The Guardian Health

‘I have an ego that needs to be put in check’: ex-Gawker editor AJ Daulerio on life after addiction

After his fall from grace, media’s former enfant terrible is now sober and helping others with his addiction recovery newsletter and podcast, The Small BowEvery other Tuesday, AJ Daulerio wakes up at 5.30am and meditates for five to 20 minutes before beginning his multistep daily journaling protocol: reading a selection from a poetry anthology, then a passage from one of his daily wisdom readers (his go-to is a heavily annotated copy of Leo Tolstoy’s A Calendar of Wisdom); writing his Fear of th

health  Aug 6, 2026

The Guardian Health

Thirst by John Robins audiobook review – an ex-drinker’s darkly funny journey

The comedian and broadcaster narrates the heartfelt and at times self-lacerating account of his relationship with alcoholA memoir chronicling the comic and broadcaster John Robins’s life in alcohol and his subsequent path to sobriety, Thirst is structured around the drinks that changed his life. There’s the bottle of Jacob’s Creek wine left out on a kitchen worktop which he helped himself to at the age of seven, secreting it into his orange juice, and the beer given to him at scout camp which he

health  Aug 6, 2026

The Guardian Health

The mRNA technology behind Moderna’s Covid vaccine reaches the flu

The mFlusiva vaccine for older people is the first made with the mRNA platform key to ending the coronavirus pandemicThe Food and Drug Administration has approved a new kind of flu vaccine for older people, the first made with the same mRNA technology that was key to ending the Covid-19 pandemic, Moderna, the manufacturer, said.The shot, named mFlusiva, is intended for adults aged 50 or older. Other brands of flu shots already have begun arriving in pharmacies ahead of fall vaccination season, a

health  Aug 6, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘It can make you psychotic or give you a cardiac arrest’: why are so many children vaping the ‘prison drug’ spice?

Parents and teachers worry about the number of kids who vape cannabis. But many of them are using something far more dangerous – without even realising itI bumped into an old acquaintance the other day. Updating me on his children’s ages, he said, with an eyeroll of resignation: “My daughter’s 15 now; just found a cannabis vape in her room.” It’s an increasingly common and concerning situation for parents – with no way of telling if a vape does in fact contain weed (which comes with its own risk

health  Aug 6, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘It confirmed my flaws’: women are paying for face scans that score beauty and suggest excessive procedures

‘Looksmaxxing’ culture has led to the rise of facial analysis services – but experts warn they aren’t backed by science and can be harmful to usersDanielle, 37, didn’t always have issues with body image: she used to be a model and recalls receiving positive attention from men. However, when two years of unemployment plunged her into a period of financial insecurity, her confidence faded. “It was easy to wonder, if I was prettier, if some of my features were different, would that help?” she said.

health  Aug 5, 2026

The Guardian Health

Women must not feel pressure to have ‘ideal birth’, says Yvette Cooper

Exclusive: New health secretary promises root-and-branch reform after damning maternity scandalsWomen should not feel pressurised into experiencing an “ideal birth”, the new health secretary, Yvette Cooper, has said, promising a root-and-branch reform of standards after several damning maternity scandals.Cooper, who returns to the department 27 years after she was the minister for public health under Tony Blair, said maternity and child health would be a major focus in the role, where she will a

health  Aug 5, 2026

The Guardian Health

Best of 2026…so far: My maddening battle with chronic fatigue syndrome: ‘On my worst days, it feels almost demonic’ – podcast

Every Wednesday and Friday in August we will publish some of our favourite audio long reads of 2026, in case you missed them, with an introduction from the editorial team to explain why we’ve chosen it.This week, from February: I suffered with my mystery illness for decades before gaining a diagnosis. Could retraining my brain be the answer?By Hermione Hoby. Read by Alby BaldwinRead the text version hereSupport the Guardian today: theguardian.com/longreadpodThe summer issue of the Long Read maga

health  Aug 5, 2026

The Guardian Health

CDC reportedly expands US cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states

Six additional states caught up in investigation after Michigan reported first two US deaths linked to diseaseThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reportedly expanded the largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states.The alleged expansion includes the addition of six states, according to the Washington Post, which cited three people familiar with the matter. Those states include Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire and North Carolina, according to a fourth person

health  Aug 5, 2026

The Guardian Health

Skip the run: here are six joint-friendly cardio alternatives suggested by experts

Whether you’re nursing a joint, have an existing condition or just don’t feel like running, these exercises help get your cardio inThe runner’s high might be contagious. In 2024, fitness tracking app Strava recorded a 59% increase in users attending social running events and run clubs globally. Applications for London’s marathon have increased 40% since 2024, while New York City’s received about 20% more applicants this year. Overall, an estimated 56 million Americans regularly run on a treadmil

health  Aug 4, 2026

The Guardian Health

Social care is for us all, and we all must fund it | Letters

Readers respond to Polly Toynbee’s article on the new prime minister’s commitment to a fair systemPolly Toynbee (Battles loom over social care, but this fight must be won. At last, we have a PM who believes that, 29 July) is right that reforming England’s broken social care system will require winning the “attention, hearts and minds” of a public that knows little about it. Yet one of the biggest barriers to reform is that social care itself remains widely misunderstood, and public debate often

health  Aug 4, 2026

The Guardian Health

Scrapping foreign doctors scheme will hurt the NHS | Letter

The move is regressive and removes a successful route for international collaboration, including education and research, writes Dr Peter TrewbyThe decision to abolish the medical training initiative (MTI) scheme (Medical colleges condemn scrapping of NHS placements for overseas doctors, 31 July) risks reversing years of progress in medical diplomacy and repeating earlier mistakes in the UK’s treatment of international medical graduates (IMGs).In the early 2000s, in response to perceived workforc

health  Aug 4, 2026

The Guardian Health

Tell us your experience of using peptides

We would like to hear your experience of using peptides for therapeutic purposesIn recent years there has been a boom in interest in using peptides, from weight loss to anti-ageing and recovery from injury.These include approved prescription weight-loss medications based on synthetic peptides that mimic natural hormones. However, sales of experimental and unregulated peptides are rising as online sellers tout them as part of a “wellness” regime. Continue reading...

health  Aug 4, 2026

The Guardian Health

Two people have died amid US cyclosporiasis outbreak, Michigan officials say

US sees first fatalities due to intestinal illness, though both had significant ​underlying health conditionsTwo people have died from cyclosporiasis in Michigan, the state’s health department said on Monday, marking the first fatalities in the largest US outbreak ⁠of the intestinal illness.Both ⁠individuals had significant ​underlying health conditions that may have been affected by cyclosporiasis and dehydration, according to medical records. Continue reading...

health  Aug 3, 2026

The Guardian Health

The best way to protect NHS patients’ data | Letter

A genuinely competitive market would prevent any single company’s decisions from putting the system at risk, says Prof Erika DentonYour article on the TPG/Optum UK deal, over the patient record system used by most GP practices in England, highlights a specific issue that is symptomatic of a much bigger problem (Alarm at NHS patient records being put under control of US private equity firm, 27 July). I’ve spent years working across the NHS, both in clinical radiology and in national policy roles,

health  Aug 3, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘Just cruel’: Medicaid halt in California and Minnesota plunges caregivers and disabled people into uncertainty

Shock and fury as Trump administration holds back Medicaid funding to states over alleged caregiving fraudBy now, when Shannon Rosa hears about cuts to Medicaid and misinformation from the Trump administration about disabled people and their families, her predominant feeling isn’t fear or sadness.It’s fury. Continue reading...

health  Aug 3, 2026

The Guardian Health

The one change that worked: I learned to love my arms – after decades of hating and hiding them

It took a heatwave to get me to shed my shame and my sleeves, but now there’s no stopping me. Life is cooler in every way‘Aren’t you hot in that?” was the question that plagued my summers as a teenager. I would never bare my arms; instead, I would cover up with a trusty black cardigan. Even T-shirts felt too revealing, too tight on the arm, too clinging to the body. I needed layers to feel comfortable. Well, comfortable isn’t the right word. I was never comfortable, despite telling everyone: “No

health  Aug 3, 2026

The Guardian Health

‘I spent a week crying. I’ve never had an injury in my life!’ Why do so many fitness fans end up needing surgery?

From the 47-year-old runner who needs a double hip replacement to the 27-year-old CrossFitter with a ruptured ACL, those who push their bodies too hard often regret it. What are the lessons for the rest of us?Jonathan Price has always been active and exercise-focused. Growing up in south Wales, rugby was his first love. Through school, university and beyond, he also surfed, rowed, played squash and ran competitively – on track, in 10k races and cross-country. Career and family demands meant that

health  Aug 3, 2026

The Guardian Health

Liechtenstein’s archaic abortion laws need to be modernised. But a prince is standing in the way | Gabriella Alvarez-Hummel

The hurdles for women who have to travel abroad to access abortion are considerable, but Hereditary Prince Alois says he will veto any changesThe first person Maria* called when she found out she was pregnant was her doctor. The second person was a lawyer. The single mother of one was in shock, and considering terminating the pregnancy. But she first had to make sure that she wasn’t about to do something illegal, because all she knew was that abortions were forbidden where she lived. “On top of

health  Aug 3, 2026

The Guardian Health

RFK Jr tells US families to vaccinate children against measles amid outbreak

Health secretary, longtime vaccination skeptic, spent years boosting misinformation about vaccines including MMRRobert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, on Sunday told American parents that they should get their children vaccinated against measles, as the surge in infections has reached numbers not seen in the past 35 years.Kennedy, a leading vaccination skeptic who has spent years amplifying misinformation about vaccines, including the shot that protects against measles, mumps and rubella

health  Aug 2, 2026

The Guardian Health

Traffic, mobiles, music … let’s turn the volume down | Letters

Readers respond to an editorial on the health impact of noise pollution Your editorial is right that noise pollution deserves to be treated as a public-health issue rather than a mere irritation (The Guardian view on noise pollution: keep it down, 28 July). Yet one obvious source of urban noise receives little attention: modified cars and motorbikes whose exhausts and engines have been made far louder than manufacturers intended.Anyone living in a city or town knows the difference between the ba

health  Aug 2, 2026