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  • Can supervised toothbrushing fix the children's dental crisis?

    Can supervised toothbrushing fix the children's dental crisis?

    · Inside Health

    In the UK, around a third of British children have tooth decay. Just among the under-fives, it's a quarter - a figure that rises significantly in the most deprived areas.

    Tooth decay can cause speech development issues, embarrassment for children and in 2023, 15 million school days were missed due to tooth pain or treatment. There’s a financial cost too – in 2023 in England alone tooth extractions under a general anaesthetic cost the NHS £41 million.

    And it's totally preventable.

    So, how can we stop teeth rotting in the first place? One way initiative announced by the new Labour government is to expand supervised toothbrushing sessions to more children. We find out how these work with Oral Health Team Lead Helen Bullingham who supports nurseries and schools in East Sussex to deliver these programmes.

    But what about the evidence to support this intervention? Zoe Marshman, Professor of Dental Public Health at University of Sheffield, explains her findings and dental hygienist and researcher at King's College London Dr Claire McCarthy describes what parents should be doing, in an ideal world, at home.

    And finally, what role does sugar play and how can we get consumption down? Dr Nina Rogers from the Population Health Innovation Lab at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine explains her findings into the impact of the Sugar Drinks Industry Levy introduced in 2018.

    Presenter: James GallagherProducers: Hannah RobinsContent Editor: Holly Squire

    Inside Health is a BBC Wales & West production for Radio 4, produced in partnership with The Open University.

  • Olympian Sir Chris Hoy wants more tests for prostate cancer - should it happen?

    Olympian Sir Chris Hoy wants more tests for prostate cancer - should it happen?

    · Inside Health

    Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy is calling for more prostate cancer testing after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Prostate cancer can often present without symptoms, and for people like Sir Chris, this can mean it isn't diagnosed until it has spread and become incurable. Unlike breast, bowel, or cervical cancer, there is currently no national screening programme that routinely invites men for prostate cancer testing. Instead, men over 50 can request what's known as a PSA blood test from their GP, but it's not automatically offered. Sir Chris wants that to change and is calling for the test to be made more easily available for men under 50, especially those with a family history of prostate cancer. But, expanding prostate screening is a divisive issue. While it could help detect cancer earlier in some cases, there are potential drawbacks. Inside Health's James Gallagher talks with Professor Frank Chinegwundoh, Consultant Urological Surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust, Professor Hashim Ahmed, Chair of Urology at Imperial College London and Inside Health's resident GP Dr Margaret McCartney about the evidence for and against prostate cancer screening - and whether Sir Chris's campaign could and should change the guidance. This programme was produced in partnership with The Open University.

    Presenter: James GallagherProducer: Tom BonnettEditor: Holly Squire

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  • What next for Alzheimer's treatment?

    What next for Alzheimer's treatment?

    · Inside Health

    The first drugs to slow Alzheimer's progression have been making headlines around the world. For researchers in the field, the arrival of these two therapies called Lecanemab and Donanemab is testament to decades of advancements in the field of Alzheimer's research because for the first time they go further than modifying the symptoms and have been shown in trials to slow down cognitive decline. For patients and families these treatments offer hope that the amount of quality time they'll have together could be lengthened.

    Around the world regulatory bodies are weighing up their effectiveness, safety and cost. In the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved Lecanemab and Donanemab for use but the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) rejected them for use in the NHS on the basis the benefit to patients did not outweight the cost, although they could still be available privately.

    Presenter James Gallagher examines the decision with Professor of Public Health Carol Brayne from the University of Cambridge and neuroscientist Professor Tara Spires-Jones from the University of Edinburgh. Then, looking forward, he meets scientists searching for future treatments including Dr Emma Mead, chief scientist at the Alzheimer's UK Drug Discovery Institute at the University of Oxford, Dr Ashvini Keshavan, co-lead of University College London's ADAPT blood biomarker trial, Selina Wray, Professor of Molecular Neuroscience and Alzheimer's Research UK Senior Research Fellow at University College London, and UK Dementia Research Institute Emerging Leader Dr Claire Durrant.

    This programme was produced in partnership with The Open University.

    Presenter: James GallagherProducer: Tom BonnettEditor: Holly Squire

  • Focus on the breath

    Focus on the breath

    · Inside Health

    Have you ever thought about how you breathe? For many of us, the 20,000+ breaths we take each day go underneath our conscious awareness. But every now and then, a short-lived spout or a chronic case of breathlessness can remind us just how vital good breathing is for our health. But can we all breathe “better”? Some wellness trends suggest so...

    James Gallagher gets to grips with mouth-taping: the practice of taping the mouth shut during the night to promote exclusive ‘nasal breathing’. Many claim it has improved their sleep, their athletic performance and even given them a more chiselled jaw. Ken O’Halloran, professor of physiology at University College Cork, explains what research has been done looking into this trend and warns about when taping might do more harm than good.

    James also visits The Coliseum in Covent Garden to hear how an operatic training programme has improved the quality of life for people living with Long-COVID. ENO Breathe, designed by The English National Opera and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, has seen 4000 people learn to breathe like a classical singer to help them handle breathlessness. Creative director, Suzi Zumpe, and respiratory registrar, Keir Philip, talk through the programme and its impacts.

    Finally, could taking consciousness control of our breathing for a short time each day improve our health? Guy Fincham, researcher at the University of Sussex, dives into his PhD research on breathwork, including his initial studies looking at who might benefit from these practices.

    Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Julia Ravey Content Editor: Holly Squire Studio Engineer: Giles Aspen Production Coordinator: Ismael Soriano

    This programme was produced in partnership with The Open University.

  • How does embarrassment affect your health?

    How does embarrassment affect your health?

    · Inside Health

    There are so many campaigns now to stop stigma and embarrassment - from Davina McCall talking about the menopause to Idris Elba campaigning for black men to get their prostate checked.

    And when we asked for your stories of how embarrassment impacts your health, our inbox was flooded with stories of incontinence, IBS, genital problems, skin issues, fertility troubles, fatty lumps and more - along with the huge and varied ways these issues are affecting your lives.

    So, how does embarrassment affect how we behave regarding our health, how can doctors and our health service adapt to alleviate it, and do awareness campaigns really help?

    To discuss James Gallagher is joined by:

    Dr Margaret McCartney, GPDr Vanessa Apea, consultant in sexual health at Barts Health NHS Trust and Medical Director at PreventxProfessor Ruth Parry, communications expert who studies clinician-patient interactions about sensitive issues.

    Plus, James gets some top tips to help alleviate embarrassment when talking to your doctor.

    Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Hannah RobinsContent Editor: Holly SquireProduction Coordinator: Ismael Soriano

    This programme was produced in partnership with The Open University.

  • Changing the lives of children with rare genetic diseases

    Changing the lives of children with rare genetic diseases

    · Inside Health

    If you have a rare genetic disorder, new technology that allows your genetic code to be analysed means you could have a diagnosis within weeks. Before, people with rare diseases would often go their entire lives without a diagnosis. It's a revolutionary advancement but does it change how patients are treated or help improve their wellbeing?

    Presenter James Gallagher meets Lisa whose daughter Jaydi was born with a rare genetic disease that affects her growth, speech, eyesight and a number of other conditions. We hear the story of Lisa and Jaydi's journey to diagnosis through Exeter University's Deciphering Developmental Disorders (DDD) study, and how it changed the course of Jaydi's life.

    Her clinician, Consulatant Clinical Geneticist Dr Emma Kivuva, tells James how the diagnosis impacted on the care they offered and Dr Caroline Wright, Genetics & Genomics Theme Lead on the DDD study explains how they are measuring the effect of diagnosis on patient treatment and wellbeing.

    This programme was produced in partnership with The Open University.

    Presenter: James GallagherProducer: Tom BonnettEditor: Holly Squire

  • Cancer vaccine trials and planning for cyber attacks

    Cancer vaccine trials and planning for cyber attacks

    · Inside Health

    Trials of a cancer 'vaccine' have begun and presenter James meets Steve, one of the first patients to trial the new treatment, Steve remembers his shock at being diagnosed with colorectal cancer in his 40s and tells the story of how he became involved in this pioneering research into tackling cancer.

    The vaccine is based on the same mRNA technology as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and James heads to the University of Cambridge to find out how the early work into cancer vaccines became the foundation for the rapid rollout of the covid vaccine.

    In the lab, molecular biologist Dr Anne Willis and immunologist Dr James Thaventhiran explain how the vaccine is personalised to target the unique make-up of an individual patients' cancer cells, and how if the trials are successful they could open the door to mRNA treatments being used to treat a wide range of diseases.

    Also, Imperial College London cyber security researcher Dr Saira Ghafur joins James in the studio to explain why healthcare is a growing target for cyber attackers and how we can prepare for the next one because, as Saira says, it really is a case of "when" not "if".

    Presented by James GallagherProduced by Tom Bonnett with Hannah RobinsAssistant Producer: Katie TomsettEditor: Holly Squire

  • Mpox, your statins questions and tick-borne meat allergies

    Mpox, your statins questions and tick-borne meat allergies

    · Inside Health

    Mpox is spreading and it’s been classified a public health emergency by the World Health Organization. Presenter James Gallagher meets Professor Trudie Lang from the University of Oxford who has been working in the areas affected to discuss what it means for people in the countries it’s already reached and whether its spread can be stopped.

    James also puts your questions on statins to Professor Naveed Sattar, and we hear the story of Simon who works in the outdoors as a landscape manager. He was having bouts of severe illness and was struggling to understand what was behind it. The answer? He’d had successive bites from ticks and was having symptoms of an allergic reaction when he was eating meat. He had alpha gal syndrome, commonly known as a meat allergy. We hear how it’s caused debilitating changes to his life.

    We also hear from Consultant Immunologist Dr Rachael O’Brian who has been documenting the first case of alpha gal syndrome her team have been diagnosing at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey.

    Presenter: James GallagherProducer: Tom BonnettAssistant Producer: Katie TomsettEditor: Holly Squire

  • What should we do about vaping?

    What should we do about vaping?

    · Inside Health

    Richard was 10 when he started smoking, and by the age of 35, he had given up on giving up smoking. But thanks to vaping he quit, almost by accident, in just a few months.

    However, vaping has been in the spotlight recently, with the rise of disposable vapes and awareness of more young people starting to vape.

    So, is vaping a useful tool to help people get off of cigarettes, or is it a gateway for young people into smoking? We hear from young people about their experiences and thoughts on vaping.

    In the studio, Dr Sarah Jackson, Principal Research Fellow at UCL Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group, and Hazel Cheeseman, Deputy Chief Executive of ‘Action on Smoking and Health’, are with James to discuss.

    Plus, podiatrist Dr Ivan Bristow is on hand to advise why James and listener Linda have had a hard time getting rid of their verrucas for years. We find out exactly what the warts are and what options are available to help our body tackle them.

    Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Hannah Fisher Assistant producer: Katie TomsettEditor: Holly Squire

  • Can diet and exercise ever replace statins?

    Can diet and exercise ever replace statins?

    · Inside Health

    The inventor of statins, Akira Endo, died this summer. When he was prescribed statins in older age for high cholesterol he refused, preferring to improve his diet and lifestyle instead. But how far can changes like these really go to reduce our bad cholesterol and our overall risk of cardiovascular disease? Our resident GP Margaret McCartney and Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine Naveed Sattar discuss.

    Dermatologist Dr Alexandra Banner gives us the lowdown on how to treat sunburn, including reviewing some of your surprising home remedies.

    And what is snus and does it enhance sporting performance? Professor Toby Mundel explains.

    Presenter: James Gallagher Producers: Hannah Robins and Tom Bonnett Assistant producer: Katie Tomsett Editor: Holly Squire

  • How can we age well?

    How can we age well?

    · Inside Health

    From the Hay Festival, James and a panel of experts explain what we can all do to help ourselves age well.

    We discover what’s going on in our bodies when we age, the difference between biological and chronological age, as well as getting the audience moving for a physical test.

    James is joined by gerontologist Sarah Harper from the University of Oxford, biomedical scientist Georgina Ellison-Hughes from King’s College London, and doctor Norman Lazarus to understand how exercise, diet, and mental health all have a part to play in how we age.

    Presenter: James Gallagher  Producer: Gerry Holt Editor: Holly Squire

  • Is watching sport good for you?

    Is watching sport good for you?

    · Inside Health

    As the emotional roller coaster of the Euros comes to a close and the summer Olympics begin, James joins Professor Damian Bailey for an experiment to measure the ups and downs of watching sport. We monitor brains, hearts, lungs and hormones to try to out if watching sport is good or bad for us.

    But is there an additional risk for sports fans attending the summer Olympics in Paris? As climate change drives the tiger mosquito northwards there are concerns over the potential spread of Dengue in France’s capital. James talks to disease ecologist Dr Jennifer Lord to discover what France are doing to prepare for this mosquito-transmitted virus.

    Plus, Professor Peter Openshaw joins James to digest the latest Covid-19 inquiry and what lessons we can learn for the next pandemic. Together, they discuss why we are currently experiencing a summer wave of Covid-19.

    Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Hannah Robins Assistant producer: Katie TomsettEditor: Holly Squire

  • What does alcohol do to the body and brain?

    What does alcohol do to the body and brain?

    · Inside Health

    This week James visits a pub in Liverpool where he's joined by a trio of alcohol researchers who’ll watch carefully as he drinks two pints of lager.

    They’ll give him a few tests and talk through exactly what is going on in the body and brain from the very first sip to the minutes and hours that follow.

    James finds out we might be more at risk of harm than we may have thought - even if we drink below the recommended guidance of 14 units of alcohol per week.

    And we’re also going to answer some more of your insomnia questions - from whether exercise can help to why chocolate before bed might be a no-no and whether falling asleep to your favourite health podcast is good for rest


    Inside Health is taking a short break for now so we'll see you in the summer. In our next series we're going to be talking about ageing and how to age well. Email your questions or thoughts to [email protected]

    Presenter: James GallagherProducer: Gerry HoltEditor: Holly SquireProduction coordinator: Liz TuohyStudio manager: Neva Missirian

  • Are more young people getting cancer?

    Are more young people getting cancer?

    · Inside Health

    Last month, Catherine, Princess of Wales shared she’d been diagnosed with cancer. Describing this news as ‘a huge shock’ and at age just 42, the Princess’ disease falls into a category known as “early-onset cancer” – when the disease affects those under 50. While cases in this age group are still rare, diagnosis rates over the past few years have been growing. And scientists are now on a mission to figure out why.

    Receiving a cancer diagnosis at any age is devastating, but younger people living with the disease face additional challenges. James Gallagher talks to Emma Campbell, a mum of three young children who was diagnosed with bowel cancer at 36. Emma shares not just how her treatment affected her life, but the difficulties in advocating for herself as a younger person trying to get diagnosed. Professor Helen Coleman, cancer epidemiologist for Queens University Belfast, has been studying these diagnostic rates in younger people and explains possible reasons why more people like Emma are finding themselves living with the disease.

    A series of videos recently went viral on social media from women claiming their weight loss drugs got them pregnant. These drugs – like Ozempic and Wegovy – help people lose weight by suppressing appetite, but could they impact fertility? James speaks to Dr Charlotte Moffett, lecturer in Pharmacology and Molecular Pathology at the University of Ulster, who is studying if these drugs might alter someone's ability to conceive. James is also joined in the studio by GP, Dr Margaret McCartney, who helps him answer some of your questions.

    Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Julia Ravey Content Editor: Holly Squire Production Coordinator: Elisabeth Tuohy

    TikTok credits: @Dkalsolive | @anastasiamalhotra | @coachkatierogers

  • Can insomnia be fixed?

    Can insomnia be fixed?

    · Inside Health

    How did you sleep last night?

    Perhaps you couldn't drift off, or maybe you woke in the middle of the night and then couldn't nod off again.

    In this special edition of Inside Health we're talking all about insomnia. It’s an issue that may affect many of us at some point in our lives – but for some it goes beyond a short period of not being able to sleep and becomes something more serious.

    You’ve been getting in touch with your questions, and James is joined by a trio of experts ready to answer to them: Dr Allie Hare, president of the British Sleep Society and consultant physician in sleep medicine at the Royal Brompton Hospital, Colin Espie, a professor of sleep medicine at Oxford University and Dr Faith Orchard, a lecturer in psychology at Sussex University.

    We’re going to find out why we get insomnia, when to seek help and how much factors like ageing, menopause, needing the loo or shift work matter. And we'll look at the latest advice and treatments. Can insomnia be fixed?

    You can keep in touch with the team by emailing [email protected]

    Presenter: James GallagherProducer: Gerry Holt Researcher: Katie TomsettProduction coordinator: Liz TuohyStudio managers: Jackie Margerum & Andrew Garratt

  • We go on a tick hunt

    We go on a tick hunt

    · Inside Health

    Scientists are worried about ticks.

    They say they’re starting to pose more of a health risk here in the UK, as our climate warms and urban areas spill into green spaces.

    But what are ticks, what kind of disease can they cause – and how much of a problem are they? We go on a tick hunt in Richmond Park and then head back to the lab to meet the ticks we’ve collected. We find out why new species of ticks and new diseases could be coming our way - and what you can do to keep safe.

    Also this week, we answer your questions on the impact of noise on our health following our recent programme.

    And we delve into the fascinating world of measles. It’s the most contagious virus in the world – by a long way. What is it about this virus that makes it so spectacularly good at infecting us?

    Keep in touch with the Inside Health team at [email protected]

    Presenter: James GallagherProducer: Gerry HoltEditor: Martin SmithProduction coordinator: Liz Tuohy

  • Is intermittent fasting good for you?

    Is intermittent fasting good for you?

    · Inside Health

    Have you ever tried intermittent fasting? As the month of Ramadan comes to an end, many Muslims are concluding several weeks of time-restricted eating. But outside of religion, many of us are now choosing to eat this way for health reasons – even UK PM Rishi Sunak does a weekly fast. Claimed benefits of intermittent fasting range from weight loss to improved immune function to maybe even living longer, but do these stack up?

    James Gallagher gives one of these popular diets a go whilst trying to answer if restricting when we eat our food is good for us. He chats to Colin Selman from the University of Glasgow about the animal studies which inspired these claims, Claudia Langenberg from Queen Mary University on what happens in our bodies when fasting, and Lucy Serpell from UCL on the potential dangers these types of diets can pose. Plus, we visit AFC Wimbledon for an Iftar event to hear if people fasting during Ramadan experience any changes to their health.

    Presenter: James GallagherProducer: Julia RaveyEditor: Holly SquireStudio Manager: Giles Aspen

  • Can noise harm our health?

    Can noise harm our health?

    · Inside Health

    From ear-splitting aircraft noise and the drone of traffic to the hum of an open-plan office, the world around us can feel loud.

    But is it getting louder? And is this having any effect on our health - and even on how long we live?

    We find out when living close to a road, railway or airport might go from nuisance to health hazard, with potential effects on our sleep, heart health, mood and concentration.

    It’ll get loud as we do some tests in a lab to explore how unwanted sound might affect the rest of the body beyond our ears, and we sift through the growing research on the impact of noise. Who might be most at risk and why?

    We also find out why our reaction to noise might be about more than just volume - and we go in search of some simple tips to help.

    Keep in touch with the Inside Health team at [email protected]

    Presenter: James GallagherProducer: Gerry HoltResearcher: Amy RingroseEditor: Martin SmithProduction coordinator: Connor Morgans

  • Coffee, nap, rave, repeat...

    Coffee, nap, rave, repeat...

    · Inside Health

    Ever wondered how much caffeine is too much? Or whether you’d feel better off if you took an afternoon nap? And with the rise in ‘day raving’ we’ll be looking at whether it’s better for your health to have your night out at 2pm rather than 2am. We’ll learn about the amount of caffeine in different drinks, looking at what it does to the body in the short-term and finding out more about what effects it can have when it comes to things like dementia and cardiovascular disease.

    Then we’ll be following a strict scientifically-approved napping schedule and hearing what impact those bonus sleep sessions can have on brain function – while catching 40 winks in some unusual locations.

    After that, we’ll take all that energy and party the afternoon (and early evening) away at a daytime rave to find out if that is better for our bodies than pulling an all-nighter.

    Along the way we’ll be joined by people who know way more about these things than us, from a Spanish sleep whizz in Manchester to a body boffin in Barry Island.

    Producer: Gerry HoltPresenter: Laura FosterEditor: Holly SquireProduction Co-ordinator: Jonathan Harris

  • Why recovering from long Covid is a lot like training for the Olympics

    Why recovering from long Covid is a lot like training for the Olympics

    · Inside Health

    BBC health journalist Laura Foster can’t get the first days of the pandemic out of her head; the stunned silence of the newsroom as the first lockdown was announced, the chaos and noise at the supermarket and the empty streets of London.

    But even though she was a reporter covering every twist and turn of the story, she still can’t remember the first time she heard about long Covid.

    The world was so engrossed by the immediate threat that few paid attention to what was happening around the edges; the people whose lives didn’t move on after that little red line disappeared from their test and whose symptoms never went away.

    And that problem was getting bigger and bigger by the day.

    We visit the UK’s very first long Covid clinic where healthcare workers started learning about this life-shattering disease in the hospital car park - and we find out why recovering from long Covid is a lot like training for the Olympics.

    What did we know back then – and what do we know now? And are we really any closer to seeing the end of long Covid?

    Details of organisations offering information and support with long Covid are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

    Presenter: Laura FosterProducer: Gerry HoltEditor: Martin SmithProduction co-ordinator: Jonathan Harris

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