Mark Porter investigates a new research trial which shows that paracetamol doesn't help back pain. And why are blood thinning drugs being overused in NHS hospitals? New laws on limits for driving on prescribed drugs come into force in March 2015. Which prescription drugs are included and what does it mean for people taking them? Also in the programme, can any medications help get rid of kidney stones?
Jul 29, 2014•28 min
Some media coverage has suggested that there is a link between eating junk food and the rise of conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis which involve inflammation of the digestive system. Mark Porter questions the evidence. As school's out for summer Mark finds out why teachers' voices need a rest. He also examines whether cholesterol lowering spreads and drinks do what they suggest. Also in the programme: is frying with olive oil harmful or the healthy choice?
Jul 22, 2014•28 min
Switzerland looks set to be the first country in Europe to halt routine breast screening; yet in the UK a review of the same evidence came to the opposite conclusion. Dr Mark Porter asks how two groups of experts can arrive at such different decisions, and examines the harms and benefits of screening for breast cancer.
Jul 15, 2014•28 min
Public Health authorities have written to doctors in the UK to ask them to look out for cases of Ebola following the recent outbreak in West Africa which has killed nearly 500 people. Dr Mark Porter talks to David Heymann, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine about the risks of Ebola cases coming to the UK. He is joined by Dr Margaret McCartney to discuss why some types of bike saddles can cause erectile dysfunction. He also talks to ...
Jul 08, 2014•28 min
Dr Mark Porter returns with a new series to address confusion about statins for healthy people rather than patients. Statins have hit the headlines as doctors debate the draft recommendation from NICE to lower the threshold for offering statins, which could mean millions more will be taking them. And Mark Porter turns patient when he is investigated for persistent heartburn. Plus should GPs who miss cancers be named and shamed and why drugs can't be recycled.
Jul 01, 2014•28 min
Headlines this week claim that 'thousands of patients die in hospital of thirst' but did the authors of the study actually analyse hydration? Mark Porter investigates the evidence for using Baclofen to treat alcoholism and hears how it helped a listener to stop drinking 6-8 bottles of wine a day. Why did NICE question the use of Paracetamol - the UK's favourite painkiller - in the treatment of osteoarthritis? And are saturated fats really bad for us?
Apr 22, 2014•28 min
Dr Mark Porter investigates the dramatic increase in testosterone prescribing; low fibre diets - why the traditional advice to eat high fibre is not always recommended. And having a consultation with your GP via a video service such as Skype from your computer - is there any evidence to back up the government's latest answer to increasing access to your doctor.
Apr 15, 2014•28 min
Tamiflu - the controversial drug - has been stockpiled by the government for use in a flu pandemic and endorsed by regulatory bodies including the WHO. With a new review of the evidence due this week, Inside Health's Margaret McCartney and James Cave, Editor of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin have been following the story. Mark Porter gets his body fat checked and finds out how much is hiding inside. And how should doctors raise concerns about a person's weight? Plus, why you might want to th...
Apr 08, 2014•28 min
With a replacement of the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway expected over the next few months Professor Keri Thomas, National Clinical Lead at the GSF Centre for End of Life Care, debates the need for change and calls for a more personalised care for the dying. And Inside Health examines differences in sex development, when it is unclear if a new born baby is a boy or a girl. Plus, does the environment of your GP's surgery increase or alleviate anxiety?
Apr 01, 2014•28 min
Dr Mark Porter finds out why insomnia can often go untreated by the NHS despite there being a treatment that not only works but also doesn't involve drugs. There are nearly 11 million prescriptions for sleeping tablets in the UK every year but their effect isn't long lasting and people can find it hard to come off the tablets. Cognitive behavioural therapy has consistently been shown to be very effective at improving sleep in the long term but few people have access to it. Mark is joined by Coli...
Mar 25, 2014•28 min
A committee advising the Food and Drug Administration in the US has voted to change the way it tests women for cervical cancer by solely using a test that detects Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) rather than also using a standard smear test which looks for abnormal cell changes. The test is likely to become more widely used in the NHS than it is now. What advantages does it offer over smear tests and what difference will it make for women? Dr Mark Porter talks to Jack Cuzick, director of the Wolfson ...
Mar 18, 2014•28 min
Is sugar really addictive? As the Chief Medical Officer for England suggests that it is and a 'sugar tax' may have to be introduced, leading experts debate whether the white stuff on our table is really habit forming. How 40 year old research hidden away in a book has thrown new light on a link between iron deficiency and stroke. And why the clue to solving recurrent thrush maybe getting the diagnosis right in the first place. Plus concern about the increase in prescription charges just announce...
Mar 11, 2014•28 min
Dr Mark Porter investigates a pioneering research project designed to reduce the psychological trauma experienced by more than half of critically ill patients after a stay in intensive care. Why do treatments on ICU cause hallucinations and post traumatic stress disorder in patients months after they leave hospital? Mark talks to the doctor who believes people over the age of eighty are being overtreated to protect them against heart attack and stroke. He finds out why some of the drugs used cou...
Mar 04, 2014•28 min
Selenium supplements have hit the headlines with reports that men taking them can increase their risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. Dr Mark Porter talks to leading expert on selenium, Margaret Rayman, Professor of Nutritional Medicine at the University of Surrey, to find the truth behind the story. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a disease that kills more people in the UK than breast cancer. It's caused by the thickening and scarring of the part of the lung that forms the barrier be...
Feb 25, 2014•28 min
Dr Mark Porter investigates the health effects of loneliness and why some researchers believe being lonely is worse for your health than obesity. Also in the programme, as proposed new UK guidelines mean as many as 5 million more people could be prescribed statins to lower their cholesterol how do you work out if you are in this new category of being at risk? Are the current calculators that work out your risk up to the job? Mark also investigates coughs. Does it really make a difference if your...
Feb 18, 2014•28 min
As NICE issues its latest guidelines for treating osteoarthritis, Inside Health looks at the use of paracetamol to relieve pain and is glucosamine a recommended supplement? Also in the programme, Dr Mark Porter investigates how the latest drug treatments for problem drinking work. And how much do doctors use their gut instinct when it comes to diagnosing patients?
Feb 11, 2014•28 min
Why testosterone prescriptions are on the increase in the UK and growing concern amongst some doctors that these supplements may be linked to heart attack. Do the hours spent on laptops or tablets before bedtime disrupt your sleep? Dr Margaret McCartney reviews the evidence for later school start times for teenagers to match their natural bodyclocks. And a listener's concern about antidepressants in pregancy - 1 in 30 women take medication for depression whilst expecting a baby, but does the sci...
Feb 04, 2014•28 min
As the government calls for a ban on the sale of e cigarettes to under 18s, Dr Mark Porter is joined by Martin McKee, Gerard Hastings and Robert West to discuss who is using them and how they are being advertised. The chairman of NICE, David Haslam has suggested patients should demand more NICE approved drugs from their GP. Mark is joined by David and by GP Margaret McCartney to discuss whether patients really should be more pushy. Also in the programme Mark talks to Mark Emberton at University ...
Jan 28, 2014•28 min
Recent reports say that as many as 2 million people in England could be eligible for bariatric surgery. Dr Mark Porter investigates if a new gastric balloon swallowed in a capsule could be a valuable new tool for weight loss. Targeted for people whose BMI is lower than those who would be eligible for weight loss surgery, Inside Health finds out what the new balloon involves and asks two NHS bariatric surgeons - Sally Norton in Bristol and Guy Slater in Chichester - is this a boon to the arsenal ...
Jan 21, 2014•28 min
As Germany becomes the first country in Europe to pass a law allowing newborn babies to be registered as being of indeterminate sex - neither male nor female - should the UK follow suit? The incapacitating facial pain that feels like an electric shock - a world expert explains Trigeminal Neuralgia. And recurrent indigestion - should more be done to investigate the millions of people troubled with heartburn? Plus a new test for diagnosing diabetes that's causing some confusion....
Nov 05, 2013•28 min
Current recommendations advise that parents should give children under five Vitamin D supplements, but most parents do not follow this, and Vitamin D deficiency is now widespread, leading to a resurgence of rickets. To combat this, England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies is now recommending that free supplements be available to all children under five. Following the publication of a new Cochrane review into the evidence behind advocating exercise for people who are depressed,...
Oct 29, 2013•28 min
With news that actor Tom Hanks has been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, how far in advance can doctors predict the onset of the condition and what can be done to delay it. And is obesity a disease? It has been classified as such in America, so what are the implications and should the UK follow suit? Plus the first ever conference on Lyme Disease - the tick borne infection that can cause serious complications.
Oct 22, 2013•28 min
How would you feel if your child's immunisations were linked to benefits or child care? In Australia, a full set of vaccinations is now a requirement for accessing most types of child care and claiming family tax credit worth around £500 a year. The only exception is if parents ask to be registered as conscientious objectors. Dr Steve Hambleton is President of the Australian Medical Association and explains how well these measures have been received. University of Sydney researchers have just pu...
Oct 15, 2013•28 min
Margaret McCartney reports on confusion around the new Shingles Vaccine - including how old you have to be to qualify and why there's a lack of supply in some GP surgeries. Why readymade drinks combining caffeine and alcohol have been banned in America. Are the tests GP's use to screen for liver damage falsely reassuring? And a leading authority dispels myths surrounding the causes of anorexia.
Oct 08, 2013•28 min
New research has found an association between Pandemrix, a swine flu vaccine, and a rare sleep disorder in children. Fears about a pandemic of H1N1 flu, so called "swine flu", over the winter of 2009/2010 led to millions of vulnerable people across the UK, including every child under five, being offered a new vaccine. There has since been a dramatic rise in the number of children diagnosed with narcolepsy. Paul Gringras, Professor of Children's sleep medicine and neurodisability at the Evelina C...
Oct 01, 2013•28 min
Following Billy Connolly's announcement that he has signs of Parkinson's Disease, Inside Health reports from the World Congress of Neurology in Vienna where early diagnosis is top of the agenda. Suncreams and Cancer. After a long hot summer an evidence based look at whether sunscreens really protect against the lethal forms of skin cancer - melanoma. And slimming pills - why have two regulatory bodies on different sides of the Atlantic made different decisions about two diet drugs? As a new NHS ...
Sep 24, 2013•28 min
As last year's increase in Whooping Cough looks likely to continue judging from data coming out of America and Europe, Mark Porter finds out why it's on the rise and who should be concerned. Fish oils and Prostate Cancer - Inside Health responds to listeners' worried by this recent study and scrutinises the findings that hit the headlines. And weighing up the risks and benefits of screening for Aortic Aneurysms.
Jul 30, 2013•28 min
Dr Mark Porter reports on NHS Health Checks which are available to everyone between 40 and 74. Public Health England's Professor Kevin Fenton says this could save at least 650 lives, prevent 1600 heart attacks and 4000 cases of diabetes. Inside Health's resident sceptic Dr Margaret McCartney isn't convinced. We examine the truth behind rumours of a blood service sell off. Inside Health visits Addenbrooke's Hospital to answer a listener's query about Crohn's disease. Diabetes in pregnancy is a gr...
Jul 23, 2013•28 min
Tailor made artificial hips - why we should learn more from failed joint replacements. The headache that really can be blinding and can cost you your vision unless treated promptly. Plus - why Elton John is waiting two weeks for his appendix operation that has caused him to cancel his European tour.
Jul 16, 2013•28 min
Prostate cancer and Sir Michael Parkinson's comments this week that the test 'is if you can pee against the wall from 2 foot' - Inside Health brings you the verdict. And stiff painful joints are usually associated with getting old, but imagine being told your toddler has arthritis - Mark Porter investigates. And why the change in doctors' dress code may be doing more for Private Medicine than infection control.
Jul 09, 2013•28 min
