There’s nothing more lowering than women bringing down other women, especially when it’s done by cowardly internet trolls who don’t have the courage to come out into the open but snipe cruelly from the cover of anonymity. Recently, the daughter … Read More
New kind of MRI scan could bypass the need for a prostate biopsy
Prostate cancer research is something I like to keep my beady eye on. With each advance we’re not only better able to diagnose the cancer early, we’re discovering ways to make sure each man gets the best treatment for him. … Read More
Hidden dangers lurk in contraceptive mobile apps
There’s been a lot of noise about a contraceptive app and I’ve waited till it’s all calmed down to write about it. You feed in a lot of data to rate your daily chances of conception (or the opposite) with a traffic … Read More
Medical breakthrough means science is close to an HIV vaccine at last
Thinking back, I remember the hysteria over AIDS which gripped the country in the 80s. I even made a TV programme aimed at calming the alarm. Such was the fear surrounding HIV, I was unable to make the programme with … Read More
Serious health warning over diets that could lead to ‘fatal heart attack’
As a self-confessed yo-yo dieter, I knew many other women who were too. Fortunately, I managed to crack the habit – and only just in time it appears given the latest research. Because that on-off kind of dieting is related … Read More
Substance abuse among older people ‘growing rapidly as binge drinking becomes commonplace for ageing population’
Our ageing population is throwing up unexpected problems. Who would have guessed that substance abuse among older people would ever cause health concerns? Well, it is. The number of older people (over 50) having problems from substance misuse is growing … Read More
‘Best ways of keeping your balance as you get older have been revealed’
Quite a few readers write to me to say they find it increasingly difficult to balance as they get older. And I have a lot of sympathy because I know what it feels like. The brain works hard to keep … Read More
Why is gonorrhoea no longer treatable? Gone are the days when STD could be cured by week’s course of penicillin
In the old days, the venereal disease gonorrhoea could be eradicated quickly with a week’s course of penicillin. It’s not so simple anymore. As outlined in a British Medical Journal editorial, it’s a salutary tale of how the wily gonorrhoea … Read More
My gut reaction to veg is that it keeps you healthy – have you ever wondered they’re always so slim?
Have you ever wondered why vegetarians always seem to be on the slim side? Even though a lot of their food contains oil and their salads are laced with creamy dressings? Me too. Well, it could be down to the … Read More
Third-hand smoke is a silent killer that can be absorbed through the skin
First it was worry about second-hand smoke, now there’s major concern over third-hand smoke which gets impregnated into hair, clothes, furnishings or a car rather than directly from a cigarette or someone exhaling it. To be honest, I’ve always been … Read More