Lauren Kamnik always knew that she was meant to be a mom. For as long as she could remember, she'd been envisioning the chubby feet and the tiny outfits and the happy chaos of a house with kids.

We increasingly fear things we have no reasonable cause to fear. While the number of clinically diagnosable agoraphobics hasn't increased, something that reeks of agoraphobia seems to be presenting itself all around us.

Instead of calling it quits for the year, what if you resolved to change your mindset about fitness?

Getting a good night's sleep puts your brain and body in good stead for the week ahead. It helps you make good decisions, get on well with people, be more creative, have more energy, process information better - all the things that make a good day.

Midlife crisis? What crisis? Suzanne McFadden meets three women in their 40s reinventing their lives.

We tell 10 lies every week — but what’s the reasoning behind so many untruths, asks Olivia Goldhill.

Experts say that cravings are the body's way of telling us that something is missing. But what do our desires for certain foods mean?

Are neck, hand or forearm cooling, ice-cube sucking or cold showers effective ways to lose heat on those dog days of summer? Can sports clothing keep you cool by wicking away sweat?

Having heartburn most days for three weeks or more can be a sign of cancer, according to a British health campaign.

There’s always one in a crowd, a person mosquitoes seem to target more than others. What is it about these unlucky chosen few that makes them mosquito magnets?

Cannabis might provide more relief from chronic pain than prescription drugs, new research suggests.

Australian model Erin McNaught under fire for posting ab photo four weeks after giving birth.

You probably aren't beautiful. It's statistical, not personal. Most of us are average, a few of us are ugly, and a tiny number of us are beautiful or handsome.

From Dolly Parton's smelly cabbage soup to Liz Taylor's stinky dip, behind most stars is a mad, fad diet. Writer Rebecca Harrington tried them all.

Recent research suggests carbohydrate-rich foods may not be helping exercise recovery as previously thought and their potential link with metabolic diseases are raising questions.

A simple blood test costing about $10 could help doctors spot twice as many heart attacks in women, a study has claimed.

Hair loss is no longer an inevitable march to baldness. Medical advances over recent decades mean male hair loss can be treated. So, what are the treatment options?

A trial with 220 Auckland children has proved that a “smart inhaler” that beeps when you forget to puff from it can dramatically reduce asthma.

Scientists have discovered that having up to seven drinks a week may give you a better chance of avoiding heart failure than people who abstain from alcohol completely.

For those of us not in positions to make decisions that could stop the wave of non-communicable diseases, here are seven key lessons from this latest update.

Couples are more likely to give up smoking, visit the gym, or lose weight if they get healthy together, a study has found.

It's time we all focused more on this most important organ, to improve both the quality and quantity of brain health across the lifespan.

When Ethiopians need an iron health boost, they don't turn to supplements - they eat kitfo, says Bebeta Asfaw.

Artificial arteries designed like gun barrels could revolutionise heart bypass surgery and save health services millions, researchers claim.

More than a third of Kiwis believe fizzy and other sugary drinks should be taxed, a Southern Cross Health Society survey indicates.

A team of international scientists have discovered six new ovarian cancer risk genes - a discovery that could help find new ways to treat the disease.

Will nutritional genomics make it easier to follow a healthy diet? Clint Witchalls sends off his DNA for a nutritional diagnosis.

Bryony Gordon has always had a troubled relationship with alcohol - but can a hypnotherapist change the bad habits of a lifetime?

Babies who rapidly gain weight in the first three months of life are more likely to develop asthma, a study has found.