Category: Health

Skipping meals to shed weight or stay “healthy” has become a big trend in recent years. Intermittent fasting (IF), where people eat only during certain hours of the day or take long breaks between meals, is often praised as a quick fix for better health. But a new study has raised eyebrows. Researchers suggest that while […]

US-based online store iHerb has suspended sales of melatonin gummies to Australia. This comes after a rise in reports of non-fatal overdoses in Western Australia in children who took these popular supplements. This latest move raises fresh concerns about the safety of these non-prescription sleep aids. I have been a sleep researcher and a psychologist treating […]

Liver cancer remains one of the world’s most lethal cancers, ranked sixth in incidence but fourth in cancer-related mortality globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Alarmingly, nearly 60% of liver cancer cases are preventable, as highlighted in a recent Lancet Commission report. Factors such as hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus (HCV) infections, excessive […]

The leadership of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been thrown into turmoil following the abrupt removal of its director, Susan Monarez, less than a month after her swearing-in. The White House announced her termination on Wednesday, but Monarez’s legal team has forcefully denied that she resigned or was fired. Monarez’s short-lived […]

Heatwaves are no longer just temporary episodes of discomfort; scientists are uncovering how they silently shape long-term human health. Beyond immediate dangers such as dehydration and heatstroke, new research shows that sustained exposure to extreme heat speeds up the body’s biological ageing. The findings are reshaping the medical and public health understanding of climate-related risks, placing […]

In 2024, 89 countries had universal access to at least basic drinking water, of which 31 had universal access to safely managed services More than two billion people worldwide still lack access to safely-managed drinking water, the United Nations said Tuesday, warning that progress towards universal coverage was moving nowhere near quickly enough. The UN’s health […]

For the first time, the United States has reported a human case of the flesh-eating screwworm parasite, raising fresh alarm among authorities. The infection was detected in Maryland in a traveller who had recently returned from Central America, where an outbreak of the parasite has been spreading northwards since late 2024. Officials are now worried about […]

Air conditioning can feel heaven-sent on hot summer days. It keeps temperatures comfortable and controls humidity, making indoor environments tolerable even on the most brutally warm days. But some people avoid using air conditioning (AC) no matter how hot it gets outside, out of fear that it will make them sick. While this may sound far-fetched […]

Videos promoting #testosteronemaxxing are racking up millions of views. Like “ looksmaxxing” or “ fibremaxxing”, this trend takes something related to body image (improving your looks) or health (eating a lot of fibre) and pushes it to extreme levels. Testosterone or “T” maxxing encourages young men – mostly teenage boys – to increase their testosterone levels, […]

Microplastics are now being found in almost every part of the human body, from the brain to the heart. A 2019 study in the journal ‘Environmental Science & Technology’ estimated that an average person takes in about 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles each year. ALSO READ | Love chewing gum? You’re probably ingesting microplastic particles, research […]