Doctor surgeries suitable for medical studentsSOME 10 per cent of patients expressed concern about having medical students present during a GP consultation, new research has…Tue Apr 24 2012 - 01:00
We all have a fatal condition: it's pre-deathMEDICAL MATTERS: Diagnosis of ‘pre-diseases’ is a growing trendTue Apr 24 2012 - 01:00
Common PPI drugs linked to higher risk of bone fracturesONE OF the most commonly prescribed medications in the State has been linked to a small increased risk of bone fractures in those…Mon Apr 23 2012 - 01:00
Doctor's Note: NarcolepsyNARCOLEPSY IS a rare sleep disorder that causes a person to fall asleep suddenly and unexpectedlyFri Apr 20 2012 - 01:00
Good news for chocoholics this EasterMEDICAL MATTERS: No need for guilt over all those Easter eggsTue Apr 10 2012 - 01:00
Early suspicions centred on influenza as cause of deathsA DOCTOR WRITES: Six deaths in one place over a 10-day period will always ring alarm bellsWed Apr 04 2012 - 01:00
Test benefits don't always justify the costMEDICAL MATTERS: Intervention can sometimes cause harmTue Apr 03 2012 - 01:00
Rest easy if you're taking sleeping pills‘SLEEPING PILLS linked to increased death risk” was typical of the headlines following the publication of research in BMJ Online…Tue Mar 27 2012 - 01:00
Two-thirds of drug users in study deadALMOST TWO-THIRDS of a group of intravenous drug-users have died in the 25 years since they enlisted in a unique medical study…Mon Mar 26 2012 - 01:00
Joking apart, laughter is the best medicineMEDICAL MATTERS: WHY DOES laughing feel so good? According to research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society of Biological…Tue Mar 20 2012 - 00:00
Faulty breast implants fitted pre-2001THE NUMBER of women known to be affected by faulty silicone gel breast implants is set to rise following a warning yesterday …Fri Mar 16 2012 - 00:00
School bags of most teen pupils too heavyALMOST TWO in every three teenagers carry school bags that exceed 10 per cent of their body weight, putting them at risk of back…Thu Mar 15 2012 - 00:00
Statin benefits far outweigh the side effectsMEDICAL MATTERS: Can the wonder drug affect your memory?Tue Mar 13 2012 - 00:00
Use of statins linked to increase in diabetes riskSTATINS, THE cholesterol-lowering class of drugs, have been linked with an increased risk of developing diabetesTue Mar 13 2012 - 00:00
Doubts over personal health budget modelPERSONAL HEALTH budgets, a key element of Fine Gael health policy borrowed from the Dutch health system, may do more harm than…Wed Mar 07 2012 - 00:00
Farmers offer free greenfield site for children's hospitalMINISTER FOR Health James Reilly has been offered a free greenfield site between Dublin airport and Ballymun on which to develop…Tue Mar 06 2012 - 00:00
Cardiac deaths decline, but can we do more?MEDICAL MATTERS: 'DEATH RATE from heart disease has halved in the last decade,” read the headlineTue Feb 21 2012 - 00:00
Hollywood movies blamed for teenage binge-drinkingYOUNG TEENAGERS who watch more films featuring alcohol are twice as likely to start drinking compared to peers who watch relatively…Tue Feb 21 2012 - 00:00
Body event's ethics just don't stack upMEDICAL MATTERS : I SEE the Human Bodies exhibition is back in town and if my inbox is any indication, it is causing some unease…Tue Feb 07 2012 - 00:00
Assessing risk can be difficult for patientsMEDICAL MATTERS: Surgeons encouraged to put focus on dangersTue Jan 24 2012 - 00:00
Parents slow to notice weight gain - surveyIRISH PARENTS’ perceptions of their children’s weight tend to underestimate or poorly recognise obesity, a new study has found…Mon Jan 23 2012 - 00:00
Blame is not best way to tackle obesityMEDICAL MATTERS: GIVEN MY strong feelings about the stigmatisation of those who are overweight or obese, anyone focusing in …Tue Jan 17 2012 - 00:00
Dementia could develop in brain from as early as 45, study suggestsTHE ONSET of dementia may start from the age of 45, much earlier than previously thought, research published yesterday suggests…Fri Jan 06 2012 - 00:00
Not the type of tablet I had in mind, doctorMEDICAL MATTERS: IMAGINE a surgeon making personal calls on a mobile phone during an operationTue Dec 27 2011 - 00:00
'Giant' put on display wanted burial at seaA PROMINENT medical ethicist has called for the skeleton of Charles Byrne, the “Irish giant”, which has been displayed at the…Wed Dec 21 2011 - 00:00
Bottom line for good health this ChristmasMEDICAL MATTERS: EAT, DRINK and be merry, for this weekend it’s ChristmasTue Dec 20 2011 - 00:00
Evidence puts sharp focus on Joyce's assumed myopiaDESPITE MANY references to short-sightedness in his work and assumptions by biographers, doctors now believe the author of Ulysses…Fri Dec 16 2011 - 00:00
Abortions may not hurt mental healthIT MAKES no difference to women’s mental health rates whether they choose to have abortions or decide to continue with unwanted…Sat Dec 10 2011 - 00:00
Watch out for symptoms of hypothermiaMEDICAL MATTERS: The winter, so far, has been milder than last yearTue Dec 06 2011 - 00:00
All fired up over verdicts of combustionMEDICAL MATTERS: GIVEN LAST week’s opinion at inquest by State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy that spontaneous human combustion…Tue Nov 29 2011 - 00:00
Over half of doctors support abortionSLIGHTLY MORE than 50 per cent of Irish GPs believe abortion should be available to any woman who chooses it, a survey shows.Fri Nov 25 2011 - 00:00
Jackson doctor in jail because he didn't say noMEDICAL MATTERS: HOW DID Dr Conrad Murray, now convicted of the involuntary manslaughter of pop star Michael Jackson, end up…Tue Nov 22 2011 - 00:00
Stem-cell infusions suggest treatment for heart failureTHE FIRST trial to use the heart’s own stem cells to treat heart failure in humans has produced promising results, according …Tue Nov 15 2011 - 00:00
A man of honesty, compassion and insightMEDICAL MATTERS: Maurice Neligan’s ‘Heart Beat’ columns were incisiveTue Oct 25 2011 - 01:00
Significant increase in organ donationsTHERE HAS been a significant increase in the number of organ donations this year from people who have died, with the numbers …Fri Oct 21 2011 - 01:00
The laughable findings that make you thinkMEDICAL MATTERS: DID YOU KNOW that when people have an urgent need to use the toilet, they at the same time manage better self…Tue Oct 18 2011 - 01:00
College of surgeons pressed on BahrainTHE EDITOR of the British Medical Journal has called on the president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland to “clarify…Fri Oct 07 2011 - 01:00
Mountjoy team wins top psychiatric care awardA TEAM of health professionals and prison staff at Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison were presented with a prestigious award by the World…Thu Oct 06 2011 - 01:00
Has medicine fallen victim to healthcare?MEDICAL MATTERS: A BOOK with the title The End of Medicine and the Last Doctor was always going to grab my attentionTue Oct 04 2011 - 01:00
Flu jab for over-50s and pregnant women advisedPREGNANT WOMEN and everyone over 50 should be vaccinated against influenza, according to the latest national immunisation guidelines…Mon Oct 03 2011 - 01:00
Lungs of cyclists may be sootierPEOPLE WHO cycle through London and other major cities have higher levels of black carbon in their airway cells than those who…Mon Sept 26 2011 - 01:00
Equality of the sexes is needed in screeningMEDICAL MATTERS: MEN ARE neglected when it comes to cancer detectionTue Sept 20 2011 - 01:00
Diseases like cancer and diabetes cause 87% of Irish deathsDISEASES SUCH as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes account for almost 90 per cent of deaths in the Republic, according…Wed Sept 14 2011 - 01:00
Road injury figures 'highly unreliable'THE NUMBER of road crashes causing serious injury in the Republic has been significantly underestimated, according to research…Wed Sept 07 2011 - 01:00
Shedding light on the 'golden hour' conceptMEDICAL MATTERS: ‘Abandonment’ of principle concerns medicsTue Sept 06 2011 - 01:00
Miscarriage and questions of fitness to flyMEDICAL MATTERS: THE ISSUE of when it is safe to travel by air when pregnant was brought into sharp focus last week when the…Tue Aug 23 2011 - 01:00
GPs warn of threat to patient safety over cutsFAMILY DOCTORS have warned Minister for Health James Reilly of a threat to patient safety and a reduction in the standard of …Fri Aug 19 2011 - 01:00
A giggle in honour of the bank holidayMEDICAL MATTERS: “The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease” – VoltaireTue Aug 02 2011 - 01:00
Lack of robust research jabs holes in policyMEDICAL MATTERS : THE MINISTER for Health announced last week that pharmacists will administer the annual influenza vaccine …Tue Jul 26 2011 - 01:00
Research on reducing agitation welcomeA DOCTOR WRITES: THE RESULT of Norwegian research suggesting painkillers may reduce agitation in some people with dementia is…Tue Jul 19 2011 - 01:00