Health Awareness
In this issue
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AI detects 30% more bowel cancer polyps
AI is reshaping how we detect and treat disease. In bowel cancer screening, it plays a vital role in spotting hard-to-see polyps, improving early diagnosis and outcomes. Artificial intelligence in healthcare Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising the way healthcare is delivered. It is being used in a variety of ways, including to look at large...
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It is not just children: bedwetting affects teenagers too
First written about more than 3,000 years ago, bedwetting can occur at any age, is most common in children and is considered a medical condition from the fifth birthday. Bedwetting, also known as enuresis, is a medical condition where urine leaks during sleep. Over the millennia, thinking about possible causes and approaches to treatment has...
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How choosing stoma surgery helped one man find freedom
For Mesha Moinirad, known to many through his impactful social media presence as Mr ColitisCrohns, stoma surgery wasn’t an easy decision, but it was a transformative one. After enduring over four years of drug failures to treat his inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Mesha chose surgery. “It was a decision of mine, but it didn’t come...
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Bladder dysfunction and the essential role of nurse specialists
Bladder dysfunction encompasses a range of urinary disorders, including incontinence, urgency, frequency and retention, all of which can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life. The causes of bladder dysfunction are diverse, involving factors such as neurological disorders, infections, age-related changes and chronic conditions like diabetes or benign prostatic hyperplasia. Given the profound effects of...
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Penile reconstruction isn’t just about looks — function matters, too
Penile reconstruction is a surgical intervention carried out to help men regain important functions like urination and sexual activity. For many, these procedures offer the chance to recover functional aspects lost due to certain conditions, cancer treatment, trauma or surgery. Conditions such as Peyronie’s disease, penile cancer, Fournier’s gangrene, trauma or the side effects of...
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Bowel cancer: how prevention could halve risk
With bowel cancer on the rise in younger adults and thousands of lives lost annually, understanding the risks, symptoms and screening process is more vital than ever. How can we prevent bowel cancer? Around half of bowel cancer cases could be prevented by people living healthier lives. This includes increasing the amount of fibre and...
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A view of the past that can help us think differently about incontinence
Researchers say it’s vital to understand how incontinence affected people in the past if we are to challenge the stigma that still surrounds the condition. How common was urine incontinence in the past? Dr Jones: It was more common in the 19th and 20th centuries than is recognised. In some instances, it was destroying lives....
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Why teens are scared of using the toilet — and what can be done about it
Shame and stigma around toileting are driving young people online for health information, but are they getting the right advice? In the UK, 1.5 million children (one in nine) live with a bowel or bladder condition.1 The shame surrounding these issues can make it difficult for them to talk about, often leading to them delaying...
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How to get involved in World Continence Week 2025
World Continence Week (WCW) returns this year from June 16 to 22, aiming to raise awareness around incontinence, both urinary and faecal, and the real impact it has on people’s lives. It’s about more than just a medical issue. It’s about mental health, cost of care, the environment and most importantly, breaking the stigma that...
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No more holding it in: tackling urinary incontinence
While generally not life-threatening, managing the psychological burden of urinary incontinence (UI) can be serious. In 2023, the economic burden of UI reached significant levels, especially considering that women are four times more likely to be affected than men. Urinary incontinence awareness and support The European Association of Urology, with over 20 other organisations, is...
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Does your pain relief affect your bowels?
Opioid medication — including codeine, tramadol and morphine, which can work well for pain relief but may cause debilitating constipation — can impact a patient’s quality of life. The advice is: don’t put up with constipation. Speak with your clinician to get help. If you suffer from pain — such as pain related to an...
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Get to grips with guts: how to know your normal
Millions of people across the UK are affected by digestive conditions and symptoms every day. It’s vital that we all get to grips with our guts. Guts UK, the national charity for the digestive system, found that 58% of people are embarrassed by their digestive symptoms, and 51% wait more than six months before seeking...
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Intestinal health may be improved by a protein complex, originally from human milk
Scientists are exploring a milk protein complex that effectively kills cancer cells and prevents tumour growth — especially in colon cancer. Colon cancer is one of the most common types of cancer — 180,000 cases are diagnosed every year in the US alone — and a leading cause of death worldwide. Patients with colon cancer...
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How to potentially treat bacterial infections — but without using antibiotics
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing danger — one that is made worse by the constant over-prescribing and misuse of antibiotics. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared AMR to be one of the ‘biggest threats to global health, food security and development today’ and has highlighted the need to combat it with...
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Molecular insights can relieve severe symptoms in patients with chronic bladder pain syndrome
The exaggerated pain response in this patient group is very difficult to treat. New approaches are therefore essential. Bladder pain syndrome (BPS), otherwise known as interstitial cystitis, is a chronic and socially debilitating long-term bladder condition, for which specific therapies remain unavailable. Managing bladder pain syndrome effects Symptoms of BPS may come and go, but...
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New drug candidate can improve therapy in bladder cancer patients
A promising drug candidate has positive clinical effects in patients with bladder cancer. The number of tumours and tumour sizes were reduced in a majority of patients treated — and without severe side effects often associated with other treatments. Bladder cancer is a disease which has a high likelihood of returning after treatment. Indeed, after...
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What’s the science behind a reliable microbiome test?
Discover the science behind a reliable and comprehensive microbiome test. Find out how 16S rRNA sequencing enables in-depth insights and why it’s trusted by researchers. The Chuckling Goat microbiome test uses 16S rRNA sequencing, which stands out as the preferred method for investigating the gut microbiome. The 16S rRNA sequencing method is widely recognised for...
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How a home microbiome test can pinpoint pathogens for optimal health
Use a microbiome test to identify any bacterial biofilms that may be hiding in your gut. Uncover 14 pathogens linked to chronic infections, inflammation and autoimmune disease. If you’ve ever had food poisoning, a UTI, a dental or skin infection or a hospital-acquired infection, bacteria may have migrated into your gut and formed a ‘biofilm.’...
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Finding freedom from faecal incontinence through innovative implant
My incontinence journey started 38 years ago. I got diarrhoea occasionally, possibly because of a traumatic delivery giving birth. After several referrals, I received life-changing sacral nerve stimulation treatment. Seven years ago, after a hysterectomy, I had adhesions, and I started to suffer faecal incontinence. Some days, I couldn’t even hold on for the 10-minute...
