Herbal Medicine
According to research, as many as 80 per cent of women will be affected by pre-menstrual syndrome at some point in their lives. Traditionally, this condition has been thought of as an entirely female affair. However, I have to say experiences in both my professional and personal life have lead me to believe that the […]
Healthy Eating
When I was at medical school I learnt that blue eyes are associated with an increased risk of succumbing to the blood disorder pernicious anaemia. For years, I have taken comfort from the belief that having brown eyes afforded me some degree of immunity from disease. This month, however, new research has linked brown eyes […]
Brain and Behaviour
For the most part, conventional medical practice has an image of professionalism and credibility. The medical establishment’s apparent adherence to the concept of scientific validity, coupled with plenty of white coats, stethoscopes and machines that go ‘ping’, help to foster the image that we doctors know what we are doing and are worth entrusting your […]
Healthy Eating
Statistics show that the incidence of breast cancer has risen quite sharply over the last few decades, and the disease is now believed to affect about one in ten women at some point in their lives. Fortunately, as rates of breast cancer have grown, so has awareness of the condition: increasing numbers of women, it […]
Healthy Eating
For something as natural as the day is long, sunlight seems to get some pretty bad press. This time of year is usually accompanied by a rash of articles and news stories warning us of the perils of the sun’s rays, and experts are quick to draw out attention to the dangers of sunburn and […]
Brain and Behaviour
I’m a big believer in the idea that relatively small changes in our nutritional status and bring big benefits in the long term. So, I was very interested to read the recent British research showing that giving basic nutrients to young offenders significantly reduced their criminal tendencies. The idea that the answer to the youth […]
Children's Health
Despite the best efforts of doctors and scientists, statistics show that some medical conditions continue to grow more common and troublesome. One such ailment is childhood asthma; rates of this condition have roughly doubled over the last decade, and it now affects about one in five children in the UK. With such statistics in mind, […]
Healthy Eating
As anyone who reads Nigel Slater’s column will be only too aware, eating can be an intensely pleasurable experience. However, while many of us undoubtedly enjoy our grub, we may not be so keen on what it may do to us once we’ve eaten it. For a fair proportion of the population, eating can signal […]
Healthy Eating
Very few of us have intimate knowledge of the biochemical workings of the body. Yet, one blood constituent practically all of us know something about is the waxy, fat-like substance known as cholesterol. Too much cholesterol whizzing around our blood streams, we are told, can clog our arteries and up our risk of falling prey […]
Healthy Eating
Most of us welcome with open arms the warmer weather that comes as spring turns to summer. However, the climatic change at this time of year is not necessarily so relished by those afflicted by the condition hay fever. For some, a rise in the pollen count can signal the start of a miserable constellation […]