Virtual Mens Health

Eating Disorders: More common than you think?

The US obesity rate stands at 32.2%, but what about the other end of the scale? A recent comprehensive online survey has found that an alarming 75% of American women aged 25-45 have admitted to possess disordered eating behaviours or its related symptoms. This discovery breaks the stereotype that these issues only affect young women as it was observed that the rate of onset of eating disord

Australia's shameful rate of organ donation

Australia's rate of organ and tissue donation is shockingly low compared to other developed countries such as Spain and the US. So why does Australia lag so far behind on a global scale? It sounds like a straightforward question, but there is no simple answer. Studies show that most Australians support organ and tissue donation. Surprisingly though, very few people make their wishes known by regis

Slow reading in dyslexia is tied to disorganized brain tracts

People with dyslexia have been shown to have dissorganised white matter. It is thought that the organisation of the white matter in our brain affects our fluency in reading and in processing visual stimuli. Pinpointing the brain structures responsible for fluent reading may eventually help researchers and educational specialists develop and use remediation techniques that help improve the autom

Needlestick Injuries are a Sore Point

Needlestick injuries are endemic in Australian hospitals, occurring once every two days. Doctors, nurses and non-clinical staff such as cleaners and laundry workers can be affected. The issue causes so much anxiety to hospital workers because needlestick injuries have the potential to transmit blood borne viruses such as Hepatitis C (HCV) and HIV. The rate of needlestick injury remains alarmingly

Obesity Linked to Pain

Obesity is the key public health issue for the 21st century. With around 1 in 5 adults now obese, Australia is experiencing an obesity epidemic. Scientists have now proven there is a link between obesity and pain, with evidence that people suffering from obesity are 76% more likely to feel pain. More and more evidence is mounting about the pain people diagnosed with obesity are suffering from,

Too Much Self-control Can Overwhelm Brain

It may be admirable to try to quit smoking, cut out junk food and hit the gym all at the same time, but new research from the University of Toronto suggests that success is more likely when people tackle one bad habit at a time. Too much self-control, the researchers say, may deplete the brain. Click here for full article.

Major Gender Gap in Use of Life-Saving Heart Device

Again and Again, the issue of sexual predjuce is evident in our society. Why are men given access to the life saving device of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) two to three times more than women? For people with Heart failure an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) can be life-saving. "We don't know why the difference exists, but we do know that this is bad news for w

Clues to Wrinkles may be found in Facial Bone Structure

As new ways and products are continuously being made to fight the signs of ageing researchers at Duke University Medical Center have discovered that it is not in fact the initial thought that gravity is causing wrinkles but the underlying bone structure. Whilst the rest of our body stops growing by the end of puberty our skull does not. The forehead moves forward while the cheek bones move backwar

Obesity and sexuality

Being obese not only contributes to a vast number of medical conditions but it can also impair your sexuality. If you are overweight, you may feel like a social outcast, unattractive and undesirable to the opposite sex. Medical experience has shown that obese individuals commonly experience less sexual enjoyment, less desire, have difficulty performing, and even avoid sexual encounters altogether.

Preventing Head Lice

With six to twelve million kids bothered by head lice in America alone its important for parents to be aware of how they are spreading and how to prevent them. Head lice can only be contracted through head contact or items of clothing such as hats they cannot fly or jump and need human hair to live and breed. With so many treatments how do you know which is the right one to use? And are home remed

Trick or treat: the truth about candy.

Halloween is one of those 'special occasions' when we tend to let our kids overindulge in the candy department. Here the Dentists of Medical College of Georgia ask the question whether this candy splurge really is that bad for rotting teeth? The answer; like everything else, sweets are best consumed in moderation, however the occasional intake is OK. Parents should be regulating their child's

Alcohol advertisements encouraging kids to drink!

A study in the US concluded that teenagers attending schools which were allowing alcohol advertising and promotion to circulate in the area had much higher statistics of kids who had intentions of drinking. With millions of dollars being spent in campaigns to prevent drug and alcohol use in teenagers, it seems almost a waste of money when we are constantly faced with advertisements doing the exact

Promising Bowel Cancer treatment

A new gene treatment, Gene-Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy has been developed to selectively target cancer cells in the Bowel. So what makes this therapy so special? This therapy only targets the activated tumour, leaving healthy cells unaffected whilst killing tumour cells in 'neighbouring regions' at the same time. In Australia alone, Bowel Cancer is the 2nd most common cancer in men and r

The link between stress and comfort eating

Most people would agree that indulging in their favourite food, is a comforting experience. Especially if your reason for the indulgence was stress, loneliness, depression or boredom. This type of eating is called 'comfort eating' or eating in response to emotions, and is an eating disorder. Often taking place when the person isn't hungry at all, comfort eating is related to obesity and many other

Are we overlooking our children's behaviour?

ADHD, or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorder affecting children. And yet statistics show that it is still under diagnosed. Approximately 8.7% of American children (2.4 million) meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD but are not treated. To be diagnosed with ADHD, a child must qualify with a number of symptoms, including hyperactivity in at l

Body-conscious Girls Wrong to Ditch Dairy

Adolescence is a time for building strong bones and maximising their strength for life. However, due to the insecurities and pressures felt by teenage girls, many are avoiding dairy foods in fear of gaining weight. What they don't realise is that for their age the difference between average dairy and low dairy diets is very little. A recent study in 45 teenage girls found no difference in the perc

ADHD is currently being undertreated in our kids

New research from the United States of America has revealed that nearly 9% of children suffer from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD is therefore a common condition affecting children that causes major burdens on the community. This landmark study unfortunately showed that only 32% of children who meet criteria for ADHD are actually receiving appropriate treatment. Children fro

Is Obesity Costing the Australian Workforce?

The obesity epidemic began to appear in the 90's and has since caused ever increasing costs to health services. A National Health Survey found that the number of Australians considered obese reached nearly 2.5 million in 2004-05. Many studies have found that this health issue is increasing the costs to the Australian workforce. Obese people are more likely to have less education and lower statu

Hepatitis B Transmission through Sweat

HBV or Hepatitis B, is a highly infectious virus responsible for cirrhosis of the liver, cancer of the liver, chronic liver damage and liver failure. With carriers often going through long periods with no symptoms, completely unaware they have it. It is known that the virus is transferred through contaminated blood, open wounds, mucous membranes...and now sweat. Recently the fluid has come under s

Methamphetamine Abuse

Numerous anti-ice campaigns have now been launched as the Australian government tries to control the growing problem. Only recently have the negative effects of the methamphetamine, 'ice' become obvious. An estimated 10.4 million Americans ages 12 or older have used methamphetamines, with more than half a million Australians having used it in the past year. Some of the recorded side affects incl

The Obesity Epidemic.

Obesity: a chronic disease due to an excess of body fat or more precisely, a body mass index (BMI ) greater than 30. associated with cardiovascular, metabolic and physical morbidities. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions. And if you weren't alarmed before you will be now -Current statistics suggest t

Glow in the Dark Mosquitoes prevent Spread of Malaria

One of the drawbacks of venturing outside at night, is the possible attack of Mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are high on the list of most hated insects, and are known to leave itchy red sores as a result of their blood sucking bites. The small, almost invisible bugs, are also responsible for transmitting Malaria. ( An infectious disease caused by a single-celled protozoan parasite called Plasmodium) Malar

Debunking the Myths About Male Enhancement Drugs

In the past, sex was an unthinkable topic in public conversation. But as if making up for lost time; it is now a common and accepted thing to talk and ask questions about. Although this undoubtedly has its benefits, there are those who are trying to gain enterprise from the open dissatisfactions of people's sexual lives- especially men's. New miracle drugs and sexual performance enhancers are bein

Presenting the New Look Virtual Medical Centre

The Virtual Medical Centre Team has been very busy over the last few weeks redesigning and developing our New Virtual Medical Centre Website. Our website change over will happen on 28th July 2007 at 12:00am GMT. All the information and features from our original site are still here, the site redesign was focused on improvements in usability as well as look and feel. We are using more colours

Sweet Snacks Could Be Best Medicine For Stress

You've come home from a long day at work, stressed out and craving sugar. So you take the plunge and indulge in a sweet snack, but don't feel too guilty about it! Researchers from the University of Cincinnati, have now proven that eating sugary foods when stressed, can in fact reduce your chances of obesity. Confused? Let me explain;the hormone responsible - glucocorticoid, is known to be relea

The Highs and Lows of Carbohydrates

Carbs. The word spikes fear into the hearts of many Australian dieters, those who know the effect carbohydrates can have on weight and health. Carbs are contained in a wide range of foods and are generally the main staple of most people's diets. But they can become a problem to those wishing to lose weight, and many of the recent fad diets consist of cutting them out completely. However this is an

Answers to your questions about substance abuse in children treated with medication in ADHD

Recently there has been increased publicity regarding the link between the use of pyschostimulant medications in ADHD and the risk of developing substance use disorders. However, despite this increased publicity and resultant increased concern there has been findings in recent literature that dispel these claims. A meta-analysis performed in 2003, which was published in the Journal of Paediatrics,

How Normal is Smoking? Teens Don't Know

Teenagers, the next generation. Most influenced by the media and advertising, have no idea how many people in the world smoke. It has now been proven that most High School students highly overestimate the number of people who smoke, and this in turn is influencing their own smoking choices.. There are currently around 250 million women in the world that are daily smokers, and almost one billion m

Pillows: A Hot Bed Of Fungal Spores

There's more than just feathers in your pillow, according to a recent study that has revealed that millions of fungal spores live right under our sleeping heads. The researchers dissected both feather and synthetic samples and identified several thousand spores of fungus per gram of used pillow - more than a million spores per pillow. Each pillow looked at was found to contain a substantial viral

40 Percent of 3-Month-Old Infants are Regularly Watching TV

Television; a popular and convienient form of entertainment delivered to the privacy of your home, generally enjoyed by the whole family. Now Including infants. T.V is becoming an easy option to keeping children occupied as it takes the place of new age electronic babysitter. Pediatritions advise that parents be aware of how long they let their infants watch T.V and monitor what they are viewing

Are You Making The Right Food Shopping Choices?

Before you drop that low fat yoghurt or 'light' option of your favourite food into your trolley, let's consider the facts. They are printed on the back of the food item, often barely visible, in miniature font. The reason they are so inconspicuous, is because it is becoming increasingly common for food items to mask themselves as 'Lite', 'Light' and 'Diet' products. More often than not, the light

'Don't Die of Embarrassment'

Did you know that bowel cancer, is the second highest cancer responsible for the death of one Australian every two hours? Did you also know that it is one of the most curable form's of cancer? So then why are so many people dying from it, when an early diagnosis and treatment show such positive results? Embarrassment, that's why. And it's a phrase everyone is saying, as the 8th annual Bowel Canc

Bullying and obesity: Why parents need to be aware

It is well known that bullying in school is having an adverse effect on our kids, and overweight children are paying the price. Two studies in Western Australia and Canada have made a strong link between bullied kids and being overweight. Overweight children are more prone to teasing, physical bulling and can fall victim to rumours and abuse. As a result they may lose friends. This can often lead

Four Factors in Skin Cancer Risk You Didn't Know

More than 1.2 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States. Although most of them are blamed as the result of sun exposure, HSPH and Dartmouth researchers beg to differ. They have found that other factors such as exposure to certain medications and chemicals in drinking water, are also playing a significant role. Research is looking at the effects of the

New MRI Technique Shows Emphysema in Asymptomatic Smokers

A new imaging method has revealed early signs of emphysema in smokers with no external symptoms of the disease. (Emphysema is a chronic, progressive lung disease, which permanently damages the air sacs in the lungs.) Smoking cigarettes triples the risk of developing the disease. The researchers had 19 volunteers inhale a special kind of "hyperpolar

Obese People are More Sensitive to Pain

A new study suggests, obese people may be more sensitive to pain than people who aren't overweight. The original purpose of the study was to monitor the coping skills and progress of relaxation techniques used on participants with the degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis. (Osteoarthritis affects more than 20 million people every year in the United States) The relaxation procedure helped bo

Fathers influence Child Language Development more than Mothers

New research has now exposed that fathers have a much greater impact on their children's language development than mothers do. This is especially relevant between the ages of 2 and 3, where children whose fathers used more diverse vocabularies showed greater language development when tested one year later. It is surprising to see that the mother's vocabulary did not significantly affect the chi

Microwave Kills Kitchen Germs

Everyone knows that kitchen sponges and dishcloths are one of the fiercest breeding grounds for bacteria in the home. Often containing germs such as Salmonella, E. Coli, pseudomonas, staphylococcus and other germs, increasing the risk of potentially fatal foodborne diseases. But a new and convenient way to limit the amount of germ build up in our kitchens has now been discovered.. microwaving

Coffee: Is it Good or Bad for You?

Researchers have found that coffee is quite high in the antioxidants that help to rid the body of unstable molecules (free radicals). Free radicals contribute to oxidative stress, which over time, can cause inflammation and other unhealthy changes in your cells. A study of more than 27,000 postmenopausal women concluded that coffee's antioxidant properties may inhibit inflammation and, consequent

Teenage Suicide: How do we save our kids?

Depression is becoming more evident in teenagers today and the result is an increase in teen suicide. Parents, teachers and teenagers need to be made aware of the warning signs of suicidal thoughts in young people, and be able to differentiate between them and apparent 'normal' teenage activity. One in six high school students in anonymous surveys say they have thought seriously about committing s

Rumours: the source of Obesity

With the dramatic increase in obesity in recent years many people have resolved to turn to diet and exercise plans to help them maintain a healthy weight. However, more often then not these plans fail (I know many of mine have) and it has become apparent why. Rumours regarding diet and exercise are responsible for the failure of many peoples resolves to become healthier. A few examples of these w

Women's Sexual Arousal related to Men's Sweat

How far do you go to stop the smell of body odour? The smell of male sweat, which is generally looked down upon socially, has now been linked to women's sexual arousal. The chemical androstadienone found in male sweat, was recently used in a series of tests with 48 undergraduate women at UC Berkeley. They then provided five saliva samples from which cortisol levels were determined and the researc

Does 'The Pill' cause a Loss of Sex Drive

Fact or Myth: do taking birth control pills lead to loss of sexual desire in women? This is a question which has been asked for more than 40 years, since the oral contraceptive was introduced in the 1960s. Dr. Jonathan Schaffir, an obstetrician and gynaecologist with the medical centre, reviewed more than 25 years' worth of studies, examining the relationship between oral contraceptives and libid

Development of Breasts in Men linked to Cosmetics

Prepubertal Gynaemastia, the abnormal development of breast tissue in boys prior to hitting puberty, has recently been linked with the topical use of lavender and tea tree oils. Three otherwise healthy Caucasian boys, aged four, seven and 10 years, had normal hormonal levels when they were diagnosed with gynaecomastia. All had used lavender-scented soap, skin lotions, or hair products that contai

Benefits of Testosterone Treatment Unknown

In 2004, the Endocrine Society established a task force to generate evidence-based guidelines about the use of testosterone in treating men with sexual dysfunction and its safety from a cardiovascular disease standpoint. The results are out and found that: 1) Little research has been done about the benefits and possible health risks 2) The research that has been done shows no strong evidence

Psychological suggestion may be the latest pain treatment

Researchers from the Human Pain Research Group at the University of Manchester have found the suggestion of a treatment's effectiveness by a trusted GP, may influence how a patient perceives or responds to pain treatment. The study involved 40 volunteers, of which 24 were subjected to a "painful heat stimulus". A placebo cream described to the vol

Should smokers be denied surgery?

Performing surgery on smokers is both a costly process and linked to higher rates of post-surgery complications. Professor Matthew Peters from the Concord Repatriation General Hospital in Australia believes non-smokers, as a consequence, should be given preference for certain surgical procedures over smokers. Professor Peters suggests that certain surgical procedures will be more beneficial in ter

Uncircumcised Males Twice More Likely to Acquire HIV!

A recent study by the University of Illinois, Chicago demonstrated a strong correlation between male circumcision and reduced HIV risk. The study involved 2,784 uncircumcised male participants of African origin, aged between 18 and 24 years. All participants were HIV negative at the beginning of the trial. The prelimina

Link Between Cell Phones and Cancer Not Proven

A new study has shown that there is no link between cell phones and cancer. "The study conducted by the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark, involved over 400 thousand Danish cell phone users who were tested for cancer up to 21 years after first starting to use cell phones between 1982 and 1995. The cancers investigated we

How Far Should The Government Go With Smoking?

Cigarette smoke is killing people in record numbers costing the Australian taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in associated costs. Recently in Perth a law was passed to ban smoking in bars and clubs, relegating

Virtual Medical Centre Blogs

This is the site of the new Virtual Medical Centre Blogs. The Virtual MedicalCentre will provide you with thought provoking topics on the latest medical news and information. We welcome our users to provide thoughts and comments and would appreciate any suggestions that you may have on any of our future topics. The