A coronavirus variant called B1525 has become one of the most recent additions to the global variant watch list and has been included in the list of variants under investigation by Public Health England. Scientists are keeping a watchful eye on this variant because it has several mutations in theContinue Reading
Short and long naps both have benefits. Rawpixel.com/ Shutterstock Some people swear by an afternoon nap – whether it’s to catch up on lost sleep or to help them feel more alert for the afternoon ahead. Even Boris Johnson supposedly favours a power nap during his work day (though theContinue Reading
With the UK on track to vaccinate all its priority groups with a first dose by mid-April, the target date for getting an initial vaccine to the rest of the British population has been brought forward by a month, to the end of July. In conjunction with this, prime ministerContinue Reading
People with this gene variant shivered less and had a higher core body temperature when exposed to cold water. Dudarev Mikhail/ Shutterstock Some people just aren’t bothered by the cold, no matter how low the temperature dips. And the reason for this may be in a person’s genes. Our newContinue Reading
Some studies have linked drinking milk with higher risk of oestrogen-receptor positive breast cancer. Summersky/ Shutterstock Breast cancer has now overtaken lung cancer as the world’s most commonly diagnosed cancer, and as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women in many countries. While genetics can certainly increase risk ofContinue Reading
To Olivia, a new film on Sky Cinema, captures the year (1962) that author Roald Dahl’s daughter died of measles encephalitis. The death of seven-year-old Olivia nearly tore the family apart. This terrible story will be new to many people, but it’s not new to me. I first heard itContinue Reading
shutterstock For more than a decade, drug-related deaths (DRD) in Scotland have been rising – alongside evidence which suggests that the country has had much less success in treating and supporting people who use drugs compared to the rest of the UK and Europe. The figures for 2019, which wereContinue Reading
Dean Drobot/Shutterstock Lucy, a patient of mine, contracted COVID-19 in the first wave of the pandemic, before lockdown. She had trouble breathing and her doctor told her to call an ambulance if her lips turned blue. Luckily, she recovered well at home with rest and paracetamol – but it wasn’tContinue Reading
Virtual reality can create immersive simulations of real environments. Elle Aon/ Shutterstock With one in four of us expected to experience a mental health problem at any one time, increasing access to treatment has become essential. But doing so is challenging. Therapists require extensive training, and the most effective formsContinue Reading
Preparing your own food may lead you to eat more. Milles Studio/ Shutterstock The media is awash with cooking programmes. From chatty breakfast TV slots to extended cookery competitions to the more extreme “mukbang” social media extravaganza, watching other people prepare food from the comfort of our sofa has becomeContinue Reading
