Though rare, sometimes medical dogma gives way to common sense. A recent example is exposing infants during their first year to potential allergens (things that cause allergies). Previously the received wisdom was that babies must be spared exposure to common … Read More
‘Family jet lag’ means we pay the price of long-haul festivities
Some of us will have experienced the weird sensation of travelling long-haul and crossing several time zones. For instance, flying to New York means spanning five time zones so when you arrive in America the time is five hours behind … Read More
Cold weather could be a killer as snow and floods sweep across Britain
With an Arctic blast currently hitting the UK we all need to be on our guard. This winter there will be nearly 25,000 deaths due to cold in the UK and many more across Europe. The death toll from cold weather is … Read More
Hope for thousands of stroke victims as new device could help them regain movement
One of the most common complications of a stroke is a paralysed arm and hand, and that’s a serious disability. But help is on the way. Using a device devised by scientists at the University of Newcastle, thousands of stroke patients could … Read More
The eyes are the window to the body and your optician could play a crucial role
Poets say the eyes are the window to the soul. A doctor, like me, says the eye is the window to the body. Nowhere else can the internal health of the body be seen clearly without substantial intervention. When a … Read More
Fresh hope for dementia sufferers as diagnosis rates decline by millions of people
Here’s some of the best news I’ve heard recently – dementia rates have dropped unexpectedly. In 2000, people got a diagnosis at an average age of 80.7, but by 2012 that age was 82.4. Now I know that doesn’t sound … Read More
Cryogenics is robbing the dying of their dignity – it’s deceit and extortion
Years ago I made a film about a Frenchman who had frozen his wife after her death in the belief that she could be revived at some point in the future when medical science allowed. I made the film in … Read More
Stop taking vitamins and eat the right food if you want to stay healthy
It must be decades since I first said no one eating a western diet needs supplements. All these years I’ve been spitting in the wind as the value of the supplement industry climbs and climbs. With the exception of pregnant women, … Read More
So what’s the reason humans are so ticklish? Could rats help provide the answer?
Here’s a light-hearted one. Are you ticklish? And if so, are you only ticklish in certain places? Can you tickle yourself? (No). Have you ever wondered why we’re ticklish? Does it serve a purpose? The answer to that last one … Read More
Children of working mums develop faster than those whose mothers stay at home
When I was a working mum with young children I found it well-nigh impossible to put down that rucksack of guilt that haunted me because I was not at home every day. At the time I comforted myself with the … Read More