Don’t be afraid to cry – or to interrupt: doctors’ tips for making the most of your medical appointment

Be honest about your symptoms, voice your concerns, take notes, ask follow-up questions if you need to … GPs and surgeons explain how to make every minute count

My $30,000 health insurance claim was denied. Then I tweeted about it

Public shaming works – but it’s also a sign of how broken the appeals process is in the US health insurance industry

‘It’s not ethical and it’s not medical’: how UK rehab clinics are cashing in on NAD+

They are beloved by A-listers and surging in popularity. But claims that NAD+ infusions are a fix for addiction are unproven, risky – and possibly illegal, an Observer investigation reveals

The pill hasn’t been improved in years. No wonder women are giving up on it

When contraception has stagnated for decades, it is hardly surprising it’s fallen victim to culture wars and a wellness cult

‘The bot asked me four times a day how I was feeling’: is tracking everything actually good for us?

Gathering data used to be a fringe pursuit of Silicon Valley nerds. Now we’re all at it, recording everything from menstrual cycles and mobility to toothbrushing and time spent in daylight. Is this just narcissism redesigned for the big tech age?

What is nerve flossing and does it help with nerve pain?

It can help relieve pain and tension, especially for patients recovering from injury or nerve compression conditions

‘Grounding’ proponents say it helps us realign with the Earth’s electric charge – but the claims don’t land

Experts say the few scientific papers published about grounding – which can include walking barefoot outdoors or lying on the ground – lack scientific rigour

What I learned from a lovely woman on a packed ward in hospital

Healthy people are being forced to stay in hospital because of a lack of social care – and it’s an indictment of our current system, writes Zoe Williams

The Inherited Mind by James Longman review – a moving memoir of mental illness in the family

The TV reporter’s struggles with depression and the suicide of his father, whose own father killed himself, prompt this incisive, highly personal investigation

The unspoken agony of vaginal dryness: ‘I had to give up four jobs in four years’

Recently, there has been much more discussion of menopause. But one debilitating condition, experienced by 80% of women, remains shrouded in secrecy and misunderstanding

OurChemist

Our Chemist – Health