Healing or Harming: the prostate cancer dichotomy
The foundations for health include proper nutrition, regular exercise and good sleep quality.
There has been an unprecedented interest generated in the medical community and on social media around the interaction of coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) and ACE inhibitors (ACEi) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), and whether these medications increase the risk of COVID-19.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened rapidly over the past few weeks, comparisons have been made with the great influenza pandemic of 1918, with people asking “Are we about to see a repeat of that global disaster?”
In this editorial we summarise the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the justification for the elimination strategy adopted by New Zealand, and some of the actions required to maximise the chances of success.
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer for men in numerous developed countries.
Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) affects approximately 6% of the adult population in New Zealand with prevalence rising by 7% per annum.
The COVID-19 virus was first detected in New Zealand in late February 2020, and by the third week in March, cases were starting to increase rapidly.
Health professionals have the potential to play a central role in receiving disclosures and providing care for physical or emotional trauma relating to sexual assault.
Globally, approximately 300,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year, a disease which historically had high mortality rates.
As with other countries, New Zealand is facing an ageing population, increasing prevalence of chronic conditions, and persisting health inequalities.
HbA1c is HbA that is glycated at the N-terminal valine of one or both of the beta chains. Glucose can also attach to other amino acids, but HbA1c constitutes the majority of the glycated Hb forms and is the one used for the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes since 2011.
Dizziness is reported to be one of the most common reasons for patients consulting a general practitioner.
In December 2018 the New Zealand government introduced the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Amendment Act, allowing patients with a palliative diagnosis a statutory defence against the use of illicit cannabis in the management of their symptoms.
The Cannabis Referendum provides an opportunity for New Zealand to take another step towards the wider goal of minimising the harms of drug use in this country. Here we summarise why evidence and public health considerations support a yes vote in the Referendum.
For decades, the optimal management of men with prostate cancer has divided the international urological community. Prostate cancer remains the most expensive cancer in the New Zealand healthcare system, the most commonly diagnosed with around 4,000 new cases per year, and a common cause of death.
In the midst of the present Covid pandemic it is easy to forget that we have an ongoing cancer pandemic that will not be ameliorated by a generic vaccine. Globally, based on 2013–2015 data approximately 40% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime, meaning that most of us can be expected to be affected by cancer, either directly or indirectly.
Renowned civil rights leader, Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr said: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane”.
“I think New Zealand is the best place on the planet, but it’s a racist place.” Taika Waititi (9 April, 2018)
A non-binding referendum on the legalisation of cannabis will be held in conjunction with the general election on 19 September 2020. Although many New Zealanders have consumed cannabis there is a much greater familiarity with alcohol as a recreational drug to the extent that a lot of people don’t even think of alcohol as a psychoactive drug.
New Zealanders are confronted with a new reality: to learn to “live with COVID-19” until such time as we have herd immunity, hopefully by way of a vaccination in the next 18 months or so. This always was the reality, although 100 days with no community transmission tempted us to think it wasn’t true.
Natural cannabis is one of the most widely used recreational drugs in the world. The active constituent, trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is one of approximately 64 different cannabinoids found within the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa).
Most myocardial infarctions (MI) are caused by plaque disruption of underlying atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD). This pathophysiologic model of acute coronary syndrome lends itself to effective treatment strategies, including pharmacologic measures and percutaneous interventions.
Freedom of choice is a fundamental human right. When it comes to welfare, property or legal matters, decisions can have far-reaching implications.
The position of Health and Disability Commissioner was established in 1994, following the Cartwright Inquiry into the treatment of cervical cancer at National Women’s Hospital, which found research had been undertaken without ethical approval or informed participant consent.
In June 2020 the Office of the Auditor-General released its report on the Ministry of Health’s management of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the early stages of New Zealand’s response to COVID-19.
In October 2020, New Zealanders will be asked if they support the implementation of the End of Life Choice Act 2019 (EoLCA)
In the current COVID pandemic, personal protective equipment (PPE) has been a presented as a solution for the respiratory protection of healthcare workers (HCWs), imperfectly applied because of logistics and supply problems.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s ‘go hard and go early’ approach meant that we were one of the first countries in the world to ease our COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. But, the re-emergence of community transmission in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland demonstrated the recovery from COVID-19 will be a marathon rather than sprint.
We hope that hospice/palliative care (H/PC) organisations will take a fresh look at their current stance against medical assistance in dying (MAID). The present approach will disadvantage some patients in a number of ways.
I am a retired GP, and I will be voting a resounding YES in the EOLC Act Referendum.
Bruce Spittle recommends a new review of health effects of community water fluoridation (CWF) because of new findings published in three recent papers.
If a parent were to type “New Zealand teens and porn” into Google, rather than being presented with news and information about pornography use by New Zealand adolescents, they would see a series of links to websites such as pornhub, xvideos, and redtube.
The October 2020 ‘reeferendum’ will determine the legal status of recreational cannabis in New Zealand.
Kevin, are you okay? How you going with all this?—Yes I’m fine, a little busy; I’m worried about Bob though.
In the time of Covid, some of the superheroes of the health sector are the public health physicians. This book outlines the active and varied personal and professional life of one New Zealand public health physician.
This a book that recounts the experience of the Auckland Starship’s paediatrician Dr Simon Rowley over his professional lifetime.
Paul Anderson is a New Zealander who trained in general surgery and works part-time in Australia and part-time in New Zealand.
As an editor you receive books for review, which are sent to suitable people following an email agreement to review.
When I found this book was returned from the initial reviewer without a review from the person who had “volunteered” to review it
This is the account of the 1918 influenza pandemic.
Captain William Hobson, our first governor, had a tumultuous year before his untimely death in 1842
