AI could revolutionise concussion care in sport – but risks remain

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping medicine, from diagnosing disease to accelerating drug discovery. Its influence is also reaching the world of sport. In a recent editorial, we looked at how AI could transform how researchers, doctors and sporting organisations detect, monitor and manage concussion, which is one of the most challenging health issues facing […]

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Hay fever, antihistamines and the evidence on dementia risk

Billion Photos/Shutterstock For millions of people around the world, pollen season means weeks of sneezing, itchy eyes and a blocked or runny nose. The timing varies depending on where you live and which plants are in flower, but grass pollen is one of the most common triggers. Hay fever, also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, […]

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The extraordinary physiological challenges facing amputee John McFall in space

The UK Space Agency has announced an agreement with Vast – a US commercial space company – that could send British astronaut John McFall into orbit as early as 2027. If the mission goes ahead, he would become the first person with a physical disability to live and work in space. McFall, who lost his […]

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Victorians called burnout ‘overwork’ – and they cured it by holidaying in France

The Beach at Trouville by Claude Monet (1870). The National Gallery, London Burnout feels like a thoroughly modern concept – one borne from our age of global digital communication and long office hours. But the Victorians also had an idea of burnout, one they termed “overwork”. The Victorian doctor, C.H.F. Routh, for example, published On […]

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How a simple blood test could help detect heart damage during breast cancer treatment

Dragon Images/Shutterstock Modern breast cancer screening and treatment have transformed survival. Many women now live long and healthy lives after diagnosis, thanks to increasingly effective chemotherapy and targeted therapies: medicines designed to attack particular features of cancer cells. But as cancer outcomes improve, another challenge has become more apparent: protecting the heart from the side-effects […]

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Ebola: vaccines alone won’t stop an outbreak – here’s what else is needed

Tensions have recently emerged around the Ebola response in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). These tensions have manifested in a series of incidents, including the burning of an Ebola treatment facility in Mongbwalu, confrontations involving families seeking to reclaim the bodies of relatives who had died from the disease, and reports of police […]

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Yes, you really can be allergic to exercise – and the symptoms can be serious

The condition can cause intense itching all over the body and difficulty breathing. CHAjAMP/ Shutterstock People who don’t like to workout will sometimes joke that they’re “allergic” to exercise. But what many don’t realise is that an allergy to exercise is a real thing – and it can be dangerous if not caught in time. […]

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We’ve been testing therapy like it’s a pill – and some patients are paying the price

shutterstock DC Studio/Shutterstock.com If you’ve had therapy, particularly if you got it through a public healthcare system like the NHS in the UK or Medicare in Australia, there’s a good chance it was cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Even with private health insurance, if you want therapy, the one you are most likely to be recommended […]

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Dopamine menus: can small pleasures help us get unstuck?

You sit down to start a task you care about. Nothing happens. You open your phone instead. Minutes turn into hours. You feel restless, flat, or oddly exhausted, even though you haven’t done much at all. For many neurodivergent people, this cycle is painfully familiar. It’s often described as a motivation problem or a focus […]

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Irregular heartbeat risk much lower in super-fit people than previously thought

Our study shows that atrial fibrillation risk in very fit people is smaller than previously thought. voronaman/ Shutterstock Exercise is important for your heart and cardiovascular health. But for years, research has suggested that very fit people – particularly young men – have a higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) later in […]

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