The Conversation UKFlu Can surgical masks protect you from getting the flu?The Conversation UK - Manal Mohammed Australia has just suffered a severe flu season, with 299,211 laboratory-confirmed cases, at last count, and 662 deaths. This might be a sign of …
The Conversation UKPain Three reasons you have neck pain – and why 'bad posture' probably isn't one of themThe Conversation UK - Christian Worsfold If you suffer from neck pain, you’re not alone. Spinal pain is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and its occurrence has increased …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) Some countries have introduced mandatory nutritional labelling on menus – here's why the UK should follow suitThe Conversation UK - Dolly Theis Would you eat a burger if you knew it contained almost 6,000 calories? Some would gladly tuck in while others would recoil in horror. But if you have …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) Most people don't wash their hands properly – here's how it should be doneThe Conversation UK - Ellen W. Evans It’s something most people do everyday, often without really thinking about it, but how you wash your hands can make a real difference to your health …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) Most genetic studies use only white participants – this will lead to greater health inequalityThe Conversation UK - Karoline Kuchenbaecker and Evangelos Vassos and Roseann Peterson Few areas of science have seen such a dramatic development in the last decade as genomics. It is now possible to read the genomes of millions of …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) Some people benefit from being naturally mentally tough, but it can be taught to those who aren'tThe Conversation UK - Peter Clough The saying that “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is simplistic, disingenuous, and potentially destructive. While it’s true that some …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) Curious Kids: how can we see what we are imagining as well as what's in front of us?The Conversation UK - Niia Nikolova How can we see what we are imagining but still see what’s in front of us? – Malala Yousafzai class, Globe Primary School, London, UK. This question …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) Scurvy: is it really making a comeback in the UK?The Conversation UK - Ali Hill Scurvy is on the rise in the UK and picky eating might be the cause, a recent report in Metro suggests. But is this something we should worry about? …
The Conversation UKAlcohol Alcohol taxes cut since 2013 and thousands may have died as a result – new researchThe Conversation UK - Colin Angus Alcohol taxes are a controversial subject. Almost every country in the world has some form of taxation on alcohol but there is huge variation in the …
The Conversation UKBacteria Gut microbes can be picky eaters – here's why it mattersThe Conversation UK - Tim Spector We choose our food for a variety of reasons, including personal preference, availability, cost and healthiness. But we should also take our gut …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) When doctors and parents disagree on how to treat a sick child the emotional and financial costs can be hugeThe Conversation UK - Liz Forbat When a child is sick and parents and doctors disagree about what to do next, who is best placed to make that decision? This is a tricky but not …
The Conversation UKBlood Pressure What is a healthy blood pressure?The Conversation UK - Sandra Jones and Matthew Lancaster More than 7m people in the UK have high blood pressure; it is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular events such as heart …
The Conversation UKFood Food labels too complicated for most shoppers to understand – new researchThe Conversation UK - Dawn Liu Think back to the last time you went food shopping, did you check the labels for nutritional information? If you did, chances are it still felt …
The Conversation UKPregnancy How pregnancy can be made more difficult by maternity care's notions of 'normal'The Conversation UK - Mari Greenfield Maternity records in the UK have spaces only for the expectant mother and the baby’s father. This inflexibility can cause difficulties for the …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) How one NHS anaesthetist is fighting international medical research fraudThe Conversation UK - Kevin McConway John Carlisle is a consultant anaesthetist at Torbay Hospital on England’s south coast. Unless you’ve been one of his patients, you’ve probably never …
The Conversation UKMental Health The UK doesn't spend enough on the mental health of young people – we found out whyThe Conversation UK - Stephen Rocks and Apostolos Tsiachristas In 2016 the then health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, declared child mental health services the “biggest single area of weakness” in the NHS. He might have …
The Conversation UKBreast Feeding Breastfeeding can help tackle climate crisis but it's on governments, not mums to save the worldThe Conversation UK - Natalie Shenker and Amy Brown In the midst of debates about how to best tackle the climate crisis, breastfeeding was recently highlighted as a significant way women can help to …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) Red meat study caused a stir – here's what wasn't discussedThe Conversation UK - Richard Hoffman Accurate, consistent dietary advice seems increasingly hard to find. For instance, a widely reported study recently claimed that people don’t need to …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) How routine sparring can cause short-term impairment to boxers' brainsThe Conversation UK - Thomas Di Virgilio and Angus Hunter and Magdalena Ietswaart Thrilling the masses for millennia, boxing has evolved down the centuries – rules have changed, equipment improved, training enhanced. However, one …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) Gut bacteria work in teams new study finds – here's why that's important for your healthThe Conversation UK - Mario Falchi Our digestive tract hosts trillions of microbes, mainly bacteria, that help us digest food, make vitamins, strengthen the immune system, protect …
The Conversation UKMicrobiology Gut bacteria work in teams new study revealsThe Conversation UK - Mario Falchi Our digestive tract hosts trillions of microbes, mainly bacteria, that help us digest food, make vitamins, strengthen the immune system, protect …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) How music therapy can help anxious childrenThe Conversation UK - Elizabeth Coombes According to the NHS, as many as one in eight children aged five to 19 faces a mental health challenge. And a significant number of these cases are …
The Conversation UKAquaculture The solution to hidden hunger in many developing countries lies just offshoreThe Conversation UK - Christina Hicks and Andrew Thorne-Lyman and Philippa Cohen Globally, about two billion people suffer from “hidden hunger” – a chronic deficiency of vitamins and minerals. The health effects of this form of …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) The forgotten benefits of a 'bad' memoryThe Conversation UK - Catriona Morrison Memory is the essence of our psychological functioning, essential for every move we make – getting dressed, having breakfast, driving to work, doing …
The Conversation UKMilitary Depression and binge-drinking more common among military spouses and partnersThe Conversation UK - Rachael Gribble For those in the military, high levels of dedication and commitment are expected from day one on the job – and this includes the risks that come with …
The Conversation UKHealth (UK) Jeremy Corbyn's shakeup of Big Pharma isn't the only wayThe Conversation UK - Samir Nuseibeh Jeremy Corbyn took to the podium at this year’s Labour party conference to reveal his bold new “Medicines for the Many” initiative. In his speech, he …
The Conversation UKSugar Sugary drinks tax is working – now it's time to target cakes, biscuits and snacksThe Conversation UK - Gemma Bridge A sugar tax on soft drinks has now been in operation in the UK for more than a year and results so far seem to indicate it’s working. But campaigners …
The Conversation UKLanguage When should my child start speaking?The Conversation UK - Michelle St Clair and Vanessa Lloyd-Esenkaya Children develop at varying rates in all sorts of ways, from when they take their first steps to when they understand that their own perspective …
The Conversation UKPlacebos Placebos: what they're made of mattersThe Conversation UK - Jeremy Howick Placebo controls are a gold standard against which new treatments are often measured. If a new treatment consistently proves to be better than a …
