21st March 2016
“Say ‘Congratulations’, not ‘I’m Sorry’. This is the birth of a child, not a funeral. And the birth of a child always calls for congratulations.” That’s Rick Smith’s advice to friends and family when you tell them ...
2nd March 2016
If you have fever, rash, joint pain, headache and fatigue, it could be flu, dengue fever or chikungunya. Or it could be Zika virus. The trouble is it can take weeks to find out for sure. For pregnant women in ...
22nd January 2016
When doctors missed her three-year-old’s brain cancer, Amanda decided she had to do whatever it takes to get a diagnosis for her child. Amanda Davies knew something was wrong. Over the course of a year, her daughter, Lil, had ...
12th January 2016
The stigma and misunderstanding that surround mental illness in developing countries leads to humiliation and hardship. Maurilia’s family had tied a rope around her neck to restrain her after a series of aggressive outbursts. Once a healthy and active ...
1st December 2015
We’ve come a long way since the first cases of HIV/AIDS were reported over 30 years ago, causing widespread panic, a lot of questions and few answers. Back then, by the time patients were diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency ...
4th September 2015
Measles are often thought to be a plague of the past, an ancient evil which only haunts some remote areas of the earth, caused by a virus so rare, vaccinations are superfluous. A trip to the past In ancient history, ...
5th March 2015
We all know the risk factors for heart disease. Diabetes, high blood pressure, family history, smoking, etc. If we don’t have those issues we try to feel relieved. But in the back of our minds we remember the story ...
2nd February 2015
A simple blood test may be a reliable way to screen people for suicide risk. The test looks for changes in a gene that helps the brain manage stress and control impulsive behavior. “Suicide is a major preventable public health ...
8th January 2015
Low-tech solutions for developing countries rank pretty high on my ‘cool medtech’ list. Lever-powered wheelchairs, origami microscopes, vinegar based cancer strip tests. They’re all disrupting the idea that medical devices are flashy, high-end bulky, and of course expensive. The ...
19th December 2014
A few years ago, checking up on your vitals meant paying the doctor a visit. Your heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure were mostly measured at an annual checkup. Now… now it’s different. All this data is now at ...