Author: Hill Castle

Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names. On the Road To Find Out Your article “Efforts To Understand the Nation’s Drugged Driving Problem Stall Under Trump” (May 19) missed the mark. There is a real lack of data on drug-impaired driving across the country, but it’s not due to federal policy. The fact is, science has not yet found a simple, accurate way to measure if someone is too high to drive. And many local police departments just lack the resources to test…

By ZOE HARDY, HEALTH REPORTER Published: 04:22 EDT, 27 May 2026 | Updated: 04:41 EDT, 27 May 2026 Morrisons has recalled batches of its budget cashew nuts amid concerns the pouches could contain shards of glass. The supermarket said the nuts may pose a risk of injury if consumed and urged customers not to eat them. The recall affects 125g packs of Morrisons Savers Cashews with best before dates in August, September and October 2026. In a notice issued by the Food Standards Agency, Morrisons warned that ‘there is a risk that some packs may contain glass.’Point-of-sale notices are being displayed in stores…

By WILL HARLOW Published: 03:26 EDT, 27 May 2026 | Updated: 03:26 EDT, 27 May 2026 For most people over the age of 60, knee pain is not because your joint is wearing out. It’s usually because there’s too much stress on the knee, because the muscles around that area are not doing their job properly.Thankfully, there’s one great exercise you can do at home to fix it.Watch the video to find out what it is.  Share or comment on this article: Knee pain won’t get better until you fix this one thing first

Following the rapid and surprising death of NASCAR icon Kyle Busch, experts have sent out a chilling warning on pneumonia and how it can become fatal. Busch, a two-time champion and father-of-two, died on May 21 at the age of 41 after he became unresponsive the day prior while using a racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina, according to the Associated Press. He had been seen coughing up blood among other troubling signs.It was later determined that the racing legend had died after contracting ‘severe pneumonia,’ which then developed into sepsis, a life-threatening medical emergency.A statement from the vice president of Kyle…

A common nutrient deficiency impacting over a third of women – causing fatigue, brain fog and low mood – could be eased with guava juice, scientists claim. Iron deficiency has been listed as one of the top five causes of disability in women of reproductive age globally.And while treatment is simple, symptoms are often dismissed as hormonal changes, stress, or depression. Defined by the NHS as the most common cause of anaemia – where blood lacks the capacity to carry oxygen around the body – the condition disproportionately affects women because they both need and lose more iron than men. Left untreated, the condition…

It may not sound much like medicine, but playing a computer game could cut your risk of dementia by 25 per cent, a new study found.The game, Double Decision, is designed to improve the brain’s processing speed – which controls how quickly we take in and react to information. This is a skill that tends to slow with age, but is also a key marker for cognitive decline that can indicate an increased risk of dementia.In the game, a vehicle flashes up on screen for a split second while a road sign appears at the edge, surrounded by distracting images.…

Olivia Hillary was over the moon when she was prescribed Mounjaro on the NHS to control her type 2 diabetes.While GLP-1 drugs such as Mounjaro are better known for weight loss, they were actually developed for type 2 diabetes and Olivia was desperate to improve her health.She had tried ‘every diet going’ since she began gaining weight at the age of 17. ‘I’ve joined slimming clubs and tried meal-replacement diets, but nothing worked long term,’ says the 39-year-old mental health nurse.Her weight had affected her health, too. By 2023, Olivia weighed 18st (at 5ft 7in she had a BMI of…

Spending just one hour breathing in polluted air can change the way your brain and lungs function, a new study has found. Air pollution, specifically pollutants called particulate matter (PM), has been linked to a multitude of diseases, including asthma and several forms of cancer.In new research, healthy adults were exposed for 60 minutes to five different air types: clean air, limonene SOA (a citrus fragrance commonly used in cleaning products), diesel exhaust, woodsmoke and cooking emissions. After an hour, the volunteers had a four-hour break from exposure before researchers tested their lung function, working memory, attention, emotion processing, psychomotor control (the time…

A Spanish citizen who was previously evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship and is isolating in Madrid has tested positive for hantavirus.The patient is one of 14 Spaniards who were on the cruise ship, which, after departing Argentina in early April, experienced an outbreak of the virus typically spread via rodent droppings that claimed three lives.Since leaving the ship, its passengers have been evacuated to their home countries. There have now been 12 confirmed cases of hantavirus in those former passengers, who have to remain in isolation for 42 days, as symptoms can take that long to appear.The latest…

Three US airports are ramping up screenings for Ebola-infected passengers amid warnings that the outbreak will only get worse.More than 900 people are suspected to have been sickened by the disease in Central Africa to date, and 220 people are thought to have died from the infection.One American – Dr Peter Stafford – tested positive for the virus earlier this month after working in the region and was transported to Germany for treatment. Two aid workers who returned to Italy are also showing symptoms consistent with the virus.Officials in the US said on Friday that people returning to the US…

By LUKE CHAFER, HEALTH REPORTER Published: 10:56 EDT, 26 May 2026 | Updated: 11:11 EDT, 26 May 2026 A pioneering new medication can slash ‘bad’ cholesterol in just one treatment, a breakthrough study has found.Experts say that the gene therapy could prove ‘transformative’ for patients by preventing future heart attacks or strokes.The single infusion drug was shown to reduce cholesterol, the fatty plaque that raises the risk of heart attacks and strokes, by 60 per cent in 18 months, according to research published by drug firm Eli Lilly. Over seven million people in the UK are currently taking medications to help…

Salmon is Britain’s favourite fish, found at the heart of sushi platters, generously folded into bagels beneath a layer of cream cheese and served filleted and grilled alongside roasted vegetables.But underneath salmon’s healthy reputation is the hidden risk that it can carry parasitic worms capable of causing life-threatening illness.Like other marine fish such as cod and mackerel, salmon is a carrier of anisakis – a parasite which can be transferred to humans, triggering a disease called anisakiasis. And with Britain’s appetite for salmon showing no sign of slowing – the industry is now worth around £1.5billion per year – it raises questions…

It was Blake’s wife who came to see me first – not because he had asked her to, but because she didn’t know what else to do.The couple had been together for a few years. They were having sex, but Blake had premature ejaculation – where a man ejaculates sooner than he or his partner desire – and it was getting worse.His wife told me it wasn’t necessarily an issue for her – but it was causing Blake enormous distress. He was so anxious that it was beginning to affect his erections too. He felt so ashamed he didn’t know…

Known for their speckled shells and rich, orange yolks, Burford Browns are a British breakfast favourite.Perfect for dipping with soldiers or perched on a buttered slice of toast, the eggs, which come in pastel-hued boxes, have become a staple of middle-class shopping baskets.And such is their quality that they’ve even earned a spot on the King and Queen’s breakfast table.But for a nation that gets through more than 13 billion eggs a year, is spending £4 on six Burford Browns really worth it – especially when budget supermarkets sell 12 own-brand eggs for less than £3?We asked experts whether the…

Alex Ortiz was on holiday in Greece with her new partner Andy when the mortifying accident occurred.After an evening meal, Andy was fast asleep in bed in their hotel – when Alex soiled the sheets.‘I suddenly needed the loo urgently but couldn’t get there quickly enough and messed the bed,’ she recalls. Tip-toeing out of the room, she quickly cleaned herself and put a towel over the stained sheet.Fortunately Andy didn’t notice and the next morning – ‘while he was showering, I stripped the bed and asked the cleaners for fresh bedding’, says Alex, 61, a mental health care manager.…

When Melanie Miller saw that her health insurance premium payment was set to nearly triple to $914 a month this year, she stopped shopping on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. The 59-year-old retired teacher, who recently moved from Ohio to Michigan, now pays $341 a month for a pair of plans, one that covers routine and urgent care and another that pays fixed amounts for hospital stays. Neither meets federal standards for comprehensive coverage. Though she practices yoga and is healthy, Miller said she still feels “vulnerable.” If she lands in the hospital, her plan pays a flat $2,000, a…

The days of people using baby oil to ‘tan’ their skin are, thankfully, long gone. But from what I see as a consultant dermatologist (in the NHS and private practice), many people are still not applying enough protective, high-factor sunscreen on holiday abroad – or in the UK.On a recent holiday in Cornwall, looking out on to the beach, it was amazing – if alarming – to see how many people had moderate to severe sunburn by 4pm.The need to use sun protection here at home might surprise you, but this is true even if you’re someone who doesn’t burn…

Women are more likely to face delays in the diagnosis of heart disease and – as a result – are more likely to die, according to one of the largest reports of its kind.Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, accounting for around a third of deaths globally. Yet it remains underdiagnosed, undertreated and under-researched in female patients, say experts.  A team of international scientists led by the European Society of Cardiology are now calling for dedicated women’s heart centres across Europe to address the inequality. ‘Heart disease kills more women than any other condition – three in ten women…

Just one glass of juice a day could help boost mood and ward off depression, new research has suggested. Eating more fruits and vegetables has long been associated with better physical health – with a daily intake of just 200g shown to slash the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and even premature death. Now, researchers claim adding a daily glass of fresh fruit juice, or a smoothie, to your diet could even improve mental wellbeing. Fewer than one in five adults and one in ten teenagers meet the UK’s five-a-day guidance for fruit and vegetable intake. Poor mental health, meanwhile, is soaring. According to…

When Flo Moffat-Charles began suffering from persistent itching and exhaustion, she never imagined it would lead her husband to offer part of his own liver to keep her alive.The 31-year-old was first diagnosed with a rare chronic liver disease before receiving the devastating news that she had developed an aggressive cancer for which a transplant is the only cure.The former event fundraising manager, who lives in Kendal, Cumbria, was diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) in 2024 – a rare liver condition that attacks the bile ducts and dramatically increases the risk of developing aggressive cancers.And after months of ongoing tests…

Teaching people with knee arthritis to walk with a subtle change in their foot angle can significantly reduce pain and may slow the progression of the disease.The research, conducted at Stanford University, marked a major step forward in the search for non-surgical treatments for this common and debilitating condition.Roughly 33 million American adults, mostly 45 and older, suffer from osteoarthritis, a painful condition that causes cartilage lining the joints to break down over time, causing bones to rub together, leading to severe pain when moving.The study enrolled 68 adults with an average age of 64 and mild-to-moderate medial compartment knee…

I gave up my (long-term) nightly large glass of red wine in mid-February after realising it was a ridiculous habit that needed breaking. I had previously attributed my sluggishness and low mood to old age – but after six weeks I suddenly had my old spark back. My brain has become totally fired up again.Carole Goodman, East Grinstead.Dr Martin Scurr replies: A large glass of wine (250ml) counts as three units of alcohol, so you were consuming around 21 units a week – well above the recommended limit.Many who see drinking as convivial and cheering don’t realise there is a…