Privy to a haemorrhoidal habit - Mr W.G., a 28-year-old chef with a penchant for pickled chillies, came to see me complaining of an intermittent dull ache in his lower back and coccyx...

What is pain? - On the face, it is a silly question. After all, everyone knows what pain is. But there are many issues involved that complicate what seems to be a rel...

Social audit's charles medawar, the uk's drugs watchdog, pieces together new evidence demonstrating that the new, so-called safer antidepressants like prozac could be habit-forming. - Over the past 200 years, doctors have prescribed an almost uninterrupted succession of 'addictive' drugs, always in the belief they would not cause de...

Lifestyle changes don't reduce heart attacks - If you are at high risk from suffering a heart attack, the chances are that you'll be advised to stop smoking and start a diet that reduces your chole...

The best alternative treatment for . . . stopping smoking - Each year, around 120,000 smokers in the UK die from smoking-related illnesses. Non-smokers are at risk, too, as second-hand tobacco smoke can increas...

Smoking: Quit and you see the health benefits from day one - If you’re a smoker who quits, how long will it be before you start enjoying the health benefits? According to a major new study, your health starts t...

Alzheimer's: Could it all start with an anaesthetic? - Common anaesthetics used routinely in surgery may be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease, scientists suspect. They also think that the drugs may accelerat...

Ultrasound does not always benefit mother, says bmj - Antenatal ultrasound is widely used to detect major fetal abnormalities such as anencephaly. However, a recent editorial (BMJ,1997; 314: 918) question...