Category: Health

Graffiti inscription about the Black Death at St Mary's church, Ashwell Jack1956/Wikipedia, CC BY Memories of pandemics are often contentious. They can be disputed, uncomfortable and politically charged. As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to feel more distant, governments, communities and families have started asking how it should be remembered. Efforts range from personal memorials for […]

Daisy Daisy/Shutterstock Between us, we bring two perspectives to persistent illness: personal experience of long COVID, and clinical and research experience in chronic illness rehabilitation. Both have taught us the same thing: when symptoms are real, disabling and difficult to explain, patients need more than reassurance that tests are normal. They need to be believed, […]

karen roach/Shutterstock For many people living with obesity, newer weight-loss medicines such as Wegovy and Mounjaro have been transformative. These drugs are often grouped under the label GLP-1 medicines because they mimic hormones released after eating, helping people feel fuller and less hungry. Mounjaro, whose active ingredient is tirzepatide, also acts on another hormone involved […]

Whether it’s at practice or during a Fifa World Cup match, football players could unknowingly be putting their brain health at risk every time they take to the field. Studies suggest that retired football players have a higher risk of developing dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, compared to the general population. It’s currently thought that this […]

A football player standing over a penalty in a hot, high-altitude stadium is dealing with more than pressure. His body is trying to keep cool. His heart and breathing may be working harder. Less oxygen is reaching his muscles. One poor decision can end his team’s World Cup. The 2026 men’s World Cup has made […]

Kinga Howard/Unsplash, CC BY The clock reads 2:13am. You are exhausted. Your eyes ache, your body feels heavy and the alarm is already beginning to loom over the night, yet your brain refuses to let go. Instead, thoughts arrive in waves. Did you send that email? What if you forgot something important? Perhaps now is […]

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com When the weather turns hot, most of us remember sunscreen and water. But what about our medicines? Heat can quietly damage medicines, making them less effective or even unsafe. As heatwaves become more common in the UK and globally, knowing how to store medicines properly is becoming essential. Medicines are more sensitive […]

For decades, cancer has been thought of as a purely human disease – rogue cells multiplying out of control, with no room for anything else in the picture. But a growing body of research suggests that isn’t quite right. Some tumours, it turns out, come with company: communities of bacteria, viruses and fungi living on, […]

Jemastock/Shutterstock.com Sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time is linked to a higher risk of dying from cancer, while breaking up long sitting spells with light activity appeared to lower that risk, according to new data. But media reports of the study left many questions unanswered. Here’s what you need to know. What […]

In a typical year, scientists discover two or three viruses that have never been seen in people before. The number fluctuates, but the trend has been fairly steady since the 1960s. Most of these viruses attract little attention, and my colleagues and I have often had to search through old medical papers to find any […]