Category: Health

Biological sex has a major influence on brain health. VPLAB/ Shutterstock Women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with dementia. While researchers have some idea of the factors that elevate risk, it’s still not entirely clear why this happens. But a recent study suggests that the menopause could play a key role in […]

Yavuz Meyveci/Shutterstock.com Mystics once spent years meditating in caves in search of transcendence. Today, a growing number of people believe something similar can be reached in a single afternoon with the help of a psychedelic drug. Swallow a capsule of psilocybin or take a carefully supervised dose of LSD and you may encounter what many […]

Prostock-studio/Shutterstock Talking is one of the most complex actions the human body performs, yet the process of turning thoughts into speech is coordinated on millisecond timescales. For some children, the brain struggles to plan the movements needed for speech, turning everyday conversation into hard work. Even forming a single word can affect learning, friendships and […]

Close-up of a demodex folliculorum mite: your skin is alive with company Kalcutta/Shutterstock You are not alone in your own skin. Millions of microscopic creatures live there too. Our skin is home to entire ecosystems of microscopic life. Bacteria and fungi get most of the attention, but mites are there too. Among the most common […]

Angel Gruber/Shutterstock Air pollution has long been linked to heart and lung disease. But a large US study suggests it may also raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form of dementia. Researchers tracked nearly 28 million older adults over six years nationwide. They found that those exposed to higher levels of […]

Shutterstock AI/Shutterstock.com A drug designed to help cancer patients rebuild wasting muscles has become one of the most contentious substances in elite sport – and the scientist who discovered it now spends more time trying to stop people using it than encouraging its medical use. James Dalton, who developed ostarine in the early 2000s, recently […]

Inside Creative House/Shutterstock Weight-loss injections have rapidly moved from specialist clinics to social media feeds and high-street pharmacies. Known as GLP-1 medications, they were originally developed to support those with type 2 diabetes but are now widely used to support weight loss. These medicines mimic a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, which helps regulate appetite and […]

Mix and Match Studio/Shutterstock Another cold snap is approaching. Some people deal with it by taking an invigorating walk outside, while others hibernate with a cozy blanket and biscuits. But one thing seems to be common when temperatures drop: we like talking about how cold it feels. Comments such as “I am so cold, I […]

Girts Ragelis/Shutterstock The vagus nerve has become the internet’s favourite body part. On social media, it is everywhere. People hum into their phones, gargle with theatrical enthusiasm, dunk their faces into bowls of ice water and poke at their ears in the hope of “activating” it. Influencers describe it as a hidden master switch for […]

The menopause was associated with poorer sleep, increased mental health problems and even changes within the brain itself. Gladskikh Tatiana/ Shutterstock Menopause is a key period in a woman’s life. This transition is often accompanied by wide-ranging physical and psychological symptoms — some of which can be debilitating and affect daily life. Menopause has also […]