“Health is like money: we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it.” These wise words, attributed to 19th century American humourist Josh Billings, are often used to highlight how easy it can be to take good health for granted, and how quickly we can find ourselves in an uncomfortable [...]

It is a sobering thought that by 2050 the majority of adults around the world are predicted to be overweight or obese. Based on analysis of global data, researchers suggest that current obesity levels will accelerate rapidly over the course of this decade, with the World Health Organization stating that the problem has reached [...]

For the estimated 1.8 million skiers and snowboarders in the UK, it looks like conditions for this year’s winter sports season continue to be set fair. In Europe, the persistence of the La Niña weather phenomenon has encouraged cold air to be drawn down from the Arctic, contributing to healthy levels of snowfall across [...]

It’s that time of year again. Having acknowledged the passing of the old year and rung in the new, we look ahead to what the next 12 months will hold and, in many cases, make promises to ourselves about the changes we will make and the goals we will pursue. Underlying many of those New [...]

Among the many lasting impacts of COVID-19 is the pandemic’s toll on the nation’s mental health. In its wake, referrals to mental health services have continued to escalate. According to official data from the British Medical Association (BMA), this figure reached 5 million in England in 2023 – up 33% on the figure recorded in [...]

Whether or not you support Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s assertion that the NHS is “broken”, there is little argument that the service faces continued pressure on a number of fronts. In England, the latest official data shows that the number of cases awaiting non-emergency treatment stands at over 7 million. While this is slightly lower [...]

First introduced in 1960 on a voluntary basis, the Ministry of Transport test – more commonly known as an MOT – is now an obligatory annual undertaking for all vehicle owners. Checks carried out as part of the test provide an overall view of the ‘health’ of a vehicle, flagging any areas of immediate concern [...]

As September approaches and the summer holidays draw to a close, a large part of the workforce will be adopting a back-to-school mindset, with thoughts turning to the beginning of term. For parents and carers, this point in the calendar can represent a major milestone as children enter the next chapter in their education. It [...]

You don’t have to own a fitness tracker, smartwatch or other activity-monitoring device to know about the importance of the number 10,000. This aspirational target has become widely accepted as the number of steps we are supposed to walk in a day, entering the public consciousness in recent years as wearable technology has grown in [...]

The chances of finding someone who truly enjoys a trip to the dentist are understandably slim. More surprising, perhaps, is the sheer number of people who find it such a painful experience. Research suggests that the majority of the UK population (53%) suffer from fear or anxiety when visiting the dentist. Based on this figure, [...]