Post Archive by Year

As the Covid virus continues to evolve, experts are afraid it might be capable of evading our vaccines by throwing up mutations. In its present form, it is using only one mode of entry into the body via a spike … Read More

There are 20,000 people in Edinburgh with gout and soon they’ll be successfully controlling their condition thanks to a novel self-management pilot study. The study encourages patients to manage their own gout by doing finger-prick tests at home to measure their urate … Read More

Recently I answered a reader’s letter about cancer of the penis, and although it’s rare, I feel it needs more space. Thankfully there are only around 400 cases a year, diagnosed mostly in men over the age of 60. The … Read More

We tend to be our own worst critics and fall into the habit of being tough on ourselves. In people with depression, this negativity can tip over into feelings of worthlessness, even self-hate. No depression can get better if that … Read More

For women, right-sided abdominal pain that comes on suddenly is nearly always serious and quite often ends up in A&E. ­Surgery is on the cards. This is because causes of right-sided pain could be appendicitis, ectopic pregnancy and Crohn’s disease … Read More

Before the pandemic levels of anxiety were already pretty high, with one in five of us ­struggling. But, unsurprisingly, the figures have soared in the past ­couple of years, to one in three. Coping with anxiety is not easy and … Read More

I’m all too aware that if I let my daily exercise lapse, it’s ­extremely hard to take up the reins and get back into my usual routine. I thought that was just my muscles getting lazy but research from Leeds … Read More

Every five days a potential tragedy occurs in one of the UK’s maternity units as a baby is born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). It’s a tragedy waiting to happen ­because while treatments are available, they have to be given immediately after … Read More

Scientists from University College London have come up with a new set of guidelines to aid better diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis – a chronic condition that causes severe pelvic pain and reduces fertility in millions of women worldwide. The physical, mental and social … Read More

Having a happy gut, containing the right mix of bacteria, is being linked to more and more surprising health benefits, ranging from your heart to your ­ mental health. And here’s another one: it could improve cancer treatments. That is the conclusion of … Read More