Inside Health
Episodes
Ebola, Bike saddles, Recording consultations, Insect bites
08 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Public Health authorities have written to doctors in the UK to ask them to look out for cases of Ebola following the recent outbreak in West Africa wh...
Statins; improving cancer survival rates; reflux and heartburn; recycling medicines.
01 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter returns with a new series to address confusion about statins for healthy people rather than patients. Statins have hit the headlines as...
Hospital patients dying of thirst; Paracetamol; Saturated fats; Baclofen and alcoholism
22 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Headlines this week claim that 'thousands of patients die in hospital of thirst' but did the authors of the study actually analyse hydration?Mark Port...
Video consultations, Low-fibre diets, Testosterone
15 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter investigates the dramatic increase in testosterone prescribing; low fibre diets - why the traditional advice to eat high fibre is not a...
Anti-virals for flu, Bod Pod test for body fat, Patients' weight, X-rays and cancer
08 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Tamiflu - the controversial drug - has been stockpiled by the government for use in a flu pandemic and endorsed by regulatory bodies including the WHO...
Care of the dying, Birdsong in GP surgeries, Sex development
01 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
With a replacement of the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway expected over the next few months Professor Keri Thomas, National Clinical Lead at the ...
Stress and pregnancy, CBT for insomnia, Cluster headache, Smoking and mental health
25 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter finds out why insomnia can often go untreated by the NHS despite there being a treatment that not only works but also doesn't involve d...
Cancer of the cervix & HPV; Oral cancer & HPV; Eating late; Feedback on Sugar, Thrush, Cataracts; Scarfree operations
18 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A committee advising the Food and Drug Administration in the US has voted to change the way it tests women for cervical cancer by solely using a test ...
Sugar, Prescription charges, Thrush, Iron and strokes
11 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Is sugar really addictive? As the Chief Medical Officer for England suggests that it is and a 'sugar tax' may have to be introduced, leading experts d...
Scarlet Fever; Overtreating the over-80s; ICU and trauma; Feedback on constipation; Cataracts
04 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter investigates a pioneering research project designed to reduce the psychological trauma experienced by more than half of critically ill ...
Selenium & Vitamin E supplements in men, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Childhood Constipation
25 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Selenium supplements have hit the headlines with reports that men taking them can increase their risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer. Dr Mar...
Loneliness, Statins, Feedback on glucosamine and gut instinct, Cycle lanes and air pollution, Coughs and antibiotics
18 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter investigates the health effects of loneliness and why some researchers believe being lonely is worse for your health than obesity. Also...
Glucosamine for osteoarthritis; Alcohol addiction; Gut instinct
11 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
As NICE issues its latest guidelines for treating osteoarthritis, Inside Health looks at the use of paracetamol to relieve pain and is glucosamine a r...
Testosterone; Antidepressants in Pregnancy; Laptop Use at Night and Sleep; Shifting School Times
04 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Why testosterone prescriptions are on the increase in the UK and growing concern amongst some doctors that these supplements may be linked to heart at...
E-cigs; PPI feedback; Be assertive with your doctor; Prostate cancer diagnosis
28 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
As the government calls for a ban on the sale of e cigarettes to under 18s, Dr Mark Porter is joined by Martin McKee, Gerard Hastings and Robert West ...
Care data, New gastric balloon, Vocal dysphonia, Antacids
21 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Recent reports say that as many as 2 million people in England could be eligible for bariatric surgery. Dr Mark Porter investigates if a new gastric b...
Gender X; Diabetes diagnosis; Trigeminal Neuralgia; Oesophageal cancer
05 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
As Germany becomes the first country in Europe to pass a law allowing newborn babies to be registered as being of indeterminate sex - neither male nor...
Free Vit D for kids, Exercise & depression, Asthma inhalers feedback, Fungal nails, GP pilots
29 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Current recommendations advise that parents should give children under five Vitamin D supplements, but most parents do not follow this, and Vitamin D ...
Diabetes Type II; Obesity; Feedback on Anorexia and Shingles; Lyme Disease
22 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
With news that actor Tom Hanks has been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, how far in advance can doctors predict the onset of the condition and what can...
Vaccinations, One-to-one midwives, Leg ulcers, Asthma inhalers
15 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
How would you feel if your child's immunisations were linked to benefits or child care? In Australia, a full set of vaccinations is now a requirement ...
Shingles vaccine; Energy drinks; Liver function tests; Anorexia
08 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Margaret McCartney reports on confusion around the new Shingles Vaccine - including how old you have to be to qualify and why there's a lack of supply...
Flu vaccine and narcolepsy, Stoptober, Herbal medicines, Calcium supplements
01 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
New research has found an association between Pandemrix, a swine flu vaccine, and a rare sleep disorder in children. Fears about a pandemic of H1N1 fl...
Parkinson's Disease, Breast cancer screening, Slimming pills, Sunscreens, Teeth
24 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Following Billy Connolly's announcement that he has signs of Parkinson's Disease, Inside Health reports from the World Congress of Neurology in Vienna...
Whooping cough; fish oils and prostate cancer; aortic aneurysm screening in men
30 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
As last year's increase in Whooping Cough looks likely to continue judging from data coming out of America and Europe, Mark Porter finds out why it's ...
NHS Health Checks, Blood Service, Crohn's Disease, Gestational diabetes
23 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter reports on NHS Health Checks which are available to everyone between 40 and 74. Public Health England's Professor Kevin Fenton says thi...
Appendicitis, Artificial hips, Temporal Arteritis, Urinary stones
16 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Tailor made artificial hips - why we should learn more from failed joint replacements. The headache that really can be blinding and can cost you your ...
Measles, Prostate, Juvenile arthritis, Scruffy docs, Xenon lung scanner
09 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Prostate cancer and Sir Michael Parkinson's comments this week that the test 'is if you can pee against the wall from 2 foot' - Inside Health brings y...
Hayfever management; Generic drugs; Diclofenac; Breastfeeding and cheese molars; Pacemakers; Antibiotics and MS
02 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Should private clinics be offering out dated injections for hay fever? Cheese Molars - why do up to 1 in 7 British children have soft yellow teeth? An...
Preventing breast cancer, Iodine deficiency, Antibiotics for back pain
25 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter goes on a weekly quest to demystify the health issues that perplex us.
Breast cancer and Tamoxifen; Drug holidays; Medicines for children; Cardiac training range
23 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter goes on a weekly quest to demystify the health issues that perplex us.
High-intensity exercise, Measles, Teeth whitening, Voice-lift
16 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
As High Intensity Exercise regimes hit the news headlines, Inside Health sceptic Dr Margaret McCartney reviews the evidence for short sharp workouts.W...
Red Meat & Heart Disease, Measles, Hypopituitarism
09 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
What's the story behind the headlines about the links between red meat and heart disease? Researchers have reported that the way meat eaters' gut bact...
Obesity and Cancer, Fasting Diets and NHS 111
02 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter reports on NHS 111 - the new 24 hour urgent care number designed for the public to access urgent medical care. It was meant to go live ...
NHS Reforms
26 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
As part of NHS reforms doctors will be holding the purse strings from April 1st. In a special edition of the programme Dr Mark Porter finds out what t...
Alcohol pricing, Phages, Cervical smears, Swaddling and hips, Smart beds
19 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The evidence behind minimum pricing of alcoholic drinks in England and Wales - putting the political debate aside, does it actually work?Could harness...
Antibiotics, cervical smears, premature labour, hip replacements
12 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Following the chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies apocalyptic report comparing the threat of antibiotic resistance to terrorism, Dr Mar...
NHS reforms, epilepsy and pregnancy, thermometers
05 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter questions Lord Howe, Minister for Health, as the government announces a U-turn to the NHS reforms following widespread concern that the...
Clinical trials, Yellow cards, Chemo brain, Conduct Disorder
26 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter puts the Pharmaceutical Industry in the spotlight as some clinical trials are criticised for testing new drugs against a weaker rival s...
Drinking urine, diclofenac, pigeon fancier's lung, hospital food
19 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Is it safe to drink urine, or even sea water in a survival situation? Mark Porter examines calls to withdraw one of the most widely used anti inflamma...
Shingles vaccine, Pill colour, First Aid, Contraception, Parkinson's
12 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter investigates a new shingles vaccine for the over 70s. Is a chicken pox vaccine for children an alternative? And contraception for the o...
Yellow cards, virtual autopsies, genetics and cancer
05 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Why the reporting of drug side effects has dropped by a third in a decade - it's the responsibility of GP's and the general public to notifiy through ...
Alcohol, cancer treatments, hair, halitosis
29 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Following the latest figures on deaths from alcohol, Dr Mark Porter talks to liver transplant expert Dr Varuna Aluvihare from King's College London, t...
Asthma, Sunbeds, BMI, Dry mouth
22 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
New research suggesting that the ban on smoking in public places has led to a sharp fall in the number of children admitted to hospital with asthma.Su...
Junk food, asthma and eczema; salt; fingerprinting; TGA; amitriptyline
15 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter goes on a weekly quest to demystify the health issues that perplex us.
Dementia, Sleep, Thyroxine
08 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter explores Dementia Challenge - the Department of Health's much publicised campaign to improve dementia care, including a new scheme to t...
Self-Harm, Insulin Pumps, Night Terrors, Penile Cancer
23 Oct 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter discovers that three quarters of people with diabetes who are likely to benefit from an insulin pump are not on one. He talks about the...
Edge of space, Laparotomy, Tremor, Pyjamas
16 Oct 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Felix Baumgartner's record-breaking freefall from the edge of space was witnessed online by 8 million people around the world this week. The jump was ...
Stem cells, Functional disorders, Epilepsy, Stoptober, Whiplash
09 Oct 2012
Contributed by Lukas
As the Nobel Prize for Medicine announced this week recognises stem cell research, Dr Mark Porter asks if it's already making a difference to patients...
What Doctors Don't Tell You, hepatitis E, vertigo
02 Oct 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The latest addition to the burgeoning ranks of health magazines on the newsagent's shelves is called What Doctors Don't Tell You. The headlines on the...
'SARS-like' virus, reflux heartburn, corrective baby helmets
25 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In Inside Health this week Dr Mark Porter asks whether headlines identifying a 'SARS Like' virus may cause unnecessary alarm. While this new virus and...
Ovarian cancer screening, BP tables, Cough, Vegetarianism, Gallstones
18 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Ovarian cancer is known as the silent killer - because its symptoms can often be vague - bloating, abdominal discomfort and feeling full after eating....
Viruses and asthma, osteoarthritis, cartilage repair
11 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter dispels myths about osteoarthritis. It is usually put down to ageing and the result of wear and tear with people told that the conditio...
New HIV test, Vitamin D and TB, Vitamin B12, mouth ulcers
04 Sep 2012
Contributed by Lukas
HIV testing The first over-the-counter DIY testing kit for HIV is expected to go on sale in America in the next month. It's said to allow people to sc...
BP reax, fibroids, access to notes, botox
28 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
As many as 2 million people in the UK may have been misdiagnosed with high blood pressure - getting treatment they don't need. But how many of them ha...
Over-diagnosis: High Blood Pressure
21 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter asks whether doctors can try too hard in the early detection of disease and investigates the overdiagnosis of hypertension. This week h...
Over-diagnosis: Chronic Kidney Disease
14 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter finds out that some medical conditions are over-diagnosed and therefore over-treated, because of the results of certain tests.
Steroids, the killing season, telehealth, Dupuytren's
07 Aug 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Apart from a few cases that hit the headlines, the use of anabolic steroids is rare among the athletes in the Olympic village. But in the wider societ...
Liver disease, Hepatitis C
31 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
If you believe recent headlines the growing increase in deaths from liver disease is entirely down to excessive alcohol consumption, but it's estimate...
GP Access, Telehealth, ICU, Sewage
24 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Do you have trouble getting an appointment to see your GP? If so, you are not alone. A Department of Health review from 2009 suggested that as many as...
Whooping cough, Cardiac screening, Antibacterials, Selfcare, Xbox
17 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Whooping cough is on the rise - but the official figures could be the tip of the iceberg, according to one doctor. Retired GP from Nottinghamshire Dr ...
Coughs, vocal cord dysfunction and athletes, taste and smell, waiting room toys
10 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter debates whether the recent lung cancer awareness campaign on TV, radio and the internet, hits the spot or is scaremongering. He discove...
GI bleeds, pregnancy and working, frozen shoulder, patient surveys
03 Jul 2012
Contributed by Lukas
50,000 people end up in hospital every year in the UK because of bleeding from the top end of the gut - an upper gastrointestinal bleed. Around 1 in 1...
Teenage depression, Choir, Heart failure, Protein shakes
24 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In Inside Health, Mark Porter clarifies recent headlines claiming that researchers have found a "Blood test that identifies depression". It certainly ...
Whooping cough, maternal deaths, blushing, intestinal transit
17 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Whooping cough is making a comeback - the latest figures show that there were more confirmed cases in the first 3 months of this year than there were ...
Morphine and the heart, antibiotics and the appendix, sick notes, blood tests, painkillers
10 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter goes on a weekly quest to demystify the health issues that perplex us.Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director of the Briti...
Prescription charges, HPV vaccine, tattoos, cycle helmets
03 Apr 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Should prescriptions be free for everyone? They already are in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland - so why aren't they in England? The BMA says the ...
Aspirin, holiday sickness, ADHD
27 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Aspirin is over 100 years old, but doctors still can't agree whether the benefits of taking it to prevent heart conditions or cancer outweigh the risk...
PCOS, garlic, PSA test, dignity
20 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter demystifies discusses polycystic ovary syndrome, the health benefits of garlic, the PSA test for prostate cancer, and concerns over pat...
Red meat and heart health, carbon monoxide, screening, joints supplements
13 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
A new study shows that a diet rich in red meat increases the risk of developing bowel cancer - so how much is too much? Professor Tom Sanders from Kin...
Vitiligo, diabetes care, knee implants, masks, social media
06 Mar 2012
Contributed by Lukas
In Inside Health tonight, Dr Mark Porter tackles the confusion and prejudice that surrounds the skin condition Vitiligo - famously said to have been t...
Sleep tabs death, e-cigs, GP examples, underactive thyroid and pregnancy
28 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
10 million prescriptions for sleeping pills are written every year in England. So how alarmed should we be over new American research suggesting that ...
Anti-smoking incentives, ACE inhibitor cough, Raynaud's, fizzy drinks
21 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter demystifies the health issues that perplex us and separates the facts from the fiction. He brings clarity to conflicting health advice,...
Patient records, cholesterol, statins, whiplash
14 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
As the Prime Minister announces his efforts to reduce compensation claims for whiplash, Dr Mark Porter asks are doctors having the wool pulled over th...
Hospital infections, nutrition, gout, gluten, Shockwave, tennis elbow
07 Feb 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Mark Porter demystifies the health issues that perplex us and separates the facts from the fiction. He brings clarity to conflicting health advice,...
Pseudomonas, anti-coags, alcohol, pres drugs, high heels
31 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
On Inside Health this week, the bacteria Pseudomonas that's been responsible for a number of deaths in special care baby units in Northern Ireland.Mar...
NHS bill, tinnitus, pedestrians, teenage info, Vitamin D, cough mix
24 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Inside Health covers the ongoing debate about proposed reforms to the NHS in England. This week Colleges representing nurses, midwives and physios hav...
Health bill, Memory, Resuscitation, Flu
17 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The programme that uncovers the real stories behind the health headlines, providing clarity where there's confusion.First, a subject that looks set to...
Med devices, Testosterone, Itching, BP, Pills, Tourette's
10 Jan 2012
Contributed by Lukas
New Series: Dr Mark Porter demystifies the health issues that perplex us and separates the facts from the fiction. He brings clarity to conflicting he...