Health

All 50-74-year-olds in England will now receive a home-testing kit for bowel cancer every two years. NHS England has been posting the faecal-immunochemical test (Fit) to all 54-74-year-olds since 2021 and anyone older can request one over the phone. But after trials of local screening programmes for 50-year-olds, the age is now being lowered, bringing it in line with Scotland …

Getty Images There has been a rise in the proportion of women seeking abortions despite using “natural” methods to prevent pregnancy, like fertility tracking apps, a study in England and Wales suggests. The data, published in BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health, shows a “shift” in contraception use in the last five years, from “more reliable” hormonal contraceptives such as the …

BBC Jannine described her son’s ADHD as “debilitating” Nearly 400,000 private prescriptions for ADHD medication were issued last year as patients sought to bypass lengthy NHS waiting lists, with people spending millions of pounds on treatment. Figures obtained by the BBC show the number of prescriptions for drugs rose from 28,439 in 2018-19 to 397,552 in 2023-24. One family from …

Deepali Misra-Sharp Dr Deepali Misra-Sharp uses AI to help take notes This is the fifth feature in a six-part series that is looking at how AI is changing medical research and treatments. The difficulty of getting an appointment with a GP is a familiar gripe in the UK. Even when an appointment is secured, the rising workload faced by doctors …

“We will make Americans healthy again,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has declared. A political action committee that has promoted Mr. Kennedy, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick for health and human services secretary, says his movement is “igniting a health revolution in America.” But the word “again” presumes a time in the country’s past when Americans were in better health. Was …

A man has been charged with attempted murder after a nurse was stabbed at a hospital and left with life-changing injuries. Rumon Haque, 37, has also been charged with possession of a bladed article after the incident at about 23:30 GMT on Saturday at Royal Oldham Hospital’s acute medical unit. The nurse, a woman in her 50s, is continuing to …

BBC Ray says he feels “lucky” to have had access to the drug via the NHS, especially now he is a granddad to Willow Ray, 62 from south London, became one of the first patients to receive the weight-loss jab Wegovy on the NHS last year and has lost 14kg (just over two stone) in five months. BBC Panorama joined …

A representational image showing a person holding strawberries in palms. — Unsplash/File Taking a balanced diet is important for maintaining overall health throughout the year, however, a nutritious diet is especially essential during the winter season. Due to less exposure to sunlight during the winter, your body may experience a reduction in vitamin D, reported Healthline. Moreover, during these colder …

Geograph/David Dixon The staff member, aged in her 50s, was attacked at Royal Oldham Hospital A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a nurse was seriously injured in a stabbing at a hospital. The woman, aged in her 50s, was left with life-changing injuries in the attack at Royal Oldham Hospital’s acute medical unit (AMU) at …

A representational image of a plane taking off. — Canva  People who live near airports are used to the sounds of planes taking off and landing.  But a new study has revealed that all these sounds could be harmful to their health, UPI reported.  According to researchers, folks who are exposed to high aircraft noise levels are at a greater risk …