Category: Health

maxim ibragimov/Shutterstock.com For four decades, a controversial idea has shaped how autism is understood by researchers, healthcare professionals and the public: the claim that autistic people are “mind blind”. The phrase suggests an inability to grasp what others think or feel. It is simple, memorable – and wrong. The claim rests on a concept called […]

Dmitry Naumov/Shutterstock For years, debates about maternity care have centred on how women give birth. But the more important question has always been safety. Vaginal birth, assisted birth and caesarean section are different clinical routes, not measures of success. The outcome that matters is the wellbeing of both mother and baby, guided by individual risk […]

Photoroyalty/Shutterstock At 5am, social media fills with proof that the early risers have already won the day. Cold plunges. Journals. Sunrise runs. Productivity gurus insist this is the routine that separates high performers from everyone else, reinforced by high-profile early risers such as Apple CEO Tim Cook, entrepreneur Richard Branson and Hollywood actor Jennifer Aniston. […]

myboys.me/Shutterstock People recovering from eating disorders often use social media for support, seeking out recovery content, body-positive creators and others with similar experiences. But recent research my colleagues and I have conducted suggests these platforms can also steer users back towards the very content they are trying to avoid. We carried out in-depth interviews with […]

SewCreamStudio/Shutterstock.com Some mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression and ADHD, have become more accepted in society. People can now talk about them at work, at home and online and often be met with understanding. This change matters. It makes it easier to ask for help and harder for employers and institutions to pretend mental […]

shutterstock fizkes/Shutterstock It’s an increasingly common scenario. You fill in an online form to request an appointment with a doctor, and back comes a link asking you to upload a photo of your ailment. You pick up your phone, a couple of clicks and it’s sent. While you wait for a call back, your GP […]

Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock.com Vaccines have traditionally worked by teaching the immune system to recognise a specific virus or bacterium – in effect, showing it a wanted poster for a single suspect. But what if one vaccine could protect against dozens of different infections at once? Researchers have now developed a potential candidate for such a vaccine, and […]

christinarosepix/Shutterstock In the UK, women have more choices about how to give birth than ever before, from a water birth at home to a caesarean delivery in hospital. But choice does not always mean labour unfolds as initially planned. First-time mothers are more likely to experience medical interventions during labour. The most common include episiotomies, […]

Creams marketed to lighten skin tone are being sold illegally on British high streets, including in butchers and specialist food shops. It is an unsettling discovery, but perhaps not a surprising one. Demand for these products is real and the profits are significant. But the ingredients that make them effective are also what make them […]

Volodymyr Burdiak/Shutterstock.com During hibernation, brown bears spend up to six months lying almost completely still, without eating, drinking or exercising. When spring arrives, they leave their dens with their muscles largely intact. For humans, the same period of inactivity would usually mean severe muscle loss, weakness and long-term health problems. Even a few weeks in […]