The Guardian Health

‘It is comforting to be haunted’: how attitudes to abortion have changed through the ages

The abortion debate – the language of life, choice and rights – severs women, and their pain, from history. I don’t want to forget my abortion and I don’t want to forget theirsThe physical fact of my abortion caught me off guard. I had been so accustomed to defending abortion as an abstract right – as a right to privacy, to healthcare, to autonomy – that when it came to having one, I was surprised by the brutality of it. Fasting for hours before. Clammy and light-headed, my hands freezing and da

health  Jul 2, 2026

The Guardian Health

A disease outbreak nearly cost this US poultry farmer everything. One more could wipe him out

As bird flu reshapes agriculture, small farms operate under strict rules. Just a single case could tank their businessJoshua Beebe often starts his day by cleaning the tires of trucks and cars entering his poultry farm.“We spray them off and scrub them with a brush. It’s a precaution; the goal is to eliminate as many potential avenues for a pathogen to enter as possible,” said the owner of Tardif Poultry Farm, located in the Connecticut countryside east of Hartford. Continue reading...

health  Jul 1, 2026

The Guardian Health

Author of England maternity care review ‘listened to wrong voices’, says adviser

Dr Bill Kirkup said section of Valerie Amos’s report criticising ‘normal birth ideology’ was removed before publicationThe author of a major inquiry into maternity care altered its final report to remove criticism of “normal birth ideology”, one of her expert advisers claims.Dr Bill Kirkup said Valerie Amos had “listened to the wrong voices” before a section outlining the potential risks of encouraging women to have a vaginal birth “disappeared” from the final version of her government-commissio

health  Jul 1, 2026

The Guardian Health

What’s really in a hotdog? Nutrition experts explain

Americans eat 50bn hotdogs every year, but experts say they’re also among the most highly processed foodsIn 1969, the late writer William Zinsser toured a hotdog factory and described his visit in Life magazine, opening with the lines: “I’ve often wondered what goes into a hotdog. Now I know and I wish I didn’t.”All these years later, his words still reflect our love/hate relationship with the humble wiener. We love eating them, but would rather not think about what’s in them. Continue reading..

health  Jul 1, 2026

The Guardian Health

When the right promotes heat-stress denial, ask yourself this: whose children’s lives is it willing to risk? | George Monbiot

The class politics of extreme heat are very real and very dangerous – but that doesn’t stop the billionaire press from peddling its agendaEvery time you think the idiocy has hit rock bottom, it discovers a new level. It turns out there’s an even deeper hole you can dig for yourself than climate-science denial: heat-stress denial. Across the billionaire press last week, columnists and leader writers minimised the health impacts of the heatwave, particularly in schools. Expect more of this next we

health  Jul 1, 2026

The Guardian Health

From the archive: Flour power: meet the bread heads baking a better loaf – podcast

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.This week, from 2019: The days of the mass-produced pappy white British supermarket loaf may be numbered. Meet the bread heads revolutionising the way we eatBy Wendell Steavenson. Read by Lucy Scott Continue reading...

health  Jul 1, 2026

The Guardian Health

UK poll highlights fears about access to emergency contraception

Doctors say survey shows need for morning-after pill to be available at corner shops, petrol stations and supermarketsAlmost half of the UK population believe it would be difficult to access emergency contraception on a Sunday, while nearly two-thirds think they would struggle after 10pm, according to a survey.The research, carried out by YouGov, found that only 7% of people believe it would be difficult to access emergency contraception during the daytime on a weekday. Continue reading...

health  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Health

Frequent AI chatbot use linked to belief in anti-vaccine myths, poll finds

Poll finds use of AI tools for health advice is correlated with belief in vaccine falsehoods, such as shots causing autismAdults in the US who frequently seek out health advice from artificial intelligence chatbots are more likely to believe myths about vaccines, according to a poll released on Tuesday by health research firm KFF.The survey, which was conducted in May and polled a representative sample of 2,480 US adults, found that use of AI tools and chatbots correlated with belief in falsehoo

health  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Health

What does the Amos report reveal about maternity and neonatal care in England?

Amos review confirms patients received unacceptable care that led to stillbirths, serious injuries and maternal deathsDamning report on maternity care in England is a ‘watershed moment’Valerie Amos, a Labour peer and former diplomat, has published her long-awaited review into maternity and neonatal care across England. This is what we know: Continue reading...

health  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Health

I pushed myself too hard at the gym – and ended up in the hospital

Reckless exercise can lead to exertional rhabdomyolysis, a condition that has risen due to the popularity of high-intensity workoutsIn January 2025, I attended my first bootcamp class.I had spent the day hunched over my laptop, anxious and craving an intense workout that would dispel my worries. I booked the class at a nearby gym, and the five-star reviews promised the all-consuming exercise I wanted: “Militant style instructor, but very motivating,” read one. Another: “Hardest workout of my lif

health  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Health

England maternity commissioner role would be ‘fundamentally dangerous’, says campaigner

Founder of Maternity Safety Alliance says recommendation in Amos report will not solve wider cultural problemsThe appointment of a national maternity commissioner would be “fundamentally dangerous”, a bereaved mother who founded a maternity safety campaign group has warned.Emily Barley, whose daughter Beatrice died because of failings at Barnsley hospital in 2022, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the recommendation for a maternity commissioner in England in the Amos review was “not going

health  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Health

A US champion of ‘freebirthing’ always claimed there had been no maternal deaths linked to the movement. Is Stacey Warnecke the first?

Guardian investigation exposes full links between a US business linked to baby deaths around the world and Australian ‘birth keeper’ Emily Lal, the central witness at the inquest into the death of a Melbourne wellness influencerHow a Melbourne woman’s death is shining light on the dangers of non-medical births – Full Story podcastFind more from The birth keepers series hereDuring her time at the helm of a multimillion-dollar organisation linked to baby deaths around the world, Emilee Saldaya has

health  Jun 30, 2026

The Guardian Health

Transparency, standards and a new commissioner – but does the maternity review go far enough?

Amos review sets out recommendations for government, but falls short on systemic racism and traumatic birthsEngland to get powerful maternity commissioner after ‘shocking’ failingsThe findings of Lady Amos’ review into maternity and neonatal services across England, which state the system is ultimately no longer fit for purpose, are unsurprising. The systemic failures and inadequacies of these services have been uncovered in several reports already, including Donna Ockenden’s review of the “toxi

health  Jun 29, 2026

The Guardian Health

England to get powerful maternity commissioner after ‘shocking’ failings

Health secretary announces move after Amos review finds childbirth and neonatal care in need of ‘urgent reform’Analysis: Transparency, standards and a new commissioner – but does maternity review go far enough?A powerful maternity commissioner will be appointed to push through an urgent transformation of childbirth care in England after a major review concluded that it had multiple failings.Ministers have bowed to growing pressure by agreeing to recruit the UK’s first commissioner for maternity

health  Jun 29, 2026

The Guardian Health

Prejudice and misogyny are impacting maternity care | Letters

Readers respond to the findings of the Ockenden inquiry, which revealed that more than 500 mothers and babies came to harm or died as a result of inadequate care in NottinghamRhiannon Lucy Cosslett asks why women are so routinely ignored in their maternity care (Belittled, ignored or gaslit – now we know the true cost of not listening to pregnant women, 25 June). Our research on formal reports about women’s poor maternity care identifies various reasons why women are not listened to, and they al

health  Jun 29, 2026

The Guardian Health

Resident doctors in England accept government offer on pay and jobs

British Medical Association called off a strike at the last minute earlier this month to put the offer to membersResident doctors in England have voted to accept a new government deal on pay and jobs.It comes after the British Medical Association called off a strike at the last minute earlier this month to put the offer to members. Continue reading...

health  Jun 29, 2026

The Guardian Health

No doctor wants to have this conversation with a patient. For everyone’s sake, we must | Ranjana Srivastava

Holistic care for incurably ill people has to include discussions about death and dying – but getting there is hardIt could be her usual generosity or disquiet, subtly disguised, but she leads by asking about “the kids”. Mine, not hers.The question from a patient who has known me for years is a reminder that goodwill in medicine goes both ways. I scroll to a photo of my daughter, flanked by her brothers. Continue reading...

health  Jun 29, 2026

The Guardian Health

Five Americans die every hour from toxic vehicle emissions, study finds

Research suggests 41,800 premature US deaths in 2024 were attributable to road pollutionRoughly five Americans die every hour due to exposure to toxic road vehicle pollution, a new study has found.It’s the latest warning showing fossil-fueled transit is a major driver of mortality. Continue reading...

health  Jun 29, 2026

The Guardian Health

One person a week in England dies with undiagnosed TB, study finds

British-born, older men among those most likely to have disease found only postmortem, say researchersOne person a week dies with undiagnosed and therefore untreated tuberculosis in England, a study has found.British-born, older men were among those most likely to have TB diagnosed only after death, researchers said, suggesting healthcare workers could be overlooking the possibility of the disease in these patients. Continue reading...

health  Jun 29, 2026

The Guardian Health

A new start after 60: I spent eight years thinking I had Parkinson’s. Then doctors ‘de-diagnosed’ me

Mike Bell was 53 when he got the diagnosis that changed his life – and 61 when he learned it was wrong. He felt relieved, but also totally adriftWhen he was 61, Mike Bell, who had spent eight years living with a Parkinson’s diagnosis, saw a new consultant. Though he still had pains, tingling, tremors and skin problems, Bell had stopped taking his prescribed medication and his symptoms had not worsened. Further brain scans were arranged – “everything, in every possible position” – after which Bel

health  Jun 29, 2026