Jo Waters

Most of us are curious about what may lie ahead — but would you really want to know if you had a high chance of inheriting an incurable disease?
This is closer to becoming a reality for more people, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock recently announcing the NHS may sell patients their genetic data to find out what their future health may hold.
But some families are already facing this difficult dilemma. Families such as Carli Pirie’s, from Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, which includes her brother...

When Sohaib Ashraf underwent laser eye surgery to correct his short-sightedness, he was in and out of the clinic in 30 minutes — the procedure itself took just ten — but he had high hopes for the results.
‘I was looking forward to being able to see the numbers on the alarm clock in the morning and not having to fumble around for glasses any more,’ says Sohaib.
He had worn glasses since the age of five, and adds: ‘Like lots of people, I was fed up with them. I also wanted to improve my image, ...

When Sohaib Ashraf underwent laser eye surgery to correct his short-sightedness, he was in and out of the clinic in 30 minutes — the procedure itself took just ten — but he had high hopes for the results.
‘I was looking forward to being able to see the numbers on the alarm clock in the morning and not having to fumble around for glasses any more,’ says Sohaib.
He had worn glasses since the age of five, and adds: ‘Like lots of people, I was fed up with them. I also wanted to improve my image, ...

Health feature on boosting immunity

Former Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher came back from the dead three times after he suffered a cardiac arrest following a day of golf.
Five-and-a-half years ago, Bernard, father of TV presenter Kirsty, was giving a speech at a hotel to members of a golf club in Aberdeen when he blacked out and fell back dramatically in front of 200 people.
‘I’d been in good health and had no reason to think anything was wrong,’ recalls Bernard, 69, who lives with his wife Lesley, 65, in Ascot, Berkshire. ...

Cancer patients who want cutting-edge treatments not available on the NHS are increasingly turning to fundraising and, more recently, crowdfunding.
This is where they use online sites such as GoFundMe.com or JustGiving.com to ask for donations to pay for their treatment — typically abroad, in countries such as the U.S., Germany, Turkey or Mexico.
The Mail recently highlighted the story of four-year-old Zac Oliver, from Shropshire, who has a rare form of leukaemia. The NHS could only offer him...

Louise Munro, 24, a graduate, started volunteering at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary in January and is now a paid volunteer service co-ordinator.
I was so shy...this has been the making of me
A volunteer once told me that no thanks are needed when you have managed to get someone to smile.
And it's true – once you start volunteering you get hooked on the 'high' that comes from leaving someone in a better position than you found them.
Louise Munro (right) laughs with a patient she works with at ...

We are taking more pills than ever — and the trend shows no sign of abating. Last year, the NHS prescribed more than 1.1 billion items — almost double the number ten years ago.
And that figure doesn’t include medication dispensed in hospitals.
As many as 20 prescriptions are now written per head of population each year — a rise of a third in just a decade, the Mail reported last week.
Meanwhile, more than half of over-65s take five or more different prescription pills a day. Some take more th...

Britain is in the grip of a prescription pill epidemic, with millions of us regularly taking them — and becoming reliant on them — for pain.
In fact, we’ve never been prescribed so many — official figures show almost 66 million painkillers were dispensed in 2017, up from 51.5 million in 2007.
Dr Michael Dixon, a GP and the chair of the College of Medicine, a group of health professionals who champion non-drug alternatives, says pills are being used to ‘paper over the cracks in society’.
‘It’s...

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Interview with ex England rugby star Jonny Wilkinson about how he stays healthy.