Health & Medicine

With a beam of light, an otoscope allows a clinician to examine the ear canal and eardrum. SolStock/E+ via Getty Images Abigail Kumral, University of Virginia Ear pain is one of the most common reasons that young children go to the doctor, and acute otitis media – which means “middle ear infection” – is the most frequent cause for the …

Fluoride is a mineral that can occur naturally in water. sonsart/ Shutterstock Damien Walmsley, University of Birmingham and Alexander John Morris, University of Birmingham The UK government recently indicated that fluoride would be added to water in England and Wales to cut tooth decay. A bill is proceeding through parliament to support this. And the chief medical officers of all …

Shutterstock Ian Hamilton, University of York Problems with sleep are common. In recent research, 48% of UK adults said sleeping badly had a negative effect on their mental health. For teenagers, this proportion was significantly higher – 66%. The large number of people experiencing sleep problems makes for an attractive market. Some companies have seized the opportunity to provide remedies, …

Nor Gal/Shutterstock Sarah Steele, University of Cambridge Over the last few decades, the demand for breast milk has grown. The message “breast is best” has driven parents and caregivers to buy breast milk. Even the unwell, bodybuilders and “clean eaters” are known to use it. Once limited to milk banks and peer-to-peer sharing, a new for-profit milk market has emerged. …

Ross G. Menzies, University of Technology Sydney and Rachel E. Menzies, University of Sydney Vaccines save lives, and have been doing so since the development of the smallpox vaccine more than 200 years ago. However, for vaccines to keep entire communities safe they need to be taken up by very large proportions of the population. Only then can the vaccinated …

Antibodies (light blue) binding to the spike proteins (dark purple) on the outside of the coronavirus. Design_Cells/Shutterstock Rebecca Aicheler, Cardiff Metropolitan University A new treatment could soon help protect people from developing severe COVID. AstraZeneca has just released results from a phase 3 clinical trial – the final stage of testing before a drug is authorised – that suggest its …

The new findings, although preliminary, are raising concerns about the potential long-term effects of COVID-19. Yuichiro Chino via Getty Images Jessica Bernard, Texas A&M University With more than 18 months of the pandemic in the rearview mirror, researchers have been steadily gathering new and important insights into the effects of COVID-19 on the body and brain. These findings are raising …

Helen Stalford, University of Liverpool; Aoife Daly, University College Cork, and Kerry Barry, University of Liverpool The UK has become the latest country to offer COVID-19 vaccines to all children aged 12 to 15, following many others including France, Germany, the US, Canada and Japan. The UK government has said that parental consent will be sought for vaccinations, but that …

Jacob Lund/Shutterstock David Comerford, University of Stirling The benefits of breastfeeding are wide-ranging and life-changing. Breast milk contains antibodies that reduce the risk of asthma, allergies, diarrhoea and ear infections. Breastfed infants are hospitalised less frequently than infants who are not. In later life, breastfed children and less likely to be overweight and have higher IQs. And women who have …

Subbotina Anna/Shutterstock Paul Hunter, University of East Anglia Although COVID infections are currently low or in decline in most western countries aside from the UK, there’s still a long way to go before the threat of the pandemic is over. A big concern this winter is if there’s a resurgence of COVID with other respiratory illnesses coming back strongly alongside …