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ABC News Online

"Risks of taking aspirin for heart disease may outweigh benefits"

ABC News Online

11 Jan 2012

Rating: (2½ stars)

Aspirin is not just a common painkiller, it's also the most commonly recommended drug for the prevention of heart attacks and stroke in Australia.
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Sydney Morning Herald

"Psychosis treatment makes light work of weighty side effects"

Sydney Morning Herald

11 Jan 2012

Rating: (1 star)

WHEN Julio De Le Torre awoke in hospital to be told he had suffered a psychotic episode and been diagnosed with bipolar disorder he was terrified.
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ABC News Online

"Brain scan gives hope for Alzheimer's"

ABC News Online

22 Dec 2011

Rating: (1½ stars)

TIM PALMER: Brain scans may help identify people who are at risk of developing Alzheimer's years, before the illness appears.
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The Australian

"Breast implants under scrutiny after cancer risk raised"

The Australian

22 Dec 2011

Rating: (5 stars)

ABOUT 4500 women in Australia are being advised to monitor their breast implants as French authorities consider telling patients to have devices made by an implant provider surgically removed.
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ABC News Online

"Strict diet good for the brain"

ABC News Online

20 Dec 2011

Rating: (2 stars)

ELEANOR HALL: It's not the sort of news you want to hear as you head into the festive season, but Italian scientists have just released research which shows that reducing your calorie intake could prevent dementia.
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Daily Telegraph

"New treatment for Type One diabetes"

Daily Telegraph

20 Dec 2011

Rating: (1 stars)

SCIENTISTS say they've discovered a new treatment for Type One diabetes.
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ABC Science Online

"Cocoa linked to better brain 'efficiency'"

ABC Science Online

15 Dec 2011

Rating: (4½ stars)

A new study suggests a cocoa drink a day could help boost the efficiency of your brain's working memory, but it's too early to say for sure.
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Sydney Morning Herald

"Gene therapy on course to claim a first"

Sydney Morning Herald

12 Dec 2011

Rating: (3 stars)

MEDICAL researchers have successfully treated six patients suffering from the blood-clotting disease known as haemophilia B by injecting them with the correct form of a defective gene.
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The Australian

"Medical maggot makes a comeback"

The Australian

10 Dec 2011

Rating: (3 stars)

TREATMENTS from the medieval medicine kit are gaining widespread acceptance.
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NineMSN

"Intense care key to lower blood pressure"

NineMSN

05 Dec 2011

Rating: (4 stars)

People have a greater chance of lowering their blood pressure if they see their GPs more often and take higher doses of medication, a study has found.
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The Australian

"Pine tree extract 'improves memory'"

The Australian

21 Nov 2011

Rating: (2 stars)

AS festive-coloured pine trees start filling family lounges, scientists have revealed a radically different new use for the common forest tree.
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Sydney Morning Herald

"Treatment hope for kids with arthritis"

Sydney Morning Herald

19 Nov 2011

Rating: (2 stars)

For six months Rebecca Cameron watched her happy two-year-old toddler turn into a shadow of her former self.
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ABC Science Online

"Green tea has small effect on cholesterol"

ABC Science Online

18 Nov 2011

Rating: (4½ stars)

Green tea, taken in a capsule or drunk in a cup, may shave a few points off 'bad' cholesterol readings, according to a US study.
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Sydney Morning Herald

"Men warned of prostate treatment risks"

Sydney Morning Herald

16 Nov 2011

Rating: (4½ stars)

Treatments for men with advanced prostate cancer may help extend their lives but a new study has found the treatments can also reduce men's quality of life.
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ABC Science Online

"Scans finds evidence of 'chemo brain'"

ABC Science Online

15 Nov 2011

Rating: (4 stars)

Women who survive breast cancer after undergoing chemotherapy may also have to contend with impairments in attention, memory and planning skills, say US researchers.
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NineMSN

"Cardiac stem cells help fix a broken heart"

NineMSN

15 Nov 2011

Rating: (3½ stars)

Stem cells from heart attack patients helped improve blood-pumping ability and restore vitality in cardiac muscle, according to a small trial.
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NineMSN

"Nuts boost heart health, study finds"

NineMSN

11 Nov 2011

Rating: (1 stars)

People with metabolic syndrome are being encouraged to tuck into nuts after a study found they can reduce hunger pangs and improve heart health.
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Herald Sun

"Gene test tailors treatment for cancer"

Herald Sun

09 Nov 2011

Rating: (2 stars)

DOCTORS today said they had used a wide-ranging genetic test for mutations in cancer cells to help fine tune treatment for patients with lung tumours.
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The Australian

"Electronic nose to sniff out TB in India"

The Australian

08 Nov 2011

Rating: (4½ stars)

INDIAN researchers have said they were close to developing an "electronic nose" to sniff out tuberculosis on the breath - offering rapid diagnosis that could save hundreds of thousands of lives.
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Sydney Morning Herald

"New, lifelong vaccine is a shot in the arm against influenza"

Sydney Morning Herald

07 Nov 2011

Rating: (3 stars)

A VACCINE that could end the need for annual winter flu injections by offering lifelong protection against all strains of the virus has been developed by British scientists.
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NineMSN

"Painkillers linked to higher stroke risk"

NineMSN

07 Nov 2011

Rating: (4 stars)

Older people using non-steroidal painkillers face an increased risk of stroke, a study shows.
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Sydney Morning Herald

"Women face trauma of over-zealous screening"

Sydney Morning Herald

04 Nov 2011

Rating: (4½ stars)

THOUSANDS of women are potentially being diagnosed with breast cancer through Australia's publicly funded BreastScreen program when the cancer would never have caused them any problems, experts say.
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NineMSN

"New device can screen for melanoma"

NineMSN

04 Nov 2011

Rating: (5 stars)

Dermatologists will soon get some high-tech help deciding which suspicious-looking moles should be removed and checked for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
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Sydney Morning Herald

"Exercise is the best medicine"

Sydney Morning Herald

01 Nov 2011

Rating: (3½ stars)

Think about treating a disease that affects a woman's hormones and you'd assume it's all about drugs, but how about a prescription for brisk walking? Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, a common problem affecting up to 18 per cent of women of childbearing age is...
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Sydney Morning Herald

"Caesarean link to infant respiratory infections"

Sydney Morning Herald

01 Nov 2011

Rating: (3½ stars)

Babies born by elective caesareans are more likely to suffer a serious respiratory infection in their first year of life, according to Perth researchers.
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recent articles

second opinion

The annual lifecycle of the medical researcher as told through health news stories

by Amanda Wilson

A quick analysis of stories rated and posted on Media Doctor Australiathis years shows a rather...
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What the news about health often leaves out

by Amanda Wilson

We've noticed lots of missing information in stories recently evaluated by Media Doctor Australia,...
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Telling it like it is: US health reporting guidelines reveal Australian media quirks

by Amanda Wilson

This article was published in The Conversation this...
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news

There's too much early research

11 Aug 2011

An ongoing issue/problem with Media Doctor Australia is the lag-time between stories appearing in...
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Media Doctor's Amazing Journey to the Twittersphere

11 Aug 2011

Media Doctor Australia (MDA), a website that monitors the quality of health news reporting in...
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Some good news, and some that is not-so-good

08 Aug 2011

Eight health stories have been reviewed on www.mediadoctor.org.au this month. Their subjects...
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what media doctor is

Media Doctor is a website dedicated to improving the accuracy of media reports about new medical treatments.

Media Doctor reviews current news items about medical treatments, assesses their quality using a standardised rating scale and presents reviews of good and bad examples of reports on this website. It is anticipated that these independent and objective critiques will improve journalistic practices in reporting new medications and treatments in Australia.

Read more about our site >>

what media doctor is not

Media Doctor does not provide medical advice, and does not assess the quality of the evidence on which the stories are based; instead we concentrate on the articles themselves. For more information on the treatments featured on this site, visit our links page.

who is media doctor?

The team behind Media Doctor consists of a group of academics and clinicians from the Newcastle Institute of Public Health, who have an interest in promoting better and more accurate reporting in the area of medical treatments.

Read more about our team >>

upcoming articles

  • "New hope in diagnosis of rare disorder"

    NineMSN

  • "Vaccine tested for deadly bacterial meningitis strain"

    Sydney Morning Herald

  • "French breast implant ruptures '16 times worse'"

    The Australian

  • "Spray hope for pot addicts"

    Sydney Morning Herald

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