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Why hormones rule your life – and how new research can help
Have you ever felt off-colour and explained it away as "oh, it's just my hormones"? Hormone fluctuations are linked with a whole range of health experiences. But while hormone levels do naturally vary over time, significant disruption in hormones can be very serious, even deadly. CALHN's Dr...
Why doctors are giving their patients ‘nature prescriptions’
Research Pulse podcast Season 3 Episode 4 Has your doctor ever given you a ‘nature prescription’? It’s a written instruction to spend time in nature, and can create benefits such as improved mental health. But perhaps there's more to the story. In this episode of Research Pulse, we learn...
Why won’t my reflux go away? Clinical science could help
Next time you have a meal, just stop and ponder for a minute. You take a bite, chew and swallow. You feel the food move down your throat, then seemingly disappear. What happens next? Without conscious effort, the food continues to make its way towards your stomach, while you go for your next...
Filtering blood to boost cancer treatment: world-first trial at the RAH
Becoming the first person in the world to participate in an international clinical cancer trial is no small feat. On 29 January 2025 Mr Iliano Puccini became one such person, when persistent solid cancer tumours led his oncologist to recommend him as study patient number one. In a...
Go outside! Being in nature might boost your immune system
From forest walks to picnics on the grass, being outside in green spaces is good for our mental health. Indeed, doctors are now giving their patients nature prescriptions. But what about our physical bodies – do they respond to natural environments as well? Dr Jessica Stanhope is doing research...
Feeling confused or anxious about breast density? Research can help
Research Pulse podcast Season 3 Episode 3 Breasts attract a lot of attention in popular media - but one thing you can't see when looking at breasts is whether they are dense or not. Breast density refers to the appearance of breasts on a mammogram. In this episode of Research Pulse, we learn...
AI may help doctors identify hidden risk factors for breast cancer
Breast density expert Associate Professor Wendy Ingman says artificial intelligence (AI) will play an increasingly important role in identifying women at high risk for breast cancer. In a recent perspective article in the medical journal Trends in Cancer, A/Prof Ingman and colleagues from...
The technology revolution solving medical mysteries for families
Research Pulse podcast Season 3 Episode 2 Genes are the blueprint for life, acting as a biological instruction manual to build all the components and processes that allow our amazing bodies to function. Recent decades have seen an explosion in the techniques scientists use to study genes....
When too much air stops lungs working properly
Emphysema is a debilitating lung condition that leaves patients feeling breathless and anxious. On face value you’d think lack of air is the problem – but in reality, emphysema-damaged lungs retain too much air. That’s why one of the approaches to treat emphysema patients is to reduce lung...
Going ‘below the belt’ for better health in men
Research Pulse podcast Season 3 Episode 1 Global data tell a clear story: on average, men die around five years earlier than women. Better management of diseases such as diabetes and depression could help -- but for this to happen, men need to seek health support earlier and more...
How ‘living guidelines’ improve healthcare for you – and your grandma
Just ask your grandmother: from vaccines to antibiotics and pain relief for childbirth, the health treatments you receive in 2024 are markedly different from those available in 1984. That’s because new approaches and medications are continually being developed, and fed into the medical system...
New treatments for incurable cancers: playing the long game
Making progress on treatments for deadly cancers requires years of commitment, innovation and funding. Professor Michael Brown and Dr Tessa Gargett from Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) report two promising outcomes related to their team’s work developing new therapies for...
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