Post Archive by Month

One of my friends, who’s also in her eighties, has an embarrassing problem that is causing her real distress. She suffers from excruciating rectal pain after going to the toilet properly – so severe she fears she’s got cancer. I … Read More

When it comes to the subject of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) I must admit I’m not objective. It’s because I’ve seen the awful toll drinking alcohol has on an unborn baby. FASD is a condition caused by ­exposure to alcohol before birth. … Read More

A particularly aggressive form of breast cancer, known as HER2-low, is thought to be present in about half the 55,000 new cases of the disease that emerge in the UK each year. This is a sub-category of breast cancer that isn’t … Read More

Our dearly beloved Queen has mild symptoms but is still game for “light duties”. Is there no end to this wonderful woman’s sense of duty? She puts us all to shame. Along with the whole nation, I wish her a speedy recovery. … Read More

We’ve got used to the idea of having a booster jab to raise levels of Covid ­antibodies, which can drop after two doses of the vaccine. But should we contemplate more? A fourth jab, for everyone? Well, Israel already has on a … Read More

We know it’s the unborn baby that triggers birth when it’s ready by sending signals to the womb to get things going. This is just the final act of growing a baby. It’s been bossing the placenta and womb for nine months, … Read More

With the burden of Covid, there’s no doubt it’s ­become harder to get a GP appointment – and their workload has rocketed. But a Manchester University study has shown it’s a ­relatively small group of patients who have been piling … Read More

Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and a brain injury can change behaviour by altering brain anatomy. Now it seems coronavirus can too. It wasn’t long after the pandemic started that we realised coronavirus targets not only the lungs but the heart, the brain … Read More

Science works in mysterious ways. Who’d have thought the common cold could protect against Covid-19? Well, it can. Many common cold viruses are ­coronaviruses, and people with higher levels of T cells from suffering cold coronaviruses are less likely to become infected with … Read More

Ever since the first time I had a smear test and had to bear the discomfort of a speculum exam, I’ve ­wondered why women had to suffer this intrusive procedure. It left me feeling humiliated – surely there was another … Read More