Ash a silly question

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...

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...

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...

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...