A few months ago, after an urgent care visit, an overnight stay in the hospital and a slew of medical exams, I discovered my blood pressure was abnormally high. The high blood pressure symptoms were just a manifestation of a deeper health issue I was experiencing — chronic anxiety. Wasting no time, I threw myself into self-care. I wanted to find the right Read More

Targets are to be set to reduce calories in pizzas, burgers and ready meals as part of the government’s drive to tackle child obesity in England. Health officials believe the move is needed as people are consuming 200 to 300 calories too many each day. It could see the size of products reduced or ingredients changed in food and drinks Read More

A review of screening mammography placed overdiagnosis of breast cancer at about 30%. Photograph: Enrique Castro-Mendivil/Reuters Australia’s peak independent cancer authority, the Cancer Council, has endorsed a statement calling for a plan to stop patients being harmed by the overdiagnosis and overtreatment of diseases. The statement developed by doctors and researchers was published on Thursday morning and described growing evidence and concern Read More

Do you substitute refined sugar with artificial sweeteners? It may be time to stop. Scientists say diet foods and artificial sweeteners may trigger weight gain and increase the risk of diabetes, as their sweet taste fools the body’s metabolism into believing that we are consuming more calories. In nature, sweetness signals the presence of energy and its intensity reflects the amount Read More

It is hard distinguishing between fads and products that have real benefits. So, if you are confused about superfoods, you are not alone. It is hard to distinguish between superfoods that offer real health benefits and others whose benefits have been invented for marketing purposes. Nutri-therapy specialist Olivia Charlet, who is also a marathon runner and naturopath, separates fact from fiction: Sprouts Read More

  Intuitively, we tend to think that pets benefit our children’s health and emotional well-being. But scientifically, a new study suggests, this may not be the case. A wide range of small studies have lately been suggesting that children who own or interact with a pet have better physical and psychological health. But the largest study of its kind to Read More

(Beirut) – Egyptian authorities should immediately provide appropriate health care to the imprisoned journalist Hisham Gaafar, whose health, including his eyesight, is deteriorating in detention, Human Rights Watch said today. If prison authorities are unable to provide him necessary health care, they should allow him to seek care in private health facilities. EXPAND Egyptian journalist Hisham Gaafar before his detention in October Read More

U.S. health insurer Anthem said on Friday it will exit Obamacare markets in Virginia and reduce its plan offerings in Washington and Scott counties and the city of Bristol next year. The move comes nearly two weeks after President Donald Trump took aim at insurers by threatening to cut the healthcare subsidy payments that make Obamacare plans affordable, after repeatedly failing in Read More

Public health experts in the UK have spoken out against a new book that claims many of us should be eating more salt, not less – claiming the advice could endanger people’s health. New York scientist James DiNicolantonio says in his book The Salt Fix that the World Health Organisation and the US and UK advisory bodies on diet have got it Read More

Could eating more salt really reduce the amount of sugar in our diet and help us lose weight? Photograph: Hera Food/Alamy Public health experts in the UK have spoken out against a new book that claims many of us should be eating more salt, not less – claiming the advice could endanger people’s health. New York scientist James DiNicolantonio says Read More