Author: Hill Castle

When Grant Learmont began experiencing stiffness in his back and hips, he thought it was a muscle twinge he’d picked up while exercising or at work. But less than three weeks after visiting his GP in early January, the 40-year-old builder, from Dumfries, Scotland, discovered he has stage four prostate cancer – and just years to live. The father-of-two said: ‘The doctor, as along with me, thought it was maybe just muscular in my back – with my building and football. ‘We both thought it was muscular, it made sense. She made me an appointment with the physio.’ Mr Learmont…

This week, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention posted online its first large tranche of advanced genetic data from measles viruses spreading last year. Scientists with knowledge of the operation expect the agency to post heaps more in weeks to come, revealing whether the U.S. has lost its hard-won measles elimination status. The CDC withheld the data for months as a team hit hard by mass layoffs and resignations sorted through the information. But now that scientists at the agency have posted their first batch of whole measles genomes — the genetic blueprint of the viruses — the rest…

Everyday medicines could soon be in such short supply that Britain will face a crisis situation, leading pharmacy figures are now warning. The situation was already grave before the war began with Iran, with shortages of common drugs such as antibiotics and even aspirin – but the conflict may soon lead to shortages of medical supplies such as syringes and ‘honestly everything’, Sir Jim Mackey, head of the NHS, said on Tuesday. But with medicines specifically, the UK now faces ‘a perfect storm’ which experts fear will lead to record shortages of prescription drugs affecting even vital cancer medicines.…

If you knew something you did regularly for your toddler could delay their development, actually change the physiology of their brain, cause cognitive and language delays, and reduce their social and emotional skills, you would stop immediately. Yet, when you hand a screen repeatedly to a young child to let them interact with it for long periods, you are potentially causing them harm that could impact their lives into adulthood. American studies like the one in the Journal Of The American Medical Association Paediatrics in 2023 have explored how screen time experienced by very young children impacts their development…

Health officials are warning of a deadly bacteria lurking in Hawaii’s flood waters. The Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) and Hawaiian Humane Society (HHS) have urged residents and recovery workers to monitor for signs of leptospirosis after the ‘Kona low’ storms that hit earlier this month. The storms dumped more than two trillion gallons of rain across the state, enough to fill three million Olympic-sized swimming pools. Throughout March, some areas recorded 14-day rainfall totals 3,000 times higher than normal, and wind gusts reached up to 135mph. In addition to causing devastating damage, the storm waters also left behind the…

For confidential advice, call Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Support Line on 0333 150 3456  Alzheimer’s Society’s symptoms checker can help spot the signs of dementia By MARTI STELLING, HEALTH REPORTER Published: 16:00 EDT, 1 April 2026 | Updated: 16:00 EDT, 1 April 2026 Taking a daily Vitamin D supplement could help protect against dementia, a new study suggests. Researchers found that people with higher levels of the vitamin in midlife had lower levels of a key Alzheimer’s-related protein in the brain years later. The protein, known as tau, is strongly linked to the disease, with build-up thought to help drive it.…

Thousands of travelers passing through the Midwest’s busiest airport may have been exposed to measles, health officials warn. Officials said a person infected with the virus, the world’s most infectious, had traveled through Terminal 5 at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The individual was in the airport last Tuesday, on March 24, between 10.45 am and 2.30 pm. Last Thursday, March 26, they are also reported to have visited a Fresh Farms store and Marshalls between 7.30 and 9.30 pm. Officials warn that the patient was contagious at these times, meaning they could have spread the disease to others. Measles…

By EMILY JOSHU STERNE, US SENIOR HEALTH REPORTER Published: 10:45 EDT, 1 April 2026 | Updated: 10:51 EDT, 1 April 2026 More than 100 tubs of cream cheese have been urgently recalled because they may contain a potentially deadly undeclared ingredient. Wisconsin-based Schreiber Foods, Inc is voluntarily recalling 144 cases of Honey Almond Cream Cheese spread because it has almonds that were not declared on the ingredient label. For many of the millions of Americans who have an almond allergy, eating the cream cheese could be deadly and lead to a life-threatening whole-body allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, which can be…

Eric Tennant with his wife, Becky, and daughter, Amiya.(Becky Tennant) Six months after a West Virginia man died following a protracted battle with his health insurer over doctor-recommended cancer care, the state’s Republican governor signed a bill intended to curb the harm of insurance denials. West Virginia’s Public Employees Insurance Agency enrolls nearly 215,000 people — state workers, as well as their spouses and dependents. The new law, which will take effect June 10, will allow plan members who have been approved for a course of treatment to pursue an alternative, medically appropriate treatment of equal or lesser value without…

A highly mutated COVID variant known as ‘cicada’ is now spreading in at least 25 states across the US. The troubling novel variant is believed to be more adept than past variants at evading immunity conferred by vaccines and prior exposure to Covid due to a vast number of mutations on its spike protein. The variant’s spike protein — the part vaccines teach the immune system to identify and attack — has picked up around 75 mutations. This makes it appear like a completely new threat to the immune system compared to other recent strains. Nationally, Covid cases are…

I’m constantly developing an embarrassing cold sore on my lip. It will go away for a bit and then come back a few weeks later. What can I do? Dr Philippa Kaye answers: Cold sores are an incredibly common – not to mention annoying – problem. The good news is that there are ways to prevent them from occurring and even steps to banish them when they do arise. Cold sores are red, often painful, blisters that appear on the lips. They are caused by the herpes simplex virus, which is carried by around two-thirds of people under the age…

Hundreds of thousands of babies could be saved from painful and avoidable deaths following the government’s decision to test more newborns for a rare genetic disease from October this year. The NHS currently carries out ‘heel prick’ tests on babies at around five-days-old to check for just 10 treatable conditions, including cystic fibrosis. Earlier this year, former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson called on the NHS to expand its screening to check for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare muscle-wasting condition which her twin daughters were born with. Heartbreakingly, because of their late diagnosis, it is unlikely that her…

For many people, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of not getting enough sleep and failing to stick to a routine. In fact, about one in three Americans report not getting the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night, according to the CDC. Meanwhile, chronic sleep disorders affect about one in seven people. Sleep is an essential repair system for the body as it patches up worn down muscles and tissues, allows heart rate and blood pressure to come down and put less stress on the cardiovascular system and helps the brain consolidate memories. Consistently having…

Whether spread thickly in a sandwich, spooned into a dessert or eaten straight from the jar, peanut butter is as versatile as it is popular. And it has never been more in demand. One recent survey found that a third of us eat it several times a week. The same poll also found that 43 per cent prefer crunchy, compared with 33 per cent who favour smooth – an apparent verdict in one of food’s longest-running debates. But the question remains: is peanut butter actually healthy – or is it more of an indulgence? In recent years, a wave…

With symptoms such as facial drooping, arm paralysis and difficulty speaking, mini strokes can act as an early sign that a full-blown stroke may be imminent. Yet despite around 46,000 Britons experiencing a mini stroke – also known as a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) – for the first time each year, many remain unaware of the warning signs or who is most at risk. In fact, many brush off the episode as ‘just a funny turn’ because symptoms – which also include vision changes, vertigo, nausea, dizziness, balance problems, difficulty swallowing and confusion – often last just a few…

Bluestem Health, a clinic that serves low-income and uninsured patients in Lincoln, Nebraska, has lost money for the last two years. And CEO Brad Meyer fears times will soon get worse for the clinic and its 21,000 patients. That’s because Nebraska is set to become the first state to require certain Medicaid enrollees to work or lose their coverage under new rules in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. “This will have a huge financial impact on us,” Meyer said. On May 1, seven months before the law requires, the state will begin imposing work requirements on eligible…

It started with symptoms that were easy to explain away. A tightness in her chest that felt like indigestion. Muscles that twitched and spasmed without warning. The occasional dizzy spell that came and went. And a strange sensation that her vision was subtly shaking, as though the world itself had begun to vibrate. For Becky Lee, then a fit and energetic 21-year-old, none of it seemed serious enough to dwell on. There was always a logical reason – a vitamin deficiency, perhaps, or stress, or simply one of those vague physical quirks that come and go in your twenties. And…

A simple blood test could identify people at higher risk of dementia years before any symptoms appear, researchers say. The breakthrough, which measures chemicals related to gut bacteria and diet, could change how the condition is detected and treated. With dementia, early intervention is vital. It increases the amount of treatment options available and gives patients time to make lifestyle changes which can protect the brain and potentially prolong the onset of the disease. Researchers from the University of East Anglia studied 150 adults aged 50 and over. They were split into three groups of fifty; a healthy control group…

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. ‘The Federal Government’s Loss Is the County’s Gain’ I wanted to thank Rachana Pradhan and Katheryn Houghton for their coverage of the loss of staff at the National Institutes of Health (“Six Federal Scientists Run Out by Trump Talk About the Work Left Undone,” March 6). In December 2024, I had accepted a tentative job offer for a dream job at NIH after eight years of being a federal contractor supporting data science work with the…

By CIARAN FOREMAN, REPORTER Published: 02:00 EDT, 1 April 2026 | Updated: 02:00 EDT, 1 April 2026 Obesity may be linked to more cancers than previously thought, concerning new research has found, and losing weight may be one of the most ‘powerful’ protections against the diseases. More than 18,000 preventable cancer cases in Britain are currently linked to obesity, making it the second biggest cause of the disease behind smoking. In England alone, around 28 per cent of adults are obese – classified by the NHS as having a BMI of over 30 – while a further 36 per…

After seven years of being plagued by mystery symptoms, Risa August knew something was wrong. The Colorado-based Ironman athlete – who was used to pushing her body to extraordinary limits while also running a wedding and event-planning business – noticed her weight rapidly climbing despite regular intense exercise in 2011. ‘I think from the time I finished an Ironman race, five months later, boom! I was 40lbs heavier, even though I was very strict with my diet,’ August, who was in her mid 30s at the time, said. Her jaw also started to shift in place, forcing her to…

More than a million people with heart disease are set to be offered weight-loss injections on the NHS in a major shift in how the condition is treated. Under new guidance, patients who have had a heart attack or stroke will be eligible for a weekly Wegovy jab to cut their chances of another life-threatening event. The drug will be offered alongside cholesterol-lowering statins and blood pressure medication, as well as diet and lifestyle advice. The decision by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) marks the first time it has been approved in the UK specifically…