Medicine and Science from The BMJ

As public health officials warn about rising emissions from urban wood burning, a BMJ investigation finds that just under a third of UK councils in high use areas have faced pressure from the stove industry to tone down or withdraw campaigns. Almost a third of UK children live in poverty. Leading expert Michael Marmot weighs in on the UK’s "steepest rise" in child poverty among OECD countries and why local government "Marmot Cities" like Coventry and Manchester are taking the lead where national policy falls short. And, a new BMJ collection has just been published on child mental health in conflict zones. 1 in 5 children globally live in conflict zones, creating a staggering mental health toll. We hear about community-led interventions.   Reading list: The growing threat of domestic wood burning stoves—and industry’s legal attempts to shut down clean air campaigns Michael Marmot: Labour has reneged on its child poverty promises Child mental health in conflict settings

In this episode, we investigate the alarming resurgence of measles across North America and the UK. While cases are falling across much of Europe and Asia, North America is seeing explosive outbreaks fueled by vaccine hesitancy and political shifts. We break down the 2026 crisis: Why London is the epicenter and how the UK lost its "Measles Elimination Status". An in-depth look at outbreaks in Ontario, Alberta, Texas, and Mexico. How returning travelers—not migrants—are actually driving the spread. The impact of "shared clinical decision-making" and current US health leadership on vaccine access. Kamran Abbasi is joined by: Angela Rasmussen - Virologist, University of Saskatchewan. Azeem Majeed - Professor of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London.

In this week’s episode, we challenge long-held medical narratives, starting with how the healthcare system manages life after a cancer diagnosis. While medical advancements mean more people are surviving cancer than ever before, many patients report a "cliff-edge" experience where coordinated care effectively vanishes once primary treatment ends. We are joined by Dr. Rosalind Adam, an Academic GP at the University of Aberdeen, who argues that it is time to stop viewing cancer as a discrete, one-off episode and instead integrate it into routine chronic disease management.  Next, we dive into a landmark study from Sweden that is overturning the conventional notion of autism as a predominantly male condition. Historically, autism has been cited as having a 4:1 male-to-female ratio, but new data suggests this gap may be a byproduct of timing rather than biology. We speak with Dr. Caroline Fyfe, a medical epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh, and Dr. Natasha Marrus, a child psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis. They discuss their analysis of 2.7 million individuals, which revealed a significant female catch-up during adolescence, showing that by age 20, the diagnosis ratio approaches 1:1. The team explores why girls are so often missed in childhood and what this shift means for the future of sex-sensitive diagnostic practices. Reading List For more details on the research discussed in this episode, you can access the full papers on bmj.com: Cancer is a chronic disease: why don’t we treat it as one? Adam R, Hogg DR, Ritchie LD, Nekhlyudov L. BMJ 2026;392:e086624. Time trends in the male to female ratio for autism incidence: population based, prospectively collected, birth cohort study. Fyfe C, et al. BMJ 2026;392:e084164. Please subscribe to the Medicine & Science podcast on your favourite platform to get the latest episodes. If you enjoy our podcast, you can leave us a review or a comment on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.

The House of Lord's amendments to England and Wales assisted dying bill might be causing a constitutional crisis. Lords have tabled 1,277 amendments—which is a record for any equivalent bill in history - and over half of those came from just seven peers. This has led to accusations of "delaying tactics" or "filibustering" to run down the clock deliberately and run this bill off the road. Although some of these amendments have been described as unworkable, repetitious and unnecessary; others reflect serious, legitimate concerns, around the prevention of coercion, how to identify victims of domestic abuse and the broader impact on the disabled community, and whether it’s wise to introduce assisted dying while palliative and social care services are so stretched. 300 territories around the world, allow physician assisted death - so we asked experts from Canada and California to reflect on those objections, and if there is any evidence of this issues arising where they live. James Downer is Professor and Head of the Division of Palliative Care at the University of Ottawa, and Catherine Forest is clinical associate professor of family medicine at the University of California San Francisco.   Reading list: Scrutiny of the assisted dying bill is vital but obstruction in the House of Lords could mean it never becomes law

Deborah Cohen's new book "How the internet hijacked our health" explores the profound impact of the internet on our wellbeing. In this conversation with BMJ Editor, Kamran Abbasi, they discuss the ways in which online information can both empower and mislead, the role of big tech in shaping our wellbeing and the complex and disturbing ways wellness influencers are becoming more trusted than the NHS. With insights drawn from extensive research and a deep understanding of the digital landscape, Deborah Cohen sheds light on the critical issues at the intersection of technology and healthcare, and challenges anyone who consumes health information online to think differently about what they're doing.

We’re 18 months into the Labour government, and their changes to the NHS are beginning to be felt. In the 10 year plan that they launched last year, they announced three planned shifts for the health service.  Firstly, they pledge to move care from hospitals to the community, an increased focus on prevention rather than sickness, and shift from analogue to digital with an improved NHS app where patients can access records, seek advice and control some aspects of their care. However, accessing primary care and getting a GP appointment is still a key area of concern for patients and healthcare staff.  In a new research paper on bmj.com, a group of researchers have performed a qualitative study asking 70 patients about their experiences of accessing primary care in England. We're joined by Hugh Alderwick and Luisa Petigrew from the Health Foundation to discuss what the findings mean for the 10 year plan. Also this week, online gambling is a growing problem. The immediacy of access, combined with advertising and push notifications, and a proliferation of new gambling companies, undermines traditional ways of managing a gambling addiction. A new analysis argues that these new forms of online gambling requires new forms of regulation. Spencer Murch from the University of Calgery offers some ideas on how that could work.   Reading list Experience of access to general practice in England Policies to increase access to general practice may have unintended consequences Online gambling requires greater government regulation

This interview is available in video form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yNO47EfuEM ​‪ @RichardJMurphy‬, political economist and tax campaigner, joins Kamran Abbasi, Editor in Chief of The BMJ. In the UK an ongoing dispute between resident doctors and the Labour Government saw doctors go on strike in mid-December. With Winter pressure piling on and cost-of-living on the rise, do doctors have a credible case of pay rises? And more broadly, how can the economic situation of the NHS be improved? 00:00 Introduction 01:30 Doctor Pay Claims 04:33 Inflation Measures 07:29 Affordability Crisis 09:48 Market Forces Arguments 12:52 NHS Affordability 15:00 Youth Unemployment 19:14 Political Priorities 23:10 Neoliberal Capitalism 27:35 Mixed Economy Alternative 32:32 Prescription for NHS

The class of GLP-1 agonist drugs including Ozempic gained a wide reputation for weight loss in 2025. However, it's well established that weight regain is a common result after people stop their doses. We report on new research which aims to quantify what is happening in the here-and-now for patients who stop using these and similar drugs. Weight regain after cessation of medication for weight management: systematic review and meta-analysis    Also, The BMJ reports on news from Gaza. The Israeli government has issued new directives to strip 37 NGOs of their licences to provide essential aid to the population. This includes Médecins Sans Frontières, the charity directly supporting many of the critically important hospitals in the territory. Gaza is experiencing an especially harsh Winter and MSF warn that this measure could leave Palestinians without lifesaving medical care. Gaza: Israel moves to ban dozens of aid groups in "cynical and calculated" move  Gaza in winter: 29 day old baby dies of hypothermia amid dire conditions   The BMJ’s annual appeal is supporting the work of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Around the world, MSF teams are providing maternity care, containing outbreaks, and performing vital surgeries. In areas overwhelmed by conflicts and natural disasters, more lives can be saved when we are in the right place at the right time. Donate today at https://msf.org.uk/bmj-annual-appeal-2025

This episode is available in video form on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1cGrD47eZSk  American science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson joins Kamran Abbasi to discuss climate disaster, the need for political imagination, and science fiction's vision for health. Kim Stanley Robinson is the acclaimed author of a trilogy of novels, exploring the terraforming and settlement of Mars. His most recent novel, 'Ministry for the Future', was published in 2020. 'Ministry for the Future' sets out a vision for real solutions to our climate crisis, covering global finance, the animal kingdom, rising sea levels, energy production and much more. The book imagines a Ministry that begins its work in 2025. Five years after publication, with 2025 past and gone, The BMJ spoke to Robinson to explore how closely the novel's vision for the future has reflected reality. 01:00 BMJ's New Climate Change Initiative 01:21 Kim Stanley Robinson's Ministry for the Future 04:02 The Role of Political Violence in Climate Action 10:50 The Concept of the Carbon Coin 12:51 The Importance of Global Collaboration 27:32 The Role of Medicine in Climate Change 32:33 Youth and Climate Activism 37:53 Hope and Despair in Climate Action 41:29 Conclusion and Future Works Read more about The BMJ's climate coverage in the latest issue: https://www.bmj.com/content/392/8479

It’s time for 2025’s festive fun! Practicing medicine can be a very visceral experience - and the English language can’t always adequately capture the sights, sounds, smells. So Matt Morgan, intensivist and BMJ columnist, is creating medical neologisms, and joins us to share a few. Madhvi Joshi, a GP in London, has written about longevity science, and we hear how the “biohacking” of internet influencers like Bryan Johnson is making its way into the consultation. Navjoyt Ladher and Tim Feeny take us though this year’s festive research, and are joined by Anupam Bapu Jena from Harvard, who has been looking at self censorship in the time of Trump, and Melanie de Lange, from the university of Bristol, who has been investigating the impact of daylight savings time. Reading list: A dictionary for medicine’s unnamed moments https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2476 Science of longevity medicine  https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj.r2536  Changes in diversity language in National Institutes of Health grant awards https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj-2025-087222  Acute effects of daylight saving time clock changes on mental and physical health in England https://www.bmj.com/content/391/bmj-2025-085962 

In this episode, we hear how Generative AI is making it into the consultation room - but not through NHS endorsed routes - surveys suggest that ⅔ of doctors are using AI, for backoffice tasks - but also increasingly for information and diagnosis.   David Navarro, a research fellow in generative AI at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Charlotte Blease, associate professor at the Participatory eHealth and Health Data Research Group at Uppsala University, and Marcus Lewis, GP in London, reflect on what we know about the real way in gen AI is being used - and what “triadic care” (doctor, patient and AI) will mean for the future of the therapeutic relationship.   We also hear from Teppo Järvinen, professor of orthopaedic surgery at Helsinki University, about surgical subacromial decompression - a 10 year follow up of a double blinded placebo controlled trial, confirms that surgery is no more effective than standard care. Yet surgical interventions continue - we hear why.   Finally, we go to a Cholera clinic in Nigeria, where Médecins Sans Frontières are running cholera treatment centres, which you can help by donating to our Christmas appeal.   Links Generative AI and the clinical encounter   The BMJ appeal 2025-26: Inside MSF’s response to cholera in Nigeria: a day in the life of an emergency doctor   Arthroscopic subacromial decompression versus placebo surgery for subacromial pain syndrome

There is an enormous amount of research on treatment for ADHD - pharmaceutical and otherwise. But not all of those trials, or meta-analyses, are of high quality; and not many compare the whole literature.  Now a new umbrella review - a review of reviews - tries to give a broad overview of the whole evidence base. Corentin Gosling, associate professor at the Université Paris Nanterre, joins us to set out the benefits and harms of ADHD therapies.   Also, the BMJ’s been investigating the employment of doctors on “local” contracts in the NHS - and our latest look at this exposes what some have described as a “gig economy”, with doctors plugging rota gaps but missing out on training, development, and salary progression. Rebecca Coombes, head of journalism at The BMJ explains more.   Finally, Tom Frieden is former head of the US Centers for Disease Control, and current CEO of Resolve to Save Lives - he’s written a new book on public health. He joins us to talk about what actually improves health at a population level, and why the current US administration’s approach to staffing the CDC is leaving the country open to danger.   Reading list Benefits and harms of ADHD interventions: umbrella review and platform for shared decision making Revealed: Thousands of NHS doctors are trapped in insecure “gig economy” contracts  

  "Damning” and “unforgivable failures” is how some papers headlines reacted to criticism of former UK prime minister Boris Johnson in the second of 10 reports from the UK Covid Inquiry. Under pressure, in 2001 Boris Johnson announced a covid inquiry led by a former judge, Baroness Hallett. Each report is examining a different area of the pandemic's impact, and module 2 is about decision making and political governance. The report describes inertia, toxic cultures, and an inability to learn lessons - disfunction that contributed to many extra deaths.  To dissect the report and discuss what needs to change, we're joined by; Rebecca Coombes - The BMJ’s head of journalism Kevin Fong - anaesthetist and lead for major incident planning at University College Hospital Matthew Flinders - Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the University of Sheffield  

It’s the BMJ’s annual climate issue - and in this episode, we’ll be hearing about more ways in which climate mitigation is good for health.   Firstly, climate change is fuelling conflict, and exacerbating the impact it has on fragile healthcare systems. Andy Haines, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Barbora Sedova, from Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, discuss how climate and conflict intersect, and what they think needs to be done to combat it.   “Car spreading”, the recent tendency for cars to become bigger and heavier is not only harming the climate, but it’s also harming pedestrians.  Anthony Laverty, associate professor of public health at Imperial College London, and trauma surgeon Cleo Kenington explain why SUVs are more lethal in accidents, and why France is bucking the trend in sales.   Finally, Jocalyn Clark, the BMJ’s international editor joins us to talk about women’s health innovation and why tech bros aren’t the people to be leading it.   Reading list:   The climate issue: Brazil and the climate crisis   Tackling the complex links between climate change, conflict, and health   Reducing the harms from ever larger cars   Transforming women’s health through innovation

Far right rallies have been held across the UK, culminating in a large parade in London where Elon Musk spoke. At the same time, politicians from across the political spectrum are following the talking points of far right parties - and shifting their policies rightward, even the Labour home secretary has said she wishes to double the period migrants have to be in the UK before they can become citizens. That has made a group of medics decide it’s time for doctors and other healthcare professionals to use their voice and speak up - against the demonisation of migrants into the UK, and for their fellow NHS staff. They are demanding that those in positions of power do so too.   Some of those medics join us on the podcast today; Alistair Stewart, consultant psychiatrist in Manchester  Omnya Ahmed, resident doctor in London  Jordan Rivera, occupational therapist in London   Also this week, doctor, researcher, comedian and Matt Hutchinson is adding author to his list, and has released the book “Are You Really the Doctor? My Life as a Black Doctor in the NHS” - he joins Shivali Fulchand to talk about balancing all of this bits of his career - and how standup comedy has helped him maintain his career in the NHS.   Reading list Everybody’s business: call to all NHS staff to oppose the influence of racism and the far right

This week on the podcast The BMJ investigates Q-COLLAR, an American device that distributors claim can reduce brain injury from contact sports. Investigators James Smoliga and Mu Yang take us through the evidence, and former NFL punter turned US bobsled team member Johnny Townsend explains what this means for sportspeople. Bin Wang from Zhejiang University School of Medicine explains what the new network metaanalysis finds is the best exercise options for knee osteoarthritis And, what our patient panel really think about “patient choice”.   links How an FDA cleared “brain protection” device built on shaky science made it to the NFL Comparative efficacy and safety of exercise modalities in knee osteoarthritis The BMJ's patient and public partnership

In this episode of the podcast; In July this year, the Government published their 10 year health plan for England - A new analysis just published on BMJ.com takes an in depth look at the chances of that plan succeeding, and where the government needs to focus time and resources. Bob Klaber, paediatrician and director of strategy, research and innovation at Imperial College Healthcare, and Helen Salisbury, GP and columnist for the BMJ join us to discuss. Journalist Chris Stoker-Walker's grandfather suffered from delirium at the end of his life, but the journey to that diagnosis was difficult - Chris joins us to talk about the impact that had on his family, and Elizabeth Sampson, professor of liaison psychiatry from Queen Mary University of London, explains why it's under-researched. Finally, we've been reporting from Gaza for 2 years, and it's been very difficult to get accurate information out of the region. However, new research published on bmj.com has surveyed medics there, to document the patterns of wounding in the civilian population - to improve the medical response to the conflict. Omar El-Taji and Ameer Ali, resident doctors in the NHS join us to explain what they found.   Reading list: Delivering on the 10 year health plan for England Why can’t we do anything about delirium? Patterns of war related trauma in Gaza during armed conflict  

In today’s episode: Assisted Dying moves closer to becoming UK law. The proposed legislation to allow people to end their own lives has moved through a second debate in the House of Lords. What do MPs and doctors think of the Bill as it stands? And, new ways to pull research findings from observation alone makes us question whether correlation really doesn’t equal causation. We find out - what is Target Trial Emulation? The BMJ’s Elisabeth Mahase speaks to Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, sponsor of the Assisted Dying Bill. Why did she propose the legislation? What has been her impression of its movement through Parliament and the opposition it has faced? We also hear from Jamilla Hussain and Gareth Owen, doctors who attended a BMJ parliamentary roundtable on the topic. Finally, the BMJ’s Duncan Jarvies talks to our research editors about new ways to develop evidence from observational studies. What are the limits to this new technique of causal inference? Reading list MP behind assisted dying bill warns that terminally ill people and their families are being failed, ahead of Lords debate Assisted dying bill: Lords debate concerns over lack of safeguards Transparent reporting of observational studies emulating a target trial: the TARGET Statement

In today’s episode: Rethinking how we measure the harm caused by the  arms industry The life long, and multigenerational, impact of starvation in Gaza What is the appropriate focus on prevention in general practice?   The BMJ's international editor, Jocalyn Clark talks about a new series we've just published - examining the arms industry as a commercial determinant of health. Jocalyn also speaks to Mark Bellis, from Liverpool John Moores university about why he thinks it’s time we take the impact of the arms industry on health seriously. The blockade on food reaching Gaza is in place again, risking more starvation. Elizabeth Mahase, clinical reporter for the BMJ, has been finding out about the acute, chronic, and generational impact on the palestinian population. She speaks to Jonathan Wells, professor of anthropology and paediatric nutrition at University College London, and Tessa Roseboom, professor of early development and health at the University of Amsterdam, Marie McGrath former head of the Emergency Nutrition Network, and Chris McIntosh, humanitarian response advisor for the charity, Oxfam. Finally, an analysis we published earlier this year made the case that "tsunami" of preventative care is destabilised the work of GPs. Helen Macdonald was at the Preventing Overdiagnosis conference and spoke to some of the authors - Minna Johansson, associate professor at University of Gothenberg, Stephen Martin, professor at UMass Chan Medical School, and Iona Heath, retired GP and former president of the RCGP.   Reading list Arms industry as a commercial determinant of health Starvation is a lifelong sentence: Gaza’s civilians must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law Sacrificing patient care for prevention: distortion of the role of general practice  

CRISPR technology has revolutionised biological research, and for the first time it’s out of the lab and into the NHS, as NICE has approved its use as cost effective. Kenneth Charles, senior lecturer in haematology at the University of the West Indies explains how the treatment works, and what concerns he has about it's implementation. Also this week, a new investigation on bmj.com has looked at a number of British companies who are offering to collect children's teeth for stem cell extraction and storage. Freelance investigative journalist Emma Wilkinson explains the "outrageous" claims she found them making. Finally - we’re finishing with the football. Team GB had a strong showing this year -  our over 25 men’s team brought the trophy home, and our womans team competed for the first time To explain more about the medical world cup we're joined by Minnan Al-Khafaji, captain of the women’s team, and Jamie Thoroughgood, captain of the men’s team.   Read more. Banking baby teeth: companies may be misleading parents with “outrageous claims” CRISPR therapy for sickle cell disease Follow the British Medical Football Team on instagram