Occasionally medical research throws up something intriguing that might, just might, affect your everyday life. Would you believe a painkiller could make you feel less affectionate? I’m not sure I entirely believe it but assistant professor Dominik Mischkowski, a psychologist … Read More
How coronavirus started and what we do now to control it
The coronavirus is a recent preoccupation but coronaviruses have been around for many years and were first discovered in the 1960s. They include viruses contributing to the common cold and a variety of animal and avian coronaviruses, such as infectious … Read More
Contact lenses raise your risk of suffering sight loss
When over 140 million people worldwide opt to wear contact lenses they put themselves into a vulnerable group. Contact lens wearers are prone to eye problems – particularly if they go for extended-wear lenses. Some complications of contact lenses can … Read More
Diabetes drug could help end the pain of miscarriage
The grief of losing an unborn baby is impossible to imagine. To suffer more than one miscarriage is almost more than flesh can bear. There are various research projects under way that are trying to fathom why miscarriages happen at … Read More
Speaking a second language can boost brain health
When you next you go on holiday try to think about learning a few words of the local lingo. It could keep your brain ticking over. Indeed it could do more than that, it could make your brain resistant to … Read More
Resolving the conflict between medicine and religious beliefs
Can religion and medicine always happily co-exist? Most doctors will respect a patient’s religious views but I find myself at a crossroads. Would I feel torn to resist giving a treatment that has no benefit if the request for it … Read More
All you need to know about the coronavirus outbreak
Almost everyone on the planet is worried about the coronavirus. Our anxiety is more acute because we know so little about it. To help ease your fears, here’s my round-up of what we know, how serious an outbreak in Britain … Read More
Phone and online therapy give hope to sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome affects between 10%-20% of the population. It’s a cause of great discomfort, even disability, and lost working days. Symptoms include bloating, constipation and diarrhoea. There’s no cure, and people with the condition often have recurrent flare-ups. Their … Read More
We must talk and plan to achieve a dignified death
My sister recently died in a French hospital. She had as good a death as she could possibly have hoped for, and this was, mainly, due to the French doctors and nurses who were open and responsive to my sister’s … Read More
Donald Trump’s belly fat is unmissable – so why should we take his health advice?
Donald Trump isn’t slow to set himself up as a global arbiter of medical truth. The US President’s pronouncements range far and wide, from mental health to curing AIDS. And he’s not beyond writing medical reports, says Joanne Silberner in … Read More