Category: Health

Listening to the sounds of birdsong may help to reduce stress. BalanceFormCreative/ Shutterstock There’s no question that being in nature is good for wellbeing. Research shows that experiencing nature and listening to natural sounds can relax us. A key reason for these benefits may be because of the appeal of birds and their pleasant songs […]

Over the past few years, studies have suggested that plastic particles from bottles, food packaging and waste have been detected in human blood, lungs, placentas, arteries and even the brain. But a recent investigation by the Guardian suggests that some of these claims may be less robust than they first appeared. The idea that tiny […]

Child sleeping with the Monarch TNS device Astrid Perez Diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are rising rapidly in the UK. More children and teenagers than ever are being referred for assessment and support, and families are often facing long waits and limited options once a diagnosis is made. Schools, health services and parents […]

TetianaKtv/Shutterstock.com A group of volunteers spent days locked in a small hotel room with people actively infected with flu. They played games, shared objects and exercised together in conditions designed to help the virus spread. Yet not a single person caught influenza. The unexpected finding comes from a well-designed study that set out to answer […]

ViDI Studio/Shutterstock After the indulgence of festive treats, the idea of starting the year with a clean slate can be appealing. Detox powders, pills, teas and juice “cleanses” all promise a fast reset, often with bold claims about flushing toxins from the body. These promises sound scientific, but they don’t match what detox actually means. […]

DUBLIN — In a major breakthrough for Irish healthcare, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD has announced a new set of framework agreements designed to end years of “bottlenecked” access to life-saving drugs.1 The “Agreements in Principle,” reached on January 20, 2026, establish a historic commitment to process and reimburse new medicines within 180 […]

Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock Every January, the same wave of “detox” promises rolls in. Juice cleanses, detox teas, charcoal capsules and liver “resets” all sell a familiar story: you overdid it over Christmas, your body is full of toxins, and you need a product to flush them out. Here is the inconvenient truth. Your body already has a […]

PradeepGaurs/Shutterstock.com The scientist Stephen Hawking lived with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common type of motor neurone disease, for 55 years. He was one of the longest-surviving people with the condition. However, most people with motor neurone disease are not as lucky. It often progresses quickly, and many pass away within two to five […]

If you're healthy, do you need to do a charcoal detox? AtlasStudio/Shutterstock January arrives with a familiar hangover. Too much food. Too much drink. Too much screen time. And suddenly social media is full of green juices, charcoal supplements, foot patches and seven-day “liver resets”, all promising to purge the body of mysterious toxins and […]

Marko Poplasen/Shutterstock Six-year-old Antoni, born in the UK to Polish parents, speaks only a few English words in class and often looks confused when the teacher gives instructions. He could simply be adjusting to English – or the problem could be developmental language disorder (DLD), a condition that severely impairs a child’s ability to learn, […]