Lucky Business/Shutterstock From birthdays to weddings and graduations, this year has seen many personal celebrations cancelled, while communal festivities such as Bonfire Night, Eid and Diwali either haven’t been celebrated or have been more subdued. So it might feel tempting to downplay Christmas too, especially with concerns that people mixingContinue Reading
Lightspring/Shutterstock It’s Christmas 2020 and COVID-19 is unfortunately still here. Many people will be visiting loved ones, including vulnerable family members. So, to try to keep our loved ones safe during this festive period, there are two questions we need to answer: what’s the best thing to do for meContinue Reading
The use of puberty blocking drugs to treat adolescents with gender dysphoria or incongruence has recently come under scrutiny following a decision by the UK High Court. Three judges ruled that children under 16 were unlikely to be able to give informed consent to undergo such treatment. The case hasContinue Reading
There are many ways to control pain. Ken Tackett/Shutterstock.com Women have always used different methods to try and reduce pain during childbirth. Over the years these methods have included inhaling opiates, a warm compress, magical charms and even sprinkling animal dung in a hot drink. Anaesthesia started to be usedContinue Reading
For many people a stroke is a life-changing experience that involves a long and difficult recovery. Shutterstock Every year in the UK more than 100,000 people have a stroke – a life-threatening event that occurs when blood supply to the brain is cut off. For those who survive, a strokeContinue Reading
Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock The latest results from the phase 3 COVID-19 vaccines trials have been very positive. These have shown that vaccinating people with the gene for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can induce excellent protective immunity. The spike protein is the focus of most COVID-19 vaccines as it is the part ofContinue Reading
Marina Biryukova/Shutterstock While the world is eagerly waiting for COVID-19 vaccines to bring an end to the pandemic, wearing a mask to help prevent viral transmission has become more or less mandatory globally. Though many people embrace mask wearing and adhere to public health advice, some rebel and argue thatContinue Reading
England recently emerged from a four-week lockdown into a series of tiered restrictions, and there is good news about the authorisation of the first vaccine for COVID-19, which is starting to be deployed. But with restrictions loosened, infection rates still high and vaccine deployment slow, is there a risk ofContinue Reading
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Both in the UK and around the world, healthcare workers will be among the first to be offered a vaccine against coronavirus. But research suggests that some staff are hesitant about accepting one. Why might there be a level of vaccine hesitancy among health workers, and how can weContinue Reading
The diet could reinforce bad eating habits. Bon Appetit/ Shutterstock The “metabolic confusion” diet is one of the latest fad diets to be blowing up on social media. Like many fad diets, it promises you can lose weight while still eating what you want. Fans of the diet claim thatContinue Reading
