Lifestyle & Wellbeing

COVID-19 vaccination rates in rural areas in New Zealand are significantly lower than in urban areas, an analysis of data by University of Otago researchers reveals. Associate Professor Garry Nixon and his team from the...

A University of Otago researcher has discovered a brain signal that will help improve the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders. Professor Neil McNaughton and his team from the Department of Psychology have completed the...

MidCentral DHB is reminding women, partners, friends and whānau of the harmful impact that alcohol can have on unborn babies during pregnancy. September, the ninth month of the year, is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder awareness...

New Zealand’s largest licenced medicinal cannabis company, Helius Therapeutics, has signed an agreement with Auckland University of Technology (AUT). It will see Helius working with AUT academics and doctoral students, researching and developing advanced medicinal cannabis products. The announcement follows...

Pharmac has funded upadacitinib tablets as an alternative treatment for New Zealanders with severe rheumatoid arthritis, who are impacted by the tocilizumab stock shortage. “In New Zealand, about 400 people currently use Pharmac-funded tocilizumab for...

Helius Therapeutics is taking time to reflect on Suffrage Day. On 19 September 1893, New Zealand became the first nation in the world to grant women the right to vote. Now 128 years on, New Zealand...

Stigma and discrimination against people with mental distress or illness is still very much a problem and people’s negative view of those with a mental illness often comes from a lack of understanding. People...

As more about the effects of long COVID is learnt, it is apparent that cardio-respiratory physiotherapists have an essential role in helping people recover from the virus, a University of Otago physiotherapy specialist says. Dr...

MidCentral DHB (MDHB) will run its first low-sensory vaccination clinic on Thursday 16 September, 2021, at the Milson Community Centre in Palmerston North. This clinic offers a vaccination opportunity for those who have sensory needs,...

Mental health experts are warning the extended lockdown could have a severe and immediate impact on those battling addictions to food, alcohol, drugs and smoking. Addictions counsellor Leanne French says while lockdowns are an essential...