Family medicine

Many parents today may believe their children have a lot more distractions than what they did as a kid with the invention of Facebook and texting, but is this really the case? US child psychologist Professor Douglas Gentile says Facebook and texting aren’t any better or worse than what today’s parents did as teens: watch […]

A US study has found that teenagers diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are far more likely to have suicidal tendencies compared to other teens. The University of Maryland research team surveyed 248 young people aged nine to 18 years, of whom half had been diagnosed with ADHD as young children, the UK’s Daily […]

It is possible to eat well and keep fit, even if you're pinching pennies until they squeak. Here's how.

Sitting your kids down in front of the television could be more harmful than you think, new research shows. Children who watch more than two hours of television a day have twice as much chance of developing asthma as those who watch less than this. This new research conducted by the Medical Research Council in […]

Eating more fruit and vegetables and consuming less red meat and alcohol could prevent thousands of incidences of cancers each year, according to a major new study. The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) discovered that 12 major types of cancer, including breast, bowel, stomach and pancreatic cancers, could be reduced by 39 per cent simply […]

Did you down a glass of ordinary orange juice at breakfast? Do try to keep up! The new and incredibly nutritious ‘super-juices’ provide a wealth of health-promoting ingredients. Pamela Allardice shows you four wiser ways to wet your whistle. Amazing acaiThe berries of the Amazonian acai palm (Euterpe oleracea) produce a claret-coloured juice with a […]

Nicknamed the ‘sunshine vitamin’ because your body makes it from sunlight, vitamin D is essential for overall health. However, even in sunny Australia, you might not be getting enough, says Pamela Allardice. Bone densityVitamin D (which is technically not a vitamin, but a hormone which your body produces in response to UVB rays) builds a […]

A US study has found that women carry a far greater number of bacteria on the palms of their hands than men, and that washing them in fact has little impact on the diversity of bacteria we carry. The findings revealed that not only do human hands in general have a far greater range of […]

Although pollen from trees may pose a problem for children with asthma, a study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health claims trees actually reduce asthma rates. Columbia University researchers found asthma incidence in children aged 4-5 years fell by nearly 30% for every extra 343 trees planted per square kilometre. There were also […]

The question of whether plastics can harm human health has been debated for years. Pamela Allardice has the latest. According to chemical manufacturers, plastics industry associations and bodies like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), plastics are safe when used correctly. However, some experts are concerned by research which shows that certain compounds in […]