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Lethal Weapon star Danny Glover reveals Alzheimer’s diagnosis

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 17:34

The 79-year-old actor told media ‘I don’t feel like it’s the end of my life. There’s work to do. Your life continues’

Lethal Weapon actor Danny Glover has revealed he has been living with Alzheimer’s for several years.

Glover, 79, announced the news during an interview on The Today Show, during which he explained that he had been diagnosed “not long” after receiving an honorary Oscar in 2022. “I could live with it, in a sense. I’m sure as it advances, things are going to be different and changing,” he said, adding that his movements, speech and memory have slowed. However, the support of his family, who he said “have got my back”, was getting him through.

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Categories: National News

‘The silence was the worst part’: after culling his entire flock, US poultry farmer now fears bird flu

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 17:31

As bird flu reshapes agriculture, small farms operate under strict rules. Just a single case could tank their business

Joshua Beebe often starts his day by cleaning the tires of trucks and cars entering his poultry farm.

“We spray them off and scrub them with a brush. It’s a precaution; the goal is to eliminate as many potential avenues for a pathogen to enter as possible,” said the owner of Tardif Poultry Farm, located in the Connecticut countryside east of Hartford.

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Categories: National News

Author of England maternity care review ‘listened to wrong voices’, says adviser

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 17:23

Dr Bill Kirkup says section of Valerie Amos’s report criticising ‘normal birth ideology’ was removed before publication

The head of an inquiry into maternity care altered its final report to remove criticism of “normal birth ideology”, one of her expert advisers claims.

Dr Bill Kirkup said Valerie Amos “listened to the wrong voices” before a section outlining the potential risks of encouraging women to have a vaginal birth “disappeared” from the final version of her government-commissioned report.

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Categories: National News

What’s really in a hotdog? Nutrition experts explain

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 17:00

Americans eat 20bn hotdogs every year, but experts say they’re also among the most highly processed foods

In 1969, the late writer William Zinsser toured a hotdog factory and described his visit in Life magazine, opening with the lines: “I’ve often wondered what goes into a hotdog. Now I know and I wish I didn’t.”

All these years later, his words still reflect our love/hate relationship with the humble wiener. We love eating them, but would rather not think about what’s in them.

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Categories: National News

Can a 10-second finger workout help keep your brain healthy?

BBC News – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 12:02
Dr Oscar is back with the latest health headlines.
Categories: National News

Woman's Hour

BBC News – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 11:23
A new report highlights growing demand and long waits in child mental health services.
Categories: National News

When the right denies the true danger of heatwaves, ask yourself this: whose children’s lives is it willing to risk? | George Monbiot

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 07:00

The class politics of extreme heat are very real and very dangerous – but that doesn’t stop the billionaire press from peddling its agenda

Every time you think the idiocy has hit rock bottom, it discovers a new level. It turns out there’s an even deeper hole you can dig for yourself than climate-science denial: heat-stress denial. Across the billionaire press last week, columnists and leader writers minimised the health impacts of the heatwave, particularly in schools. Expect more of this next week, when temperatures are forecast to soar again.

An editorial in the Telegraph (which represents the newspaper’s view) titled “Hot weather alarmism treats the public like children” maintained that “unlike in the seventies, when people were largely trusted to look after themselves, officialdom now feels the need to lecture the public about the risks of hot weather at every opportunity”. Extreme heat warnings are issued and weather maps are “painted in an alarming red”. Outrageous! Instead of issuing warnings, the government should just trust people to “take the appropriate precautions”. We should all “learn to live” with it. Quite right too: whatever happened to the bulldog spirit of ignorance and needless death? Cricket, warm beer, excess mortality: these are the markers of national character.

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Categories: National News

From the archive: Flour power: meet the bread heads baking a better loaf – podcast

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 05:00

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.

This week, from 2019: The days of the mass-produced pappy white British supermarket loaf may be numbered. Meet the bread heads revolutionising the way we eat

By Wendell Steavenson. Read by Lucy Scott

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Categories: National News

Women with PMOS should have yearly NHS checks, says health watchdog

BBC News – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 00:04
Despite affecting millions of women in the UK, PMOS is still under-diagnosed and inconsistently managed, say experts.
Categories: National News

Women with PMOS should have yearly NHS checks, says health watchdog

BBC News – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 00:04
Despite affecting millions of women in the UK, PMOS is still under-diagnosed and inconsistently managed, say experts.
Categories: National News

'Normal birth drive' criticism removed from maternity report, expert claims

BBC News – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 00:04
Dr Bill Kirkup says he resigned from a government-commissioned review into NHS maternity services over the omission.
Categories: National News

Women with irregular periods should be checked for PMOS, NHS says

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 00:01

Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome is underdiagnosed and inconsistently managed, according to Nice

Up to 4 million women with irregular periods should be investigated for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, according to new NHS guidance.

PMOS, previously known as polycystic ovarian syndrome, is believed to affect up to 13% of reproductive age women, the World Health Organization estimates.

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Categories: National News

UK poll highlights fears about access to emergency contraception

Guardian – Society – Health - Wed, 07/01/2026 - 00:01

Doctors say survey shows need for morning-after pill to be available at corner shops, petrol stations and supermarkets

Almost half of the UK population believe it would be difficult to access emergency contraception on a Sunday, while nearly two-thirds think they would struggle after 10pm, according to a survey.

The research, carried out by YouGov, found that only 7% of people believe it would be difficult to access emergency contraception during the daytime on a weekday.

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Categories: National News

Frequent AI chatbot users more likely to believe anti-vaccine myths, poll finds

Guardian – Society – Health - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 20:51

Poll finds use of AI tools for health advice is correlated with belief in vaccine falsehoods, such as shots causing autism

Adults in the US who frequently seek out health advice from artificial intelligence chatbots are more likely to believe myths about vaccines, according to a poll released on Tuesday by health research firm KFF.

The survey, which was conducted in May and polled a representative sample of 2,480 US adults, found that use of AI tools and chatbots correlated with belief in falsehoods such as vaccines causing autism or that the measles vaccine poses more danger than the corresponding virus. The connection remained while controlling for factors such as age, race, education and political partisanship.

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Categories: National News

What does the Amos report reveal about maternity and neonatal care in England?

Guardian – Society – Health - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 18:40

Amos review confirms patients received unacceptable care that led to stillbirths, serious injuries and maternal deaths

Valerie Amos, a Labour peer and former diplomat, has published her long-awaited review into maternity and neonatal care across England. This is what we know:

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Categories: National News

I pushed myself too hard at the gym – and ended up in the hospital

Guardian – Society – Health - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 17:00

Reckless exercise can lead to exertional rhabdomyolysis, a condition that has risen due to the popularity of high-intensity workouts

In January 2025, I attended my first bootcamp class.

I had spent the day hunched over my laptop, anxious and craving an intense workout that would dispel my worries. I booked the class at a nearby gym, and the five-star reviews promised the all-consuming exercise I wanted: “Militant style instructor, but very motivating,” read one. Another: “Hardest workout of my life; extremely rewarding.”

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Categories: National News

Damning report on England maternity care ‘watershed moment’, health secretary says

Guardian – Society – Health - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 16:33

Announcing creation of a maternity commissioner, James Murray says Amos report highlights ‘toxic’ culture in some NHS units

Valerie Amos’s devastating indictment of maternity care has to be a “watershed moment” for how the NHS treats pregnant women and babies, the health secretary has said.

James Murray pledged that Lady Amos’s report would lead to significant improvements and that “toxic dynamics” which damage relationships between hospital staff providing childbirth care would be dismantled.

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Categories: National News

Government promises to act on maternity care failings which 'shame our society'

BBC News – Health - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 15:25
An independent inquiry has found "unacceptable racism and discrimination" is affecting patient safety.
Categories: National News

People with strong chest and back less likely to have a heart attack, analysis suggests

Guardian – Society – Health - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 15:00

Researchers think people with greater muscle density in torso area, who are also less likely to die prematurely, are those who exercise more

People with strong chest and back muscles are less likely to have a heart attack or die prematurely, analysis using artificial intelligence suggests.

Researchers led by the University of Edinburgh used AI to examine hospital scans of 1,722 patients, aged mostly in their 50s, who had chest pain.

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Categories: National News

Draining your lymphatic system

BBC News – Health - Tue, 06/30/2026 - 13:05
Draining your lymphatic system
Categories: National News
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