Headlines on health

Coeliac disease affects one in seventy Australians, according to the Wesley Research Institute. But when food is integral to cultural identity, the impacts of this autoimmune disease — especially on multicultural and diasporic communities in Australia — can extend beyond the physical, affecting mental health. Jude Soussan is a young person of Lebanese heritage in Perth, Western Australia, and has used her diagnosis to help educate others about what it means to live with coeliac disease in the diaspora, using creativity. She hopes that, with time, communities can better understand how to accommodate chronic illness.

A new report has found discrimination against trans and gender-diverse people is widespread, with serious impacts on safety and dignity. Released to coincide with the International Transgender Day of Visibility, it makes key recommendations for governmental reform.

The latest report on Closing the Gap Targets, released last month, found just four of nineteen targets are on track. Among those targets Australia is failing to meet, the country is moving backward when it comes to reducing suicide rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which are now more than three times higher than for non-Indigenous Australians.First Nations health advocates and practitioners are urgently calling for investment in new approaches to preventative mental health support that are led by First Nations wisdom and experience. SBS reporter Angelica Waite, has speaking with Clinton Schultz, a Gomeroi Gamilaroi man, and Director of First Nations Strategy and Partnerships with Black Dog Institute. For more than a decade, he's been a pioneering voice when it comes to finding new models for preventative care that reflect the depth, complexity and connectedness of First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing. She started by asking Mr Schultz how he came to study and work in the field of psychology.

Once confined to bodybuilding forums and elite sports scandals, unapproved peptides have now moved into mainstream wellness and are being marketed online as tools for bio-hacking and longevity. So why are people turning to online communities and influencers for advice, and is there a breakdown in trust for traditional medical pathways?

The latest report on Closing the Gap Targets, released last month, found just four of the nineteen targets are on track. Among those targets Australia is failing to meet, the country is moving backward when it comes to reducing suicide rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people , which are now more than three times higher than for non-Indigenous Australians. First Nations health advocates and practitioners are urgently calling for investment in new approaches to preventative mental health led by First Nations wisdom and experience.

A WARNING THAT THIS STORY MAY BE DISTRESSING FOR SOME LISTENERS: Scotland's Parliament has rejected legislation that would have made Scotland the first part of the United Kingdom to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives. Members of the Edinburgh-based legislature voted 69 to 57 against a bill that would have let people in Scotland with six months or less to live seek help to end their life. The Scottish vote is part of a wider debate across the UK.

For international students studying in Australia, accessing healthcare is often seen as too expensive - or too confusing to navigate. But a new initiative - designed by international students FOR international students - aims to make services easier to find, while breaking down taboos around sexual and mental health.

A WARNING THAT THIS STORY MAY BE DISTRESSING FOR SOME LISTENERS The New South Wales government is investigating the circumstances surrounding the escape of two patients from the same hospital, who days later were allegedly involved in separate incidents where three people died. Mental health professionals say it's again thrown the state's mental health care crisis into the spotlight.

The rise of antibiotic resistance is threatening millions of lives worldwide, but “unconventional” Australian research could make obsolete medications effective again. Data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) has found that some of the most common illnesses in the world are becoming more resistant to treatment every year. Dr Maud Eijkenboom says the current approach of developing new antibiotics is losing the battle against ever-evolving viruses and bacteria. After her son struggled with a resistant disease, Dr Eijkenboom set on her own path to discover a better way eradicate the rising wave of lethal pathogens. In 2021, she founded Lixa, a Perth-based biotech company receiving international support for its “game-changing” research. In this edition of Weekend One on One, she speaks with SBS's Cameron Carr about the impact of her research, and started by explaining what Lixa is all about.

A lot of people already identify or know the problems from smoking and what it can do for your health, but not a lot of people understand that loneliness or social isolation carries around the same health risks of smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Tyler Prochnow is an assistant professor at Texas A&M at their School of Public Health and an expert in social connectedness, physical activity and mental health.

Fodmap, high protein, gluten-free, lowfat, clean eating - so many diets, so much conflicting advice. Australian experts are warning that following multiple diets at the same time could have unexpected consequences.

As with most years, the health sector has been a constant source of news stories - from outbreaks of illnesses to outstanding medical research, from politics to pandemics, from injuries to infections. SBS news looks back at some of the medical stories that hit the news in 2025.

An Australian cancer research centre has been awarded a 2.5 million dollar grant to further their research into one of the country 's deadliest brain cancers. Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne hope to fast-track diagnosis and treatment options.

A new report from UNICEF Australia has found less than a third of Australian teens are feeling excited or hopeful about their futures. Mental health issues and anxiety around 'adult' challenges like housing and money are key drivers of declining wellbeing. For marginalised children and teens, these kind of pressures are felt even more acutely.

Around one in four Australians are failing to seek support when experiencing perinatal mental health issues. Experts say the data released by the Gidget Foundation highlights a lack of awareness around signs and symptoms, and ongoing stigma around the issue.

State premiers have come together for an urgent meeting, as tensions rise over reaching a new public hospital funding deal with the federal government. A new report from the Grattan Institute also finds Australia's hospitals are wasting more than $1 billion a year on avoidable spending.

The Victorian government has released the final report of an inquiry into women's experiences of pain - and it's made for some uncomfortable reading. Shaped by the experiences of 13,000 women and girls, the report has revealed gender health gaps, experiences of medical bias, sexism and misogyny, and feelings of being ignored or dismissed by clinicians are rampant throughout the Victorian health system.

Demand for donated eggs is growing in Australia as more people face fertility challenges. But the demand for eggs far outstrips their supply and now, experts are arguing Australia should consider changing the rules around donation.

New national clinical guidelines for the treatment of concussion have been released. They are aimed at helping healthcare professionals treat patients with greater consistency, amid concern that providing the right care can still be a blind spot.

A long-awaited Aged Care Act comes into force today [[Nov 1]], four years after a Royal Commission recommended major reforms to the sector. The federal government says it will give older Australians more choice and access to in-home support, but there are concerns many people will end up paying more for care.