Category Archive

On the one hand, Covid-19 passports, which declare your coronavirus status, sound like a great idea, ­paving the way for moving around freely once again. But is it that simple? I don’t think so. There are some choppy waters to be navigated … Read More

The word “spike” has become ­so familiar to us in the last year due to spikes in Covid-19 ­infections and admissions to hospitals. But there have been other ones running in parallel – spikes in alcohol deaths. Especially between April … Read More

Since receiving a reader’s email about chronic diarrhoea, I’ve had more worried messages. It is a cause of embarrassment for many people but it’s so difficult to live with and, if ­accompanied by pain, as in ulcerative colitis, can be … Read More

I remember thinking last year that we were letting down people at both ends of their lives – when deaths in care homes were spiralling out of control and our children were ­suffering from lost school time and separation from … Read More

I remember my first case of breast cancer to this day. She was a young woman of 33 and she was very upset at the prospect of losing her breast. Yes, in those days the inhuman ­operation of total mastectomy … Read More

The pandemic has inflicted ­terrible collateral damage on the NHS which will necessitate huge rises in health spending for the foreseeable future. In the cancer field, the pandemic has led to delays in diagnosis and treatment but there are deeper wounds. Work … Read More

Most deaths from Covid have been in people who have one or more chronic diseases. And most experts believe the likes of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, ­autoimmune diseases and dementia have much in common – a big one being … Read More

There’s some wonderful research going on to help prem babies right now. One of the gravest risks for extremely early babies is undeveloped lungs that are too ­fragile to handle even the gentlest ­ventilation techniques. “If a baby’s lungs are … Read More

A short time ago I had a letter from a worried grandmother whose granddaughter’s baby eczema wasn’t getting better. I thought I’d devote more space to allaying her concern because baby eczema (atopic dermatitis) can be quite upsetting for parents … Read More

You may have seen me ­recently on Good Morning Britain, ­debating with the irrepressible Johnny Ball about whether the over-70s should have to retake driving tests. I must pin my colours to the mast – I’m keen on repeat driving … Read More