The Guardian Health

AI will help find cure for cancer ‘within our lifetimes’, says Arm Holdings chief

Rene Haas also claims artificial intelligence could pave way for widespread use of humanoid robots within five yearsBusiness live – latest updatesThe boss of one of the UK’s biggest chip companies has claimed AI will be able to find a cure for cancer “in our lifetime”.Rene Haas, chief executive of the chip designer Arm Holdings, said that, while modelling how a DNA marker is affected by cancer was currently “too complex” a problem for either humans or technology, computers were “going to solve i

health  2h ago

The Guardian Health

‘Why was mum in clothes you could wear in the winter?’: family seeks answers after care home heatstroke death

Anita Bazell, 88, died in Southampton during June’s heatwave after being taken to hospital with a body temperature of 41.2C. Now her son wants to raise awareness of the risks of heatstroke, particularly among elderly peopleAnita Bazell had never coped with the heat very well, her family said. So they were worried about her when temperatures across the UK soared to record highs of 35C (95F) in May, and then again in June.She was living in a nursing home in Southampton near her family, who had str

health  9h ago

The Guardian Health

The Guardian view on skin cancer: fear the heat of the sun | Editorial

With melanoma cases rising, the UK must learn from public health campaigns elsewhereNew climate risks bring with them new health risks. An exceptionally warm and dry summer in Europe meant that outdoor workers, and those who choose to spend leisure time in the sun, were confronted more directly than usual by the need to protect their skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation, as well as avoid dehydration and overheating. In the UK, the annual total of new melanoma cases was reported to have risen abo

health  20h ago

The Guardian Health

A health MOT is just one step towards prevention | Letters

Tackling social and economic conditions must come first, writes Dr Louise Lawson. Plus letters from James Hibberd, Bob Forster and Dr Giles YoungsDevi Sridhar is right to welcome free cholesterol testing on the NHS in England and blood pressure checks in pharmacies. Such measures can help identify health risks earlier. However, I would take issue with her suggestion that a “health MOT” is “precisely what prevention is all about” (Free cholesterol tests on the NHS are great – but here’s the five-

health  21h ago

The Guardian Health

AI transcriptions are no time-saving measure for doctors | Letters

Dr Mary Gibbs says there are a number of problems with AI, particularly its tendency to misunderstand, as Debbie Cameron can attestI am an out-of-hours GP, and I am glad to see a news report on this issue, which has been causing me increasing concern at work (Doctors’ AI scribes get names of drugs and diagnoses wrong, NHS watchdog warns, 31 August). There are a number of problems with AI, particularly its tendency to misunderstand and contradict itself, which can lead to dangers for the patient,

health  21h ago

The Guardian Health

‘Mistrust’ of Palantir may affect NHS research, says health minister

James Frith warns patients may be less willing to share data as new figures show a rise in opt-outsConcern is being raised about Palantir’s work with the NHS as new figures showed tens of thousands of patients have withdrawn their data from use in research projects.James Frith, the health innovation minister, said he was worried about “mistrust” of the US defence and health tech company and “the impact it could have on people’s willingness to share data with the NHS”. Continue reading...

health  22h ago

The Guardian Health

‘Nakedly political’: US attempts to link trans support to authoritarianism in new HHS report

HHS releases report linking ‘gender ideology’ to political violence – a study scientists say was poorly conductedThe US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released a report linking “gender ideology” to leftwing authoritarianism and political violence – a study scientists say was poorly conducted and “nakedly political”, likely leading to greater politicization of science and health.It follows attempts by the administration to limit access to gender-affirming care – including,

health  1d ago

The Guardian Health

BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri reveals she has incurable blood cancer

Newscaster says rare but treatable condition polycythaemia vera left her feeling like she ‘had her batteries taken out’The BBC News presenter Maryam Moshiri has been diagnosed with a rare form of incurable blood cancer, she has revealed.Doctors told the broadcaster last November she had polycythaemia vera (PV), which cannot be cured but is treatable. The condition, which affects about 8,000 people in the UK, is associated with an increased risk of the blood clots that can cause a stroke, heart a

health  1d ago

The Guardian Health

As assisted dying bill returns to Commons, families recall loved ones’ battle to ‘go out on own terms’

Elise Burns and Keith Williams appeared in campaign filmed by Rankin this year – both were denied their wishes, but their relatives are picking up the batonThe feeling, said Sarah Burns of her sister’s last days, is one of overwhelming guilt.“You feel really guilty, and helpless,” she says. “Because we knew what she wanted. We really did know. But we couldn’t do anything.” Continue reading...

health  1d ago

The Guardian Health

Almost 75% of A&E staff in UK face violence or aggression daily or weekly

Survey finds long waiting times and overcrowding have made abuse ‘routine’ part of working on hospital frontlineNearly three-quarters of A&E staff experience violence or aggression daily or weekly, according to a survey highlighting the “appalling” abuse of NHS workers.The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) said understaffed and overcrowded emergency departments were contributing to increased targeting of medics. Continue reading...

health  1d ago

The Guardian Health

The Guardian view on extreme heat: its scale should be a wake-up call to us all | Editorial

With thousands dead across Europe this summer, it’s time to recognise heatwaves as the major natural disasters they areThe numbers are now trickling in: nearly 2,900 dead in the UK, at least 35,000 dead across Europe. That’s how many people are believed to have lost their lives in this year’s early-summer heatwaves – the death tolls for the August heatwaves have yet to be counted. In a sense, these people died in a series of natural disasters, similar to the hundreds who died last month after fl

health  1d ago

The Guardian Health

My dad’s determination to choose life despite his cruel illness has taught me gratitude | Nomi Kaltmann

We can’t control what happens to us – only how we react to it. And when we help others we are reminded that we are more than our sufferingMaking sense of it is a column about spirituality and how it can be used to navigate everyday lifeMy dad, Max, is in his early 60s. More than 15 years ago he was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease. Since then his illness has progressed, affecting his mobility and making ordinary tasks, like walking, increasingly difficult.My dad is softly spoken an

health  1d ago

The Guardian Health

Let your mind wander, don’t retire and stop worrying: surprising ways to help save your brain from the cognitive cliff

In his new book, The Brain Cliff, Dr Norman Swan outlines the science of brain ageing and strategies for staving off cognitive declineYou write that “changing the way you think about the brain cliff can literally change the way you think and remember”. How?Dr Norman Swan: There are three things you need to know which are not widely known. Continue reading...

health  1d ago

The Guardian Health

Some Americans call us ‘Europoor’ - but there are seven ways we’re exceedingly rich | Emma Beddington

Our US friends may pity Europeans for our low salaries, high taxes and dependence on public transport – but they’re forgetting the really important stuff …I’m sorry to break this to you, but you may be “Europoor”. This is, apparently, what proud American patriots (the kind who describe themselves in those terms on their flag-forward X profiles anyway) are calling us Europeans, mocking us for our low salaries, high taxes and dependence on public transport.GB news presenter Tom Harwood declared th

health  2d ago

The Guardian Health

Alzheimer’s trial to test drug on people without symptoms to see if it can be prevented

Healthy middle-aged people deemed to be at higher risk of developing condition among those eligible to participatePeople without memory loss will be offered an experimental Alzheimer’s drug that could stop the development of the condition before dementia symptoms emerge.Healthy middle-aged people deemed to have a higher risk of developing the condition will be eligible to participate in the trial, which is being run by an NHS trust as part of an international clinical trial aiming to prevent dem

health  3d ago

The Guardian Health

Even in safe-haven Massachusetts, trans care is at risk. Young people are fighting to protect it

Activists are calling on the state attorney general to take action against hospitals that have ended gender-affirming care programs after Trump retook officeA group of trans activists from across Massachusetts brought their needles, hormone gels, pills and sharps containers to Boston on Wednesday to send a message to state attorney general Andrea Campbell.Organizers with the youth-led group Protect Trans Futures (PTF) took their hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the lobby of her office buildi

health  3d ago

The Guardian Health

‘I don’t have any friends’: why do young people today have fewer mates?

Social media, mental health problems, the pandemic and financial instability all contribute to the phenomenonOn Tess Lavanda’s YouTube channel there is one video with substantially more views than the rest: it is titled “I don’t have any friends” and has been watched more than half a million times since she posted it a month ago.Over on Instagram she has posted dozens of reels with titles like “I turned 22 alone”, “Living alone in London” and “Feeling alone this summer is OK”, each garnering tho

health  3d ago

The Guardian Health

Lindsay Clancy trial highlights gaps in postpartum psychosis research, experts say

Murder trial underscores how misunderstood postpartum illness is to experts and the general public, advocates sayKristina Delaney was five months postpartum when her husband saw something was very, very wrong. It was a Friday afternoon, and her husband had gone outside to make a phone call – concerned about his wife’s “hyperactive” speech.When he returned, she was rocking their two children in her arms, and said: “‘Please save us, please save our family,’” said Delaney. “And I thought Jesus was

health  3d ago

The Guardian Health

Alcohol-related cancer deaths in US have more than doubled over three decades

Study finds just one drink per day could raise risk of disease with impacts extending far beyond liver cancerAlcohol-related cancer deaths in the US have more than doubled over three decades, with new research showing that just one drink per day could raise cancer risk and that the impacts extend far beyond liver cancer.Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, analyzed more than three decades of Global Burden of Disease data

health  3d ago

The Guardian Health

Nicola Close obituary

My friend Nicola Close, who has died aged 75 of cancer, was a public health leader who made a major contribution to the field as chief executive of the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH). Starting as its sole employee in 2007, she built an influential organisation currently employing 19 people.This became especially evident during the Covid-19 pandemic, when directors of public health, whose role includes providing local leadership and implementing national guidance, were thrust in

health  3d ago