Do you remember the scene at the end of Monty Python’s Life of Brian, where Brian is being crucified and a fellow victim (played by Eric Idle) tries to cheer him up by singing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life? Tasteless and funny, it’s a parody of all those self-help books that talk … Read more
How was Christmas for you? With 2020 having been such a difficult year, it would be completely understandable if you’ve really gone to town over the festive period, eating, drinking and making as much ‘merry’ as the rules allow. Possibly you’re feeling a little worse for wear and needing to let your belt out a … Read more
With Christmas just around the corner we will soon be scoffing lots of rich foods, which will make our tummies rumble even more than usual. Those grumbling, growling noises are the result of food, liquid, and gas passing through your stomach and into your small intestine. There is even a name for it, Borborygmi, a … Read more
Eight years ago I managed to beat type 2 diabetes by going on my 5:2 diet (cutting my calories two days a week) and losing weight — 9kg to be precise. Since then I’ve become something of a broken record on the importance of shedding body fat to improve your blood sugar levels. So I … Read more
Philip Larkin’s poem, ‘They f*** you up, your mum and dad . . .’ might not have been written about health, but there’s little doubt now that if you have heart disease, you can certainly blame your mum. Your dad, it seems, can’t carry the can for this one! Most parents try to make their … Read more
My wife Clare and I are locked away in a small room — just nine paces by four — with a guard outside to make sure we don’t come out. We’re not allowed visitors and lukewarm meals are delivered in brown paper bags three times a day (7am, midday and 5pm), with fresh linen and … Read more
With just two months until Christmas, it is time to start thinking about presents. This year, what I would love to give my 91-year-old mother who has been self-isolating since March due to her age, is a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine. But how likely is it that there will be one by then, let … Read more
With Covid cases on the rise, it’s clearly very important to identify what’s driving this second wave. Is it students socialising at university? Or is it people packing into bars? It’s probably a bit of both, but there is mounting evidence that the main driver is a small group called ‘superspreaders’. They may not have … Read more
On the thankfully rare occasions I have to take a painkiller, I give myself a little pep talk before I swallow them. I tell myself that I will soon start to feel the impact, and then I imagine the chemicals surging through my system, doing good. That’s not as weird as it may sound, and … Read more
The small, scaly area on my chest didn’t overly worry me but as it was growing, albeit slowly, I thought I should have it checked out. My GP suggested it was a solar keratosis — sun damage — and referred me to a dermatologist. She also arranged for a blood test ‘just to check things … Read more