To this day I remember the gut-wrenching anxiety I felt each morning as I entered school. Was it fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of feeling like a fool, fear of bullying (I was plump) or some unknown … Read More
Your pills’ ‘inactive’ ingredients can trigger allergies
When I was running an allergy clinic, I often had reason to look at so-called inactive ingredients in tablets, capsules, creams and lotions. And even though these ingredients are called inactive, many of them aren’t. They can trigger allergies. Plus, … Read More
Clinic for testing recreational drugs is a huge step forward
A lot of people probably won’t agree with me, but I find myself rejoicing in a new plan to help drug users. The reasons I’m in favour of drug-testing clinics is that they’re likely to be very helpful, they’re non-judgmental … Read More
Social media is no help to those who self-harm
There has been a surge in the numbers of teenagers suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. And one of the serious effects that complicates PTSD is self-harming. Hospital admissions for children who are self-harming have more than doubled in six years. In … Read More
DIY smear tests could solve screening crisis
The cervical screening programme has hit a roadblock. Many young women are delaying or failing to attend cervical screening appointments because of embarrassment and a fear that the procedure would hurt them. Could we increase cervical screening rates by allowing … Read More
Getting enough sleep is the basis of good health
When I was in my 50s I was a director of a multinational US corporation and had to fly to San Francisco for board meetings each month. With often a nine-hour time change I found the jet lag very difficult … Read More
I’m sceptical about any diet that claims to boost fertility
I’m highly sceptical about any diet that claims to boost fertility especially when it’s simply a healthy diet we should all be eating anyway, even though a couple of Harvard professors have written a book stating you can up your … Read More
Measles is back and it is killing our children
Our childhood vaccinations schemes have been so successful over the years that many people have never seen a child with diphtheria, polio, measles or mumps. These adults are fortunately ignorant to the suffering a child experiences with any of these … Read More
Organ donation rule change could help save 700 lives
Years ago I filmed a documentary in Singapore where the number of organ donations was higher than anywhere else in the world, and the difficulty in procuring transplant organs had evaporated. Why? The Singaporean government had declared an opt-out scheme … Read More
New sound and light therapy could help Alzheimer’s sufferers
Here’s a new approach to treating Alzheimer’s – sound and light therapy. Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, have shown that this method can relieve Alzheimer’s in animals and a clinical trial in human patients has already started. The study by … Read More