A friend of mine recently came off his bike and “made a mess of his shoulder”. He was in intense pain and couldn’t raise his arm 90 degrees. He went to A&E where X-rays showed no damage had been done, … Read More
Intense bursts of exercise are best – here is Dr Miriam Stoppard’s three-minute routine
Like other health writers, I try to back up the public health guidelines for exercise and do a minimum of 30 minutes of steady moderate exercise on most days of the week. But I’ve always wondered how many people do … Read More
Fast treatment vital in anorexia therapy as it substantially improves patient outcome
Eating disorders in young people are on the up. A British Medical Journal report says the frequency of eating disorders rose from 32 per 1,000 to 37 in the 10 years from 2000 in people in the age group 10-49. … Read More
Dishing the dirt on the anti-everything clean eating trend and its ‘dodgy science’
As a perennial sceptic of diet fads, it’s two years since I read the first criticism of the so-called clean eating trend with its spiralisers, NutriBullets and Paleo diets, and its very dodgy science. This trend seemed particularly pernicious because it … Read More
The brain cancer wonder pill that’s leading the fight to stop brain tumours becoming drug resistant
Last week, I wrote about the support given by Cancer Research UK (CRUK) to research on the life-saving drug for breast cancer, tamoxifen. This week I’m going to write about another world class treatment for cancer. This concerns a remarkable treatment for … Read More
We must take getting better more seriously and allow our bodies to heal after trauma
Convalescent homes – do you remember them? I was reading an article about a woman who was having radiotherapy for ovarian cancer and she mourned the passing of those havens of tranquillity and healing. And they were havens: comfortable, friendly … Read More
Arguments for legalising marijuana are growing – not least a drop in violent crime
Legalising marijuana is a policy I have supported for 40 years – ever since a friend of mine with multiple sclerosis had to risk buying the drug from a dealer to get relief for her painful muscle spasms. And the … Read More
Long road to breast cancer wonder drug that now means two thirds of patients survive
Many people benefit from new drug treatments for cancer but few are aware of the long, expensive and often frustrating journey from discovery to dosing. That journey starts in the head of a scientist and travels through lab experiments, animal studies, tests … Read More
Teenagers are self-medicating with ‘zombie drug’ Xanax to control mental health problems
Now here’s some unexpected and dangerous fallout from teens’ usage of social media. Anxiety-prone young people who don’t have the time to consult a professional about pressure, stress, worry and paranoia are bypassing doctors and carers. Instead they’re looking to … Read More
DIY cancer testing kit could save thousands of lives – make sure you do yours
If there was a test for cancer you could do yourself would you do it? Of course you would. And I do. Every second year. It’s so easy and simple and it saves lives. Yet bowel screening has the lowest uptake of … Read More