The Guardian Health

Nothing less than radical whole-system change is required to fix the NHS's maternity services | Julia Sanders

It’s vital that Yvette Cooper’s taskforce acts on the Amos and Ockenden reports – and puts the needs of women and families at the heart of maternity servicesIt is hard to find the words to describe the agony for those who have experienced preventable baby loss, injury or maternal death. Understandably, families who have been through this have campaigned relentlessly for local and national investigations. Every family deserves to know what caused their loss or trauma, but current and past reviews

health  Aug 17, 2026

The Guardian Health

All aboard the cervical screening bus: how NHS clinic-on-wheels is saving lives

Exclusive: With no appointment needed and a relaxed environment, bus clinic encourages more women to be checkedIt’s 10am on one of the main pedestrian shopping streets in Warrington, and already there’s a queue of women outside a small bus the size of a supermarket delivery van. While some look calm, others are visibly nervous. This is no mobile library, post office or coffee truck – but one providing far more intimate services: cervical screening.The bus feels surprisingly spacious. There’s a c

health  Aug 17, 2026

The Guardian Health

The super-producer who made an album from his hospital bed – podcast

James Ellis Ford talks about being diagnosed with leukaemia and how making music helped him through one of the hardest periods of his lifeHe has been described as the music industry’s secret weapon; a producer loved by artists such as Arctic Monkeys, Pulp and Jessie Ware. In 2024, James Ellis Ford was at the height of his career, working with a variety of artists that included some of the world’s best-known acts.Then, he was diagnosed with leukaemia and it all ground to a halt. Continue reading.

health  Aug 17, 2026

The Guardian Health

Women should not have to travel for hours to give birth | Letters

Readers reflect on how hospital closures are putting pregnant women’s lives at riskThe situation facing pregnant women in Devon and Cornwall following the closure of North Devon district hospital is not unique (‘Babies will be born in laybys’: maternity cuts leave women with stark choices in Devon, 10 August). Many rural areas have already seen the distances travelled in labour increase due to the closure of local units over the past two decades. In south Cumbria, first-time deliveries are only

health  Aug 16, 2026

The Guardian Health

How surrogacy helped my sister and friends | Letters

Hazel Davis responds to a letter about the regulation and ethics of surrogacy I wish to respond to Lexi Ellingsworth’s letter (Regulation cannot eliminate surrogacy risks, 23 July). I gave birth to a baby for my friends in January. While the baby is living with its parents, my husband and I are the legal parents. We are waiting for our family court date in September to recognise the baby’s biological parents as legal parents.My surrogacy story started when my sister suffered complications f

health  Aug 16, 2026

The Guardian Health

Can exercise really help improve my sex life?

Here’s what experts say about how sex and exercise are linked, and whether the type, timing and intensity of movement matterHere’s a reason to put your sneakers on: exercise can improve your sex life.It’s not necessarily about changing how your body looks, or being strong enough to swing from the chandelier. Regular movement improves smaller, less visible bodily functions that increase your desire and capacity for sex – like the release of arousal-promoting hormones and enhanced circulation in t

health  Aug 16, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘It was barbaric. I was crying my eyes out’: why are so many women left in agony by routine womb examinations?

There are more than 70,000 hysteroscopies every year in England alone. The NHS calls them ‘low complexity’ – yet a shocking number of patients complain of inadequate pain relief and medical staff who refuse to take them seriouslyIn February this year, Beth Harris sat in the day surgery waiting room of her local hospital and tried to steady her nerves.She was there for a hysteroscopy, in this case to remove a fibroid. A thin surgical instrument with a lens, a light, a blade and an irrigation syst

health  Aug 16, 2026

The Guardian Health

Why cancer, not cost of living, may be the biggest issue in Iowa’s midterm elections

A broad group of diseases in the agricultural powerhouse is top of mind for the midterm electionsIn Iowa, one of the key battleground states in November’s midterm elections, just about every political candidate agrees on one thing: something must be done about the state’s rising rates of cancer.The midwestern state has the second-highest rate of cancer nationwide and, together with Utah and West Virginia, is one of only three states where incidences of the disease are rising, according to cancer

health  Aug 16, 2026

The Guardian Health

California law would force companies to disclose toxic chemicals in disposable diapers

Legislation requiring disclosure of chemicals in diapers passed assembly and will go before state senate soonNew California legislation would require manufacturers to disclose the “mystery cocktail” of toxic chemicals used in disposable diapers.Diapers often contain among the most toxic substances – phthalates, lead, Pfas, quats, arsenic, a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and “fragrance”, which can include any number of 1,200 compounds thought to be hazardous to human health. Continue

health  Aug 16, 2026

The Guardian Health

Canadian plasma clinics pause collections after deaths of two donors

Government launches investigation into potential unsafe practices at Spanish healthcare company Grifols A chain of private plasma donation clinics in Canada said Friday it is pausing collections after the deaths of two donors and a new government investigation into potential unsafe practices.Grifols, the Spanish healthcare company that runs 17 clinics across Canada and is the country’s only private clinic for plasma donation, said it informed Health Canada of its decision to temporarily pause co

health  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

Iceberg, romaine, kale: which salad greens are healthiest?

If you’re trying to meet your daily serving of 2.5 cups of vegetables, you might have some questionsIf you want to eat lettuce, that no longer just means iceberg. In our bountiful age, there are many options: romaine, red-leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, beet greens, bok choy, bitter radicchio, every developmental stage of arugula.Sometimes, it’s simply up to preference. But if you’re trying to meet your daily serving of 2.5 cups of vegetables – or you’re rethinking your salad choices amid the US c

health  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

Can antihistamines really help with PMDD and menopausal symptoms?

Debilitating symptoms lead some to try over-the-counter medications Allegra and Pepcid due to a social media trendPremenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and menopause can come with debilitating symptoms, like intense emotional changes and exhaustion.All over social media, women are claiming that a simple hack has helped enormously: a combination of two over-the-counter medications, both antihistamines – typically, the name brands Pepcid AC and Allegra. Continue reading...

health  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘We’re seeing lots of people who feel dizzy’: how heatwaves are taking a toll on people’s health and the NHS

Doctors and nurses describe rise in fall injuries and other heat-related problems on top of stifling working conditions“The big thing A&E doctors are seeing during extreme heat now is falls in the elderly,” says Dr Adrian Boyle, an A&E consultant at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge.“During this summer’s five heatwaves I’ve seen elderly people get light-headed and dizzy and fall down a whole flight of stairs and break multiple bones, purely because of the heat. The last fall down stair

health  Aug 14, 2026

The Guardian Health

What is the MMR vaccine and how does Trump’s executive order affect parents and children?

President’s order calls for several changes to childhood vaccinations – and experts say it’ll lead to confusionOn Monday, Donald Trump signed an executive order pushing for revisions to how children in the US are vaccinated.The executive order calls for several changes. These include fewer vaccinations overall and a recommendation that the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine be replaced with separate shots for each disease administered during separate medical visits. The latter dir

health  Aug 13, 2026

The Guardian Health

New UN plastic treaty to end pollution is going backwards, experts say

NGOs say agreement held back by tenuous human health commitments and lobbying from plastic industryThe latest version of the long overdue plastic treaty is even less ambitious than the previous one, according to experts.A year after UN plastics treaty negotiations collapsed in Geneva in 2025, diplomats met informally in Nairobi between 30 June and 3 July, aiming to flesh out a new “no surprises” document. Continue reading...

health  Aug 13, 2026

The Guardian Health

116 Grams: A Play to Lose Weight review – a shocking satire of body policing

Zoo Southside, Edinburgh Letícia Rodrigues takes on the titular challenge in this show about shame, rage and how female bodies are surveilledA smiling woman steps on to the weighing scales in front of the stage. She is glamorous with bobbed blond hair, gleaming nails and a trendy red trouser suit. She is exactly 84kg, she states. It is an opening gesture reminiscent of an old-school diet club like the one her mother first took her to at the age of eight.Letícia Rodrigues’s show is autobiographic

health  Aug 13, 2026

The Guardian Health

Food Standards Agency should do more in the fight against ultra-processed foods | Letters

Mike Pender responds to an article by Felicity Lawrence in which she reflects on why food firms are panicking and suingFelicity Lawrence’s alarming piece on ultra-processed foods (Why are ultra-processed food firms panicking and suing? Because they know time is running out, 7 August) made no mention of the UK’s Food Standards Agency, whose primary statutory objective is to protect public health from risks arising from the consumption of food.The FSA is an independent, non-ministerial government

health  Aug 13, 2026

The Guardian Health

Parkrun is a joy for many. Get involved | Letters

Bill Hunter says the weekly 5k race at locations across the UK and beyond is for everyone, and should be celebrated, while Helen Beioley says it is the perfect excuse to meet friends and consume a croissant afterI am sorry that the parkrun spoils Janet Knowlson’s experience of her local park (Letters, 7 August). I wonder if she has ever spoken to a parkrunner or a volunteer? Many would tell of the camaraderie and their improved physical and mental health. Strangers become friends and even partne

health  Aug 13, 2026

The Guardian Health

Trump administration finalizes rule to end federal support for gender-affirming care

Move blocking funds through Medicaid and Chip to make it harder for vulnerable children to get healthcare, experts sayThe Trump administration finalized a rule on Tuesday to end gender-affirming care through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (Chip), a move that will make it harder for vulnerable children to access healthcare and that eschews evidence to advance an anti-transgender ideology, opponents say.The rule is set to take effect on 13 October – but legal challenges could

health  Aug 13, 2026

The Guardian Health

How Trump’s order on vaccines is sowing confusion, doubt and fear

The order cannot affect change, and is only ‘undermining trust in vaccines’ as CDC guidance remains the sameDonald Trump’s executive order on vaccines does not change the US recommendations for the shots – but experts say it does create confusion and doubt about vaccines, which will lead to more illness and possibly deaths among children and will make it harder for families and pediatricians to protect them.The executive order was an attempt to reinstate sweeping changes to the vaccine schedule

health  Aug 13, 2026