCC says it will have
to come up with a whole new approach to fight the disease. That
campaign will be launched, nationally, next month.
© National Nine News 2005
A Special thank you to National 9 News for this important article
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Blood Pressure - New hope
Trial shows new hypertension hope
Tuesday Sep 6 18:00 AEST
By
Sheryl Taylor
National Nine News medical reporter
One of the largest clinical trials ever conducted has found that
the rate of strokes and heart attacks can be cut in half when
new blood pressure pill combinations are used.
More than 19,000 men and women with high blood pressure from Britain,
Ireland and Scandinavia took part in the study, called the ASCOT
trial. The results are published today in The Lancet.
The trial tested the effectiveness of combining two newer drugs,
perindopril (sold as Coversyl) and amlodipine (sold as Norvasc).
This new drug combination is seen as a breakthrough since it cuts
the risk of strokes by 25 percent, heart attacks by 15 percent,
heart disease by 25 percent and diabetes by 30 percent.
"There was a clear difference that couldn't be explained
by chance," says Proffessor Stephen MacMahon, from the George
Institute for International Health. "It was absolutely clear
that the newer agents were giving much bigger benefits."
The trial so definitive that it was halted five years early, since
it would have been ethically incorrect to keep giving the other
group in the trial the old medications.
"The result were so significant with fewer deaths in the
group taking the newer drugs combination, that the safety monitoring
board halted the trial early," Dr MacMahon says. "They
stress there wasn't anything wrong with the older drugs, it's
just that the newer drugs are clearly more effective."
Three million Australians have high blood pressure, but less than
half receive these newer drugs.
Bill Strachan is lucky his GP did prescribe them, and he's dropped
out of the danger zone from a blood pressure reading that was
190/90.
"I dropped back to 130/75," he says. "I'm quite
happy with that!"
Trial Co-ordinator Professor Neil Poulter says: "I think
the guidelines for hypertension treatment will change."
© National Nine News 2005
A Special thank you to National 9 News for this important article
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Resucitation
rules to change
Tuesday December 20, 2005
By
Sheryl Taylor
National Nine News medical reporter
The
rules for saving someone's life are about to change.
An international committee has agreed to the biggest reforms in
the guidelines on CPR for 20 years. The aim is to make CPR easier
to remember so people will be more willing to use it.
Most heart attacks happen in the home or at work and bystanders
are typically inexperienced in CPR, or lack confidence in the
training they've received which prevents them trying CPR.
"Its an unfortunate stark reality that less than 50 percent
of people who have a cardiac arrest get any CPR or any resuscitation
prior to an ambulance arriving," says Ian Jacobs from the
Australian Resuscitation Council.
A three year international evaluation of resuscitation techniques
has found people get confused trying to remember the different
methods recommended for adult and child victims. The guidelines
have now simplified to a single formula for all victims - 30 chest
compressions followed by two rescue breaths.
The review also found a longer period of chest compressions keeps
blood flowing to the heart, improving survival chances.
The biggest changes are for children. Previously it was thought
because most children collapsed from respiratory conditions such
as asthma or drowning, that more ventilations were needed.
"Now we're saying do 30 to two for everyone. So the message
really for everyone is if you come across someone who's collapsed
in the street or home and needs CPR, then having one set of numbers
to remember, 30/2 makes it simple," Jacobs says.
The Resuscitation Council still needs to finalise the CPR changes
with key medical groups such as St John Ambulance Australia, The
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and nurses's associations.
However, the changes are certain to be introduced and taught from
February next year.
© National Nine News 2005
A
Special thank you to National 9 News for this important article
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Remember, these articles are made available for information purposes
only, and are not intended to be a substitute for professional
medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Also, the accuracy, currency
and completeness of the information is not guaranteed. Doctors4U
does not accept any liability for any injury, loss or damage incurred
by use of or reliance on the information.
New
pill for bowel cancer sufferers
Tuesday
Apr 4 18:00 AEST
By Sheryl Taylor
National Nine News medical reporter
A new bowel cancer treatment that attacks the cancer at its source
without the need for hospital stays has been fast-tracked onto
the government's subsidy scheme.
When someone has early stage bowel cancer, it's usually surgically
removed, followed by chemotherapy to stop it coming back.
Now, instead of long days in hospital, patients take a tablet,
Xeloda, at home.
Sufferer Colleen Fuller was diagnosed with bowel cancer after
a routine colonoscopy. After surgery, she was relieved to find
she could be treated with Xeloda instead of being hooked up to
intravenous chemotherapy for days and weeks.
"It's not intrusive at all," Colleen says. "I've
been able to get on with my life … I'm a school teacher and
I've been able to return to work for two days."
Xeloda is the first chemotherapy pill for bowel cancer, targeting
cancer cells once absorbed in the body.
Westmead Hospital's Dr Nicholas Wilcken says the pills are an
improvement.
"Trials have shown that, compared to standard IV treatment,
these tablets work just as well, in fact slightly better in preventing
cancer reccurances," Dr Wilcken says.
About 12,000 Australians are now diagnosed with bowel cancer each
year and it's become the nation's second biggest cancer killer.
But today's Government funding of the chemotherapy pill will ensure
more patients get better treatment.
Dr Nicholas Wilcken says the decision opens up the options for
cancer sufferers.
"It's a great thing because it means all Australians who
need to have treatment for bowel cancer in the early stages do
have a tablet option," he says. "It's safe and effective,
and it also means in general they will have fewer side effects."
Another sufferer, Denis Crawford's cancer was found by chance:
he noticed a lump in his abdomen when doing up his trouser belt.
Scans revealed bowel cancer, and he was given Xeloda last year.
Crawford says he's managed to improve his golf handicap during
his stress-free treatment, and was given the all clear from cancer
this week.
"I think it's great that it's available for everybody else,"
Dennis says. "It saved my life and I think it's a wonderful
thing."
For more information, telephone: 1800
233 950.
A special thank to National 9 News and ACA for this article.
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Injecting
quality of life to cancer patients
Wednesday June 7, 2006
By Sheryl Taylor
National Nine News medical reporter
Many
of the 20,000-odd Australian men receiving treatment for prostate
cancer are set to benefit from a new six-monthly injection that
delays the cancer's progress.
The injection, known as Eligard, suppresses testosterone production
which stops the growth of cancer cells and reduces the number
of injections sufferers need to just two a year. It can keep cancer
in remission and is available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
You'd never know Ted Oliver is being treated for prostate cancer
- he can go on an extended holiday and not worry about treatment
until the end of the year. Even then he won't have to go in to
hospital, just a doctor's visit for a six-monthly injection, for
his Eligard treatment, to keeps his cancer in check.
"I'm overjoyed, because in terms of quality of life, it's
certainly a benefit to the patient," Mr Oliver said.
The male hormone testosterone that makes prostate cancer grow
can be operated on or reduced with radiation if caught early.
But if it has spread, hormone injections help delay cancer's progression;
this latest formulation is injected as a gel - active ingredients
released slowly over the next six months.
"By giving hormone therapy we're blocking testosterone and
in 90 percent of men we're sending the prostate cancer into remission,"
said Dr Phillip Katelaris, a urological surgeon with the Prostate
Cancer Rehabilitation Centre in Sydney.
For further information : Prostate Cancer Rehabilitation Centre
in Sydney's website at www.prostatecancer.com.au
A
special thank to National 9 News and ACA for this article.
To see MSN home page Click here
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The
good oil for behavioural problems
20 June 2006
Fish
oil may be useful in helping children with behavioural difficulties
such as Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, concentration problems and
attention difficulties, studies have shown.
ADHD
affects about 80,000 Australian children. More often than not,
these children are prescribed medication.
However,
with revelations earlier this year that nearly 400 serious adverse
reactions to ADHD drugs including Ritalin and dexamphetamine had
been reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, it's no
wonder many sufferers and their parents are seeking relief from
alternative remedies.
Child
psychologist Doctor Madeline Portwood has carried out scientific
tests in which children diagnosed with ADHD who took fish oil
had improved concentration and were better able to follow directions.
"I
can say conclusively that children's behaviour is changing. Children
are becoming more difficult to control and concentration is becoming
a real issue and from the research that I've done, that is because
of their diets," she says.
The
old wives tale says fish is brain food. Like some nuts and leafy
greens it is rich in fatty acids our bodies can't produce, and
those fatty acids make up the substance of our brains.
Australian
children aren't eating much fish so they aren't getting many fatty
acids in their diets and Dr Portwood is convinced this is affecting
their brains.
Poppy
Pnonopluie's eight-year-old son Marcus couldn't concentrate or
retain information and he hated school.
For
two months he's been taking Eye Q - a fish oil supplement high
in omega-3 fatty acids - and life has changed.
"I
feel a bit happy because I'm getting smarter," Marcus says.
Even
his teacher has noticed a difference, saying he's working much
better in class and she's very impressed.
Anne
Marie Davey is another convert to fish oil. One of her sons Nick
has ADHD and autism, while her other son Tom has attention defecit
disorder. Even on prescription drugs life was nothing short of
chaotic until they started taking fish oil.
"They
were on it for a couple of months and the difference was huge
from what they were to what they are now and they just seem to
be getting better," Anne Marie says.
Eye
Q is a specially formulated combination of omega-3 fish oils and
evening primrose oil.
The
oil comes in a 60-capsule bottle for $29, a 180-capsule bottle
for $69 and a liquid bottle for $29.95 and is available from leading
health food shops and pharmacists.
To find out more about Eye Q visit the website www.novasel.com.au
or email adelaide@novasel.com.au
A Special thank you to MSN & Channel 9's
ACA for this article.
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Remember,
any articles in our Doctors4U® Medical Directories are made
available for information purposes only, and are not intended
to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis,
or treatment. Also, the accuracy, currency and completeness of
the information is not guaranteed. Doctors4U does not accept any
liability for any injury, loss or damage incurred by use of or
reliance on the information.
Drug
subsidy gives breast cancer hope
August 23, 2006 04:10am
Article from: AAP
BREAST cancer sufferers will
soon have subsidised access to the life-saving wonder drug Herceptin,
which until now had been costing patients up to $50,000 a year.
Federal cabinet yesterday decided to place Herceptin on the Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme from October 1, at a cost of $470 million over
four years.
The decision means breast cancer patients will pay just $30 a
dose for the drug.
Herceptin targets a type of breast cancer which produces an increased
amount of a protein molecule called human epidermal growth factor
receptor 2 (HER2).
The drug will only help women with so-called HER 2 positive breast
cancer - an extremely aggressive form of the disease - but is
expected to bring hope to about 2000 Australians a year.
Health Minister Tony Abbott says studies have shown that women
able to use Herceptin have a 30 per cent greater survival rate.
"This is a good example of the fact that we are prepared
to list very expensive drugs if we believe they are genuinely
cost-effective," he said.
"It shows how important it is to be constantly vigilant to
try to get the best possible value from the existing range of
drugs."
The Cancer Council said the decision to subsidise Herceptin for
patients is an important step forward in combating cancer.
About 2500 Australian women die of breast cancer every year and
about 14,000 are diagnosed with breast cancer.
We thank AAP for this article.
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Voltaren users told not to panic
By
Tamara McLean
September 13, 2006 06:11pm
Article from: AAP
DOCTORS and pharmacists have told users of the popular painkiller
Voltaren not to panic about research showing the drug greatly
increases the risk of heart attack.
A University of Newcastle study found the common anti-inflammatory
medication diclofenac - best known under the Voltaren brand -
boosts the chance of heart attack and stroke by 40 per cent.
The work, an analysis of 17 studies published in the latest Journal
of the American Medical Association, found diclofenac could be
harmful, even at commonly used doses.
The researchers put the risk of the drug, also sold as Clonac,
Diclohexal and Fenac, on par with the controversial anti-arthritis
drug Vioxx, which was withdrawn worldwide in 2004.
Lead researcher Professor David Henry said the findings raised
serious questions about the safety of diclofenac.
He warned that the chance of heart attack or stroke was increased
only for patients already at risk of heart disease, such as diabetics,
smokers, and people with high blood pressure.
Australian Medical Association President Mukesh Haikerwal called
for calm on the issue, saying those taking the over-the-counter
medication should not panic.
"(Voltaren) has been in use for 20-plus years and it is probably
the widest-used anti-inflammatory drug in the world," Dr
Haikerwal said.
"Used wisely, and with good review, and at the minimum possible
dose, it is a very good thing to continue to use if it helps your
pain. "People shouldn't be worried about it."
He put the increase in risk of heart attack or stroke at about
one per cent, and said people using Voltaren cream for joint or
muscle pain should have even less concerns because the dose was
much smaller.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia's national executive councillor
Alison Roberts said: "We would advise patients who are taking
diclofenac to discuss the issue with their medical practitioners
and raise any concerns they may have."
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has almost completed a two-year
review of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including the
need for new warnings about diclofenac.
"We're not seeing the alarming statistics that Professor
Henry is seeing in the very small snapshot of research that he
looked at," a spokeswoman for the drug regulator said.
Voltaren's manufacturer, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Australia, has
said it was reviewing the research.
We
thank www.news.com.au as
well as AAP for this article.
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Senate
report backs therapeutic cloning
Tuesday October 31, 2006. 05:50 AM
Federal parliament has moved a step closer to overturning the
ban on therapeutic cloning, with a bipartisan Senate committee
backing embryonic stem cell research.
The committee examined the expert Lockhart review, which earlier
this year recommended changing the law to allow cloning for stem
cell research, and two bills that would give it legislative effect.
The committee's report, tabled on Monday, outlines arguments supporting
and opposing the technology to help MPs who will have a conscience
vote on the issue next month.
The two authors of private member's bills seeking to overturn
legislation, Democrats senator Natasha Stott Despoja and Liberal
senator and former health minister Kay Patterson, were members
of the committee.
A majority of committee members recommended voting for Senator
Patterson's bill.
Senator Patterson said the report would affect swaying MPs and
senators' views, but the committee process firmed members' existing
views about the Lockhart recommendations, rather than changing
them.
"I think they will look at the submission and look at the
report as part of their decision making," she said.
Health Minister Tony Abbott, a devout Catholic who strongly opposes
therapeutic cloning, has said he would be surprised if the report
changed his view.
Thirty-six hours have been set aside for debate on the bills in
the Senate, beginning November 6, with a free vote expected at
the end of that week.
We especially thank Channel 7 and AAP for this
copy news report.
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