Did you realise that someone has a heart attack every five minutes? No, neither did I. Furthermore, if they survive the heart attack, they’ll still be left with damage to their heart muscle. The heart can’t heal itself so inflammation … Read More
We still know little of Covid’s mental health side-effects
We’re gradually coming to accept that the consequences of Covid will affect substantial numbers of people for a substantial length of time. It’s not the only respiratory virus that can have serious effects in many areas of the body, including … Read More
Relying on herd immunity to beat Covid won’t work
I’ve always been sceptical about claims for building up herd immunity as a protection against Covid, and thought Sweden’s reliance on it to be misguided. Herd immunity is usually claimed when a high proportion of the community has been vaccinated so that … Read More
Hope for those too weak to take a Covid vaccine
There are two ways to protect ourselves against infections using antibodies. The first is to be vaccinated and encourage the immune system to produce them ourselves – that’s known as active immunity. The second way is to receive already formed … Read More
Government chose more Covid deaths to protect the NHS
Almost everyone in the country must now be aware that the Government is pretty choosy about explaining the science behind its decisions, let alone what it gives away at its Downing Street press conferences. Digging about in the research it’s … Read More
Covid-19 loves to stalk us if we’re together indoors
Little by little we’re finding out what coronavirus is like. We’re getting to know its face. We’re learning how it behaves. All the information we’re gathering will help us to deal with it and treat it and with the festive season upon … Read More
Red wine and dark chocolate hold key to younger cells thanks to magic ingredient
At Christmas, more than any time of the year, we indulge ourselves with goodies, all the time feeling guilty about it. Well, here are two treats that you needn’t feel concerned about as long as you don’t overdo it – … Read More
Can vitamin D help in the fight against coronavirus?
I’ve always been sceptical about the role vitamin D plays in preventing infections, so I remain to be convinced that it should be added to foods like bread and milk to help prevent Covid-19. It’s claimed depleted levels of vitamin D might … Read More
Kids taking medicine can be a hard act to swallow
There can’t be a parent anywhere who hasn’t struggled to give their child medicine. By far the most difficult type to give is tablets, which even some adults don’t find straightforward. Swallowing pills is a particular challenge for young children … Read More
The common cold could be our secret weapon against coronavirus
The common cold can be caused by coronaviruses – not Covid-19, but coronaviruses from the same family. And there’s a theory that antibodies created by the immune system during infection with common cold coronaviruses could protect against Covid-19. This might … Read More