Category: Health

PeopleImages/Shutterstock.com In what looked like a return to the dark days of Reefer Madness – a 1936 film that portrayed cannabis as a drug that could drive people to madness and murder – a recent article in the Daily Telegraph claimed that cannabis users are “twice as likely to be violent”. The claim comes from […]

PeopleImages/Shutterstock.com Need treatment fast? Many people now turn to Google before a healthcare professional. From checking symptoms online to buying medicines online and taking advice from social media influencers, healthcare is increasingly becoming a do-it-yourself activity. Convenience is a big part of the appeal. Information is available instantly – no need to wait weeks to […]

Helping children feel safe and secure after early trauma can require years of emotional care from adoptive parents. Halfpoint/Shutterstock In a deeply personal passage of his first Labour Party conference speech as UK prime minister, Andy Burnham paid tribute to the care workers who had looked after his father, Roy, who had Alzheimer’s disease and […]

pixelaway/Shutterstock A drug that helps children with the most common form of dwarfism grow taller has sparked an ethical debate within the dwarfism community. Some parents hope that as well as increasing size, it will prevent serious health complications and improve their children’s independence. But critics worry that a treatment focused on increasing height sends […]

Ljupco Smokovski/ Shutterstock Spend long enough on fitness social media and you’ll see the same tip. Finish every weight training session with about 15 minutes of cardio to boost your “gains”. But does it actually work? Probably not as much as you’d think. Doing cardio and weight training in the same exercise programme is known […]

Studio Romantic/Shutterstock.com Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows more flu activity in September than in the same month of the past four years. However, flu is still circulating at relatively low levels in the community. If cases continue to rise over the coming weeks, this would suggest the flu season is starting […]

Powerlightss/Shutterstock For many women living with chronic pelvic pain, finding an explanation for their symptoms can take years. Getting a diagnosis may bring some relief, but treatment does not always bring an end to the pain. Even when symptoms improve, their effects on sleep, work and everyday life can continue. Chronic pelvic pain is persistent […]

Oksana Mizina/Shutterstock Anti-ageing supplements are everywhere, from advertising campaigns to social media feeds. Promising everything from increased energy to a longer life, they come in many forms, from powders containing multiple ingredients to single-nutrient capsules. One molecule in particular, NAD+, has attracted growing interest, with claims it can boost energy, improve vitality, slow ageing and […]

alexisdc/Shutterstock A 16-year-old boy in India has had a tooth removed from his left eye socket, between the eyelid and the eyebrow. He had noticed a painless swelling for about a month, but was only taken to hospital when two hard, whitish points began poking through. A scan revealed a fully formed canine tooth – […]

The Conversation, CC BY-NC-ND What do cottage cheese, sunscreen and pimple popping have in common? They are all heading our way in the new series of Strange Health, the podcast from The Conversation that investigates the odd, awkward and occasionally disgusting questions raised by our bodies and the health trends surrounding them. We’re back for […]