Health
Ed Miliband’s windfall tax on tobacco to fund the NHS is economically illiterate
The ‘windfall tax’, a concept introduced in the UK by the Blair government, is by definition a one-off seizure of…
Sod the diet and lose weight anyway – here’s how
Who enjoys all that calorie counting? If you hate diets but love the idea of losing a bit of weight,…
Winter is coming – the other terror stalking Iraqi Kurds
The heroic Kurdish resistance in Kobane rightly commands headlines. A larger disaster, however, looms in Iraqi Kurdistan where – absent…
Keep calm and address Ebola: a brief history of pandemics at The Spectator
Ebola clinics in many parts of West Africa are full, so more and more people are being told to stay…
Labour’s NHS strategy – tax tobacco, save the cancer patients
Labour wants the next election to be about the NHS, one of their strongest issues. Party strategists have been struck…
Meet the bloated, useless General Medical Council
There was a time, not long ago, when British GPs provided the best home doctor service in the world. Patients…
How to fix the NHS: a doctor’s prescription
I’m a doctor, and I don’t care about the NHS. In this country, that’s an almost heretical statement — but…
The limits of ‘superfood’ – debunking broccoli
Over in my day job, I recently wrote a piece about ‘superfoods’ and the myths that a particular kind of…
Five ways to fight the flu – or why you should curl up with hot fruit cordial
No one likes getting the flu and for some people, in particular the sick and elderly, the virus can prove…
The horrid, helpful egg-freezing scheme at Facebook and Apple
Was the chief operating officer of Facebook, one Sheryl Sandberg, involved, do you reckon, in the company’s exciting invitation to…
Stop ‘Stoptober’: seven health benefits associated with smoking
James Delingpole’s latest Spectator column laments the pernicious portmanteau afflicting this fine month: Stoptober. Geddit? That’s ‘-ober’, as in the second half…
Of course marijuana isn’t ‘safe’ – but should it be illegal?
Sometimes I read things that really get on my wick, and last week was one of those times. A new,…
Uterine transplantation is the final gynaecological frontier
The successful transplantation of a uterus represents the last major surgical goal in the field of reproductive gynaecology. This feat…
There is more to lung-cancer diagnosis than a chest X-ray
Chest x-rays have been around for 100 years and are still widely used in health care. According to the government’s…
Winter is coming: do you really need a flu jab?
Winter is coming. You can tell because the days are drawing in, the light has that autumnal greyness, and the…
Seven foods that will help lower high blood pressure
Consuming certain foods and drinks may help reduce one of the main risk factors for heart attack and stroke. Who…
Ten reasons to give up smoking
Earlier this year a research study revealed that people were more likely to quit smoking when confronted with the reasons…
To statin or not to statin: a new test could help decide
In the context of the ongoing and increasingly sterile debate about the pros and cons of statins to lower cholesterol,…
Lib Dems to announce mental health policy ‘red line’
The Lib Dems haven’t really announced many enormous policies so far at their party conference. Yesterday’s speech from Vince Cable…
The Pulse: Could red wine solve the world’s problems? Probably not…
The Pulse is the Spectator’s answer to media nonsense about health. Tom Chivers looks past the headlines and all the…
Has Cameron actually considered the realities of his seven-day GP access scheme?
David Cameron’s seven-day opening scheme for GPs sounds like an excellent idea for patients, but I’m not convinced it is.…
If David Cameron wants seven-day GP clinics, he’ll need market reform
Today, David Cameron will pledge that if he’s re-elected he’ll give everyone access to a family doctor seven days a…
How to sleep better: 5 tips for getting a good night’s sleep
Most people have trouble sleeping at one time or another; for some it’s a chronic problem. But making sure the…
Diagnosis: Scandal
Seen your doctor recently? You may have been asked about your memory. This would be quite usual if you had…
Should I be worried, Doc?
I have a cartoon on my office wall at home that I look at every day when I am writing.…
Stepping out
I seem to have developed a propensity for falling over. Sometimes it is dramatic, as it was on stage the…
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Table Talk with Skye McAlpine - plus a limoncello syllabub recipe
The Sunday Times columnist and cookbook author sits down with Lara and Live to discuss her favourite dishes.
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