The Health News Australia July 27 2017
Overview
- Sperm concentrations in Western men have declined by more than fifty percent over the past 40 years, according to a major new study. Sperm count of men in Australia, North America and Europe declined more than 50pc in less than forty years. The 43,000 men tested included those with no concerns about their fertility and those with children. Western lifestyle and obesity could be to blame.
- Between 1955 and 1976, Australian private vehicle ownership more than tripled. This period produced improved population mobility. Around 1,300 people still die, and tens of thousands more are injured, on Australian roads every year. It is unclear how autonomous vehicles will reshape the transportation sector. It is therefore unclear how this will affect the operational model of the multi-billion-dollar personal injury insurance industry that underpins it. But if schemes cannot adapt to the transition, the functionality of the whole transport system is at risk.
- Thirty four year old Ian Thorpe is most decorated Olympian with 5 gold medals at the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Game. He has developed a winning strategy to overcome his mental health issues. Thorpe is using his experience to help young Australians take charge of their mental wellbeing as the patron of the revamped ReachOut website.
News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 27th of July 2017. Read by Tabetha Moreto. Health New
Sperm concentrations in Western men have declined by more than fifty percent over the past forty years, according to a major new study. Sperm count of men in Australia, North America and Europe declined more than fifty pc in less than forty years. The forty three thousand men tested included those with no concerns about their fertility and those with children. Western lifestyle and obesity could be to blame.
The study, led by Israeli researchers, reviewed hundreds of studies into sperm quality between nineteen seventy three and two thousand and eleven. In all, forty three thousand men were studied. “These findings strongly suggest a significant decline in male reproductive health, which has serious implications beyond fertility concerns,” the authors said. Researchers found an increasing proportion of men had sperm counts below the threshold for infertility.
According to the authors the high proportion of men from Western countries with concentration below forty million milliliters particularly concerning, given the evidence that sperm concentration below this threshold is associated with a decreased monthly probability of conception. Professor Rob McLachlan from the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne said it was too soon to know if the fall in sperm count would be reflected in natural conception rates. “This latest analysis presents the challenge to identify and address potential negative impactors on male fertility such as lifestyle, obesity and comorbidities that are rising in developed countries particularly, and generally the role of environmental toxicants for which there is certainly evidence in more select populations,” he said.
Between nineteen fifty five and nineteen seventy six, Australian private vehicle ownership more than tripled. This period produced improved population mobility. However, it also created a continuing human and financial toll generated by road trauma. In response, Australia developed a series of transport injury insurance, compensation and rehabilitation schemes funded by compulsory third-party premiums attached to vehicle registrations.
Since then, schemes such as the Transport Accident Commission have played a crucial role in ensuring Australia’s transport and health systems continue to function while effectively mopping up the more than five billion Australian dollars in annual injury costs generated by road crashes. However, the time for Australia’s personal injury insurance schemes to start preparing for change is now. What are these schemes for?
Injury insurance, compensation and rehabilitation schemes pay for emergency services, trauma and hospital care, psychological care, GP visits, medications, wage replacement, and a host of other supports to injured people and their families.
In some circumstances, they also allow injured road-users to sue at-fault drivers for common law damages.
What we do know is that around one thousand three hundred people still die, and tens of thousands more are injured, on Australian roads every year. Australians pay around seven hundred dollars per vehicle per year to ensure their medical bills and rehabilitation costs will be looked after in the event of a crash. It is unclear how autonomous vehicles will reshape the transportation sector. It is therefore unclear how this will affect the operational model of the multi-billion-dollar personal injury insurance industry that underpins it. But if schemes cannot adapt to the transition, the functionality of the whole transport system is at risk.
http://www.9news.com.au/health/2017/07/26/14/03/ian-thorpe-reaches-out-for-mental-health
Ian Thorpe may battle depression, but he’s refused to let it control him. Much like his swimming career, the thirty four-year-old has developed a winning strategy to overcome his mental health issues. “There’s been times when I really struggled with my mental health. I’d heard from people that depression was treatable and at the time I just didn’t believe them because I didn’t feel as though I could get through it,” Thorpe said. Now “on the other side” of depression, Thorpe is using his experience to help young Australians take charge of their mental wellbeing as the patron of the revamped ReachOut website. The digital resource is now mobile friendly, meaning young people don’t have to use a desktop. All information is available in the palm of their hand.
There is also a new parent section, launched on Wednesday, that allows concerned carers to get access to evidenced-based information. ReachOut.com bypasses the usual barriers, such as psychologist waiting times, cost, transport and stigma, providing young people with anonymous support and guidance without the need for a Medicare card.
Thorpe is Australia’s most decorated Olympian, with five gold medals at the two thousand Sydney and two thousand and four Athens Games. He was admitted to a rehabilitation facility for depression in two thousand and fourteen, and last year revealed he has battled mental health issues since his teenage years. With many adolescents reluctant to seek help, Thorpe says what’s great about ReachOut.com is that it provides practical strategies to prevent “everyday” issues from becoming something bigger.
