http://feed.informer.com/digests/ED7PUG2EPD/feeder Health News Respective post owners and feed distributors Thu, 23 Jul 2015 11:17:27 +0000 Feed Informer http://feed.informer.com/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czrjg0jxkpno?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:4fb7b6ef-9127-fc16-2bed-7d23e60ee623 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 18:57:47 +0000 It will be illegal to sell high-caffeine beverages to under-16s from April next year, but soft drinks with lower caffeine levels will not be affected. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/16/energy-drinks-high-caffeine-banned-under-16s-england Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:bc147f1e-64ea-aed0-50ea-74ac192204a1 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 18:53:03 +0000 <p>About 100,000 children across the country drink the high-caffeine beverages daily</p><p>High-caffeine energy drinks “have no place in children’s hands” and will be banned from sale to under-16s in England from April next year under new laws designed to improve health outcomes in young people.</p><p>About 100,000 children across the country currently drink high-caffeine energy drinks daily, with those in more deprived areas and households more likely to consume them, according to the government.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/16/energy-drinks-high-caffeine-banned-under-16s-england">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/16/as-a-frontline-worker-my-anger-over-the-tories-handling-of-covid-has-not-abated Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:89265cd3-0d62-f3f0-2071-cdf08526be69 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:10:44 +0000 <p>Responding to the Covid inquiry’s findings on PPE, midwife <strong>Laura Matthews </strong>recalls the fear she felt working without adequate protection</p><p>I am a midwife who still feels extreme anger about the way the pandemic was handled (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/14/boris-johnson-government-wasted-vast-sums-on-ppe-covid-inquiry-finds">Johnson government wasted £10bn on PPE, Covid inquiry finds, 14 July</a>).</p><p>I remember being fitted for a FFP3 mask and then being told there weren’t enough to go around and given a basic paper mask instead. I remember being told that the hospital where I worked couldn’t keep providing clean scrubs, so I had to take my potentially infected scrubs home to wash instead. I remember management shutting computers down to enforce social distancing, then reopening them when they realised we needed those computers to do our jobs.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/16/as-a-frontline-worker-my-anger-over-the-tories-handling-of-covid-has-not-abated">Continue reading...</a> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74glj9zkzko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:f522b608-0f5c-f7aa-f317-c573513830c9 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 16:36:13 +0000 Advisers are asking the government to consider introducing MenB jabs following concerns over an outbreak in Kent earlier this year, in which two people died. https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/article/2026/jul/16/air-purifiers-what-to-know Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:649921f5-15c1-bd2d-2231-9243cde0e796 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 16:27:01 +0000 <p>As wildfires burn in Canada and parts of the US, air purifiers can be useful when the air outside is unhealthy</p><p>With smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/16/smoke-canadian-wildfires-air-quality">spreading across the US</a>, more than 20 states have issued air quality alerts. Local leaders urged people to stay inside as “unhealthy” air quality levels affected the US midwest and north-east.</p><p>For several decades, air quality in the US was trending up by many measures. <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wildfires-recent-years-reversed-progress-made-eliminating-air/story?id=103308269">Data</a> indicated that fine, inhalable airborne particulate matter, known as PM2.5, was declining in 41 states before 2016.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/article/2026/jul/16/air-purifiers-what-to-know">Continue reading...</a> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cvgm2m5e80vo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:8a12a8ef-d9ce-394c-76cd-d436b2f7a248 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 15:51:25 +0000 Woman's Hour discusses fibroids and the need for greater knowledge about the pain they can cause women. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/16/merck-cholesterol-drug-fda-approval-lipfendra Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:13b3a5b0-ea09-396c-7594-320328c6061d Thu, 16 Jul 2026 15:28:21 +0000 <p>Lipfendra can be taken in conjunction with or an alternative to statins, the most prescribed medication in the US</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email</a><em> </em></p></li></ul><p>The drug giant Merck on Thursday announced it had received FDA approval for a daily pill that can be an alternative to statins for treating high LDL levels, or so-called bad cholesterol. The new pill, Lipfendra, is a version of a drug called a PCSK9 inhibitor.</p><p>For decades the go-to therapy to treat high cholesterol levels has been statins, the most prescribed medication in the US. But statins come occasionally with side effects like muscle aches and they sometimes don’t drop cholesterol levels enough to meet recommended levels.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/16/merck-cholesterol-drug-fda-approval-lipfendra">Continue reading...</a> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6212klngkko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:48dd3e5b-bfd4-09bc-549d-add6550a10f2 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:52:45 +0000 He tells an inquiry he believed a trust was 'panicking' and was discouraged from raising rota issues. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/16/offer-teenagers-a-meningitis-b-vaccine-on-nhs-advisers-tell-uk-government Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:25beeb2c-0ec0-e04c-e58c-19d5804c5179 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:47:17 +0000 <p>JCVI says children should have one or two doses of menB vaccine at age 15, depending on if they had one as a baby</p><p>Teenagers should be offered a vaccine on the NHS to protect against deadly meningitis B (menB), government advisers have recommended.</p><p>The move by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which needs approval from the government, means young people should get a jab around the age of 15, with catch-up programmes for those who would otherwise miss out.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/16/offer-teenagers-a-meningitis-b-vaccine-on-nhs-advisers-tell-uk-government">Continue reading...</a> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7432klgyldo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:98913730-467b-c244-f725-760921f304dd Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:27:27 +0000 Some people can carry bacteria in their nose or throat without getting sick, but can spread it to others. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgmyggpg42o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:6c0e0db1-a67b-5eac-937d-d55f11e1bf36 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:22:34 +0000 It follows the UK's largest and fastest growing meningitis B outbreak to date in Kent earlier this year. https://www.bbc.co.uk/videos/cx25gy52pdzo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:b82f789e-d497-5074-366d-9542e77b4784 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:07:34 +0000 Actively listening to birdsong it is good for both your health, wellbeing and focus. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2xlv2691jo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:20b05e52-19ff-0965-fb87-84c1466fb100 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:19:34 +0000 A senior Buddhist monk says Herefordshire has "everything" for a "person to be happy". https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/16/diarrhea-outbreak-cyclospora-parasite-cdc Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:49d03344-5e9e-d91c-bdd1-9658cf455c38 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:00:35 +0000 <p>Last year the federal government downgraded active surveillance for this parasite. Now thousands are sick</p><p>A patient arrives after two weeks of relentless watery diarrhea, sometimes 20 episodes a day. She has lost weight and cannot keep fluids down. Her stool tests come back negative. Unless someone thinks to order an assay that includes Cyclospora cayetanensis, she may leave without a diagnosis and stay ill for weeks longer.</p><p>Cyclospora is easy to miss in a clinic. Many routine stool tests do not include it, so a clinician must consider the parasite before the laboratory will look for it. You find it on purpose, or you do not find it.</p><p>Robert B Shpiner is a clinical professor of medicine in pulmonary and critical care at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/16/diarrhea-outbreak-cyclospora-parasite-cdc">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/16/hoarders-wirral-peer-support-group-housing Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:e799dbb5-211a-2da5-988f-98cb77d22a0f Thu, 16 Jul 2026 09:00:19 +0000 <p>Many hoarders are scared to seek help but one UK housing association is taking a more empathetic approach</p><p>At one end of the table sits Tony*, who showers at his local leisure centre in Birkenhead every day. His landlord won’t fix his bathroom because of his hoarding. Then there’s Sarah*, who ended up homeless with her three teenagers after their landlord evicted them because of hoarding. In her new home the problem has started again, but she says she’s petrified to ask for help in case she loses her property.</p><p>Sian Cowley, 35, who has struggled with hoarding for decades, says: “I’ve lived without central heating for two years. A lot of us live without the basics like hot water, heating and cooking because we are too scared to get people in to do repairs because of the threat of eviction.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/16/hoarders-wirral-peer-support-group-housing">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/16/psychologist-candice-odgers-kids-tech-mental-health-social-media-bans Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:d1e14ba8-a84a-9fc1-ff2c-6e6892447910 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 06:50:29 +0000 <p>Psychologist Candice Odgers has studied adolescent mental health for 25 years. She fears the current debate around smartphones obscures some of the biggest issues facing teenagers – from the impact of Covid to the health of their adult caregivers</p><p>The quickest way to make being online safer for children and teens would be to kick all adult men off the internet, the Canadian psychologist Candice Odgers believes. Men are the biggest perpetrators of sextortion and most likely to spread misinformation, she says.</p><p>Odgers is not recommending this as a policy for governments to adopt: “That would be crazy, right? It would be unfair.” But she is on a drive to puncture the prevailing narrative that the best way to address online harms is a social media ban for teenagers.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/16/psychologist-candice-odgers-kids-tech-mental-health-social-media-bans">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/16/newborns-babies-england-spinal-muscular-atrophy-sma-screening Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:99d10f65-ee03-8211-e4b2-8cbc0e6ca401 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 05:00:16 +0000 <p>Campaigners hail ‘landmark moment’ in early detection and treatment of rare muscle-wasting disease</p><p>Every baby born in England will be screened for a rare muscle-wasting disease, starting next year, the Department of Health and Social Care announced on Thursday.</p><p>Campaigners said the “landmark moment” should lead to babies who were found to have <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/spinal-muscular-atrophy-sma/">spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)</a> being treated early and thus growing up without any of its debilitating symptoms.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/16/newborns-babies-england-spinal-muscular-atrophy-sma-screening">Continue reading...</a> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce9592kve1po?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:b40ee241-07e0-1956-41fd-50e3b4a0c638 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:34:41 +0000 Relationship OCD is gaining awareness, but limited data means little in known about how common the condition is. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07y77exx8eo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:b315e381-1076-409e-9a55-070c67ae3279 Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:20:52 +0000 All newborn babies are set to have a heel prick test for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) in England. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/15/black-doctors-england-training-white-colleagues-nhs-analysis Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:11017ab8-1705-9463-6d07-e69ffe714a1a Wed, 15 Jul 2026 22:30:06 +0000 <p>For one placement, black applicants had a less than 1 in 100 chance of being offered a place, NHS data shows</p><p>Black doctors in England are four times less likely to be offered a training place than their white counterparts, according to analysis.</p><p>As part of their medical training, doctors across the NHS are able to apply to placements within specific branches of practice such as psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, and emergency medicine.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/15/black-doctors-england-training-white-colleagues-nhs-analysis">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/15/reducing-ultra-processed-foods-could-prevent-thousands-of-heart-disease-deaths-study-suggests Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:34a36413-4675-dfcc-b95c-4f52f21e207a Wed, 15 Jul 2026 22:01:05 +0000 <p>Researchers in Canada say that UFPs could be ‘substantial and potentially preventable’ contributor to the disease</p><p>Thousands of people could avoid dying of heart disease by reducing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/ultra-processed-foods">ultra-processed foods</a> (UPFs), experts have said, as a modelling study suggests junk food may be driving up to a third of cases.</p><p>Millions of people increasingly consume UPFs such as ready meals, breakfast cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks and fast food.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/15/reducing-ultra-processed-foods-could-prevent-thousands-of-heart-disease-deaths-study-suggests">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/15/erica-schwartz-cdc-senate-hearing Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:f90202dc-8f58-0885-9bb4-614f61f08f4c Wed, 15 Jul 2026 21:24:28 +0000 <p>During confirmation hearing Wednesday, Trump’s pick tells Senate health committee she will ‘never betray the science’</p><p>Erica Schwartz, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/trump-administration">Trump administration</a>’s latest nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), faced sharp questioning from senators who pressed her to say whether she would stand up to her boss, the health secretary <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/robert-f-kennedy-jr">Robert F Kennedy Jr</a>.</p><p>During her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Schwartz, a deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration, told the Senate health committee she “will never betray the science” and pledged to use “radical transparency” to rebuild public trust. But she repeatedly deflected questions about how she would handle pressure from Kennedy, a leader in the anti-vaccine movement who has overseen months of turmoil at the agency and made controversial changes to US vaccine policies.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/15/erica-schwartz-cdc-senate-hearing">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/15/the-guardian-view-on-obesity-put-public-health-before-food-industry-pressure Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:be2d3c39-2d47-3f24-7733-cbf4ca44f026 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:22:08 +0000 <p>Obesity reflects prices, advertising and access, not simply weak willpower. Ministers must now act</p><p>Britain has spent the last three decades asking individuals to make healthier choices inside a market that makes those choices more expensive and less visible. It is no surprise then that the proportion of adults in England living with obesity nearly doubled in that time, to 30%. MPs on the health select committee have decided enough is enough. Preventing obesity in future generations, they <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/81/health-and-social-care-committee/news/214888/stand-up-to-food-industry-after-decades-of-failure-to-tackle-obesity-epidemic-mps-tell-government/">say</a>, must take precedence over the interests of the food and drink industry.</p><p>In a <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5902/cmselect/cmhealth/223/report.html">report</a> to parliament, the cross-party committee argues that preventing obesity demands radical action to regulate food markets. To those who say “just wait for cheap Ozempic”, MPs offer a clear answer: off-patent GLP-1 drugs may transform treatment, but treatment is what becomes necessary when prevention has failed.</p><p><em><strong>Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tone/letters"> letters</a> section, please <a href="mailto:guardian.letters@theguardian.com?body=Please%20include%20your%20name,%20full%20postal%20address%20and%20phone%20number%20with%20your%20letter%20below.%20Letters%20are%20usually%20published%20with%20the%20author%27s%20name%20and%20city/town/village.%20The%20rest%20of%20the%20information%20is%20for%20verification%20only%20and%20to%20contact%20you%20where%20necessary.">click here</a>.</strong></em></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/15/the-guardian-view-on-obesity-put-public-health-before-food-industry-pressure">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/15/heatwaves-are-killing-people-in-britain-we-need-to-take-action-now Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:1cd8bebb-71bb-a0bc-d17d-e2f84736e506 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:52:04 +0000 <p><strong>Dr Alessandro Massazza </strong>says extreme heat is linked to poor mental health, but solutions do exist. Plus letters from <strong>Sean Smith </strong>and <strong>Woody Caan</strong></p><p>The data published by Imperial College London on deaths caused by the May and June heatwaves is a stark reminder of how climate change is not only measured in degrees of temperatures but also in terms of lost lives (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/13/june-heatwave-killed-440-people-a-day-england-wales-data-suggests-climate-crisis">May and June heatwaves killed about 2,700 people in England and Wales, data suggests, 13 July</a>).</p><p>While each death due to extreme heat is a preventable tragedy, mortality only represents the tip of the iceberg of how heat is impacting our health. Extreme heat also affects our <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41646246/">mental health</a>. Throughout the past weeks in the northern hemisphere, we have all experienced how it is making it harder for us to sleep, making us more irritable and reducing our ability to concentrate.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/15/heatwaves-are-killing-people-in-britain-we-need-to-take-action-now">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/15/nobby-stiles-died-with-brain-condition-caused-by-repeatedly-heading-a-football-coroner-rules Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:bcf26f2a-e635-e260-e049-b148d52061a5 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 16:43:56 +0000 <p>England World Cup winner died in 2020 but his death was never reported by authorities to the coroner’s office</p><p>The England footballer and World Cup winner Nobby Stiles died with a brain condition caused by repeatedly heading a football, a coroner has ruled.</p><p>Stiles, a tenacious, tough-tackling midfielder described by Geoff Hurst <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/oct/30/nobby-stiles-world-cup-winner-with-england-1966-manchester-united-dies">as the “heart and soul”</a> of the 1966 World Cup-winning team, died in 2020 but his death was not reported by authorities to the coroner’s office.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/15/nobby-stiles-died-with-brain-condition-caused-by-repeatedly-heading-a-football-coroner-rules">Continue reading...</a> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/clyeyyr4k6vo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:0ac15096-b176-8baa-6501-817c215a2661 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 15:40:24 +0000 Calum was poisoned by methanol and has since joined a campaign to raise awareness of the risks https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/15/bristol-drug-policy-city-of-harm-reduction-greens Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:99678a1d-4711-321e-436e-a5e6f8208572 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 14:23:08 +0000 <p>Councillors pass motion that paves way to setting up drugs-consumption facility where users can be helped and treated</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/jul/15/keir-starmer-pmqs-andy-burnham-labour-leadership-kemi-badenoch-conservatives-nigel-farage-reform-uk-politics-live-news">UK politics live – latest updates</a></p></li></ul><p>Bristol has been formally declared a “city of harm reduction”, with local politicians pledging to focus on helping and treating users of illegal drugs rather than punishing them.</p><p>Green councillors, who lead the city council, said the declaration was a clear signal that public health rather than criminal justice solutions were needed to tackle the UK’s growing drugs crisis.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/15/bristol-drug-policy-city-of-harm-reduction-greens">Continue reading...</a> https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct9926?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:a029b2c3-c382-b5aa-b1ee-dda1359d9a45 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:46:00 +0000 A first of its kind study is looking at the link between ADHD and hormonal changes https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service_news_internet?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:b2fbbc3f-c83a-3a1a-f6d3-7bc2f1ce4ac0 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:46:00 +0000 A first of its kind study is looking at the link between ADHD and hormonal changes https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service_west_africa?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:6f7e44bd-c6dd-7fe0-ba93-388bc9e1bf3b Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:46:00 +0000 A first of its kind study is looking at the link between ADHD and hormonal changes https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jul/15/a-moment-that-changed-me-i-started-yoga-and-saw-my-scoliosis-in-a-surprising-new-light Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:ff041a2b-c17d-c154-dc57-93d52a733899 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 05:45:46 +0000 <p>As a teenager I declined a painful operation to straighten my spinal curvature, and it was a decision I sometimes regretted. But through daily stretching and exercise, my relationship with my body was transformed</p><p>I was 13 when a spinal surgeon gave me unsolicited career advice. “Scoliosis won’t ruin your life,” he said, peering over his spectacles, “unless you want to do bikini modelling.” As a young teenager, I hadn’t thought much about job prospects, let alone modelling, but his words stung. It also curdled my situation into a lose-lose scenario: either have a painful operation to fuse metal rods with my spine, or endure a lifetime with an&nbsp;abnormally twisted back.</p><p>Until this point, I’d perceived my spinal curvature in terms of the inward experience: pain. Now, I became aware of an external dimension: a disfigurement. Something to be hidden. This did me no favours as a teenager in the age of Instagram. While I declined the operation due to the risks and the extended leave from school, the surgeon’s blithe remark burdened me with shame.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/jul/15/a-moment-that-changed-me-i-started-yoga-and-saw-my-scoliosis-in-a-surprising-new-light">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/15/palantir-british-state-political-access-us-tech-firm-nhs Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:627ac26c-553c-2915-8597-07d44cee35f1 Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:00:45 +0000 <p>Paid-for political access and threadbare regulations have helped to embed the US tech firm in the NHS – and beyond. But there is a way to free ourselves</p><p>Andy Burnham faces a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/10/in-tray-of-challenges-andy-burnham-faces-as-prime-minister">lot of big decisions</a>. But one of the incoming prime minister’s biggest early tests is what he does about the world’s “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2025/dec/09/palantir-the-worlds-scariest-company-podcast">scariest company</a>” – Palantir. The US defence and surveillance tech behemoth has a swathe of British public contracts, including, most controversially, a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/09/mps-urge-labour-to-ditch-330m-palantir-software-contract-with-nhs">£330m deal with the NHS</a>. It’s pretty clear what many of Burnham’s new parliamentary colleagues want him to do: the science, innovation and technology committee says the government should ditch Palantir and its “clear mismatch with UK values”.</p><p>Peter Thiel and Alex Karp’s company is not without British backers. The Times<em> </em>and the Telegraph<em> </em>have been enthusiastic supporters. In the Financial Times<em> </em>last month former Conservative party adviser Camilla Cavendish <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/db44acf8-46d3-4ac6-80f8-ed10676f525c?syn-25a6b1a6=1">accused Palantir’s critics</a> of putting politics over progress: “To me, what matters is what works.”</p><p>Peter Geoghegan runs the investigative website <a href="https://democracyforsale.substack.com/">Democracy for Sale</a></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/15/palantir-british-state-political-access-us-tech-firm-nhs">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/15/mp-ban-fast-food-outlets-schools-tackle-obesity Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:4875ef18-9bf3-792e-592d-8a3fbda9adfc Tue, 14 Jul 2026 23:01:38 +0000 <p>Commons health committee also recommends end to junk food advertising on billboards and public transport</p><p>Fast food chains such as KFC should be stopped from opening near schools, and advertising for junk food on billboards and public transport should be banned to help curb obesity, MPs will say today.</p><p>The Commons health committee will also urge ministers to stop giving in to food industry lobbying and get tough to tackle a problem that costs the UK £74bn a year and causes huge illness.</p><p>Supermarkets should be forced to display fruit and vegetables prominently, for example near entrances and checkouts, to help boost sales.</p><p>All food must start carrying front-of-pack, traffic light-style labels telling consumers how healthy or unhealthy they are, which some supermarket chains already use.</p><p>The government should urgently progress its previously announced intention to compel food producers to reveal what percentage of their sales come from healthy and unhealthy products.</p><p>Ministers should “be more courageous [and start] standing up to challenge from industry”, which often seeks to delay the introduction of measures to limit bad diet.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/15/mp-ban-fast-food-outlets-schools-tackle-obesity">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/14/explosive-diarrhea-cyclospora-outbreak-investigation Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:181189d4-ce15-447d-f2e2-3ed7b60f937f Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:53:33 +0000 <p>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is scouring food supply chain for culprit, which may be lettuce</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/09/cyclosporiasis-illness-explainer">What is cyclosporiasis, the parasitic illness causing ‘explosive’ diarrhea?</a></p></li></ul><p>Federal health officials have said they expect the outbreaks of cyclospora – a parasite that causes watery, explosive diarrhea – across the US to continue through August as they scour the food supply chain for the culprit.</p><p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified 1,645 lab-confirmed cases of the parasite; reported that 145 people have been hospitalized; and reported that they have a backlog of 5,100 cases that require more analysis, including interviews.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/14/explosive-diarrhea-cyclospora-outbreak-investigation">Continue reading...</a> https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/14/protect-public-health-policies-from-lobbying-firms Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:e6a9131d-5c2a-956f-39f3-ce0a89481256 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 16:36:09 +0000 <p><strong>Caroline Cerny</strong>, <strong>Prof Sir Ian Gilmore and Katharine Jenner </strong>welcome the ethics watchdog’s recommendations to improve transparency around lobbying</p><p>From tobacco and alcohol to unhealthy food, there is extensive evidence that companies whose profits depend on the sale of harmful products have repeatedly sought to influence the policies designed to protect public health<strong>.</strong></p><p>Research from around the world has documented efforts to deny, dilute and delay measures aimed at reducing harm, while promoting approaches that are more favourable to commercial interests. Too often, that lobbying takes place behind closed doors with no opportunity for scrutiny.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/14/protect-public-health-policies-from-lobbying-firms">Continue reading...</a> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/czded08ee8qo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:e0b878bb-c0db-db96-c59e-00b6f8af85c2 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:39:31 +0000 Anna Sabine was having a lump removed from her thyroid when a nerve to one of her vocal cords was cut. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/14/tuberculosis-outbreak-colorado-ice-jail Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:3af571d9-0e6b-7651-5443-b6ac48f8ef33 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:33:24 +0000 <p>The reported infections are the latest in a series of health concerns at the federal immigration jail in Aurora</p><p>At least 12 people detained at a federal immigration jail in Colorado have contracted tuberculosis in recent days, according to testimony from inside the facility where dozens of others have reportedly been placed in quarantine.</p><p>Those affected by the outbreak are also being made to endure their isolation without air conditioning, one detainee who has been at the facility in Aurora since December told the Guardian, through his partner, in a telephone call on Monday afternoon.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/14/tuberculosis-outbreak-colorado-ice-jail">Continue reading...</a> https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct98zy?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:3cb8976d-8b0e-d780-518a-4abb02ec1059 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 13:30:00 +0000 We speak to Daniel who has been cured of sickle cell https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07y7zj43jmo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:d76af288-9b63-a5b3-9de1-07e8ef2452b9 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:45:44 +0000 What went wrong with the government's planning and buying of vital items like gloves and gowns that cost taxpayers billions of pounds. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/14/american-ebola-patient-arrives-germany Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:1bc1ea2c-d712-73c8-e7cf-9f349ed74b07 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:27:06 +0000 <p>Aid worker flown to Berlin as Trump administration bars Americans from traveling to US on commercial flights</p><p>A US national who contracted <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/ebola">Ebola</a> in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/congo">Democratic Republic of the Congo</a> has arrived in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/germany">Germany</a> for treatment, the health ministry in Berlin said on Monday, weeks after another American infected with Ebola in the DRC was treated in Berlin.</p><p>Meanwhile, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/trump-administration">Trump administration</a> on Monday said it was blocking American citizens in ⁠the DRC from traveling to the US on commercial flights, Reuters reported, citing a White House official.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/14/american-ebola-patient-arrives-germany">Continue reading...</a> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czrxrlydyzzo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:f7cd1c51-b4eb-ed4a-7dd2-87e550350c76 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:12:53 +0000 Healthcare staff were unable to properly protect themselves, or those in their care, from dangerous infections, says the latest inquiry report. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002yx3c?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:c7190acb-5a6c-db33-8929-77fcdf701c25 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:12:00 +0000 We hear about a new study exploring the impact hormones have on women with ADHD. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn750184mkko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:1c7ed34a-a1dd-da3b-edf9-4a6a0a2438f8 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:56:00 +0000 The mum of Elise Sebastian, who died in a mental health unit, gives evidence to the Lampard Inquiry. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c9929nl2m3go?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:c104306e-172d-f60b-50a5-4734f63639fe Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:38:32 +0000 Experts suggest more than 2,700 people may have died from heat-related causes during the heatwaves. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002yx39?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:a693dc56-f916-d12f-f3a2-bdba7a16bd53 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Does the success of the HPV vaccine mean that cervical screening can be reduced? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/14/sun-health-outdoors-heatwave-daylight-science Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:90c84829-d520-d66f-17d8-796628f2437e Tue, 14 Jul 2026 07:00:23 +0000 <p>Extreme exposure<strong> </strong>should be avoided, but we’ve gone too far the other way – enjoyed safely, the sun can have enormous health benefits</p><p>High summer <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/summer">has returned to the UK</a>, and with it, the usual warnings about the dangers of sunlight and reminders to seek shade and cover up. After years of such advice, most members of the public naturally assume that the science connecting sun exposure to poor health is well established, so people are often shocked to learn that the opposite is true: those who spend more time in the sun tend to be healthier. A <em>lot</em> healthier.</p><p>I know because I began researching the subject nine years ago after stumbling upon some studies – and I’ve stayed on the case ever since, now summarising everything we know in my new book, <a href="https://guardianbookshop.com/in-defense-of-sunlight-9781668092163?utm_source=editoriallink&amp;utm_medium=merch&amp;utm_campaign=article">In Defense of Sunlight</a>. It contains good news for many people: we don’t have to fear the sun nearly as much as we thought. In fact, most of us could benefit from a bit more exposure.</p><p>Rowan Jacobsen is a former Knight Science Journalism Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a media fellow at the Nova Institute for Health in Baltimore. His book In Defense of Sunlight: The Surprising Science of Sun Exposure is published this month</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/14/sun-health-outdoors-heatwave-daylight-science">Continue reading...</a> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cz9ld8nvz0ko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:2a4cc91e-3921-8e18-fa14-ba69fd507de4 Tue, 14 Jul 2026 05:41:01 +0000 A first of its kind study by UK researchers is looking at the link between menstrual cycles and ADHD. https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2026/jul/14/the-lonely-reality-of-male-infertility-podcast Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:c50f6730-756b-c1e7-a1ac-81e77843b2df Tue, 14 Jul 2026 02:00:16 +0000 <p>Sperm counts are in decline worldwide, and testosterone levels are said to be plunging, but male infertility still carries a stigma. Prof Michael Carroll on what every man should know</p><p>When we talk about infertility, the focus tends to be on the woman. After some basic tests, IVF is often seen as a solution. But half of the time, infertility is caused by issues with the man’s sperm. And sperm counts are on the decline worldwide.</p><p><strong>Toby Trice</strong> tells <strong>Helen Pidd</strong> about how he and his wife spent years trying to conceive and had had two rounds of IVF before they discovered a problem with his testicles was behind their difficulties. He says he struggled with feelings of guilt and shame afterwards. Yet his issues were resolved with a routine operation.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2026/jul/14/the-lonely-reality-of-male-infertility-podcast">Continue reading...</a> https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct98px?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss BBC News - Health urn:uuid:c24ccfdc-a8d6-35dc-e2ac-85f46968aa1e Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Can gene therapy become accessible for people living with sickle cell disease? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/13/cyclospora-outbreak-parasite-explosive-diarrhea Society: Health | theguardian.com urn:uuid:e4ef46cb-ff20-63f5-8513-bd2f0d46b5aa Mon, 13 Jul 2026 23:55:00 +0000 <p>Authorities said inquiry into cyclosporiasis outbreak was continuing but early results pointed to salad greens and lettuce</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/09/cyclosporiasis-illness-explainer">What is cyclosporiasis, the parasitic illness causing ‘explosive’ diarrhea?</a></p></li></ul><p>State health officials in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/michigan">Michigan</a> said on Monday they have identified lettuces and salad greens as a “potential source” of the thousands of cases of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/09/cyclosporiasis-illness-explainer">cyclosporiasis</a> – a parasitic infection that causes “watery diarrhea”, loss of appetite and weight loss.</p><p>In a statement, the Michigan department of health and human services <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MIDHHS/2026/07/13/file_attachments/3712967/2026%20Cyclosporiasis%203%20NR.pdf">said</a> the investigation is still continuing, but early results “point to lettuce or salad greens as a potential source for this outbreak”, though officials also cautioned it is too early to rule out other food sources.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/13/cyclospora-outbreak-parasite-explosive-diarrhea">Continue reading...</a>