People are dying in Irish hospitals due to A&E delays. It is time to declare a national emergencyAnd that should mean fast and effectively. For now our public hospitals are under such pressure that patient safety is endangered. Here’s how to proceedThu Jan 5 2023 - 05:00
Chrishaps: Are the Christmas holidays good for your health?Dr Muiris Houston: Falls, sprains, allergic reactions and high calorie intake are all part of the festive seasonMon Dec 26 2022 - 05:31
Is there any evidence to suggest religious practice boosts your health?Dr Muiris Houston: research indicates that routines and rituals of various kinds can be good for you .Mon Dec 12 2022 - 05:01
Strep A: When do normal symptoms become an emergency? Dr Muiris Houston on the recent spike in respiratory infections in children and when to seek medical advice for themWed Dec 7 2022 - 05:00
Setting the record straight on the term ‘immunity debt’Infectious disease experts say term and its surrounding narrative are dangerous and can promote Covid-19 misinformationMon Nov 28 2022 - 06:00
Dr Muiris Houston: How climate change is hurting our health in Ireland We are at higher risk of emerging diseases, heat-related illnesses and mental-health issuesTue Nov 15 2022 - 05:01
Dr Muiris Houston: Is laughter the best medicine?Dr Muiris Houston: ‘Laughing is contagious: it unites us, makes us more sociable and signals the end of fear or worry’Mon Oct 31 2022 - 06:01
Is it safe to have a Covid booster and a flu vaccine on the same day, doctor?flu to mount a major comeback this yearMon Oct 17 2022 - 05:01
Is the Covid-19 pandemic over? That depends on who you areDr Muiris Houston: Some experts say it’s best to think of pandemic’s end in terms of disease’s ongoing effects on humansMon Oct 3 2022 - 06:01
Why you need to get a Covid-19 booster vaccine this autumnDr Muiris Houston: Vaccine fatigue seeps through the populace amid unclear messaging about boosters and new bivalentsMon Sep 19 2022 - 05:31
Aspirin: From willow bark to the polypill, it’s been some journeyDr Muiris Houston: Aspirin is 125 years old and remains one of the world’s most used and most affordable drugsMon Sep 5 2022 - 06:01
Dr Muiris Houston: Why we need more research into long and mid-Covid-19Readers have helpfully cast light on debilitating effects of persisting Covid symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness and chest painMon Aug 22 2022 - 05:01
Monkeypox: Ignore the misinformation on social media. Here are the key things you need to know Dr Muiris Houston on whether you can catch the virus from clothes, whether it’s transmitted through the air, and moreMon Aug 22 2022 - 05:00
Booster vaccine: When and where can I get boosted, and why should I bother? Dr Muiris Houston: Are you entitled to a booster vaccine, and will it work against new strains?Wed Aug 10 2022 - 15:59
Dr Muiris Houston: We need to acknowledge ‘mid Covid’. Many are suffering in silenceIt’s time we focus on the considerable number who suffer symptoms directly after acute illnessMon Aug 8 2022 - 05:01
Muiris Houston: This week’s column is brought to you through a Covid brain fog Whether it was carelessness or bad luck, the virus has finally got me, but has Omicron lulled us all into a false sense of security?Mon Jun 27 2022 - 06:01
The stigma of obesity: Time for a hard look in the mirrorDr Muiris Houston: It is wrong to call obesity an epidemic as it frames larger people as inherently diseased and even a menace to societyMon Jun 13 2022 - 06:00
Childhood hepatitis: How to spot the severe illness and why it’s on the riseDr Muiris Houston: None of the usual viruses has been identified as a causeWed Apr 20 2022 - 12:01
Dr Muiris Houston: Omicron may push Delta out for goodLatest variant is likely to raise immunity, ushering in a sharp drop in transmissionMon Jan 10 2022 - 06:01
Novak Djokovic: What are the grounds for a medical exemption from Covid-19 vaccination?Dr Muiris Houston: In Ireland, medical exemptions from vaccination are rareThu Jan 6 2022 - 16:45
Bird flu virus is back, should we be worried?Experts concerned an avian flu variant could ‘jump’ and cause outbreak in humansSat Nov 27 2021 - 06:00
Do we need to reassess our confidence in the Covid-19 vaccine?Vaccines remain highly effective at preventing severe disease and deaths from Covid-19Tue Nov 2 2021 - 06:01
Rocky ride for Trudeau as election takes ugly, un-Canadian turnSaskatchewan Letter: PM targeted by Covid protesters with big parties neck and neckSun Sep 12 2021 - 20:00
We have entered a ‘pseudo-war’ phase of the Covid-19 pandemicCould future variants lengthen the pandemic or make vaccines less effective?Mon Aug 23 2021 - 06:01
Vaxxers: The inside story of the AstraZeneca vaccineBook review: Scientific discovery on this scale is rarely a Eureka moment for a lone geniusTue Aug 3 2021 - 06:00
Europe should approach new Alzheimer’s drug with careA decision by the US FDA to approve aducanumab has alarmed many expertsMon Jul 12 2021 - 06:01
When Anthony Clare met ‘calculating, disturbing’ Jimmy SavileLate psychiatrist felt a deep sense of foreboding when interviewing sexual predatorSun Oct 25 2020 - 06:00
Rise in coronavirus transmission seems inevitable as lockdown liftsIf there’s an outbreak in areas in Cork or Dublin, citywide lockdowns will followMon Jun 29 2020 - 06:01
How to screen for Covid-19 is still far from clearGetting the right testing criteria for coronavirus presents an ongoing medical challengeMon Apr 27 2020 - 02:36
A doctor writes: Where are all the non-Covid-19 patients?Staying in pandemic mode for three months means each GP will not see one person with a life-altering conditionTue Apr 7 2020 - 02:02
Coronavirus: Nagging doubts fill hospital staff’s headsWorries about PPE and ventilators creep in, while loss of smell emerges as odd symptomMon Mar 30 2020 - 05:00
Physical distancing steps are most effective against coronavirus, study suggestsResearch in Lancet Infectious Diseases journal investigates early-intervention measuresTue Mar 24 2020 - 18:38
Coronavirus: What should you do if you have symptoms?In a bid to disrupt the spread of this virus further advice is now available, so what is it?Sun Mar 15 2020 - 23:27
Dr Muiris Houston: Doctors travelling from high Covid-19 areas should self-isolatePotential impact on vulnerable patients could be ‘extremely serious’, says HPSCThu Mar 5 2020 - 20:00
Coronavirus: Myths that have gained tractionDespite myriad online claims for this virus, there is no specific anti-viral treatment for itFri Feb 28 2020 - 16:29
New virus about 20 times deadlier than regular fluFirst solid indication emerges of how lethal outbreak might beTue Feb 18 2020 - 19:40
Muiris Houston: Number of coronavirus cases likely to rise furtherA Doctor Writes . . . virus can spread between humans but unclear if it can do so during incubation periodTue Jan 28 2020 - 15:28
Could coronavirus become a Sars-like illness?A Doctor Writes: Person to person transmission of virus raises fears about it spreadingTue Jan 21 2020 - 12:18
Self-care best tonic for most as flu season stretches hospital capacityIt can take 10 days to recover but see doctor if you have diabetes or cardiovascular issuesFri Dec 27 2019 - 18:48
Man’s 4th Best Hospital review: satirical sequel to The House of GodSamuel Shem returns to the world of medical care, one now ruined by software and billingThu Dec 26 2019 - 06:00
Time to stop throwing good money after bad at the health serviceMuiris Houston: Adding €50m to the Budget will not solve the fundamental problemMon Dec 23 2019 - 00:04
Narcolepsy case raises important questions about vaccine approvalPandemrix process was much speedier than normal assessment period for new vaccinesWed Nov 20 2019 - 01:00
Risk of cancer from HRT is double that of original estimate, study showsA doctor writes: If you are already on HRT, stopping abruptly is not the answerSat Aug 31 2019 - 01:00
Dr Muiris Houston: Is surgery the ultimate placebo?We tend to overestimate the true effectiveness of medical proceduresMon Aug 26 2019 - 06:01
What should I do if I’m bitten by a Noble False Black Widow spider?Dr Muiris Houston takes a look at the health issues surrounding the insectsThu Jul 18 2019 - 18:17
Latest CervicalCheck controversy a communications failureA doctor writes: Contact GP if you’re worried about a recent test, says Muris HoustonFri Jul 12 2019 - 19:50
How does testing for foetal abnormality work?Termination may be offered where there is a condition likely to lead to the death of the foetus either before, or within 28 days of, birthFri May 17 2019 - 20:34
What do you buy a book-lover for their birthday? Not a bookBibliophile Muiris Houston’s present was a personal consultation in a bookshopMon Apr 29 2019 - 05:52
Dr Muiris Houston: Talk of a ‘cure’ for HIV is prematureThere are good reasons to be circumspect about the anti-HIV technique reported this weekSat Mar 9 2019 - 06:00
Let’s stop the war talk when it comes to cancerA recent poll shows most people with cancer are fed up with the language of battleMon Feb 25 2019 - 06:01