New partnership to combat heart disease in SA

Heart disease currently kills 17.3 million people each year (more than one third of total deaths around the world), 80% of which are in the developing world. Not many people know that CVD takes more lives than TB, HIV and malaria combined. In South Africa heart disease and strokes - known as chronic diseases - are the second-biggest killers, second only to HIV/AIDS. Read more >>

Exercise care in non-medical 'youth' treatment

A large number of people around the world and South Africa are calling on the skills of plastic surgeons or aesthetic GPs to either enhance their appearance or delay the effects of aging. However how does one decide which doctor to see and is one actually aware of what one agrees to have injected into one's body? Read more >>

A Valentine's special: Mending a broken heart

[Chamendran Naidoo] If you've ever been in love, oh reader, then you've probably been out of it too. Somewhere deep within the chorus of your favourite Percy Sledge song, the feeling disappears, the love is lost and you find yourself eating half a tub of ice-cream, wondering if it was really "her, not you". Then, like clockwork, comes the pain. In fact, my dear readers, the emotional course of heartbreak has been paralleled to the stages experienced after the death of a loved one (and often just as intensely). Read more >>

Heart disease debate - carbohydrates vs fats

Reacting to last month's controversial UCT centenary debate between Professor Tim Noakes and Dr Jacques Rossouw, which saw argument over the most fundamental causes of heart disease, Professor Bongani Mayosi, head of UCT's Department of Medicine said that there would be no change in how students at UCT are taught about the risk factors for heart disease. Read more >>

Lifestyle choices affect cardiac risks more than SCD

Although the sudden death of competitive athletes does occur, and almost certainly makes headlines, the number of deaths resulting from Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) is still relatively low. "The vast majority of heart conditions however, continue to be caused by lifestyle choices," says Vash Mungal, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa. Read more >>

World Cancer Day: Shifting mind-sets and changing lives

[Laurence Hillman] According to the World Health Organisation, cancer takes the lives of some 7.2 million people each year worldwide. Sadly, many people don't understand the risks or implications of what a cancer diagnosis can have on their lives. Read more >>

UCKG's Women in Action empowers people by presenting facts and dispelling myths on World Cancer Day

[Issued by Universal Church of the Kingdom of God] Women in Action (WiA), a group of pastors' wives from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), participated in international World Cancer Day by hosting a fun family day expo at the Cenacle of the Holy Spirit in Soweto on 4 February 2013. Read more >>  visit press office >>

Continental Outdoor Media supports malaria campaign with football stars

To help fight malaria, Continental Outdoor Media has joined forces with the United Against Malaria (UAM) campaign to use the popularity and power of football to raise awareness of the prevention and treatment of malaria. Read more >>

Sama says NHI will collapse if implemented now

A National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme will collapse if it is implemented now claims the SA Medical Association (Sama). Read more >>

Foundation launches CSI programmes to support cancer facilities

The Innovative Cancer Care Foundation (ICCF) was established in December 2010, to bridge the gap between funds available and the cost of specific treatment needed. It has raised over R2 million to invest in the modernisation of public sector cancer facilities and skills development. Read more >>

Claims must be paid speedily says Sama

The SA Medical Association (Sama) urged the Gauteng health department on Wednesday (6 February) to speed up the processing of claims and pay doctors money owed for overtime. Read more >>

Super-computer to work on cancer

WASHINGTON, USA: IBM is putting its Watson super-computer to work fighting cancer, in what is described as the first commercial computer program of its kind to use "big data" to help patients with the disease. Read more >>

Rory Byrne wants cars to go slower

Rory Byrne's job as chief designer for Ferrari's Formula 1 team was to make cars go faster. Now the 69-year-old South African's job is to make them go slower - and safer. Read more >>