Health Check

Can changes in the weather have an impact on our mental health? We go to Bangladesh in South Asia, a country on the front line of the impacts of climate change, where researchers have been exploring connections between incremental changes in heat and humidity, along with bigger impacts like flooding, and the levels of anxiety and depression in the population. They say their study has stark implications, not just for Bangladesh, but for many other countries too.

She also take us through how to spot fake medicines and we take a look at an intriguing study on whether being married is good for your health.

(Photo: Pabna in Bangladesh at dusk. Credit: Emon Cena/Getty Images.)

This week we’re dedicating the programme to a common medical emergency – one that can be deadly within minutes without the right help to hand. A cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body.

Image: Dr Vishwaraj Vemala is thanked by the captain of the Air India flight after he saved a fellow passenger’s life

Six months on from the worst flooding in Pakistan’s history, a medic in eastern Balochistan describes what he is seeing daily.

Khalid Saleem, who works for the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), says many people are still living in shelters at the side of the road and must walk miles if they need healthcare. There are high levels of malnutrition, malaria and skin conditions such as scabies.

We also talk Professor Zainab Samad, from Aga Khan University in Islamabad, who is the author of a major new report on the country’s health. She describes how people in these areas were already worse off even before the floods and says it will take years to recover – but it is everyone’s responsibility to help make society healthier.

We hear from Dr Lindsay Dewa and medical student Simi Adewale on their project to explore digital connection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Imperial College London worked with young people to make a short film about the impact on young people’s mental health.

And our guest is family doctor Ann Robinson, who’ll discuss the latest studies and health news, including strict new alcohol guidance for Canada and how “bed dancing” is helping hospital patients.

Image credit: Getty Images

Presenter: Smitha Mundasad

In this week’s episode we hear from two women who talk about what life is like with endometriosis, an incredibly common but debilitating condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places in the body.

Katherine from Ghana and Dee from Wales describe their long journeys to diagnosis and how the “invisible illness” affects every aspect of their lives, from mental health to work and relationships.

We also hear from a researcher in the US who is studying the condition in minute detail in the hope that arming the scientific community with deeper knowledge will help lead to new treatments.

Presenter Smitha Mundasad joins a singing group in London which aims to tackle post-natal depression among new mums. She hears how the project, which is rooted in research, is challenging them artistically and helping to reduce symptoms.

Also joining us is Matt Fox, Professor of Epidemiology and Global Health at Boston University, who’ll discuss what progress is being made in the fight to eradicate rabies by 2030 and talk us through a study on the best music to fall asleep to… Zzz…

Presenter: Smitha Mundasad

In this week’s episode of Health Check, we meet the Poulin family who live in Thailand. They tell us about their long quest to have their little girl Rylae-Ann diagnosed with an incredibly rare disease. And that’s just the beginning of the story.

Rylae-Ann was fortunate enough to have gene therapy on a clinical trial in Taiwan – and it has transformed her life – but it’s not a treatment that’s available to everyone.

Joining presenter Smitha Mundasad in the studio is family doctor Graham Easton, who’ll discuss why that’s the case – and what the risks are around this experimental treatment and the ethics of diagnosing rare conditions.

We’ll also hear from a scientist in Vancouver on her fascinating research which has discovered a compound in a sea sponge that blocks Covid-19 in human cells in the lab.

And we’ll have the latest on the virus in China, as concerns grow about its spread ahead of the Lunar New Year, and a rather unusual study about a very small trial in London involving scars being treated using transplanted hair.

Presenter: Smitha Mundasad

Claudia Hammond explores the psychology of regret with an audience at the Cheltenham Science Festival. What role do rueful thoughts on "what might have been" play in our lives? Is regret a wasted emotion or does it have some hidden benefits?

Joining Claudia on stage : Teresa McCormack - Professor of Cognitive Development at the School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast who researches how regret in childhood can shape our decisions; novelist and essayist Sophie White - whose latest novel The Snag List examines the opportunity to go back in life and follow the road not taken; Fuschia Sirois - Professor of social and health psychology at Durham University whose research examines the impact of those "what if" thoughts on our health and wellbeing.

Producer Adrian Washbourne

Many people say that knitting or crochet helped ease their anxiety during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Claire Anketell set up free Yarn for Mental Health courses in Northern Ireland last year and Gemma McAdam says crochet helped to reduce her stress levels and she's now making blankets.

Esther Rutter's book This Golden Fleece: A Journey through Britain's Knitted History aims to unpick what textiles mean to us - including how they became part of the treatment for mental health problems. Learning a skill by following a pattern, connecting with other people and being distracted from everyday worries tick some of the boxes which we associate with wellbeing. But it's hard to pin down exactly which elements can boost our mood. Dr Sarah McKay author of The Woman's Brain Book: the Neuroscience of Health, Hormones and Happiness assesses whether we need hard evidence to carry on casting on.

The charity Fine Cell Work has been teaching prisoners embroidery, needlepoint and quilting for 25 years. CEO Victoria Gillies says the idea is to rehabilitate prisoners and ex-prisoners as they sew high-quality elaborate cushions and footstools. We hear about the difference it's made to stitchers like Ben.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

It’s been another busy year on the BBC’s Health Check, where we’ve brought you the health and science stories that matter to you from around the globe, week in, week out.

In this episode, Claudia Hammond is joined by Dr Ann Robinson to pick out some of the biggest breakthroughs of the year, from major advancements in gene therapy for two debilitating blood conditions, to a huge leap forward on treatment for dementia, and what looks like the conclusion of a long-running medical mystery.

Claudia also hears about new findings on the best way to remember the important things in life – is it writing a list? Tech aides? Or a bit of both? And findings from a new German study on how psychology could be used to help close the gender pay gap.

And we’ll look at the current rise in infections in Europe associated with the streptococcus bacteria – why is this happening now and how can you spot the signs of more serious infection?

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

We’ve grown used to hearing about potential new treatments for Covid-19 – well here’s another. Researchers in Britain have, by chance, discovered that a tablet used to treat liver disease for decades could be repurposed to stop Covid-19 in its tracks.

The drug appears to shut a crucial ‘doorway’ the virus uses to get into our cells – and scientists are excited about its potential to tackle different variants and provide a low-cost weapon in the pandemic. We hear how researchers used a combination of ‘mini organs’, animals and humans to show how it could work – and what needs to happen next to confirm the findings.

The BBC’s Anna Holligan reports from the cycle-friendly Netherlands on an innovative new bike donation scheme that is being used to break down barriers and improve mental health for refugees and in deprived communities.

And Claudia Hammond’s guest this week is Dr Graham Easton, a family doctor and professor of clinical communication skills at Queen Mary University of London. He delves into new research that suggests short bursts of vigorous activity could reduce risk of death and finds out which Olympic sports are most likely to cause injuries. Spoiler: It’s not the more traditional ones…

(Picture: Liver organoid – or ‘mini-liver’ – infected with SARS-CoV-2 (red indicates the virus). Photo credit: Teresa Brevini).

Presenter: Claudia Hammond

Claudia meets Professor Elizabeth Stokoe author of 'Crisis Talk' whose research shows when preventing a suicide, that words really do matter and can save lives during a crisis. Through analysing real time recordings of actual conversations between people in crisis and police negotiators, new findings highlight what can work and what doesn't.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond