Post Archive by Year

Ever since I can remember, the separation of female patients from male patients on hospital wards has been written in ­tablets of stone. No encroachment of one gender into hospital territory of the other has been tolerated. Well, with people lying … Read More

The need for pregnant women to take folic acid, the B vitamin that ensures proper brain and spinal development, is crucial. Without it, babies are prone to spina bifida that affects the lower spine and nerves to the legs, and hydrocephalus, which … Read More

Now here’s a stat that’s food for thought. By 2050 there’ll be as many adults aged 65 plus as there are children under 18. This means there are going to be more and more people with dementia, and experts are … Read More

When I was at medical school there was a particularly clever female student. She could beat everyone at ­everything. The rumour was her ­exceptional brightness was due to her having gone to nursery very young. At the time I doubted … Read More

We know simply losing weight can reverse Type 2 diabetes. But until now no one thought when you start losing weight was crucial. Now we know the earlier you lose weight, the better. Experts are saying you should shed pounds … Read More

Half of women will develop dementia, Parkinson’s or have a stroke in their lifetime, whereas only a third of men will be affected in the same way. But why is this? Dutch scientists say preventive measures could substantially reduce the … Read More

Readers are sending me letters telling me that they’re worried that Brexit could harm their long-term health – especially people with chronic ailments who need a number of drugs. Will the ­supply dry up, they ask? Helgi Johannsson, clinical director at Imperial … Read More

Here’s a stat that should be ­interesting to all of us. One in 50 people is questioning their gender. But that stat gets even more interesting – the NHS can’t cope with the number of patients whose gender dysphoria is … Read More

Can you believe that artificial intelligence has stopped ­advanced cases of prostate cancer from spreading? Technology known as CURATE.AI (CAI) is being used to continuously assess how well a patient is responding to their medication and adjusts the doses accordingly. In an … Read More

Despite the fact that women have given birth over millennia and got through it safely, the current generation of mums-to-be are prey to fear and anxiety as never before. In the old days, horror tales of ­difficult and long births … Read More