The Health News Australia October 16 2017

• Tasmania’s mental health sector believes a shift in focus to community based care is needed to lower the rate of hospital admissions for people with mental illness symptoms. According to a report from the Australian Institute of Health And Welfare’s mental health services, Tasmania topped the national rankings in 2015/16 when it came to residential care for patients with a mental illness.
• Cigarette filters were initially introduced by the tobacco industry in the 1960s to make cigarettes “safer”. But we now know they provide no safety, no health benefits, and are a major cause of environmental littering. The majority of Australian cigarettes are further engineered to have vented filters (holes in them), supposedly to introduce fresh air into each puff and make smoking easier on the throat. These were deceptively named “light” and “mild” until the ACCC prohibited the practice.
• Low sexual desire is a common problem that affects many women at some point in their lives. Almost 70 per cent of Australian women aged 40-65 years old reported a lack of sexual desire in a recent study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 16th of  October 2017. Read by Tabetha Moreto. Health News

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-14/community-based-care-needed-to-curb-mental-health-hospital-admi/9049808

Tasmania’s mental health sector believes a shift in focus to community based care is needed to lower the rate of hospital admissions for people with mental illness symptoms. Tasmania topped the national rankings in  two thousand fifteen and two thousand sixteen when it came to residential care for patients with a mental illness, according to a report from the Australian Institute of Health And Welfare’s mental health services released on Friday.The finding did not surprise Connie Digolis, chief executive of the Mental Health Council of Tasmania, who said there was a lack of community based mental health support services in the island state. She said  “I think what we need to probably be asking ourselves is whether we’re actually doing enough for people before they might require a level of care that would be residential.”
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The AIHW report said nationally more than eighty seven percent of prescriptions written for patients with mental health conditions were delivered by general practitioners in two thousand fifteen and sixteen, and most were anti-depressants. Tasmania recorded the highest rate of patients prescribed medication for mental health-related conditions, while the Northern Territory recorded the lowest.
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In coming months, Miss Digolis said the Mental Health Council would be stressing to political parties and the community that mental health services need to be integrated and the sector must continue to work towards keeping people out of psychiatric wards.

https://theconversation.com/filters-a-cigarette-engineering-hoax-that-harms-both-smokers-and-the-environment-85393

Cigarette filters were initially introduced by the tobacco industry in the nineteen sixties to make cigarettes “safer”. But we now know they provide no safety, no health benefits, and are a major cause of environmental littering. It was initially professed that filters reduced tar and other toxicants, and prevented tobacco flakes from entering the lungs. It was soon discovered this wasn’t the case, and cigarettes were just as dangerous with filters. But it was years before the public discovered this, and even today most smokers believe cigarettes with filters are safer, probably because the taste is milder.

The majority of Australian cigarettes are further engineered to have vented filters (holes in them), supposedly to introduce fresh air into each puff and make smoking easier on the throat. These were deceptively named “light” and “mild” until the ACCC prohibited the practice, because it implied a less harmful or “lower-tar” cigarette. The ACCC forced the tobacco companies to change the name of cigarettes, but not the content or mechanism. Some ninety percent of cigarettes in Australia now have vented filters. They’re easy to identify by unravelling the paper filter wrapping and holding it to the light.
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Around the world, women are more likely to smoke what they think are “light” (filtered) cigarettes. More Australian women die from lung cancer than from breast cancer. Although breast cancer is more common, it has a much higher survival rate than lung cancer.
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The Commonwealth government acted in two thousand nine to change the engineering of cigarettes in Australia to reduced fire risk from cigarettes. Some states banned fruit-flavoured cigarettes because the flavours were designed to be attractive to children. State and federal governments already have the power to force cigarette companies to sell less attractive, less lethal, less addictive cigarettes. Australians should not be mislead about a “safer” cigarette. There isn’t one. But without filters, the number of lethal lung cancers may be reduced, more smokers would quit because of the harsh taste, and fewer young people would start smoking.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2017-10-15/why-low-libido-is-a-common-sex-problem-for-women-at-midlife/8781860

Low sexual desire is a common problem that affects many women at some point in their lives.
While it’s hard to know exactly how many women experience low libido, it seems it might be more common than previously thought. Almost seventy percent of Australian women aged forty to sixty five years old reported a lack of sexual desire in a recent study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. The authors noted this was “somewhat higher” than estimates from previous studies, which used different survey methods. In the two thousand seventeen study, low desire was defined as a score no higher than five point zero on the desire domain of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), a written questionnaire that has been validated for use in research. It asks about sexual feelings in the past four weeks. Lead author Doctor Rosie Worsely from Monash University Women’s Health Research Program was surprised by the findings.  Here are some facts about low libido: Low libido can be a sign of other problems, such as mood or relationship issues, but it may also be due to something quite straightforward and symptomatic; Vaginal dryness can be safely and effectively treated with an oestrogen cream or pessary; Help is available – find a clinician who specialises in sexual counselling.  But sex therapist and relationship counsellor Cyndi Darnell said it pays to remember one of the most powerful sex organs is in fact the brain.

Perceptions of exactly when low libido is a problem will vary from one person to the next. And some people are happy to have infrequent sex. But if it causes you concern, think about possible causes and talk to your GP about appropriate help. This could range from reviewing medications, to prescribing a cream for vaginal dryness, to a referral for individual or relationship therapy or sexual therapy.