Avsnitt
-
Systemic racism affects our wellbeing long before we ever see a doctor. How can the health community address it?
Also on the programme, a new malaria vaccine is rolled out in the Ivory Coast, we take a closer look at the story behind it. And while we have long been cautioned against heavy exercise before sleep, it turns out that light intermittent exercise may be the secret to getting a bit more sleep.
-
In the last two years, online searches for ‘toxic positivity’ have spiked. In this discussion from the Cheltenham Science Festival, we find out what toxic positivity is, and how it can hurt you and people around you.
In front of a live audience, Claudia Hammond is joined by psychologist Dr Linda Blair, GP and educator Dr Anisha Patel, and wellbeing consultant and content creator Benjy Kusi.
Linda has been interested in the rise in the use of the term ‘toxic positivity’ and has noticed how it’s having an impact on our wellbeing. She reveals why it is important for us not to suppress ‘negative’ feelings and emotions.
Anisha was diagnosed with bowel cancer when she was 39. She authored the book Everything You Hoped You’d Never Need To Know About Bowel Cancer, where she speaks about her diagnosis and treatment journey. She experienced first-hand the harm that toxic positivity can do.
Benjy works with many different companies to help improve their inclusion and wellbeing practices. He’s the author of the book Hope This Helps and posts frequent videos about lots of tricky issues on TikTok and Instagram.
Presenter: Claudia HammondProducer: Alice Lipscombe-SouthwellProduction co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-HolesworthEditor: Holly Squire
-
Saknas det avsnitt?
-
A new medication offers a potentially revolutionary disruption in HIV transmission – just as a leading global program to fight the disease gets hit with funding cuts.
Also on the program, what can the recent heat wave in India teach the rest of the world about heat adaptation, and how health care systems can deal with rising temperatures world wide.
Presenter: Claudia HammondProducer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins
-
A special episode from this year’s annual Royal Society Summer Exhibition in London, with Claudia Hammond joined by BBC health and science correspondent, James Gallagher, to take a look at a range of new health research.
The exhibitions include a look at how special forms of UV light might be able to cut away cancerous cells in brain tumours, with the possibility of light emitting bandages also being used to target cancer treatments.
Claudia and James also look at research from The Francis Crick Institute into whether a simple blood test can help work out how to quickly identify patients who are most likely to deteriorate when they have a virus.
We also hear how much brain devices we can buy online really tell us about our brain activity, as well as research into how the way babies wriggle may help identify future developmental issues.
Claudia and James also compete in a number of scientific games to see who is this year’s Summer Exhibition champion.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh
-
This week on Health Check, we get an update on a new and concerning strain of MPox that is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Also on the program, it has been two years since the United States overturned the constitutional right to an abortion with the Dobbs decision. What effect has this had on the global picture of abortion?
And could arts-based strategies help doctors to cope with burnout and patient communication. Doctor Graham Easton joins Claudia Hammond to discuss these stories and more.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins
(Photo: Test tubes labelled "Monkeypox virus positive" are seen in this illustration. Credit: Dado Ruvic/Reuters)
-
This week, Health Check takes a deep dive into the evidence on the relationship between exercise and mental health. Not just whether getting moving can make a difference, but why.
Claudia Hammond laces up her running shoes and goes for a jog at the seaside with a group of people who are running for their mental health. Claudia meets the founder of 'Run Talk Run', Jess Robson, and talks to other members of the group about why they find exercise helpful.
Back in the studio, Claudia speaks to Jonathan Roiser, Professor of Neuroscience and Mental Health at University College London in the UK. He’s about to embark on a major piece of research that should help us understand a lot more about what exercise does for people with depression. As well as explaining what they’re hoping to discover, he tells her about the latest research into exercise and mental health. Why does it work for some people and not others, and what’s the best exercise for your brain?
Then there’s the commonly held belief that exercise is good for your mood because it ‘gets the endorphins going’, but we know that endorphins are not able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Claudia talks to Dr Hilary Marusak from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit USA about one of the possible alternatives – the endocannabinoid system.
Throughout the programme Claudia is joined by Dr Peter Olusoga, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. Together they discuss the many barriers people face to improving their physical activity, including the fact that poor mental health itself can stop you wanting to exercise in the first place.
And if getting more exercise really does sound like the worst idea you can think of, it turns out that watching sport on TV might also be good for you.
Presenter: Claudia HammondProducer: Ben MotleyContent Editor: Holly Squire
-
Many of the discussions around how we use the internet focus on its potentially negative impact on our wellbeing, but is that actually the case? A new study of more than 2 million people says being online may actually improve things such as our life satisfaction and sense of purpose.
Claudia Hammond is joined by Professor Matt Fox from the Departments of Epidemiology and Global Health at Boston University to look at what this might tell us about the effects of being able to access the internet.
We also speak to Dr Edgard Camarós from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, to hear about his study looking at ancient Egyptian skulls that’s found signs doctors at the time may have performed cancer surgery.
Claudia and Matt also discuss the latest on a combined vaccine for flu and Covid, as a single shot jab passes an important part of final-stage scientific checks.
And we hear about the ‘bug bounty’ programme paying researchers to find errors in published scientific papers.
Presenter: Claudia HammondProducer: Dan WelshEditor: Holly Squire
-
A third human case of bird flu has been reported in the US in a farmworker in Michigan who experienced respiratory symptoms. It follows a recent rapid spread of the virus among dairy cows across the country.
Claudia Hammond is joined by public health consultant Dr Ike Anya to discuss the latest developments, as half of the nation’s stockpile of the H5N1 vaccine is made ready to deploy.
We also hear from the women who’ve posted on social media that they’ve become pregnant after using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for weight loss. Claudia speaks to Dr Charlotte Moffat from the University of Ulster about whether the drugs could be interfering with birth control and boosting fertility.
We also hear from author David Robson about his new book ‘The Laws of Connection’, which explores the science and health effects of our social connections, and discuss what social strategies we can all take to improve how we socialise.
And Claudia and Ike take a look at a competition in South Korea trying to raise awareness of stress where the person with the lowest resting heart rate wins.
Presenter: Claudia HammondProducer: Dan WelshEditor: Holly Squire
-
Life expectancy is expected to increase by almost five years around the world by 2050, according to new research. The Global Burden of Disease Study says countries with lower life expectancy are expected to see the biggest increases.
Claudia Hammond is joined by BBC Africa health correspondent Dorcas Wangira to hear how public health measures are behind the predicted increases.
We also hear about how negotiations at this week’s World Health Assembly to secure a global deal for countries to prepare for pandemics have fallen through.
Claudia and Dorcas discuss new research in Kenya into the time of day mosquitoes are biting children in school, and what it tells us about whether the insects are getting smarter.
We also hear about the project twinning hospitals in Mexico and the US to try to improve the survival chances of children with leukaemia.
And new research from Australia suggests having a baby takes much more metabolic energy than previously thought.
Presenter: Claudia HammondProducer: Dan WelshEditor: Holly Squire
-
This week, we’re looking at examples of innovative thinking in medicine. A new, non-invasive device could help people with paralysis to regain movement. And as Namibia passes a critical milestone, we look back on one of the biggest developments in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Also on the programme, an update on the Korean doctors’ strike, and a summit looks to tackle the often-overlooked problem of indoor air pollution.
Presenter: Claudia HammondProducer: Margaret Sessa-HawkinsEditor: Holly Squire
-
We look at the reasons behind a recent surge in Whooping cough cases in Europe and Asia. Also on the program: why are women more susceptible to heat-related mortality, the small patches that could revolutionise vaccines, and the recent Northern Lights sightings have us looking at the psychology of awe.
Presenter: Claudia HammondPanellist: Smitha MundasadProducer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins
-
A research center in Sudan had brought hope for neglected disease mycetoma, we hear from a mycetoma expert how the conflict has affected research. Also on the show, have researchers discovered a genetic form of Alzheimer’s, and for the first time an orangutan is seen making a medicine to treat its own wound – what can this tell us about the history of human medication?
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins
-
There's been a lot of coverage in the media around the world about the mental health difficulties facing boys, but looking at figures for mental health problems in children and teens, there's clearly something going on with girls too. For some years, research has shown more girls are experiencing problems than boys, with a troubling spike in difficulties showing up in the late teens.
On today's programme, Claudia Hammond explores the issue with a variety of guests. She visits King's College London's (KCL) Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience to speak to Gemma Knowles, a lecturer in epidemiology and youth mental health; Craig Morgan, professor of social epidemiology and co-director of ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health; and Valeria Mondelli, a clinical professor of psychoneuroimmunology - about their work with young people, trying to uncover the deeper causes and to find new solutions.
She also hears from some of the young people involved in a major study into mental health, conducted by the team at KCL and spanning nearly a decade.
Claudia is joined by Dr Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist, who uses her own professional experiences to discuss the trends and challenges of youth mental health.
Presenter: Claudia HammondProducer: Dan Welsh
-
After a number of incidents around the world so far this year that have left dozens of flyers needing hospital treatment, we look at how a rise in air turbulence because of global warming is leading to more and more injuries to passengers.
Professor Paul Williams from the University of Reading in the UK tells us why turbulence is so hard to plan for, how new technology might be able to help solve the problem, and how despite an increase in incidents it’s still incredibly rare to experience extreme turbulence./
Claudia Hammond is also joined by Monica Lakhanpaul, Professor of Integrated Community Child Health at University College London, to look at how a shortage of HPV vaccines is leading to millions of girls across Africa missing out on receiving the shots.
Monica also tells us about her new research on the barriers children with epilepsy are facing being able to exercise.
We also explore what it’s like for people that don’t have an inner monologue and can’t imagine sounds – a phenomenon known as anauralia.
Presenter: Claudia HammondProducer: Dan Welsh
-
After a 50% jump in meningitis cases reported across Africa last year, Nigeria is becoming the first country to roll out a new 5-in-1 meningitis vaccine. The Men5CV vaccine protects people against five strains of the meningococcus bacteria.
Claudia Hammond is joined by New Scientist medical journalist Clare Wilson to discuss how it’s hoped the treatment will help significantly reduce cases of the disease.
We also head to Brazil to hear how the country is dealing with long Covid, four years after the pandemic.
Clare also tells Claudia about the new cancer treatment testing different drugs on thousands of miniature tumours to see which of them works best. The team behind the research at Florida International University in Miami say they hope it could eventually be used routinely for everyone with cancer.
We also get a new update from British journalist Mike Powell, as we follow his journey after receiving a kidney transplant.
And Claudia and Clare look at how patches of skin grafted onto people receiving lung transplants are being used as a way of spotting organ rejection in a new trial.
Image Credit: Martin Harvey
Presenter: Claudia HammondProducer: Dan Welsh
-
Claudia Hammond presents a special edition of Health Check from the Northern Ireland Science Festival, where she’s joined by a panel of experts to discuss the psychology of hope.
With a live audience in Belfast’s Metropolitan Arts Centre, Claudia speaks to Dr Karen Kirby, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Ulster; Dr Kevin Mitchell, associate professor of genetics and neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin; and author Sinéad Moriarty.
Topics include the role of hope in medical scenarios, if we can learn to be hopeful, and how we can hold onto hope in the modern world. We also hear questions from our audience, including whether or not we should all just lower our expectations.
Presenter: Claudia HammondProducer: Dan Welsh
-
As the recent surge in cases of dengue fever continues across Latin America and the Caribbean, Puerto Rico declares a public health emergency.
Claudia Hammond is joined by Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at Boston University, Matt Fox, to hear how warmer temperatures have lead to outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease around the world, with millions of cases reported so far this year.
We speak to the artist Jason Wilsher-Mills at his latest exhibition inspired by his childhood experiences of disability, and hear the role it played in his journey into the arts.
Claudia and Matt discuss the spread of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with cases reported in all but 3 of the country’s 26 provinces.
We hear from Uganda about the project hoping to help provide essential equipment for safe anaesthesia in children’s surgery.
And the study that says just two nights of broken sleep are enough to make us feel years older.
Presenter: Claudia HammondProducer: Dan Welsh
-
The latest on the first procedure to transplant a kidney from a pig into a living patient. Claudia Hammond is joined in the studio by Dr Graham Easton to hear how the organ was genetically modified to reduce the risk of it being rejected following a four hour surgery in Massachusetts in the US.
We also hear about the data that’s linked working outdoors in sunlight to non-melanoma skin cancer. The report from the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organization says one in three deaths from this type of skin cancer is caused by ultraviolet radiation from outdoor work.
Claudia and Graham also discuss new research from India that’s found working in extreme heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage for pregnant women. It’s also calling for more advice for working pregnant women around the world.
We go to Cameroon to hear about the medicines being sold to passengers on buses, despite there being no evidence they actually work.
And we hear how some reporting over claims that intermittent fasting is linked to an increased risk of heart-related death may have jumped the gun.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Dan Welsh
(Photo: Operating theatre. Credit: Getty Images)
-
Most people with Covid-19 make a full recovery within 12 weeks, but some patients have experienced ongoing symptoms for much longer. This has become known as ‘long Covid’. However, new research suggests that the rates of ongoing symptoms and functional impairment after Covid are indistinguishable from other post-viral illnesses, and that long Covid may have appeared to be a distinct and severe illness because of high volumes of Covid-19 cases during the pandemic. Presenter Claudia Hammond is joined in the studio by BBC Health reporter Philippa Roxby to discuss the findings. If long Covid is not unique, could this new spotlight encourage research that would help sufferers of other post-viral conditions?
The use of heart pacemakers have become a standard procedure in many countries. Pacemakers are small electrical devices implanted in the chest that send electrical pulses to the heart to keep it beating regularly and not too slowly. The devices can be lifesaving for some people. But devices can malfunction, there can be problems with leads and the batteries in them don’t last forever. Over half of all pacemaker patients live long enough to require a battery replacement operation, which carries a risk of serious complications including life-threatening infection. This can have big cost implications for health systems and devastating consequences for patients. Reporter Hannah Fisher attends one of these operations to find out more.
An initiative to make the right to abortion part of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights has been introduced to the European Parliament. This comes on the heels of France making abortion a constitutional right earlier this month, in stark contrast to the removal of abortion as a constitutional right in the USA in 2022. We assess the initiative’s chances of success and discuss the ripple effect of US politics on abortion rights across the rest of the world.
Amputees who use prosthetic limbs have to get used to the fact that they do not experience the sensations that they were previously used to. But now researchers in Italy and Switzerland have developed a temperature-sensitive robotic hand that allows amputees to discriminate between objects of different temperatures and sense bodily contact with other humans. Solaiman Shokur of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne tells Claudia how it works.
And Philippa brings the story of Paul Alexander, a polio survivor who spent most of his life inside an iron lung. An iron lung is a metal cylinder enclosing the body up to the neck, with bellows to force the lungs to inflate and deflate. The device has been obsolete since the 1960s, but he continued to use his until he died recently. 72 years after Paul contracted polio, we look at how the disease has nearly been eradicated worldwide.
Presenter: Claudia Hammond Producer: Ben Motley and Margaret Sessa-Hawkins
(Photo: Man in bed. Credit: Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images)
-
The toxic mineral asbestos is still mined across the world, despite it’s much documented links to cancer. Now there are promising results from a new global study into one of the most aggressive types of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.
Also on the programme, we receive an exciting update from Mike, who has gotten a long-awaited kidney transplant, and we discuss new treatment protocols for Hepatitis B and how they could better serve people in southern and eastern Africa.
- Visa fler
