‘I would be horrified to see tattoos or a nose ring on an attending doctor’There was a huge response to a column on presentation and professionalismMon Jul 23 2018 - 06:01
Why you should hug your doctor the next time you see themResearch shows if you see the same doctor you are likely to reduce your risk of deathMon Jul 16 2018 - 06:01
Would you care if your doctor had a ‘Mad Max’ tattoo?Research into doctors’ appearance finds body art doesn’t affect patient trust. But piercings ...Mon Jul 09 2018 - 06:01
Anabolic steroids and adolescents’ culture of invulnerabilityDr Muiris Houston: Risks associated with sex, dosage and duration of administrationFri Jul 06 2018 - 01:53
Dental neglect: A painful reality for 37% of Irish children37% of HSE dentists see children with neglected dentition at least daily, study findsMon Jul 02 2018 - 06:01
Heatwave health risks: From dehydration to heat strokeA Doctor Writes: Health effects of hot weather linked to the body’s ability to adaptMon Jun 25 2018 - 15:16
Traveller’s diarrhoea: from Delhi belly to the Kathmandu quickstep to Montezuma's revengeIt’s common and it’s unpleasant but it’s usually transient and rarely life-threateningMon Jun 18 2018 - 08:55
Hopefully, you were able to sleep in over the Bank Holiday weekend – your body will thank you‘Short (weekday) sleep is not a risk factor for mortality if it is combined with a medium or long weekend sleep’Mon Jun 04 2018 - 08:01
Six out of every 10 human infections spread by animalsDozens of cases of ebola reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent weeksMon May 28 2018 - 06:00
Home-based abortion by medication will become Irish normMethod shown to be highly effective and safe when used up to 22 weeks of pregnancyMon May 28 2018 - 01:10
Pregnant pause: why expectant mothers with medical conditions stop taking medicationThe exclusion of pregnant women from drug trials means there is little drug-safety information for them to rely onMon May 21 2018 - 08:01
Why are some people unaffected by mental health problems?Dr Muiris Houston: Emotional resilience, the ability to deal with difficulty, can be learnedMon May 14 2018 - 07:01
Opinion: Trust in HSE must be earned from ground upThe HSE keeps getting the basics wrong. It’s time for organisational change, writes Muiris HoustonSat May 12 2018 - 00:00
When it comes to health checks, no news is not good newsCervicalCheck tragedy shows risks in communication failures not widely appreciatedMon May 07 2018 - 10:01
CervicalCheck: How did such a huge communications failure occur?Public trust in Ireland’s health service continues to be eroded, writes Dr Muiris HoustonThu May 03 2018 - 21:46
Four months free of chemo or six months with it?Dr Muiris Houston on the big decision faced by many terminally ill cancer patientsMon Apr 30 2018 - 07:01
Phelan case: The days of doctor knows best are behind usAnalysis: CervicalCheck review should extend to all screening programmesSat Apr 28 2018 - 01:00
A doctor writes: Can women trust CervicalCheck?Can women have confidence in the national cervical screening programme?Sat Apr 28 2018 - 01:00
A doctor writes: What went wrong at CervicalCheck in the Vicky Phelan caseDo its labs follow best practice, and why wasn’t a flag raised for three years?Thu Apr 26 2018 - 20:06
Dark humoured doctors need to watch their languageMedical argot, beloved by the profession, can stray into unacceptable territory when carelessly applied to patientsMon Apr 23 2018 - 05:01
Lessons from the great influenza pandemic for today's worldFlu pandemic of 1918 killed only slightly fewer Irish people than four years of the Great WarSun Apr 08 2018 - 07:01
Waking the dead a balm to the grieving processThanks to the kindness of fantastic friends and neighbours, we gave ‘Nan’ a great send-offMon Apr 02 2018 - 06:01
Dr Muiris Houston: Bio-weapons are scarily easy to get and useSergei and Yulia Skripal’s poisoner delivered neurotoxin via air conditioning in victim’s carTue Mar 27 2018 - 06:00
Flu increases heart attack and stroke risk, study claimsRespiratory infections cause inflammation, while the flu virus and pneumonia can damage heart muscleThu Mar 22 2018 - 00:30
Does ‘an apple a day keep the doctor away’ and should you ‘feed a cold, starve a fever’?Sometimes the recommendation contained in the aphorism is worse than the diseaseMon Mar 19 2018 - 09:01
What is bacterial meningitis and what are the symptoms?There are three subgroups of meningococci: A, B and C. Vaccines are available against B and CTue Mar 13 2018 - 01:00
Shift work: bad for your diet and sleep, and raises your cancer riskDr Muiris Houston: A body of evidence links shift work with diabetes, heart disease and cancerMon Mar 12 2018 - 06:01
GPs prescribe antidepressants because therapy isn’t availableDr Muiris Houston: Major new research contains valuable information on antidepressant medicinesMon Mar 05 2018 - 06:00
Shingles: Bring on the vaccine and free us from ‘hell’s fire’Shingles risk risk rises sharply when you hit 50. The pain has been likened to childbirthMon Feb 26 2018 - 06:01
Measles back with a vengeance due to fake health newsNew approach needed to combat false information about vaccinesFri Feb 23 2018 - 01:00
‘Truth Decay’ – it is up to us to challenge fake health newsWe must future proof the next generation by upping their education in risk and critical thinkingMon Feb 19 2018 - 07:01
After cancer: Relapse is the biggest fear, but not the only riskCancer survivors can face post-traumatic stress and a higher risk of heart failureMon Feb 12 2018 - 06:01
How to go to the doctor: A GP’s guide for patientsQuestions to ask yourself, and tips to remember, before visiting your GPMon Feb 05 2018 - 07:01
Trauma injuries require immediate expert attentionMuiris Houston: Degree of patient’s trauma must be identified as early as possibleThu Feb 01 2018 - 01:00
Questions and Answers: Key abortion issuesA number of medical issues will arise if there is a policy of termination of pregnancy on requestTue Jan 30 2018 - 01:00
Can we reverse Type 2 diabetes? Yes, we canThe incidence of Type 2 has more than doubled between 1998 and 2015, so eradicating the disease has enormous appealMon Jan 22 2018 - 06:01
Asthma: what happens in your lungs, and why you shouldn't underestimate itIn the UK, children and young people have the highest death rate from asthma in EuropeMon Jan 15 2018 - 07:01
The flu: what are the symptoms and what should I do?Despite the doomsday predictions of some, infection rates are not yet at epidemic levelsMon Jan 08 2018 - 10:24
Politicians and HSE to blame for our health service debacleMore people will die as a consequence of not being treated in a fully functioning wardFri Jan 05 2018 - 01:00
Don’t allow yourself to be shamed into New Year health resolutionsMaking health resolutions is a double-edged sword for some of usMon Jan 01 2018 - 07:01
Radiologist at Tralee hospital signed off on 3,000 reports per monthProvisional diagnostic error rate attributable to specialist within international normsWed Dec 20 2017 - 01:00
How some of your Christmas diet may actually be good for youA glass of red wine, perhaps? Some dark chocolate, almonds and cocoa? Yes you canMon Dec 18 2017 - 08:41
Dr Muiris Houston on the death of footballer Izzy Dezu (16)Death of Shelbourne FC player likely due to sudden arrhythmic death syndromeThu Dec 14 2017 - 01:00
The sickening truth at last: ‘Man flu’ is realResearch reveals men suffer more from viral respiratory illness than womenTue Dec 12 2017 - 00:03
Analysis: what does the Hiqa patient survey reveal?Study shows there are very real threats to patient safety in State’s hospitalsMon Dec 11 2017 - 12:19
Doctors who give cancer patients false hope aren’t helping themDr Muiris Houston: Patients who overestimate their survival do not live longerMon Dec 11 2017 - 07:01
Muiris Houston: Why smart pills are a stupid ideaDrugs that report when you’ve taken them break trust between doctor and patientMon Nov 27 2017 - 10:39
Scarlet fever is back in the 21st centuryScientists have yet to discover a reason for the fever’s return, but its virulence has diminishedMon Nov 20 2017 - 06:01
Would you wear a mask in public in Ireland during flu season?If the flu vaccine is less effective than hoped, there's an alternative, low-tech solutionMon Nov 13 2017 - 07:00
GP service requires extra half a billion a year, HSE chief saysReport calls for substantial investment to move away from ‘hospital centric’ systemMon Nov 13 2017 - 02:00
