Depression: Look out, not in
People who spend more time showing social support to others rather than sharing and receiving support for their problems show greater drops in depression – according to a study published…
More caffeine: longer life (?)
Many of us worry that caffeine is somehow bad for us: heart disease, blood pressure, ulcers… Overall there is yet more reassurance from a recent huge European study which found…
Weekend (only) exercise nearly as good as everyday
Although best to spread exercise throughout the week a recent study showed that those who only take vigorous exercise at the weekend still have substantially lower risks than those who…
Should we all take vitamin D supplements?
Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with medical conditions ranging from osteoporosis and fractures to heart disease, diabetes and depression. Recent evidence shows that much of this is…
No adjustments if employee unfit for any work with no likely return date
The Employment Appeal Tribunal in Doran v the Department of Work and Pensions held that there was no duty to make reasonable workplace adjustments when the employee was certificated as…
Moderate alcohol intake reduces strokes and heart disease
A huge study* to be published in this week’s British Medical Journal found that consuming alcohol within current guidelines is associated with lower rates of heart disease (including heart attack,…
Beware unevidenced wellness programmes
Sometimes the anticipated benefits from Wellness initiatives are so obvious that we don’t test their effectiveness. A recent programme in Norway encouraged use of stairs with notices and pink foot…
‘Degenerative changes’ do not explain back pain
A patient has persistent back pain and eventually has an MRI scan. This shows ‘degenerative changes’. In the absence of anything more convincing the doctor may attribute the pain to…
Health effects of night work
The bad news A recent study in the Journal of Immunology reminds us that night shift work is associated with an increased risk of (generally minor) infections, cancer and heart…
Dry January – worth the pain?
A recent study* showed that even if we fail to complete a dry January challenge, the resolution to give it a go generally results in lower alcohol consumption 6 months…