Latest news with #KingsCollegeLondon
Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Ceasefire agreement 'harder' to reach as Israel strikes Syria
Ceasefire agreement 'harder' to reach as Israel strikes Syria Quotable 'I don't think that Israel and Syria are going to reach an agreement any time soon.' Robert Geist Pinfold, a lecturer at King's College London, explains why the Israeli attacks on Syria's capital Damascus will make it harder to reach a ceasefire agreement between the two countries. Video Duration 01 minutes 05 seconds 01:05 Video Duration 01 minutes 14 seconds 01:14 Video Duration 01 minutes 37 seconds 01:37 Video Duration 01 minutes 10 seconds 01:10 Video Duration 01 minutes 02 seconds 01:02 Video Duration 01 minutes 00 seconds 01:00 Video Duration 01 minutes 47 seconds 01:47
Telegraph
16-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
What your headache is trying to tell you
How often do you feel the ominous sensation of a headache coming on? From a mild twinge after staring at a screen for too long, to a severe throb which makes work impossible, more than half the world's population has suffered from some form of 'headache disorder' recently, according to the most recent Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. But despite their prevalence, most of us never question what they might mean for our overall health. 'The vast majority are primary headaches, which means they don't have an external cause, such as viral meningitis or a head injury,' says Peter Goadsby, a professor of neurology at King's College London. 'The tendency to experience primary headache disorders is inherited, and then things in life will amplify it.' Overall, there are more than 100 different clinical categories of headaches, ranging from those that can be tackled with paracetamol to frequent, seriously debilitating ones. Here is a guide to some of the most common headaches and their causes, as well as ways of preventing and treating them. Around 10 million adults in Britain suffer from migraines, which costs the country approximately £2.3 billion every year in lost working days. They are characterised as a severe throbbing headache on one side of the head, which lasts between four and 72 hours and can be accompanied by blurred vision, nausea and acute sensitivity to sight and sound. The most common trigger for migraines is variation, according to Prof Goadsby. 'Changing sleeping habits – getting too much or too little – skipping meals, suddenly starting to do overly extreme exercise, stress, drinking too much alcohol and a change in weather can all trigger a migraine,' he says. It's rare to have one reliable trigger; for most people, it's caused by a number of factors coming together. And Prof Goadsby points out that some of what people assume are triggers – bright light, for example – are part of the initial stage of the migraine itself, before the headache hits. Migraines are under-diagnosed and under-treated, says Dr Ben Turner, a consultant neurologist at London Bridge Hospital. 'There's a tendency to think a headache is only a migraine if there's visual disturbance, when this only happens to 20 per cent of people,' he says. How to treat them Migraines are ' highly treatable, so if your GP hasn't been able to help, seek a referral to a specialist and you're likely to find you've been suffering unnecessarily for years,' says Dr Turner. Triptans have long been used for migraine attacks, but recently a new class of drugs called gepants have become available, which are more effective, broadly tolerated and can be used to prevent as well as treat migraines. The most excruciating form of headache, confined to one side of the head, cluster headaches last for an hour or two, often waking sufferers in the night. They are rare, and those affected – most commonly men – have rated the pain at 9.7 out of 10 – worse than childbirth at 7.2, a gunshot wound at 6 and a migraine at 5.4. They will usually become agitated and feel the need to move around, rocking and possibly hitting their head. 'It will happen every day, once or twice a day, for six to eight weeks at a time,' says Prof Goadsby. The exact cause is unknown, but these headaches affect an area of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, a tiny region in the hypothalamus which acts as the body's central circadian pacemaker, regulating daily rhythms including the sleep-wake cycle. This may explain why cluster headaches tend to appear at the same time each day, and even occur at the same time each year. 'Peak times [for cluster headaches] tend to be spring and autumn, and in between, it's completely turned off,' says Prof Goadbsy. How to treat them Cluster headaches are sometimes misdiagnosed as dental pain or acute allergies because of symptoms including a watery eye and a stuffy nose on the painful side. They require specialist treatments to relieve the pain, such as oxygen therapy, sumatriptan injections or nasal spray. The drug verapamil, taken as a tablet several times a day, is the main treatment for prevention, but it can cause heart problems in some people. The most common type of headache, tension headaches cause a steady, mild to moderate ache that can feel like a tight band or pressure around the head, and can usually be alleviated with aspirin, paracetamol or ibuprofen. Unlike migraines, they do not cause nausea, vomiting or sensitivity to light and sound. Often caused by poor posture and stiffness in the neck muscles, or eye strain, they can also be an indication of dehydration, lack of sleep, emotional stress, or too much caffeine. How to treat them Tension-type headaches – their official term – usually get better when someone moves around, particularly outdoors, so factoring in plenty of screen breaks is crucial. Gentle stretches, massages and heat on sore muscles can also be beneficial. Prof Goadsby warns that if you're regularly getting headaches after staring at a screen for extended periods, there could be another underlying cause. 'A good starting point would be to get your eyes checked by an optician, but for most people in this situation, it's not a tension-type headache but migraine.' A sinus headache is a symptom of a sinus infection (sinusitis), where the lining of the sinuses becomes inflamed and swollen, causing congestion and a dull pain behind the eyes, in the cheekbones, forehead or bridge of the nose. Research has shown that between 50 and 80 per cent of cases labelled as sinus headaches are actually misdiagnosed migraines. Dr Taylor says neurologists often see patients in this situation. 'Unless there's significant nasal congestion and discharge, it isn't sinusitis,' he says. 'We see GPs prescribing antibiotics to clear an infection, but if the problem is really migraine, they won't have any effect.' How to treat them Usually the infection clears in seven to 10 days, and using over-the-counter painkillers such as Sudafed can help manage the pain. The vast majority of us will experience a dehydration headache at some point if we've been too busy to ensure we drink enough water. But why does dehydration manifest as a headache? The hypothalamus in the brain acts as a control centre, regulating bodily functions such as body temperature, hunger and thirst. If we become dehydrated, 'this area of the brain will be overstimulated,' says Prof Goadsby. 'In those who are susceptible, it can trigger migraine.' How to treat them Drinking 2-2½ litres of fluid a day (around six to eight glasses) is essential to keep headaches at bay. Drinking too much caffeine can cause headaches for some people, but conversely, if you are a regular tea or coffee drinker, suddenly reducing your intake can also trigger them. Caffeine's stimulating effects are exerted primarily by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that promotes sleepiness and relaxation by slowing down nerve cell activity. 'When you withdraw caffeine, you get a headache from the sudden increase in adenosine activity,' says Prof Goadsby. How to treat them Over-the-counter pain relief should help, but don't use it too often. 'If you're taking painkillers more than three days a week, it will give you a headache,' says Dr Taylor. Research shows that medication overuse can turn episodic headaches into chronic headache disorders, increasing their frequency and intensity. Ophthalmodynia periodica, or ice-pick headache, is characterised by sudden, sharp stabbing pains behind the eyes which last for a few seconds at a time and can spread to the rest of your head. 'It comes from nowhere, and you can't stop it,' says Prof Goadsby. The exact causes are unknown, though a 2017 study found that these types of headaches are more common in women, and tend to affect people who usually suffer from migraines or cluster headaches. 'Around a third of migraine sufferers experience this kind of headache,' Prof Goadbsy adds. How to treat them 'You just need to pause, let it play out and it will pass,' says Prof Goadsby. If they are happening frequently (over several consecutive days) and having a debilitating impact, seeing a doctor to rule out an underlying cause is a must. Can headaches be hormonal? Migraines disproportionately affect women – 20.7 per cent globally compared with 9.7 per cent of men, according to one 2022 review of research. For women aged 18 to 49, migraine is the leading cause of disability throughout the world. This is believed to be a result of hormonal fluctuations, particularly oestrogen, with migraines often most commonly occurring during a woman's reproductive and childbearing years. Researchers estimate around 50 to 60 per cent of women with migraines experience menstrual migraines, occurring in the days leading up to menstruation, when oestrogen drops. 'It peaks at around the age of 40 for women, and if you begin to experience migraines around this time, it's often the first sign of the hormonal fluctuations which come with perimenopause,' says Prof Goadsby. 'After menopause, women have a four-out-of-five chance of migraines going away completely.' If headaches are debilitating during perimenopause, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can lessen their frequency and severity in some women. In others, it can worsen them, so speak to your GP about options. How can you prevent headaches? Many types of headaches can be prevented or at least reduced in frequency or severity. Proven prevention strategies include: Drinking enough water Keeping a consistent sleep and eating schedule Exercising regularly Managing stress Eating a healthy diet Supplementing with magnesium and vitamin B2 Lifestyle changes, including maintaining a consistent sleep and eating schedule, drinking enough water and taking regular moderate exercise, are the simplest and most effective place to start. Relaxing after stress is a known trigger, which explains why some people wake up after a lie-in on a Saturday with a pounding headache. This is because, as your levels of stress hormones drop, there is a rapid release of neurotransmitters which send out impulses to blood vessels to constrict then dilate, which causes a headache. Prof Goadsby says: 'It may sound slightly hair shirt, but it's better to resist the temptation to lie in and get up at the same time every day.' Managing stress throughout the week is vital, too. Techniques such as deep breathing, meditation or even a 10-minute walk around the block during a lunch break can help prevent stress levels climbing too high. Eating a healthy diet is also likely to help. Keeping blood sugar levels steady by avoiding too many refined white carbohydrates and replacing them with fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and wholegrains is sensible. It's often believed chocolate is a trigger, but according to Prof Goadsby: 'Research indicates that during the 'premonitory' early phase of a migraine, people may crave certain foods. So rather than triggering the migraine, reaching for a chocolate bar could be a warning that a migraine is starting.' A 2025 review of research concluded that taking magnesium is effective in reducing migraine attack frequency and severity. Taking 400mg per day of riboflavin, or vitamin B2 supplements, for at least three months has also been shown to have a similarly positive effect.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Doctors Are Warning That Ozempic's Severe Side Effects May Outweigh Its Benefits
As weight loss jabs like Ozempic and Wegovy become ever more popular, doctors are growing increasingly concerned about their gnarly side effects. As Germany's Deutsche Welle notes, people who take glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist/receptors, the class of drugs that the popular shots fall under, have reported everything from stomach issues and vision changes to erectile dysfunction and even suicide. Though clinical trials for these kinds of drugs didn't report tons of adverse effects, King's College London physician Penny Ward explained in an interview with DW that real-world patients will often experience more — and more disparate — side effects after trials have concluded. "Rarer side effects may emerge as more patients take these medicines in clinical practice, simply as a result of the much larger number of people treated than were included in the clinical development trials," the doctor noted. "This is why we continue to monitor the safety of medicines on the market." In the few years since GLP-1s have flooded the market, changed American food consumption, and utterly upended the weight loss industry, a handful of studies have looked into some of their scarier side effects — and their results aren't exactly inspiring. Last summer, Harvard researchers revealed a troubling link between semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a condition that blocks blood flow to the eyes and can cause blindness. In that study, people with diabetes who take semaglutide were found to be four times more likely to develop NAION than the average person — and although there are some complicating factors, that's nothing to scoff at. More recently, doctors at Washington University in St. Louis found that people who take GLP-1s have increased rates of kidney problems and pancreatitis — a disorder that the United Kingdom's medical regulator has, separately, begun investigating. While there's tons of studies into the constellation of health benefits these drugs can have outside of weight loss, there hasn't been as much research into their of adverse effects — and what's already out there might not represent the full population of people who take them. Though women make up an estimated 65 percent of GLP-1 users in the United States, per the healthcare market analysis group Real Chemistry, there have only been a few studies that take into account how different genders respond to the drugs. According to Karolina Skibicka, a neuroendocrinologist from the University of Calgary in Canada, that's a problem. "We need studies which include women," Skibicka told DW. "Women show unique side-effects to many pharmacotherapies, and still [in] most studies women are often underrepresented at various stages of testing." Though the Canadian neuroendocrinologist still believes that the "list of benefits for this drug, if taken as prescribed, is still significantly longer and more impactful than risks," doctors and patients alike need to be able to make that cost-benefit analysis together. And without sufficient study into risks, that analysis is skewed in the favor of high-grossing drug manufacturers — which is bad news for the people who may bear the brunt of these potentially serious side effects. More on Ozempic: Something Comically Bad Just Happened to the Inventor of Ozempic
Al Jazeera
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Relocating 600,000 Gazans in 60 days 'simply not possible'
Relocating 600,000 Gazans in 60 day 'simply not possible' Quotable Rob Geist Pinfold, an international security lecturer at King's College London, explains Israel's plan to displace 600,000 Palestinians from Gaza by making the territory unlivable. Video Duration 00 minutes 50 seconds 00:50 Video Duration 01 minutes 41 seconds 01:41 Video Duration 01 minutes 20 seconds 01:20 Video Duration 01 minutes 00 seconds 01:00 Video Duration 01 minutes 14 seconds 01:14 Video Duration 00 minutes 50 seconds 00:50 Video Duration 01 minutes 21 seconds 01:21
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Twice-weekly exercise plan can reduce arthritis pain in less than two months
Researchers have developed an exercise routine which can reduce agonising arthritis pain in less than two months. The innovative workout is designed specifically for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy joint tissue, leading to painful swelling. It involves patients carrying out a series of resistance training exercises while wearing a cuff – a tight strap that restricts blood flow to the limb. A study, published this month, found that arthritis patients who did two hour-long sessions of this exercise routine every week saw significant improvements to their pain levels and muscle strength in less than eight weeks. Experts are now calling for the programme to be tested on NHS patients – in combination with medicines – in order to tackle the debilitating condition. 'This is a brand new approach to helping arthritis patients exercise,' says Dr Mark Russell, a lecturer in rheumatology at King's College London. 'Along with medication, we know that exercise is really important to improving the pain patients experience. 'This approach definitely deserves further investigation.' More than 1.3 million people in the UK have rheumatoid arthritis. The most common symptoms are joint pain, swelling and stiffness. Typically these occur in the hands and feet but are also known to affect other joints. Many patients also experience fatigue, sweating, poor appetite and weight loss. It is not known what triggers rheumatoid arthritis but women are three times more likely to develop it than men. It is also thought to run in families. The disease cannot be cured but there are a number of drugs which can control the symptoms. The most common are a form of medicines called biologics which limit the immune system's attacks on joint tissue. The most common of these regular injections is a drug called adalimumab. However, along with medicine, experts say patients are advised to regularly exercise. This is because research shows that physical activity reduces the painful symptoms and also improves mobility in stiff joints. But experts say many rheumatoid arthritis patients struggle to exercise due to their pain. As a result, patients are also more likely to have lower muscle strength than healthy people. This is because, due to their symptoms, they are generally less likely to exercise. Studies show that a lack of muscle strength in old age raises the risk of life-threatening falls. 'We know that the best way to prevent muscle loss is resistance training – using weights,' says Dr Russell. 'And there's very good research that shows that regular exercise lowers pain levels. 'But I often hear from patients who say that they worry that exercising will make their symptoms worse, so they end up avoiding it.' In the new study, carried out by researchers at the University of South Australia, rheumatoid arthritis patients were asked to carry out a series of weight-based exercises, focusing on the leg and arm muscles. However, these exercises were done while wearing a tight blood flow-restricting cuff around whichever limb they were using at the time. The aim of this approach is to make the muscles work harder, as they require oxygen for energy which is transported by the blood. Without this oxygen, the researchers argue, the muscle tissue is put under more strain, which ultimately increases strength. The experts involved in the research say this approach allows patients to lift relatively light weights – thereby avoiding the risk of injury or flare-ups – while also building muscle strength. Around 100 patients took part in the trial. After two months – during which time the size of the weights was gradually increased – the researchers found that participants showed significant improvements in strength, movement and pain levels. 'Rheumatoid arthritis can cause a loss of muscle mass and strength, which affects day-to-day activities, independence, and increases the risk of falls and fractures,' says Dr Hunter Bennett, a lecturer in exercise and sports science at the University of South Australia and lead researcher of the study. 'Resistance training is one of the best ways to rebuild that strength. This kind of training could be a game-changer for people with rheumatoid arthritis. 'It offers a way to build strength without pushing through discomfort. That's incredibly empowering for people who've often been limited by their condition.'
