Why your unique smell could reveal more about your health than you realise
From your breath to your skin, scientists are only just beginning to explore what our scent could tell us about our health.
HEALTH
Can you really outthink illness? A scientist explains just how powerful placebo can be
We’ve all heard of the placebo effect but just how powerful is the mind when it comes to staying healthy and fighting off sickness? A pharmaceutical scientist explains the science behind the mind-body connection and just how much control positive thinking can really have on our physical wellbeing.
The rise in ACL injuries in women’s football is finally getting some much-needed attention
Leah Williamson and Beth Mead are just two of the high-profile players who did not compete at the Women’s World Cup due to ACL injuries. But why are so many female footballers suffering from this problem? Strong Women takes a closer look.
The gender pain gap is real – so why is nobody listening?
Dealing with pain is difficult enough – let alone when the people around you deny that it exists. But that’s something over half of women (56%) have experienced in the past, according to new research into the gender pain gap. Commissioned by the medication brand Nurofen, the Gender Pain Gap Index Report reveals the extent to which women are having their pain ignored or explained away in a stark difference to their male counterparts. The survey of 5,100 UK women and men – which asked them to shar
The 4 key hormones that influence your libido – and how they work
Despite how big a role our sex drive can play in our day-to-day lives, it’s one of those topics very few of us feel comfortable talking about. Society has come a long way when it comes to discussing what goes on inside the bedroom, but when it comes to how much sex we’re actually having, we’re less likely to talk. It’s probably why so many of us are worried that we’re not ‘getting enough’. But the insecurity many of us feel about our libido isn’t the only reason why this lack of conversation is
Does the idea of being sick fill you with dread? You could have emetophobia
No matter what you call it, nobody really likes being sick. It’s one of those unpleasant things that we all (reluctantly) have to deal with – like having to wait for a delayed train or taking a cold shower when the boiler breaks. However, for people who live with emetophobia – an extreme fear of vomiting or seeing others throw up – being sick isn’t just an unpleasant event: it’s their worst nightmare. While the exact number of people who suffer from this phobia is not known (research into the co
Female hormones can exacerbate asthma – so why do doctors still use a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach?
Emma Amoscato was three years old when she experienced her first asthma attack. Now 40 and living in Bedfordshire, she had to deal with several bad attacks during her childhood, but her daily inhalers helped to keep things relatively stable. When she reached puberty, however, things changed. While Amoscato’s asthma calmed down and “pretty much went away” by the time she turned seven, it began to flare up again when she turned 13 – a reality her newly teenage self was reluctant to admit. “At that
Black women are having their pain “dismissed” by sexual health services
“Our research showed there is still much work to be done to ensure Black people have positive experiences of sexual and reproductive healthcare,” the project’s researcher Dr Shardia Briscoe-Palmer wrote in a blog post about the results.
“Participants talked about not feeling welcome, not feeling listened to, and negative stereotypes and assumptions, leading to a lack of trust and reluctance to attend services at all,” she continued. “The feeling of not being listened to was a theme which came u
“Participants talked about not feeling welcome, not feeling listened to, and negative stereotypes and assumptions, leading to a lack of trust and reluctance to attend services at all,” she continued. “The feeling of not being listened to was a theme which came u
“I’m insulted and angry”: what it’s like to be clinically extremely vulnerable as restrictions lift
All Covid-19 restrictions, including the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test, could be lifted a month earlier than expected, Boris Johnson has announced. The restrictions are currently set to expire at the end of March, but at PMQs yesterday (10 February), the prime minister said he expects the date to move forward if the current “encouraging trends” continue. “It is my intention to return on the first day after the half-term recess to present our strategy for living with
You’re not imagining it: your period really can mess with your sleep
Over the last couple of years, the number of people talking about their sleep has skyrocketed. From night-time anxiety and stress to teeth grinding and an irregular schedule, more and more of us are aware of the factors that could be at play when we’re struggling with our sleep, and the steps we can take to improve our chances of a good night’s rest.
“As with any other body function, we need perfect balance in our hormone production to sleep well,” explains Dr Rocio Salas-Whalen, an endocrinolo
“As with any other body function, we need perfect balance in our hormone production to sleep well,” explains Dr Rocio Salas-Whalen, an endocrinolo
“I feel stuck in limbo” 3 women with ‘long-haul Covid’ share what it’s really like
Updated 21 February 2021: One in three people who catch Covid-19 are still experiencing symptoms nine months after first falling ill with the virus, according to a new study. The research, which was conducted by scientists at the University of Washington, found that the most common long-term symptoms were fatigue and the inability to taste and smell. Other ‘long-haul Covid’ symptoms revealed by the study included a headache, trouble breathing or muscle and body aches.
The news comes as last wee
The news comes as last wee
How to check your breasts properly – and why it’s so important
Regularly checking your breasts is one of the most important things you can do for your health – but despite this, many of us still struggle to find the time in our busy schedules to give our boobs a proper check-up. That’s according to new research commissioned by the leading charity Breast Cancer Now ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), which found that two in five (41%) UK women do not check their breasts regularly, with one in five (18%) saying they lacked the confidence to do s
More than half of maternity units in England and Wales are failing to meet safety standards
More than half of maternity units in England and Wales are consistently failing to meet safety standards, BBC analysis of official data has shown. The statistics from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – the independent regulator for adult health and social care across England – show that 7% of units pose a “high risk of avoidable harm”, with a further 48% in need of improvement when it comes to safety. 62 units – which equates to 45% of the locations analysed – received a good rating for safety,
At-home abortions are now permanently available – but this is what needs to happen next
The single biggest positive change to abortion care in the UK since the 1967 Abortion Act has come into force today (30 August), making access to at-home early medical abortions for women in England and Wales permanent. The change in legislation, which was approved in the House of Commons on 30 March, came about as a result of emergency procedures put in place during the pandemic to provide abortions during lockdown. Under the new rules, those who want to have an early medical abortion will be a
Why MPs are calling on the government to make menopause a protected characteristic
MPs have called for menopause to become a protected characteristic under the Equality Act and for the government to introduce a dedicated ‘Menopause Ambassador’ in a bid to keep more women in the workplace. The recommendations – which were outlined in a new report from the cross-party women and equalities committee – aim to reduce the number of “highly skilled and experienced” women having to leave work because of menopausal symptoms, after research by Bupa found that 900,000 women had left thei
The government has finally unveiled its first Women’s Health Strategy – here’s what you need to know
After a long wait, today the government has published its first-ever Women’s Health Strategy – a series of “bold ambitions” designed to tackle England’s gender health gap. The strategy – which focuses on a number of key areas of women’s health, including breast screening, fertility services and endometriosis care – was developed following a call for evidence which received over 100,000 responses from individuals across England.
The evidence gathered, which was published at the end of last year,
The evidence gathered, which was published at the end of last year,
The UK’s ovarian cancer death rate has fallen 17% since 2017, according to a new study
The number of women dying from ovarian cancer in the UK is predicted to fall by 17% in 2022 compared to five years ago, according to a new study. The research, published in the journal Annals Of Oncology and conducted by scientists at the University of Milan in Italy, attributes the trend to the rise in the use of oral contraceptives, which have been said to reduce the risk of developing the cancer by up to 42% for recent users. The study also predicted that death rates from ovarian cancer in th
