Health News
10/22/2024

Do you still need to tell people if you have COVID?



5 takeaways from Dr. Anthony Fauci's new memoir



The Biden administration is planning to eliminate medical debt from credit reports of millions of Americans. What could this mean for you?



Why it matters that weight loss drugs are one of Oprah Winfrey's new favorite things



A cheaper weight loss drug, more heat-related deaths and new restrictions on tobacco sales: Here's what happened in health this week



The benefits of 'body doubling' when you have ADHD, according to experts


'Body doubling' is a strategy people with ADHD can use to accomplish more than they would alone. Here's how to do it.

If you think you can't focus for long, you're right


Your attention span has shrunk by nearly two minutes in the past 20 years, driven in part by technology's hold over your work and home life, experts say. Here's how to stay focused so you can get things done.

What you should know if there's no sexual attraction for your partner, according to a therapist


Why would a person pick a potential life partner without feeling the spark of sexual attraction? And can these relationships survive and thrive? Can sexual attraction be cultivated later? Therapist Ian Kerner shares what he's learned in his practice.

8 activewear brands you should add to your workout wardrobe


The increasing popularity of stylish, trendy athletic wear has made über-comfortable clothing something that's not just for the gym. It's infiltrated all corners of culture, from high fashion runways to the offices of Silicon Valley executives — and really, it's appropriate for any occasion when you just want to be comfortable.

The best coupons at CVS Pharmacy



The planet is getting hotter fast. This is what happens to your body in extreme heat


Human-caused climate change has already made heat waves around the world more frequent and intense.

What a medication abortion is like, according to a doctor


An expert in medication abortion describes how mifepristone and misoprostol work and what to expect after using these medications known as the "abortion pill."

How to cool down without AC


No air conditioning? Here are 14 methods for cooling your body and buffering your house from the outside heat.

This bat fossil could fill in a piece of the evolutionary puzzle


Two 52 million-year-old bat skeletons discovered in an ancient lake bed in Wyoming are the oldest bat fossils ever found — and they reveal a new species.

How long you can use vintage Tupperware


Since Tupperware, the iconic kitchen brand that's been a household name for decades, signaled recently that it might be going out of business, you might be wondering how long your stash of its food storage containers is safe to use — especially if it's vintage.

Why we have nightmares and how to stop them


We leave behind our fears of monsters under the bed as we say goodbye to our childhoods, but one can follow us into adulthood and loom over our heads.

Your guide to finding the right Theragun massage gun for you



US gets D+ grade for rising preterm birth rates, new report finds


The rate of premature birth in the United States is climbing, according to the infant and maternal health nonprofit March of Dimes.

Desperate for heart surgery for their baby, a family feels the effects of pediatric hospital shortages


Even before their daughter was born in June, Aaron and Helen Chavez knew she would need heart surgery. Doctors expected her to have an operation around 6 months of age.

Fuzzy first photo of a black hole gets a sharp makeover


The first photo ever taken of a black hole looks a little sharper now.

Paper airplane breaks a world distance record


It's a bird... It's a plane... It's a paper airplane!

RSV hospitalization rate for seniors is 10 times higher than usual for this point in the season


The respiratory virus season has started early in kids this year and flooded children's hospitals in many parts of the country -- especially with respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV.

Covid-19 boosters could keep thousands of kids out of hospitals, but uptake remains low


Higher Covid-19 vaccination rates among US children could prevent thousands of pediatric hospitalizations and millions of missed school days, according to an analysis published Tuesday by the Commonwealth Fund and the Yale School of Public Health.

Experimental therapy gantenerumab fails to slow or improve Alzheimer's memory loss in clinical trials


An experimental treatment, gantenerumab, failed to help people at high risk of memory loss from Alzheimer's or those who were in the early phases of the disease, the manufacturer said Monday.

How Dame Deborah James helped save a mum's life


A mother-of-three shared her story with Dame Deborah's mother Heather on BBC Breakfast.

Can health secretary name NHS trusts performing well?


Victoria Atkins is challenged to name some health trusts meeting their targets to cut waiting lists.

'I embrace my alopecia, but I’d love my old hair back’


People living with alopecia could have access to treatment on the NHS in Scotland for the first time.

'There are loads of people that vape at school'


A group of teenagers in Fife have been making a documentary about the impact of disposable vapes.

How 175 British children were infected with HIV


Families of some of those affected are giving evidence at a public inquiry into the treatment disaster.

I lost mum, dad and sister to HIV in blood scandal


Families torn apart by the infected blood scandal break their silence to BBC Panorama.

Melanoma skin cancer cases rising in UK


The biggest increase is among the over 80s, with a marked rise in cases in adults aged 25-49.

Paris: Grassroots to Glory


The Rugby 7s player has struggled with body image in the past, but says sport has helped

Paris: Grassroots to Glory


The Paralympic Rowing Cox will compete a year after getting the all clear from cancer.

'Blood compensation comes too late for my husband'


The government announced what it calls a "comprehensive" compensation scheme on Tuesday.

Children used as 'guinea pigs' in clinical trials


They were given infected blood products in trials without their knowledge, the BBC has found.

Infected blood inquiry: Five things we have learned


An inquiry into the "worst treatment disaster in NHS history" hears its final evidence.

'An abuse by people supposedly there to care'


Victims of the scandal said they had been "gaslit for generations" and felt "vindicated" by the report.

What is assisted dying and could the law change?


Many countries have legalised assisted dying, assisted suicide or euthanasia, which are different.

Infected blood victims could get £2m compensation


Government unveils package after final report of public inquiry into scandal published on Monday.

What is the infected blood scandal?


Thousands were infected with HIV and hepatitis C, in the worst treatment disaster in NHS history.

What is mpox and how is it spread?


Mpox, which used to be called monkeypox, is declared a global public health emergency.

The junior doctors' strikes may be over. But is trouble ahead?


The end of the pay dispute sounded too good to be true. And now some are wondering if it might be.

Fly brain breakthrough 'huge leap' to unlock human mind


A new map showing 50 million neural connections is a 'huge leap' to understanding our own brains.

Why we might never know the truth about ultra-processed foods


Experts can’t agree how exactly they affect us and it’s not clear that science will give us an answer.

Slimming jabs: 'I thought my body was shutting down'


BBC Investigations speaks to people damaged by illegal and often fake slimming drug injection kits.

Are weight-loss injections the answer to obesity?


The appeal is clear - but should we be turning to appetite-suppressing injections?

NHS needs better plan around weight loss jabs, warn experts


Experts call for an urgent review of obesity treatment services amid booming demand for weight loss jabs.

How many of us will end up being diagnosed with ADHD?


Experts suggest that the number of people with ADHD is actually going to remain steady.

The places with the worst GP shortages revealed


Patient numbers per GP are twice as high in some areas than others, as list sizes jump 17% since 2015.

New XEC Covid variant: What are the symptoms and is it spreading in the UK?


XEC has some new mutations that might help it spread this autumn, scientists say.

Inquiry under way into 2,000 mental health deaths


Baroness Lampard says the inquiry is "of the gravest concern and significance" as it opens in Essex.

How will weight-loss drugs change our relationship with food?


The rise of these treatments has major implications for how we think about obesity, says James Gallagher.

‘I nearly died drinking a ginger beer – my school’s EpiPen saved my life’


Campaigners want businesses to have EpiPens on hand to treat people having dangerous allergic reactions.

Will I be diagnosed with Alzheimer's like my mother?


Broadcaster Sally Magnusson faces the dilemma of whether to take part in research that could indicate if she is likely to develop the condition.

A 24-hour party of pain - a day and night running round a track


In a quiet corner of London a small group of extraordinary runners complete laps of an athletics track for a day and a night. Why do they do it? And how far do they go?

'Our son died. Now we can use his sperm to have a grandchild'


An Indian court has cleared the way for a couple to use their dead son's frozen sperm.

Eye and ear checks to be offered to autistic students at school


An NHS scheme is bringing checks into special schools to help identify issues sooner.

Immunotherapy saved my life. Can research improve the odds for others?


Researchers are looking at making immunotherapy a much more effective treatment for cancer.

Why weight-loss drugs may be no obesity silver bullet


Ministers are lauding the new generation of weight-loss drugs - but are they really the solution?

What is assisted dying and could the law change?


Many countries have legalised assisted dying, assisted suicide or euthanasia, which are different.

This young disabled man dreamed of having a job - the system had other ideas


Elliot wants to live independently - but making that happen proved a bigger challenge than he expected.

'I'm too tired to chew food but still can't get care for my ME'


What is NHS care like for people with severe ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome?

We've spent years covering the Lucy Letby case - here’s why experts are still arguing about it


For more than a year, we’ve been examining the scientific evidence and speaking to the experts at the centre of the case.

Weight loss injections: How do drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro work?


NHS experts report unprecedented demand for the new generation of obesity treatments.

Assisted dying bill dangerous, says Archbishop


His comments came ahead of an assisted dying bill being introduced to Parliament.

How the UK planned for the wrong pandemic


Over-confidence, wasted opportunities and muddled-thinking left UK sleep-walking into Covid.

What is the UK Covid inquiry and how does it work?


The next public hearings will consider how the pandemic affected healthcare systems across the UK.

Covid inquiry: The UK pandemic in numbers


Explore the data on how the coronavirus pandemic unfolded in the UK.

Breast cancer patients denied life-extending drug in cost row


Jeannie Ambrose, one of about 1,000 affected patients, says the drug should be made available on the NHS

Nut bans little help to allergic air passengers


The real danger comes from passengers on previous flights leaving peanut residue on seats, a review says.

High-grade masks evidence weak, Covid inquiry told


UKHSA's Prof Susan Hopkins said respirator masks may have worked no better than thin surgical masks.

Nurses bore the brunt of Covid, ex-chief nurse says


Dame Ruth May tells the Covid inquiry nurses struggled with low staffing levels and difficulties accessing protective equipment.

‘I grieve for the person I was before' - Covid inquiry to begin new phase


The Covid inquiry opens its next set of hearings on Monday, looking at the impact on healthcare and the NHS.

Corruption review finds 'red flags' in more than 130 Covid contracts


An anti-corruption charity finds significant concerns in £15.3bn worth of contracts awarded during the pandemic.

We were not treated as parents, Covid inquiry told


Mum of premature twins says rigid restrictions on birthing wards during Covid were traumatic.

Covid ambulance crews faced 'crucial PPE delays'


Crews say they faced crucial delays trying to save dying patients because of the time it took to put on equipment.

Covid was like a daily terror attack, doctor tells inquiry


Covid inquiry hears harrowing testimony from ex-adviser in emergency preparedness at NHS England.

Covid inquiry rejects clinicians’ anonymity plea


The UK Health Security Agency argued naming the junior officials could put them at risk of abuse.

More babies were harmed in Lucy Letby’s care, new evidence suggests


BBC Panorama sees documents which show a baby's blood sugar dropped soon after Letby came on duty.

Products recalled over peanut contamination fears


Among the products recalled are a range of dips, curry powders and seasonings.

Covid inquiry told of trust do-not-resuscitate rule


Patients' families were “horrified but not surprised” when told the blanket policy had been in place.

UK firm GSK to pay $2.2bn over Zantac cancer claims


The firm has reached agreements with law firms representing about 80,000, or 93%, of claimants.

Jokey reform ideas removed from NHS website


The health department says it is removing "irrelevant" posts from an online consultation.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?


One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

Infertility made me feel guilty, says TV newsreader


Andrea Byrne says she felt her husband would be "better off" without her during fertility treatment.

AI to help doctors spot broken bones on X-rays


It is safe, could speed up diagnosis and relieve NHS pressure, the health assessment body says.

Patients to get full access to record on NHS App


Medical records, test results and letters to be available to all on NHS App in digital revolution.

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