Author: Mike Hutchison

Prostate conditions are common and become more frequent with age. The good news is that everyday choices—what you eat, how you move, and when you seek care—can support prostate health and may help reduce the risk of bothersome symptoms and some diseases. Why prostate health matters Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate that can affect urination and quality of life. If you’re noticing urinary changes, learn more about typical symptoms and signs of BPH and discuss them with your clinician. Dietary patterns & foods to emphasize Rather than focusing on a single “superfood,” aim for…

Understanding early sexual curiosity Public discussions about childhood sexuality often focus on extreme cases, such as news stories of pupils being excluded from school for “inappropriate” behaviour. In many cultures adults expect children to be asexual, so any sign of sexual curiosity can provoke discomfort. However, developmental research shows that physical exploration and curiosity about bodies are part of growing up. In preschoolers, common behaviours include touching or rubbing their own genitals, showing genitals to siblings or peers and standing very close to other people. Children under five may talk about bodily functions or role‑play “doctor” games, and these activities…

MIND, the UK’s leading mental health charity, has launched a new campaign focused on men and mental health. It has a two-pronged aim: first, to encourage more men to talk about their mental health; second, to urge health services to take better account of men’s specific needs. To launch the campaign, MIND commissioned a YouGov survey of more than 2,000 adults. They found that one in three men would be too embarrassed to seek help for a mental health issue, and only 23% would see their GP if they felt low. Men were also about half as likely as women…

Meditation isn’t just about “clearing the mind.” Some forms train attention (e.g., focusing on the breath), while others deliberately cultivate positive emotions such as kindness and compassion. It’s this second family—often called loving-kindness or compassion practices—that a well-known study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology examined when it reported that meditation can measurably boost day-to-day positive emotions. What the research found In a randomized study of 139 adults, participants who learned and practiced a brief loving-kindness meditation reported gradual increases in daily positive emotions over several weeks. Those gains were linked with broader benefits—greater mindfulness, a clearer sense…

Can someone “die of a broken heart”? The short answer is yes—severe emotional stress and depression can worsen heart disease and, in some cases, precipitate acute cardiac events. Decades of research link bereavement and psychological distress with higher short-term mortality, particularly from heart attacks, in the months after losing a spouse. Just as psychological strain can aggravate angina or trigger a heart event, a heart attack itself can lead to major depression, creating a two-way risk. Heart Disease and Depression: A Two-Way Street Depression raises cardiac risk. Psychological distress is associated with higher blood pressure and heart rate, increased clotting…

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the digestive tract. It can affect any segment from mouth to anus, most commonly the terminal ileum and/or patchy (“skip”) areas of the large bowel. Unlike irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s is an immune-mediated disease that can damage the bowel wall over time and cause complications. Ulcerative colitis is a related condition but is limited to the colon and typically involves only the inner lining; Crohn’s can involve all layers of the bowel wall. Common Symptoms When to seek urgent care Severe abdominal pain, persistent high fever, repeated vomiting, signs of dehydration,…