Health
I thought I had contracted Ebola. Life doesn’t get much scarier than that
Juba After an all-night rainstorm in Juba I woke to see the mosquito that bit me in the dark. Now,…
Paracetamol might not ease back pain – but doctors should prescribe it anyway
Upon seeing the headline ‘Paracetamol does not help lower back pain’, I found myself emitting a small (well – actually…
Dieting, Hong Kong style
Three weeks in to my six week stint as an English teacher in Hong Kong, I’ve been struck by how…
Stopping the obesity juggernaut will be a real legacy for our children
Rather ironically, the best analogy I can summon to describe my appointment and role with Policy Exchange as senior research…
Jeremy Hunt opens the attack on the Working Time Directive
For years, Secretaries of State for Health have studiously ignored one of the most corrosive regulations to the NHS: the…
Your finger nails could hold the answer to your health problems
Eighteen hundred years ago, Romano-Britons with a variety of medical conditions would have visited the healing temple at Lydney Park…
Stephen Dorrell: The NHS still has plenty to learn
If anyone thought Stephen Dorrell would take a break from talking about health after standing down as chairman of the…
How to beat Alzheimer’s
British scientists have identified a set of proteins in the blood which can predict, with 87 per cent accuracy, the start of dementia.…
Why lobbying against sugar misses the point
Everybody knows that obesity is a massive problem. According to the World Health Organisation, it is now linked to more…
Let’s call time on the unpleasant ritual of vaginal examinations
An internal examination is an unpleasant and uncomfortable experience for many women. The process involves a doctor inserting two gloved…
The problem with the NHS? The soft bigotry of low expectations.
In many ways I’ve endured enjoyed a very fortunate life. Not least because, perhaps unusually, I’ve had almost no dealings…
David Cameron gets serious about antibiotics — too little too late?
David Cameron has announced a review into why so few antimicrobials have been introduced over recent years. This seems to…
The miracle supplement? Vitamin D helps you live longer — so take it
The traditional view of Vitamin D is that it is essential for bone health. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to…
The big fat lie about cholesterol
In his latest Spectator column, James Delingpole looks at a gigantic scare that lasts for decades because the experts are too…
The Aspirin dilemma: should you stop taking it?
You may be feeling confused following recent press reports that Aspirin is no longer recommended as stroke prevention. Those who…
H.Pylori is the deadliest thing you’ve never heard of — here’s why you should be screened for it
Most people won’t know about Helicobacter Pylori (H.Pylori), a common bacterial infection of the lining of the stomach. Yet it…
Experts cast doubt on statins – you read it first in Spectator Health
Statins are in the news – again. A few weeks ago, reports appeared across the media suggesting that statins truly…
Editor’s letter
Welcome to the first edition of Spectator Health, our new quarterly supplement designed especially for people who might never normally…
Check up
Environment No leukaemia link to power lines There is no increased risk of contracting leukaemia for children who live beneath…
This is madness
Professor Sue Bailey, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, recently drew attention to the financial difficulties faced by the…
A law to cure cancer
All cancer deaths are wasted lives. The deceased do not advance scientific knowledge one iota. Yet as matters stand, those…
HRT: The debate goes on
Since as early as the 1940s, women of a certain age have had the option of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)…
The doctor will Skype you now
The average European visits their doctor six times a year. Each consultation lasts around ten minutes; add to that waiting…
Joint ventures
Having bad arthritis is miserable, and it affects every part of people’s lives. As an orthopaedic surgeon, I sit in…
Keep your hair on
There is, in the pursuit of hirsuteness, a bewilderingly long menu of treatments, with results that range from the near…
Ten foods to tackle diabetes
Diabetes is spreading to epic proportions in the UK. It affects 3.2 million people, a figure which has doubled since…
Podcast
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Tom Kerridge: 'I was a latchkey kid'
Chef and food writer Tom Kerridge talks to Lara and Olivia about the joy of corn beef and growing up on free school meals.
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