“Doctors should not prescribe ‘precious’ antibiotics for most people with sore throats and should recommend drugs like paracetamol, new guidelines say,” BBC News reports. Antibiotics are medicines used to treat infections caused by bacteria. Respiratory tract infections like coughs, colds and sore throats are the most common reason for prescribing antibiotics. But many of these
“Millions of people could be risking their health by taking herbal remedies and prescription drugs at the same time, scientists warn,” is the front-page headline in the Daily Mail. Researchers from South Africa reviewed instances of potential interactions between conventional drugs and herbal remedies, and found a wide range of dangers. Looking at 49 reports
“Just one cigarette a day is ‘almost as dangerous as 20 – hiking your heart attack and stroke risk by 40%’,” The Sun reports. A new review of 141 studies covering more than 12 million people showed that people who think “light” smoking is relatively harmless are wrong. The researchers looked at the risks of
“Retirement causes brain function to rapidly decline, warn scientists,” The Daily Telegraph reports, before adding that “workers looking forward to enjoying a long and leisurely retirement after years of toil, may need to think again”. In fact, the study being reported on – an analysis of thinking and memory (cognitive function) in retired civil servants
“Embarrassment makes women avoid smear tests, charity says,” reports BBC News. This follows a survey by the charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust of more than 2,000 women in the UK, half of whom either delayed or didn’t attend screening. More than 3,200 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year in the UK, and nearly
“Blood test could use DNA to spot eight of the most common cancers, study shows,” The Guardian reports. The test, called the CancerSEEK blood test, was developed to spot cases of cancer early on, by looking at markers in the blood such as proteins and fragments of DNA from tumours. Researchers carried out the test
“Testing all women for the ‘Angelina Jolie gene’, even if not considered at risk, would prevent cancers, save lives and is cost-effective, say doctors,” BBC News reports. The actress Angelina Jolie helped raise awareness of the genetic risks of both breast and ovarian cancer after tests showed she had “faulty” BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Both
Exercise “can protect against a heart attack, stroke and cancer – even if you’re obese,” reports the Mail Online. Researchers in Denmark who studied almost 11,000 people found that those with better heart and lung function had lower levels of inflammatory markers in the blood. The relationship between fitness, weight, body fat and disease is
“Statins have been found to be safe for children as young as seven-years-old,” the Mail Online reports. Researchers examined records of 300 children taking statins for a genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolaemia and concluded that the cholesterol-lowering drugs were safe and did not affect children’s growth. Tens of thousands of children are thought to have
“Energy drinks ‘trigger nasty side effects like heart problems and seizures in half of kids’,” is the potentially terrifying, but misleading, headline in The Sun. This is based on an online survey of more than 2,000 young people aged 12 to 24 years in Canada in 2015. The survey found that more than half of
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