Breaking the pain barrier: safe ways to manage chronic agony
Long-term pain is estimated to affect up to 28 million people in the UK, but with the safety of commonly used painkillers under scrutiny, what other measures are effective?
Pregnancy test’s alleged link to birth defects to be reviewed by UK regulator
Watchdog to examine new files found by campaigners while Primodos maker Bayer denies it caused abnormalities
Breaking bad: how to prevent and treat osteoporosis
Patients with weak and fragile bones are often given drugs called bisphosphonates, but new research has raised questions about their use. So what is the best treatment – and how can you keep bones strong?
Never Enough by Barney Hoskyns; The Ice Age by Luke Williams; A Really Good Day by Ayelet Waldman – review
Three vivid memoirs reveal the horrific pull – and possible benefits – of illicit substances
A cure for all ills: what medical advances can we expect in 2017?
Miracles may not exist, but this year could see some key scientific breakthroughs. From dementia and zika to pain relief and customised drugs, here’s a look at what we may hear about this year
A new year that changed me: realising I wanted to live, and giving up heroin
The New Year’s Eve I spent with my family when I was a junkie was horrific. But their contempt for the state I was in helped me to finally change
What should I take paracetamol for?
The drug has no measurable effect on acute back pain, according to a new study – so what should you be using it to treat?
Do branded painkillers work better than cheaper generic ones?
Expensively packaged tablets loudly promise rapid relief or claim to work for particular types of pain. But what’s the scientific evidence that they’re any better than their cut-price rivals?
Researchers say there are no benefits of testosterone treatments for men
Analysis of more than 200 studies conducted since 1950 finds no validity to drug industry’s portrayal of testosterone as akin to a miracle drug for ageing men
Can cannabis relieve pain and other ailments?
MPs have recommended medicinal marijuana for the relief of chronic pain and anxiety, but the law is against it
We must legalise access to medical cannabis as a matter of urgency
My report proves the drug can alleviate suffering for many sick people. The government must have the political courage to accept the scientific rationale
The NHS must show it cares about gay men’s lives – and roll out PrEP HIV drugs
A landmark court ruling that NHS England can fund the highly effective preventive treatment should be urgently acted on to stop the spread of the disease
Leading public health bodies call for decriminalisation of drugs
Report from Royal Society for Public Health and Faculty of Public Health says misuse of drugs should be a health issue, not a criminal one
Surge in teenagers self-poisoning renews mental health concerns
Almost two in three poisonings are intentional – up 50% in past 20 years – with young women most affected, data shows
Do hay fever tablets shrink your brain?
A new study suggests that some popular medicines – including allergy pills – could be harmful. But wait before you sneeze your way through the summer …