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Sight for sore eyes
Is your eyesight failing? This advice will have you seeing well into the future. Going to see an optometrist (an eye doctor) can help prevent, heal or reduce damage to your eyesight, but 35 per cent of Indigenous adults have never been to one. Here, Joy McLaughlin, Indigenous Programs Manager for The Fred Hollows Foundation, […]
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Keep an eye out for the ear van
There’s a deadly van with a custom-painted Aboriginal artwork by Cherbourg artist Peter Carlo driving around Queensland’s South Burnett region.
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Beat the winter bugs with a flu shot
Influenza and pneumonia, which can develop from flu, are the primary causes of death for about 2.5 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, mostly adults. The risk increases if you’re over 50, or if you’re considered high-risk, which includes people who have diabetes or renal disease or drink excessive amounts of alcohol. […]
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Space invaders
Our homes can be dangerous places where bugs and bacteria breed. Care and lots of soap and water are your best defence. Sickness can be caused by inadequate domestic or personal hygiene. Not cleaning the toilet, not getting rid of rubbish, not washing clothes and bedding frequently, and not storing food properly are some examples […]
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Look ear! (Ear Infections)
Four out of every five children under the age of six-years-old have a middle ear infection at least once. Although it is a common condition particularly in Indigenous children, if left untreated or unmonitored it can lead to social, emotional, physical and educational issues later in life. In the Northern Territory, schools have identified up […]
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Lack of respiratory care in NT
Indigenous people living in remote Northern Territory communities are suffering from a lack of care in respiratory disease, leading to climbing numbers of death and disease. At a conference in Darwin yesterday, Australian and overseas members of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand heard that lung disease and respiratory disorders are increasing among […]
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Meet the future of Indigenous medicine
For Indigenous students Tyron Clayworth, Kyharne Biles and Andrew Julian, making a difference in Indigenous health is not just a commendable idea – it’s a goal they’ve made concrete steps toward fulfilling. The medical students from Port Macquarie, Dubbo and Hurstville have been named as the University of New South Wales’ first Balnaves Scholars, each […]
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Is Dengue fever outbreak a sign of the times?
The dengue fever outbreak in Far North Queensland coincides with comment that Indigenous Australians in remote areas will be hardest hit by climate change. In an editorial in the The Medical Journal of Australia, three authors from different fields have called for recognition of the vulnerability of Indigenous people in some of the hottest parts […]
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Sleep linked to immune system health
Medical researchers are discovering that sleep may be the body’s way of recharging your immune system, explaining why poor sleepers are prone to infections and heart disease. Doctors and scientists have long been puzzled over exactly why sleep is so vital to the functioning of the human body. From the perspective of evolution, it’s hard […]
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Kidney Disease – The Silent Killer
Don’t let your kidneys waste your life In recent years, deaths from chronic kidney disease for Indigenous Australians in some age groups have been between 30 and 60 times more common than those of non-Indigenous Australians. Although Indigenous people are at high risk of getting kidney disease, many people haven’t heard of the disease and […]
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Give the gift of life this Christmas – give blood.
While one in three Australians will need blood at some stage during their lifetime, only one in 30 give it. But giving blood is quick, free and painless – and you can make a difference to the lives of thousands of Australians just by making regular donations. The Australian Red Cross Blood Service has a […]
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Talking Tucker
What you eat can have a huge impact on your health. But eating right is easy once you know what you need – and what you don’t! By now everyone’s heard of the 17 year gap between the life expectancy of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. But this isn’t set in stone. There is a lot […]
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Crisis Call
Diabetes is hitting us too hard – it’s time to fight back. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have the fourth highest rate of type 2 diabetes in the entire world. Figures vary, but it’s estimated that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Indigenous Australians is anywhere from two up to 10 times that […]
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A Rash Decision (Measles)
Protect your kids from measles – get them vaccinated! Measles was once a common childhood illness. However, after the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1966, reported cases became extremely rare. But in the past few years, numbers of reported cases of measles have started to increase again. This is mostly due to tourists bringing […]
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Silent and Deadly (Kidney Disease)
Think you could be at risk of kidney disease? Don’t delay – get checked today. Kidney disease is having an even greater impact on Indigenous communities than previously realised, particularly in the Northern Territory, where it is estimated that up to 50 per cent of Indigenous people over 35 years old have kidney disease. New […]
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Listen Up! (Hearing)
Hearing is one of those things we tend to take for granted. This means a lot of us are not paying any attention to our hearing health. But, once damaged or impaired, hearing cannot be returned to its original state. Hearing loss can be caused in a number of ways, including: blockages of the ear […]
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