Home-based abortion by medication will become Irish normMethod shown to be highly effective and safe when used up to 22 weeks of pregnancyMon May 28 2018 - 01:10
Pregnant pause: why expectant mothers with medical conditions stop taking medicationThe exclusion of pregnant women from drug trials means there is little drug-safety information for them to rely onMon May 21 2018 - 08:01
Why are some people unaffected by mental health problems?Dr Muiris Houston: Emotional resilience, the ability to deal with difficulty, can be learnedMon May 14 2018 - 07:01
Opinion: Trust in HSE must be earned from ground upThe HSE keeps getting the basics wrong. It’s time for organisational change, writes Muiris HoustonSat May 12 2018 - 00:00
When it comes to health checks, no news is not good newsCervicalCheck tragedy shows risks in communication failures not widely appreciatedMon May 07 2018 - 10:01
CervicalCheck: How did such a huge communications failure occur?Public trust in Ireland’s health service continues to be eroded, writes Dr Muiris HoustonThu May 03 2018 - 21:46
Four months free of chemo or six months with it?Dr Muiris Houston on the big decision faced by many terminally ill cancer patientsMon Apr 30 2018 - 07:01
Phelan case: The days of doctor knows best are behind usAnalysis: CervicalCheck review should extend to all screening programmesSat Apr 28 2018 - 01:00
A doctor writes: Can women trust CervicalCheck?Can women have confidence in the national cervical screening programme?Sat Apr 28 2018 - 01:00
A doctor writes: What went wrong at CervicalCheck in the Vicky Phelan caseDo its labs follow best practice, and why wasn’t a flag raised for three years?Thu Apr 26 2018 - 20:06
Dark humoured doctors need to watch their languageMedical argot, beloved by the profession, can stray into unacceptable territory when carelessly applied to patientsMon Apr 23 2018 - 05:01
Lessons from the great influenza pandemic for today's worldFlu pandemic of 1918 killed only slightly fewer Irish people than four years of the Great WarSun Apr 08 2018 - 07:01
Waking the dead a balm to the grieving processThanks to the kindness of fantastic friends and neighbours, we gave ‘Nan’ a great send-offMon Apr 02 2018 - 06:01
Dr Muiris Houston: Bio-weapons are scarily easy to get and useSergei and Yulia Skripal’s poisoner delivered neurotoxin via air conditioning in victim’s carTue Mar 27 2018 - 06:00
Flu increases heart attack and stroke risk, study claimsRespiratory infections cause inflammation, while the flu virus and pneumonia can damage heart muscleThu Mar 22 2018 - 00:30
Does ‘an apple a day keep the doctor away’ and should you ‘feed a cold, starve a fever’?Sometimes the recommendation contained in the aphorism is worse than the diseaseMon Mar 19 2018 - 09:01
What is bacterial meningitis and what are the symptoms?There are three subgroups of meningococci: A, B and C. Vaccines are available against B and CTue Mar 13 2018 - 01:00
Shift work: bad for your diet and sleep, and raises your cancer riskDr Muiris Houston: A body of evidence links shift work with diabetes, heart disease and cancerMon Mar 12 2018 - 06:01
GPs prescribe antidepressants because therapy isn’t availableDr Muiris Houston: Major new research contains valuable information on antidepressant medicinesMon Mar 05 2018 - 06:00
Shingles: Bring on the vaccine and free us from ‘hell’s fire’Shingles risk risk rises sharply when you hit 50. The pain has been likened to childbirthMon Feb 26 2018 - 06:01
Measles back with a vengeance due to fake health newsNew approach needed to combat false information about vaccinesFri Feb 23 2018 - 01:00
‘Truth Decay’ – it is up to us to challenge fake health newsWe must future proof the next generation by upping their education in risk and critical thinkingMon Feb 19 2018 - 07:01
After cancer: Relapse is the biggest fear, but not the only riskCancer survivors can face post-traumatic stress and a higher risk of heart failureMon Feb 12 2018 - 06:01
How to go to the doctor: A GP’s guide for patientsQuestions to ask yourself, and tips to remember, before visiting your GPMon Feb 05 2018 - 07:01
Trauma injuries require immediate expert attentionMuiris Houston: Degree of patient’s trauma must be identified as early as possibleThu Feb 01 2018 - 01:00
Questions and Answers: Key abortion issuesA number of medical issues will arise if there is a policy of termination of pregnancy on requestTue Jan 30 2018 - 01:00
Can we reverse Type 2 diabetes? Yes, we canThe incidence of Type 2 has more than doubled between 1998 and 2015, so eradicating the disease has enormous appealMon Jan 22 2018 - 06:01
Asthma: what happens in your lungs, and why you shouldn't underestimate itIn the UK, children and young people have the highest death rate from asthma in EuropeMon Jan 15 2018 - 07:01
The flu: what are the symptoms and what should I do?Despite the doomsday predictions of some, infection rates are not yet at epidemic levelsMon Jan 08 2018 - 10:24
Politicians and HSE to blame for our health service debacleMore people will die as a consequence of not being treated in a fully functioning wardFri Jan 05 2018 - 01:00
Don’t allow yourself to be shamed into New Year health resolutionsMaking health resolutions is a double-edged sword for some of usMon Jan 01 2018 - 07:01
Radiologist at Tralee hospital signed off on 3,000 reports per monthProvisional diagnostic error rate attributable to specialist within international normsWed Dec 20 2017 - 01:00
How some of your Christmas diet may actually be good for youA glass of red wine, perhaps? Some dark chocolate, almonds and cocoa? Yes you canMon Dec 18 2017 - 08:41
Dr Muiris Houston on the death of footballer Izzy Dezu (16)Death of Shelbourne FC player likely due to sudden arrhythmic death syndromeThu Dec 14 2017 - 01:00
The sickening truth at last: ‘Man flu’ is realResearch reveals men suffer more from viral respiratory illness than womenTue Dec 12 2017 - 00:03
Analysis: what does the Hiqa patient survey reveal?Study shows there are very real threats to patient safety in State’s hospitalsMon Dec 11 2017 - 12:19
Doctors who give cancer patients false hope aren’t helping themDr Muiris Houston: Patients who overestimate their survival do not live longerMon Dec 11 2017 - 07:01
Muiris Houston: Why smart pills are a stupid ideaDrugs that report when you’ve taken them break trust between doctor and patientMon Nov 27 2017 - 10:39
Scarlet fever is back in the 21st centuryScientists have yet to discover a reason for the fever’s return, but its virulence has diminishedMon Nov 20 2017 - 06:01
Would you wear a mask in public in Ireland during flu season?If the flu vaccine is less effective than hoped, there's an alternative, low-tech solutionMon Nov 13 2017 - 07:00
GP service requires extra half a billion a year, HSE chief saysReport calls for substantial investment to move away from ‘hospital centric’ systemMon Nov 13 2017 - 02:00
Will call to shift primary care towards GPs be heeded?Drawing on US evidence, TCD authors urge philosophical, political and financial journeyMon Nov 13 2017 - 02:00
A doctor writes: We need to talk about oral sex and cancerUnprotected oral sex can result in HPV-associated cancers, a growing health problemMon Nov 06 2017 - 07:01
Are cardiac stents really the solution for heart problems?Dr Muiris Houston: Latest ‘Lancet’ research suggests procedure may have placebo effectSat Nov 04 2017 - 01:00
Non-smoker, with normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels has heart disease. Why?Inflammation is re-emerging as a likely reason for blockages in the coronary arteries of some patients with ischaemic heart diseaseMon Oct 30 2017 - 07:01
This is the winter our health system will finally collapseThe ineffectiveness of this year’s flu vaccines means hospitals will not be able to copeMon Oct 23 2017 - 01:43
Most people get lower back pain. Don’t ignore itChronic back pain sufferer Muiris Houston welcomes a dynamic new approach to the problemSun Oct 22 2017 - 06:00
Big ears, anti-snoring didgeridoo, smelly cheese: the Ig NobelsAnnual awards celebrate scientific studies that ‘cannot, or should not, be repeated’Tue Sept 26 2017 - 07:00
Ready to snap? Sort out toxic stress before it sorts you outBurnout series: Toxic stress is at the root of burnout. Tackling it may require serious changeTue Sept 19 2017 - 07:20
How to live longer: Marry a person who helps you sleep wellFollow a low-salt high-olive-oil diet and enjoy some dark chocolateMon Sept 11 2017 - 07:00
