Inside Health

Latest Episodes:

Asthma inhalers and Covid antivirals Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

Are you one of the five million people with asthma in the UK? If so, could you be on a different inhaler - one that could control your asthma better while also being kinder to the planet? “Puffers” - or aerosol spray inhalers - contain potent greenhouse gases and can be tricky to use correctly, so not everyone can control their asthma. We speak to Caroline from Cornwall, who has switched inhalers and it’s transformed her life. James talks to the doctors who think far more people could benefit from making the change.

We also speak to Nerys from North Wales who has started antiviral treatment for her Covid infection. We explore the new drugs with virologist Dr Elisabetta Groppelli and Prof Chris Butler who is running the clinical trial designed to pinpoint who is likely to benefit from antivirals the most.

PRESENTER: James Gallagher PRODUCER: Beth Eastwood

Omicron Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

Is an Omicron infection inevitable? Which drugs still work? Is this the last hurrah of the pandemic? This week we have three of the country’s greatest scientific minds teasing apart what Omicron means for our lives now and in the future. Prof Eleanor Riley, Prof Azra Ghani and Prof Sir Martin Landray also tackle your, at times controversial questions! And our regular Dr Rohin Francis gives us a first-hand account of the pressures on NHS staff?

New Year's Resolutions Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

Happy New Year. I hope you’re sticking to your New Year’s resolutions!

Our resident GP Margaret McCartney has dragged me out for a wintery run to discuss how to stick to a healthier lifestyle. And we’re joined by Dr Giles Yeo, Dr Ian Hamiliton and Prof Russel Foster as we tackle the best diets, giving up booze for Dry January and getting a better night’s sleep.

PRESENTER: James Gallagher PRODUCER: Beth Eastwood & Geraldine Fitzgerald

Prediabetes, Experiments in zero gravity Nov 02, 2021

Show notes

Beat pre-diabetes and get your love life back? We hear from two people who are trying to avoid getting type 2 diabetes. But not everyone thinks the term is helpful so our resident GP Margaret McCartney and Dr Samuel Seidu, from the Leicester Diabetes Centre, join us to discuss. And our cardiologist Rohin Francis gets one step closer to his dream of being an astronaut.

Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald

PPE waste and blood test tube shortage Oct 26, 2021

Show notes

Flying London to New York and back. 244 times every day. For half a year. That’s the size of the carbon footprint of all the personal protective equipment used in health and social care in England during the first six months of the pandemic. So I take a look at how the NHS is going green including efforts to make a reusable facemask.

Also, a shortage of vials for blood tests has GP Navjoyt Ladher asking whether we were testing too much anyway.

PRESENTER: James Gallagher PRODUCER: Beth Eastwood

Gene Silencing Treatments Oct 19, 2021

Show notes

The future is here. Gene silencing medicines - which can fine tune how our DNA works - have held promise for decades. Now hundreds of thousands of people will get them in the UK. James speaks to a surgeon whose life and career have been saved by gene-silencing drugs and to researchers who think the field could lead to drugs for diseases we think of as untreatable.

Presenter: James Gallagher Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald

Covid vaccines: their legacy & vaccinating teens Oct 12, 2021

Show notes

The pandemic has strapped rocket boosters onto vaccine science. So where is it taking us next? What other diseases are we about to take on? Prof Dame Sarah Gilbert, architect of the Oxford vaccine, gives me her view.

Also, given teenagers and parents agree about everything and never have any arguments.... we should be able to rapidly resolve any questions about whose decision it is when it comes to the Covid jab in teens. Dr Navjoyt Ladher and Dr Vanessa Apea join some very honest teenagers to help find the answer.

PRESENTER: James Gallagher PRODUCER: Beth Eastwood

The Nobel Prize for Medicine, new plans to add nutrients to foods Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

Anyone need a hug? I’m taking a look at this year’s Nobel Prize for Medicine. It helps explain how we experience the physical sensations of touch, heat and cold. Yes it’s the hugs, tea and ice cream Nobel! But it could also have implications for treating pain, so Prof Irene Tracey is here to discuss. And you wait decades for fortification and two come along at once. I explore why the government wants to tweak our flour and water.

Ultra-processed vegetarian & vegan foods Sep 28, 2021

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We’re going meat-free for this podcast!

The supermarket shelves are heaving with faux meats and vegan ultra-processed foods. And if you don’t want to put milk in your coffee or on your cereals there’s a load of plant-based alternatives.

So we take a look at how healthy these foods are and what you need to know when you’re doing the weekly shop. Sorry you will have to listen to me eating a sausage roll.

PRESENTER: James Gallagher PRODUCERS: Beth Eastwood & Lorna Stewart

The vulva & your GP medical records Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

Do you know your mons pubis from your labia majora? Few of us can identify the parts of the vulva - that’s the external female genitals. So I go exploring with Dr Fiona Reid from St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester and find out why we all need to be better informed.

Also, who should be able to look at your medical records? There are grand plans afoot to collect the data your GP holds on you and make it available to researchers. We discuss the pros and the cons with Prof Martin Landray from Oxford University and GP Dr Margaret McCartney.

PRESENTER: James Gallagher PRODUCER: Beth Eastwood