Behind the Headlines

What is the Liverpool Care Pathway?

Tuesday Nov 27 2012

An independent review of the controversial palliative care practice known as the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) has been announced, many newspapers report...

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Free bus pass is 'ticket to good health'

Friday Sep 21 2012

“Free bus passes are spreading good health among older people,” the Daily Mail reported today. The story is based on research that found that older people who had a free bus pass were more likely to take part in “active travel”...

New zinc supplement is a 'botox-booster'

Monday Sep 10 2012

A new supplement "keeps wrinkles at bay for 30% longer", the Daily Mail has reported. The news is based on the results of a small trial that found that dietary supplementation with "Zytaze" – a combination of zinc...

Altered sleep patterns 'early sign' of Alzheimer's

Thursday Sep 6 2012

“Bad sleep may predict Alzheimer’s,” the BBC has reported, saying that “problems sleeping may be an early sign of Alzheimer’s if a study in mice also applies to people”. This news is based on research into the association between sleep patterns...

Healthy lifestyle in your 70s can 'add six years' to lifespan

Friday Aug 31 2012

Being active and living a healthy lifestyle into your 70s can make a huge difference to your life expectancy, the BBC reported today. The story is based on a large Swedish study of people aged 75 and over...

Mediterranean diet link to stronger bones

Friday Aug 17 2012

"Just two years of eating like the Spanish and Italians who use olive oil rather than less healthy fats may preserve or even build bone in older people," the Daily Mail reports. The story is based on a study of whether the so-called Mediterranean diet...

Improved care for elderly could 'free up 7,000 hospital beds'

Thursday Aug 9 2012

'Elderly people would need to spend less time in hospital if care in England were better organised,' the BBC has said. The claim is based on a report into elderly care released by the influential healthcare charity the King's Fund…

Yoga 'can help stroke patients improve balance'

Friday Jul 27 2012

“Yoga helps stroke patients recover balance,” The Daily Telegraph headlines, saying that stroke victims who took an eight-week course of yoga had better balance and felt more able in their lives as a whole...

New polypill could save 'thousands of lives'

Thursday Jul 19 2012

“Four-in-one pill to save 200,000 lives a year,” reports the Metro, with many other news organisations making similar claims. This news is based on research into a ‘polypill’, a single tablet that contains a combination of four different medicines...

'Cat ladies' suicide risk probed

Tuesday Jul 3 2012

“Cat ladies are more likely to commit suicide,” The Daily Telegraph states, evoking images of sad and lonely self-harming spinsters surrounded by hordes of meowing kitties. The reality is somewhat different...