Behind the Headlines

Is Viagra a new wonder diet pill?

Monday Jan 21 2013

'Viagra helps men fight the flab as well as boost their sex life,' reports the Daily Mail, somewhat prematurely, on a study involving mice. The study aimed to examine the effect of a chemical...

Claims ginseng is 'new Viagra' just don’t stand up

Wednesday Jan 9 2013

'Forget Viagra, a tablet made from ginseng could boost a man's love life' is misleading speculation in the Daily Mail as they report on a study which actually found that the ginseng was no better than placebo in treating erectile dysfunction…

Could sleeping pill effect be half placebo?

Friday Dec 21 2012

Around half the benefit of taking sleeping pills comes from the placebo effect, the Daily Mail reports. Its story is based on a study that looked at the effectiveness of medicines called 'Z drugs', which are widely prescribed for insomnia...

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Trojan horse therapy 'can beat cancer'

Friday Dec 21 2012

BBC News reports that an experimental therapy hides "cancer killing viruses inside the immune system in order to sneak them into a tumour" and that this "Trojan-horse therapy 'completely eliminates' cancer in mice"...

'Little point taking antibiotics for coughs'

Wednesday Dec 19 2012

'Antibiotics 'ineffective for coughs' BBC News reports while the Daily Mail adds that widely used antibiotics such as amoxicillin 'may be harmful'. Both headlines are promoted by an ambitious study in the Lancet comparing amoxicillin to a placebo...

Prescription drugs and grapefruit a 'deadly mix'

Tuesday Nov 27 2012

'A breakfast of grapefruit and marmalade on toast could be lethal for people taking medication' is the alarming warning in the Daily Mail. It is prompted by a review highlighting the potential for over 80 drugs to interact with the fruit…

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Psoriasis drug could hold key to dementia treatment

Monday Nov 26 2012

BBC News reports that, "drugs used to calm inflammation in psoriasis may also help to combat the effects of Alzheimer's disease, a study on mice suggests." Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia, a condition characterised...

New meningitis B vaccine gets go-ahead

Monday Nov 19 2012

The announcement of a new meningitis vaccine has been widely reported in the papers, with the Daily Star claiming it could soon save thousands of lives in the UK. The Daily Mail predicts it will "soon be offered to all babies" to protect against...

'Alarming' rise in antibiotic resistance

Friday Nov 16 2012

'Resistance to antibiotics is one of the greatest threats to modern health,' BBC News reports, as the Chief Medical Officer, speaking before the launch of Antibiotic Awareness Day, warns that antibiotics are losing their effectiveness at an alarming rate…

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Baby paracetamol: asthma risk not proven

Tuesday Nov 13 2012

"Babies given Calpol and other forms of paracetamol are more likely to develop asthma," the Daily Mail reports. But this headline contradicts the findings of the study it is based on, which also did not focus on specific brands of paracetamol...