Past Programs
Drug Use - 2008
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004
Complementary medicine
13/08/2008
Changes are coming for the complementary medicine sector. The government is planning to overhaul the regulations for complementary medicine and is looking into how the Therapeutic Goods Administration approves them and how they are advertised. Also the National Prescribing Service just presented the first results of a survey on how informed we are about complementary medicine available to consumers and practitioners. Their bottom line is: we need more information.
Do you know how effective complementary medicine is? What works and what doesn't?
Coping with chronic pain
16/06/2008
One in five Australians of working age suffers from on-going pain. If you're over 65, the figure jumps to one in two. A recent Access Economics report commissioned by MBF says the annual cost of chronic pain is more than $34 billion. If you want the breakdown, that includes a $7 billion drain on the health system and productivity losses of $11.7 billion—much of that in workers compensation claims.
Chronic pain is generally defined as pain experienced every day for three months or more. It usually follows an acute phase and the causes are varied, including arthritis, cancer, surgical complications, and injuries, particularly lower back.
While all the research recommends a holistic approach to dealing with pain, is our health system geared to that? Can reliance on drugs lead to poorer outcomes? Without real treatment or cure, what are some of the best strategies for coping with and living with pain?
