Category: Health

Millions of people are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for advice on everything from cooking to tax returns. Increasingly, they are also asking chatbots about their health. But as the UK’s chief medical officer recently warned, that may not be wise when it comes to medical decisions. In a recent study, colleagues and I […]

Women with long COVID had more than double the risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared with women without long COVID. TetianaKtv/ Shutterstock Most people who get COVID recover within a few weeks. But for some, symptoms persist for months – a condition now known as long COVID. While it’s often associated with fatigue, breathlessness and […]

I heard about the new BBC drama Babies the week before it aired and was keen to watch it, not least because miscarriage is so rarely portrayed on screen – particularly as a central storyline. I enjoyed it, insofar as that word can be applied to such a devastating subject. The series offers a raw, […]

Tormentil grows wild across the UK, Ireland and Europe. Ihor Hvozdetskyi/ Shutterstock Long before we had modern antibiotics to rely on, people often turned to traditional medicines from plants to treat infections. The root of tormentil (Potentilla erecta), a small yellow wildflower that grows across Ireland, the UK and Europe, was used for centuries in […]

Weight recidivism is common after weight loss. New Africa/ Shutterstock The only thing harder than losing weight is keeping it off. Many people who lose weight find themselves stuck in the cycle of “yo-yo dieting” – losing weight and gaining it all (and sometimes more) back again. Research on yo-yo dieting has long indicated it […]

There are many reason why you might have suddenly got the 'ick.' Amorn Suriyan/ Shutterstock Have you ever suddenly gone off a food you used to love? This is something people on social media have been talking about – specifically when it comes to chicken. Users report suddenly becoming disgusted by chicken, sometimes even mid-bite […]

Changes to our normal routine can throw our bowels out of whack. S Prodution/ Shutterstock Travelling abroad is something many of us look forward to. It’s a chance to break free from the norm, discover new sights, try new foods and do things we might not normally have a chance to do. But sometimes, our […]

Pressure on mental health services across the UK is leaving many men without timely support when they need it most. Men in the UK die by suicide at more than three times the rate of women. There’s a link between poor mental health and suicide, which means men’s wellbeing needs urgent attention. Yet long NHS […]

Those who have tried the viral 'hack' say it does make push-ups easier to do. Microgen/ Shutterstock Push-ups can be a challenge for the best of us. But many women struggle to do them, even after months of training in the gym. So when a so-called “women’s push-up hack” started trending on social media, it’s […]

Simon Kadula/ Shutterstock A violinist plays in a cancer ward. A playlist loops in the waiting room. A surgeon hums along to the radio mid-operation. We assume, almost without thinking, that music helps. But what if it doesn’t – or worse, what if it harms? Music has been used since the beginning of time, in […]