A mercy killer in the ER

An excerpt from Mercy. I love kids. Pretty kids. Nice kids. Normal kids. Not this. This is not a kid. This is thirty pounds of human flesh kept alive by devices. Peg tube, tracheostomy, ventilator. He’s got contractures everywhere. He’s so folded he’d fit in my carry on. Not that I’d want to take him anywhere.… Read More »

In Brief: The Complex Relationship Between Endometriosis and Depression

A meta-analysis of 24 studies, including 99,614 women, demonstrated higher levels of depression among women with endometriosis compared to unaffected controls.  When researchers restricted the analysis to healthy controls, the association between endometriosis and depression was even stronger. Pain seemed to be the primary driver of  the association between endometriosis and depression; in fact, rates… Read More »

Fact-checking – by itself – is inherently flawed on health care topics

Fact-checking has become one of the buzziest buzzwords in journalism. There are more than 100 fact-checking projects around the world. It’s been trotted out to counter alleged “fake” news.  And to monitor the accuracy of political leaders who stretch the boundaries of believability. April 2 has been proclaimed International Fact-Checking Day. Indeed, genuine fact-checking may play an important… Read More »

Measles warning for Westfield, Maccas

NSW Health has issued an urgent measles warning after an infected man visited a number of popular hangouts in western Sydney this week. The man, said to be in his thirties with an “uncertain vaccination history”, was infectious when he visited Westfield Parramatta on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, a McDonald’s restaurant in Blacktown on Sunday,… Read More »