Post Archive by Month

We know there’s an intimate connection between the bowel and the brain. Or rather between our gut bacteria, the microbiome, and the brain. We already accept for instance, that the microbiome, via its brain-gut axis, affects our appetite, our mood, … Read More

Nothing and no one will dispel my conviction that the ­brilliance of our scientists will solve the Covid-19 problems ­besetting the world. I’m an optimist. The story of the new Oxford vaccine attests to the determination of our scientists and gives us … Read More

Though Meghan suffered her miscarriage way back in July my heart still goes out to her, and to any woman who has a miscarriage. I suspect Meghan is still feeling the grief of her lost baby. Most women never get … Read More

When you think about it, the obvious way to manage a mother and child’s health is to join them together and consider them as a pair. Except it’s never been done. Maternal health has always been considered separate from infant … Read More

Over the years, much has been written about a person’s need to work. Work has great ­mental health rewards as well as financial gain. It gives us a ­personal sense of usefulness, service, achievement and the nourishment of social contact, … Read More

So the vexed question of dementia in football players has reared its ugly head again. This time with the news that Sir Bobby Charlton has become the fifth member of the England World Cup winning squad to develop the neuro-degenerative … Read More

At the end of any discussion about controlling the ­pandemic, we fall back on, “but there’s always the ­vaccine”, as though we sail into a new world of calm waters, few ­restrictions and open borders, with ­coronavirus a distant memory. … Read More

After having a Covid antibody test in July following my Covid illness at the ­beginning of February, I was ­surprised to find I had antibodies six months after my infection. No one knows how long Covid ­antibodies last, so in … Read More

Years ago, when I had a TV show called Where There’s Life, we decided to do a ­programme on QUALYs, a new measurement that was decisive in ­apportioning money for treatments between equally deserving patients in order to share out … Read More

We know smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol in pregnancy harms the ­unborn baby. It can cause low weight, a failure to thrive and a vulnerability to chest infections and hospital admissions in infancy. I remember the moment I read the … Read More