Episodes
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Introducing Uniform- A new season of All Things Equal
Missing your Think: Health fix? We’ve got something else for your podcast app. Introducing a new season of All Things Equal. This series will take you into the school yard and beyond, where kids learn that things aren't always fair. Through the stories of real students and staff, Uniform will...
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#109 - Inheriting the Pain
"I don't know how I knew, but I've known my whole life" In this episode of Think: Health, we explore the complexity of intergenerational trauma and the impact it has on mental health. A new study conducted by Kim Slender, PhD Student at the University of Technology Sydney is looking at the...
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#108 - The Global NCD Crisis
Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death around the globe responsible for more than 70% of global deaths. NCD's refer to an umbrella of chronic non-transmissible diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. While the extent of the burden is internationally recognised,...
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#107 - The Success of Pink Sari
In 2014, women from South Asian communities - from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan - had the lowest rates of breast cancer screening in New South Wales. Breast cancer screenings, or mammograms, are vital for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer in women aged 50 to 74.…
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#106 - The Move to Criminalise Amyl Nitrite
Amyl Nitrites (known as “amyl” or “poppers”) are a part of life for many queer Australians, particularly gay men. A prescription level relaxant, it has been used as a party drug and sex aid for decades. Now, the Therapeutic Goods Administration has proposed criminalising amyl, moving it to the…
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#105 - Why Climate Change Is A Mental Health Crisis
Where we've typically ascribed trauma to the individual, climate change now sees large groups of people sharing the same damaging experience in what's being called 'collective trauma'. But as post-disaster care continues to prioritise physical safety, the mental health of survivors often falls to...
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#104 - Why Australia Could Get Sued for Protecting the Environment
When tobacco company Philip Morris sued Australia over our plain packaging laws, it's fair to say we were taken by surprise. How can a foreign company take a nation's government to tribunal for protecting its citizens health? The answer is Investor State Dispute Settlement, an obscure clause in...
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#103 - Can a Smartphone Tell If You're Sick?
Our smart devices may know us better than our doctor. There's a range of apps currently available that can help us monitor and manage our health. But can our smart devices also help diagnose medical problems in the first place? This episode explores the possibilities and potential ethical issues...
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#102 - Communicating Cancer To Kids
How do you communicate cancer to children? How do you explain a diagnosis? Is there a limit to what you can say? This episode you'll hear from two people who specialise in explaining cancer to children and explain why the message is particularly difficult for young people to digest. Featuring:...
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#101 - Shifting the Lens on Psychology 2: Colonialism and Practice (panel)
We continue our series unpacking the field of psychology. In this episode, Megan Williams chats to three white professionals working and researching mental health about the importance of cultural humility and learning to make space for Indigenous voices. Presenter: Megan Williams, Head of Girra…
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#100 - Shifting the Lens on Psychology 1: Indigenous Mental Health
How did it come to be that a field of inquiry, whose primary purposes are to understand and benefit people, fails so miserably at both? Suntosh Pillay (2017:136) In the first instalment of this three part series, Megan Williams challenges the Western framework of psychology and how…
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#99 - Our Stories
"The ways that we listen to each other and learn are through the art and science of storytelling". Featuring: Dr Lisa Roberts - Artist-in-residence in the Faculty of Science at the University of Technology Sydney. Dr Megan Williams - Senior Lecturer and Head of the Indigenous Health Discipline in...
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#98 - When The Hospital Runs Out Of Anaesthetic
The American Medical Association in June announced drug shortages were posing an urgent public health crisis with nearly 200 drugs currently in short supply. With a number of these being anaesthetic drugs used in surgery, what risks does a shortage pose for the patient? Featuring: James Grant -...
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#97 - Finding Freedom Behind Bars
For those who find themselves in the justice system, it can be hard to find a way out. Between 2015 and 2016, almost 45% of all Australian prisoners returned to jail within two years of being released. But one provincial prison in Argentina has found a creative way of addressing the problem. They...
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#96 - Counting Dead Women - After #MeToo
We started making this episode in May when the annual count of women who had died due to violence in Australia was 24. We finished making this episode in August when the count was 41. And in the time it took us to finish this episode, and upload it to your podcast feed, another woman he been...
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#95 - You've Been Nudged
Australians have until the 15th of November to opt out of having a My Health Record. On this episode, we explore why that's a problematic way to draw users into a system. Featuring: Lisa Jane Hall - Distinguished Professor of Health Economics in the University of Technology Sydney Business School...
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#94 - Contaminating the Mind
When you think about contaminated sites, there are many health concerns that might come to mind. Breathing in toxic fumes or dust, or consuming food and water tainted with chemicals. But what does living near a contaminated site do to your mind? Research from the University of Technology Sydney…
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#93 - Punching Parkinson's Disease
Prior to the advent of modern medicine, bloodletting from the neck was once considered an acceptable treatment for Parkinson's disease. Oral medications and deep brain stimulation are now common practice in treating the disease, but there's another method which doesn't involve sending electrical...
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#92 - Data Insecurity
New legislation introduced in February makes it mandatory for health service providers to report when they've experienced a data breach. But as practices and hospitals around the county remain unsure as to what constitutes a breach, how secure is our health data? Featuring: Dr Peter Walker - GP…
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#91 - Battling Resistance
Antibiotics have been a fundamental in healthcare, but their overuse has led to a resistance movement that threatens the face of modern medicine. How can we tackle the problems of overprescription and misuse without losing the vital drug forever? Featuring: Laura McCaughey - Post-Doctoral…
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#90 - Dealing With Death
Sophie Smith is never sure what to say when people ask her how many children she has. The answer is five, but when she was pregnant with triplets Sophie gave birth prematurely and none of her three boys – Henry, Jasper, Evan - survived. But to tell the truth starts a conversation on a topic that...
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#89 - How The Healthcare System Is Failing Trans People
The 2018 Federal Budget set aside $33.8 million to boost crisis support group Lifeline's 24-hour telephone service to address what some have described as a ‘mental health crisis’. However, what has been left out is any sort of targeted plan towards dealing with a different health crisis; the…
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#88 - The Costs of Cancer
A report released in January by Deloitte Access Economics found the cost of cancer for 15-25 year olds in Australia nears $1.4 million over their lifetime. This episode we look at what these costs are and what’s being done to bring them down. Featuring: Gemma Crawley. Alison Pearce - Chancellor’s...
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#87 - If I Could Only Print A Brain
3D Printers are looking set to change the way we deliver healthcare, and the technology is ready to go. But are we ready for the technology? Featuring: Joshua Chou - Lecturer in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney. Richard Matthews - PhD Candidate from the…
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#86 - Waiting
Our Emergency Departments are failing mental health patients. A new report has found mental health presentations account for only 4.5% of people in Emergency, yet they represent 30% of people waiting for a bed. This episode examines why some of us wait so long in hospital, and how this problem...
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#85 - Coeliac Disease; Making Sense of the Symptoms
As is the case for many autoimmune disorders, making sense of the symptoms can sometimes see you wandering around in circles. Coeliac disease is one of these disorders, where the very general yet in some cases severe symptoms of an aversion to gluten are often mistaken for something else, or in...
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#84 - Why Are We Obsessed With Gut Health?
With the global probiotics market projected to grow to $64 billion USD by 2022, there are more gut health related products on our shelves that ever before. But with so many to scrounge through, and an abundance of misinformation online, are probiotics all they're cracked up to be? Featuring: Dr...
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#83 - How The Media Marginalises Disability
Last month Stephen Hawking - a physicist just as well known for his contributions to cosmology as he was for being a wheelchair user - passed away aged 76. Hawking was an avowed disability activist in the public sphere, however his death has highlighted the problematic ways the media represents...
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#82 - The Rise And Fall of Male Circumcision
During the mid 20th century, male circumcision reached its peak in Australia with more than 90% of males undergoing the procedure shortly after birth. However, today this percentage has not only dropped by half, but seen many medical professionals, parents and men speak out against the practice...
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#81 - The Fault In Our Genes
In early 2017 Rachael and Jonny welcomed their first child into the world, a daughter named Mackenzie. But something was wrong, and at 10 weeks Mackenzie was diagnosed with the terminal genetic disease Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1. With 1 in 50 of us carriers of SMA, there’s a chance you or...
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#80 - Hatred of Sound
TRIGGER WARNING: For those with a sensitivity to particular sounds. From when I was about 5 or 6, my dad, sister and I would sit at the dining table during dinner and practice our multiplication tables. We did this for a number of years until one day I remember I couldn’t do it anymore, and that...
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#79 - Noise Pollution
This show originally aired on Think: Sustainability. Noise pollution is the only cardiovascular risk that can't be resolved by doctors or medications, it's purely up to the politicians. Speakers:Kirsten Parris - Associate Professor of Urban Ecology at the University of Melbourne.Thomas Muenzel -...
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#78 - Why Chlamydia Rates Are On The Rise
Chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the country with more than 70,000 notifications of the infection in 2016 alone. These statistics come from the Kirby Institute’s latest paper looking at the state of Australia’s sexual health. But unlike other sexually transmitted...
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#77 - The Eye Is A Window Into Your Brain
You've probably heard the expression 'the eye is the window to the soul', but what about 'the eye is a window to what's happening in your brain'? A growing body of research is looking to the eye as an indicator of neurological disease expressed through something called bio-markers. These markers...
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#76 - Why Our Bodies Are Run By Mechanical Forces
Not very often is it that a new field emerges in the world of medical science, let alone one to this scale. Mechanobiology understands the body as a dynamic system, measured by the mechanical forces which form it - your heartbeat, your blood pressure and the signals being sent to the brain. When...
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#75 - The Lack Of Data Around Youth Homelessness
On any given night, more than 100,000 Australians are homeless with more than one third of those being between the ages of 12 and 25. Although we have an equipped understanding of why youth become homeless, the data around their physical and mental wellbeing continues to fall through the cracks....
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#74 - Why A Pharmacist Might Soon Prescribe You Medication
When you think of a pharmacist, your mind probably turns to the street corner chemist where as a kid you got a bag of jellybeans after getting your flu shot. Now while that is still true for some, the evolving role of the pharmacist could see them do more than hand over your prescription, but...
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ENCORE - Nanotechnology In Healthcare
We're on break this week while 2SER is in the middle of Supporter Drive. 2SER Radio is the station that makes Think: Health and our two sister programs Think: Sustainability and Digital Futures possible, however running a radio station doesn't come cheap. You can support the Think programs, 2SER...
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ENCORE - Early Detection Key For Dealing With Diabetes
We're on break this week while 2SER is in the middle of Supporter Drive. 2SER Radio is the station that makes Think: Health and our two sister programs Think: Sustainability and Digital Futures possible, however running a radio station doesn't come cheap. You can support the Think programs, 2SER...
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#73 - Afaf Meleis
Today on the show, you'll hear from someone who was dubbed Living Legend by the American College of Nursing, is the author of more than 180 journal articles, 7 books and has a career in nursing spanning more than 50 years. Afaf Meleis is a force in the world of nursing and nursing education…
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#72 - The Mental Heath Implications Of The Marriage Equality Postal Survey
The mental health of LGBTIQ people is among the poorest in Australia, who are twice as likely to have experienced a high level of psychological distress as their heterosexual peers. Two researchers from the University of Technology Sydney have conducted a survey of how the marriage equality…
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#71 - The Crucial Role Of Community Nurses In Primary Health Care
Today the Community and Primary Health Care Nursing Week, held by the Australian College of Nursing begins, showcasing some of the most important and courageous work performed by healthcare professionals working outside the four walls of the hospital. On the show you'll hear some of these stories…
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#70 - Why Don't We Have A National Strategy To Fight Stroke?
In Australia, 1 person every 9 minutes will experience a stroke. Last Monday the new clinical guidelines for stroke management were launched, the first update to the guidelines in more than 7 years. However, without a government written national strategy to fight stroke quality care continues to...
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#69 - When Nurses Forget To Look After Themselves
In Australia, close to 380,000 people work as nurses. The role nurses play in the delivery of healthcare is crucial - often spending more time with the patient than any other health professional. Yet while nurses pay such close attention to the health of others, they often forget to think of...
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#68 - Saving Babies, Sticking To One Doctor, And Why Aboriginal Athletes Are Good At Sport
Vasa Previa is a cause of stillbirth that is preventable. It's a rare condition women can experience during pregnancy where the blood vessels that connect the baby's umbilical cord to the mother's placenta are exposed, or positioned in a way that makes them vulnerable to rupture. If diagnosed...
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#67 - Anaesthesia Is More Than Just A Knock Out Drug, I Learn To Chi Out, And Captions
It's national hearing awareness week so let's look into something important to the one in six Australians who are hard of hearing -- captions. There's a push for captions to become universal -- that would mean all audio visual content created would have words on screen showing what is being said....
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#66 - Drugs Don't Work If You Don't Take Them, And Tracking Our Insides With Music And Diamonds
Have you ever forgotten to take your pills? You're not alone. Fifty percent of Australians with chronic conditions are guilty of what's known as 'medication non-adherence'. The issue puts a huge burden on our health care system to the tune of $7billion. But two UTS PHD candidates have a solution....
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#65 - Head And Neck Cancer And How Sitting Affects Your Brain
Four thousand people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year in Australia. Head and neck cancer refers to malignant tumours growing in the tissue or lymph nodes of the head and neck region of the body. This can mean the oral cavity, tongue, palate, jaw, salivary glands, throat or nose....
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#64 - Creating Reciprocal Understanding Through Psychiatry
Mental health and how it has influenced the world of art has been showcased through some of history's most acclaimed artists and performers. Through artistic expression, you can catch a glimpse or peruse into someone's life experience. It's this intersection between art and mental health that…
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#63 - Sport Participation For Those With A Disability And Treating IBS
64% of Australians regularly partake in sport, but only 23% of those with a disability are participating. For those with a disability, there are a number of barriers that prevent sport participation - including transport, availability of facilities but too a competitive environment, that can also...