Series
Heart attack, stroke, cancer: What does the science say? We explain
World experts tackle myths and misunderstandings about common health issues in our Explainers. We aim to bring you clear information and fresh insights in easy-to-digest reads.
- Explainer
- Health
How can you tell if you’re having a heart attack?
One in every 25 deaths in Australia is from heart attack. More than half will be sudden. What are the signs?
- Sophie Aubrey
- Explainer
- Healthcare
At 40, Jim collapsed with a stroke. Would you know the signs?
Strokes strike young and old. In most cases, time is critical in getting help. How can you tell? And what are the treatments?
- Jackson Graham
- Explainer
- Healthcare
Why is cancer so hard to cure?
Some 50,000 Australians will die from cancer this year, despite big breakthroughs in treatments. What makes cancer so very tough to treat?
- Kate Aubusson, Jackson Graham and Felicity Lewis
- Explainer
When should you seek a second medical opinion?
Getting another view can be the sensible thing to do, or simply reassuring. When might you want one – and what are the red flags?
- Jackson Graham
- Explainer
Why do we fall as we age (and can we prevent it)?
The likelihood of falling grows, and the consequences worsen, as we age. What steps can we take to protect ourselves?
- Jackson Graham and Kayla Olaya
- Explainer
Dim light, failing sight: Behind this classic sign of middle-age
The menu looks foggy. The tiny instructions are a blur. It’s that time when your vision, a marvel of evolution, needs some help. What’s going on?
- Jackson Graham
- Explainer
Why hearing damage leaves ears ‘smashed and bent’ on the inside
Blasting headphones, loud gigs – it can take years for the damage to show. Then there’s everyday wear and tear to our ears. Here’s how it can be helped.
- Jackson Graham
- Explainer
‘Walking on jagged gravel’: When to get a knee or hip replacement
Some 150,000 artificial joints go into Australians’ bodies every year. But they’re no easy fix. What’s it like to get a new hip or knee, or both?
- Jackson Graham
- Explainer
Why is the prostate so prone to problems?
From trouble with the waterworks to deadly cancer, the prostate seems to attract trouble for men. Why? And what’s to be done about it?
- Liam Mannix
- Explainer
‘That sounds a bit made up’: Why frozen shoulder is real (and it hurts)
First comes the pain, then the immobility. Here’s what experts know about this mysterious condition.
- Jackson Graham
- Explainer
Side to side, up and down, all in a spin. What’s vertigo?
Vertigo can last for hours, days or longer – and it’s more common than you might think. Why does it happen?
- Samantha Selinger-Morris
- Explainer
Myth versus fact: What we know about the risks and side effects of the new weight-loss drugs
Pancreatitis, vision loss ... the risks of drugs such as Ozempic can sound scary. But what does the evidence show?
- Jackson Graham and Hannah Kennelly
- Explainer
It’s more than a shake or a shuffle. Inside the world of Parkinson’s disease
Every year more than 11,000 Australians discover they have Parkinson’s, and they’re not all over 65. What’s it like to live with the condition?
- Angus Thomson
- Explainer
‘It triggers an explosion’: What causes allergies and can they be prevented?
Five million Australians have allergies. How can parents know if their child has one? And how is an intolerance different?
- Jackson Graham
- Explainer
What happens when sun hits your skin? It’s not pretty
Radiation from the sun can cause havoc in humans. How do you spot the signs of skin cancer – and protect against it?
- Samantha Selinger-Morris
- Explainer
‘No idea what’s going on until something snaps’: How osteoporosis creeps up
More than 6 million Australians have low bone density. How does bone get lost and remade? And how do you know if it’s osteoporosis?
- Jackson Graham
- Explainer
Bruce Willis has dementia. What is it, and what’s it like to live with?
Every three seconds, someone in the world develops a form of dementia. So why is it so poorly understood?
- Jewel Topsfield
- Explainer
What does heat do to the body – and how does it kill?
Deadly heatwaves are on the rise around the globe, but what does the heat do to us – and what’s the best way to stay cool?
- Sherryn Groch
- Explainer
‘Like an electric shock’: Why shingles is the ultimate nerve pain
It hides in the body then suddenly erupts. It can return; symptoms can linger. Who gets shingles? And what’s the new vaccine?
- Liam Mannix
- Explainer
It starts as an itch then the urge grows. What’s it like to have Tourette’s?
Most people with Tourette’s don’t swear, but their tics can be hard to control. Still, many succeed in reframing Tourette’s as just one part of who they are. What’s it like to live with this disorder?
- Jackson Graham
- Explainer
‘Disorders of consciousness’: What happens in a coma?
An “acute brain failure” jettisons a patient, their doctors and families into an anxious twilight zone. How aware is a person in a coma? And how are decisions made in the face of uncertainty?
- Jackson Graham
- Explainer
It can stop you breathing more than 100 times an hour. What’s sleep apnoea?
Sometimes the silence can be more alarming than the snoring. Why are sleepers left gasping for breath, and how does everyone get a good night’s rest?
- Jackson Graham
- Explainer
Millions are battling superbugs. What happens when the drugs don’t work?
They could wipe 20 years off average life expectancy and rock the foundations of modern medicine. What are superbugs? What can we do about them?
- Henrietta Cook
- Explainer
How are doctors unravelling the mystery of long COVID?
They call them long-haulers – people still suffering long after a bout of COVID-19. But what is the condition? Doctors expect the answer will change our understanding of immunity forever.
- Sherryn Groch
- Explainer
It’s so much more than a headache. What happens in the brain during a migraine?
Auras. Electric waves. Strange food cravings. For a condition that affects so many of us, migraine remains mysterious (and under-researched). Now a better type of treatment is finally emerging.
- Sherryn Groch
- Explainer
Why do men die younger than women?
Is it biology or man-made factors that lead to men dying younger in every age group until old age? And why does male risk-taking involve much more than fast cars and extreme sport?
- Jackson Graham
- Explainer
Most cardiac arrests happen in the home. Could you do CPR?
“Your adrenalin goes through the stratosphere,” says an expert. Our reporter quickly found out during a real-life emergency.
- Julie Power
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