Post Archive by Year

By now we know how important our gut bacteria are, the good ones at least. And we must do all we can to look after them. Well, here’s a method a lot of people will be pleased about. Drink beer! … Read More

A couple of years ago I wrote about the brain damage that affects American ­footballers from the physical collisions that are a major feature of the game. Then the same phenomenon appeared in British footballers from the impact of heading … Read More

There’s been a study in the US about Tylenol, paracetamol to you and me, linking it to ­causing harm to an unborn child. Paracetamol is thought of as safe by most pregnant women, and I don’t want to spread alarm, … Read More

Do the heaps of cigarette butts that litter the ground where smokers gather get on your nerves? Did you know the filter tips on cigarettes are the most common item of litter in the world? The largest part of most … Read More

Medically speaking we live in amazing times. New ­diagnostic tests, new ­treatments, new technology, therapies with pinpoint accuracy hunting down individual cancer cells and blasting them to extinction. One such treatment is for prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men … Read More

Medicine is getting more and more techie and many of us are ­now relying on devices to look after our wellbeing. According to research from consulting firm Accenture, four in 10 people said they were using tools such as online … Read More

Well, we’ve been desperate for it to happen. And now after waiting years to get an Alzheimer’s ­treatment that might stop mental decline in its tracks – we may have found it. Doctors have welcomed a turning point in the … Read More

There’s some research that claims to show that migraine sufferers have a greater risk of developing dementia in later life. Since I was a migraine sufferer for 40 years, I’m hoping it’s not true. The study suggests that older women with dementia … Read More

A friend of mine, about the same age as me, is having problems with her balance. She has dizzy turns that make it difficult to stay upright and she sometimes falls over. Recently she fell down some stairs, bruising herself … Read More

Table tennis is pitched as a great way for older people to stay ­active – and when I first heard this I thought it was a strange choice. Why is it so beneficial? The reason scientists gave was that table … Read More