Category Archive

Surely modern medicine can do a better job for the 5.4 million people who have asthma – ­including 1.1 million children? Each year there are around 77,000 ­admissions to hospital for asthma, each admission representing someone whose asthma isn’t under … Read More

My favourite school teachers all had a huge impact. I ­remember them clearly, they made me feel worthwhile, competent, even brave. Could these uplifting relationships mean even more to children who have little else to inspire them in their lives? … Read More

During my career I was involved in the early research on HRT and was impressed with its ­effectiveness in treating menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats and depression. So impressed in fact, that I started taking it at … Read More

Ever since penicillin was first used as a therapy in Sheffield in 1930 by Dr Cecil George Paine, a member of the University’s Pathology Department, many scientists, doctors and chemists have wondered how it worked. Well, now we have a good idea. … Read More

Now here’s a surprising one. I’d have thought unplanned pregnancies would’ve fallen during lockdown with all that worry, anxiety and frustration. But I’d have been wrong. There were nearly twice as many unplanned pregnancies during the first lockdown compared to … Read More

We have come a long way in ­discovering new ­weapons against Covid. But people who ­require ­ventilation have been especially ­difficult to treat since the pandemic took hold. Well, an international team of researchers has got together and come up with … Read More

All our bodily functions are at the mercy of our body clock – a 24-hour programme of waxing and waning ­hormones that wakes us in the morning and makes us feel sleepy at night. It gives a rhythm to our … Read More

Social care is set to become an ever deepening problem. Lack of carers, funds and accommodation for older people will exacerbate loneliness, social isolation and mental issues. It seems an unlikely solution but there’s a plan afoot for children from primary … Read More

One of the hallmarks of a Covid infection is loss of the sense of smell, which often affects the sense of taste too. Not that Covid is the first virus to do this – many upper respiratory viruses do the same thing, including the … Read More

We know that severe restriction of calories can “cure” type 2 diabetes in the short term. In most studies, ­however, this restrictive phase rarely extends to more than a few months, so can managing what you eat in the long-term … Read More