Articles

HRT diehards continue to effuse over the long-term benefits of HRT, but the latest evidence shows that long-term hormones offer a greater risk of dying early from cancer or stroke. As little as 10 years ago, it was considered heresy to criticise the miracle of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Doctors were confidently claiming that it […]

Cancer is the second biggest killer of children, largely because they are even more susceptible than adults to the growing number of poisons in our lives. Childhood cancer is on the rise, and medical science says that the reason remains a mystery. Cancer is a multifactoral disease. But, while scientists continue to focus their research […]

Everyone knows that you need to exercise to stay healthy. The list of benefits related to regular physical exertion ranges across all areas of health and provides a convincing argument for going out of your way to make time to be physically active (see box below). But as the diet and fitness industry has become […]

Nature has provided a wealth of natural remedies that can both alleviate symptoms of a cold and strengthen your immunity. One that has perhaps received more than its fair share of exposure is Echinacea – purple coneflower – used for centuries to treat the common cold, coughs, bronchitis, upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) and some […]

As 1999 lurched to an end, many people dependent on machines and computers held their breath and waited for the stroke of midnight, when the millennium bug – a malfunction of computer chips not programmed to recognise the change of the century – would strike, causing major microchip havoc. Among those holding their breath were […]

Virtually everyone has a theory about colds and flu and, given the glut of information, it may be hard to separate the facts from plain fiction. Yet, there are data that show what makes us vulnerable to these infections, and how to stay well when the weather turns cold. Susceptibility and stress Catching the flu […]

The last several years have seen a revolution in the treatment of arthritis with the discovery that cell communication takes place through carbohydrates (sugars) attached to amino acids in the proteins located on the surface of every cell in your body. Glucosamine is among the eight sugars required to make these ‘glycoproteins’. Researchers have theorised […]

The idea that humans can get all the nutrition they need in a pill or a drink has been the stuff of science fiction for decades. Today, life is imitating art, with many companies claiming to produce powders which, when mixed with milk, water or juice, can provide all the nutrients we need in a […]

Most of the so called inactive ingredients added to food and drugs to make them more appealing can have as many side effects as drugs themselves. When you use a drug, whether by mouth, by inhalation, by injection or on your skin, you’re getting more than just the active ingredients. You are also getting what […]

It is a disease which affects almost any part of the body and produces a bafflingly wide range of symptoms, including skin lesions, meningitis, progressive muscular and joint pain, mood changes and behavioural problems. Doctors don’t know how best to diagnose or treat it, and can’t easily tell when it has been cured. Yet, left […]