Category: Health

H_Ko/Shutterstock Huntington’s disease (HD) has long been impossible to cure, but new research is finally giving fresh hope. HD is a progressive, hereditary brain disease that affects movement, cognition and emotions. Doctors often diagnose HD when people show clear movement problems, typically around 30-50 years of age, after which patients live about 15-20 years. The […]

PeopleImages/Shutterstock For years, the narrative surrounding teenagers’ use of digital technology has been one of alarm. Time spent scrolling through TikTok or playing video games is widely seen to be driving the current crisis in youth mental health, fuelling rising rates of anxiety and depression. But our recent study suggests that this simple story of […]

Jair Bolsonaro. Focus Pics/Shutterstock.com Brazil’s jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro was recently reported to have undergone three medical treatments to stop a bout of persistent hiccups. While hiccups are usually harmless and short-lived, his case highlights a condition that can, in rare circumstances, become medically significant. Hiccups are one of the few bodily functions named […]

A kitchen in a traditional house with smoke from a tea kettle heated with wood fire in a village in Nagaland, India. balajisrinivasan/Shutterstock When indoor air pollution makes the news in western countries, it often feels like a local issue. One week it focuses on wood-burning stoves. Another it is gas cookers or the question […]

Psychologists and nutritionists both agree that short-term, restrictive diets aren't great for long-term weight loss success. metamorworks/ Shutterstock Those hoping to lose weight this year might be tempted to try to a diet challenge in the hopes of kick-starting their weight loss. But while we might think these kinds of short-term, restrictive diets will help […]

Shakirov Albert/Shutterstock Inside the body, a 24-hour rhythm, known as the circadian rhythm, quietly coordinates when we sleep, wake, eat and recover. This internal timing system helps keep organs and hormones working in sync. When it becomes disrupted, the effects may extend well beyond poor sleep, with growing evidence suggesting consequences for long-term brain health. […]

The intensity of the 4×4 workout can improve your cardiovascular health. TORWAISTUDIO/ Shutterstock Lack of time is often the main reason people don’t exercise regularly. But a type of interval workout recently popularised by actress Jessica Biel could be the solution – with research showing it can improve fitness faster than traditional, steady-pace workouts, such […]

oneinchpunch/Shutterstock.com The UK has updated its childhood immunisation schedule. For parents who had already mapped out their child’s vaccination appointments in their heads, the announcement might have come as an unwelcome surprise. The changes include routine protection against chickenpox through the combined MMRV vaccine, the removal of the Hib/MenC vaccine (which helps protect against two […]

The family’s decision to donate Yarham’s brain to research will help unlock secrets about frontotemporal dementia. ahmetmapush/ Shutterstock A UK man who is thought to be Britain’s youngest dementia sufferer recently passed away from the disease at only 24 years old. Andre Yarham, from Norfolk in England, was just 22 when he was first diagnosed […]