Articles

Most of us have had the experience of being in pain at some time or other in our lives. Often, it is connected with illness, when it can be acute but transient. Sometimes, it is ‘purposeful pain’, such as the pain of childbirth. But, for a surprisingly large number of people, pain of either known […]

The world of dietary fats is a complicated alphabet soup of names and numbers, and our understanding of how each type of fat works in the body – for good or ill – is far from complete. To aid our understanding, we tend to reduce the issue to its most basic equation. For a long […]

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) of the eye occurs when the cells of the macula – an irregular yellow depression on the centre of the retina – becomes damaged and stops functioning. The retina is a thin layer of light-sensitive tissue that stretches across the back of the eye. It contains rod cells for night vision […]

For years, non-specific anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and paracetamol (acetaminophen) were the medications of choice for joint pain. But NSAIDs quickly became COX-2 inhibitors associated with adverse gastrointestinal effects such as peptic ulcers, leaving arthritis patients with a dilemma: manage the arthritis pain and risk serious stomach complications, or manage the ulcer and live […]

We now know more than ever about how to prevent asthma and how to keep attacks to a minimum. Consider the following advice to help keep your airways working optimally. * Allergies. Asthma-causing allergens/irritants include air pollution, tobacco smoke, pet dander, dustmites, pollen, cleaning products, kerosene heaters, moulds and mildew. Bakers, manicurists, hairdressers and painters, […]

Cancer is mostly preventable – even for those with a genetic predisposition cancer is mostly preventable – even for those with a genetic predisposition. In fact, genetics accounts for only around 30 per cent of cancers. The rest is down to lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise and environment. * Go vegetarian or, at the […]

While we tend to accept heart disease as an inevitable result of ageing, the overwhelming evidence is that heart disease is preventable through simple changes in lifestyle. Some of the suggestions here may quite literally save your life. * Eat fewer animal products. Eat less meat and more plant foods rich in vitamin C and […]

Non-lethal cancers, spontaneous remissions, people with genetic risk factors who don’t get cancer in their lifetime – these things are neither mystical nor miraculous; they are medical facts. Yet, there are few subjects that make mainstream physicians more nervous or uncomfortable than the idea of cancers that cure themselves. Most cancer treatments are doled out […]

Many of the diseases we associate with ageing – such as heart disease, cancer, dementia and stroke – may be the result of lifelong, poorly managed stress. A body under stress is a chemically altered body. It is a body awash in hormones and other substances that are normally kept under tight control. In the […]

We almost learn it at our mother’s knee: calcium is good for our bones and teeth, and we must drink lots of milk to give us enough calcium to grow up to be strong, healthy adults. For years, this health message has been an article of faith. However, recent evidence is beginning to challenge the […]