Health

Mobile phone inside pant pocketThe idea that carrying a phone in your pocket might affect fertility sounds like the kind of health scare that spreads faster than the science behind it. According to Dr. Rajeev Agarwal, Founder of Dame Health and Gynaecologist and Senior Infertility Specialist at Renew Healthcare, the honest answer is more nuanced than either the alarming headlines or dismissive skepticism suggest. Multiple meta-analyses, including one pooling 18 studies and over 4,000 semen samples, have found mobile phone radiofrequency exposure (RF-EMR) consistently associated with reduced sperm motility and viability. Interestingly, the effect on sperm concentration, the actual "count", has been far less consistent, with several studies finding no clear association at all. "This is where the headline oversimplifies things," says Dr. Agarwal. "Motility and viability show a more consistent signal than count specifically. "Some analyses found the effect more pronounced when phones are carried in front trouser pockets specifically, close to the testes.

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Back in late 2025, when Keir Starmer’s grip on the Labour party was loosening and Reform UK was still in its pomp, the then health secretary, Wes Streeting, commissioned what the government called its “Independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism”. Here, it seemed, was not just an inquiry into England’s ever-extending waiting lists for the diagnosis of mental illness and neurodevelopmental conditions, and the dire lack of support for people who experience one or both of them. The review would also dovetail with two other huge issues: mounting claims of “overdiagnosis”, which Streeting had appeared to partly endorse, and the government’s drive for the reform of so-called welfare. An apparently well-briefed piece in the Times seemed to speak volumes: work led by the renowned psychologist Peter Fonagy, it said, was commencing just “as Labour seeks a fresh crackdown on welfare spending” amid diagnoses “which have become the most common reason for a sickness benefit claim”.

Health and FluTwin Brooks District And Nature Park, ABUpdated on Friday, October 16thWeather Impact on Health ConditionsContent continues belowContent continues belowRelatedWhy you should align your spine ahead of the colder months Simple diet swaps to support your immune system this fallSevere dust pollution blowing into Alberta community downwind of the oilsands

War has strained Ukraine’s HIV programs, but capacity built years earlier has kept most prevention and treatment in place. AccessAdvocacyEpidemiologyHIV ResponseKey PopulationsOctober 11, 2026Think Global Health analysis Ukraine’s HIV response has weathered four and a half years of war, largely on the strength of decisions that its health ministry and civil society organizations made before the war began in 2022. Since then, roughly 1 in 10 health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, 15 million people have been displaced, and 60% of the national budget has been swallowed by defense, but Ukraine hasn’t lost control of one of the region’s worst HIV epidemics. Officially registered new infections fell from 15,360 in 2021 [PDF] to just over 8,000 in 2025 [PDF] — a decline that partly reflects lost territory, emigration, and thinner testing in the southeast — while testing volumes nationally climbed by more than 40% during that period. Coverage of key populations has also remained relatively stable from 2022 to 2026. The number of people receiving PrEP services at least once annually has more than doubled.

China has made "great progress" in improving population health, expanding healthcare coverage and strengthening public health services, said Martin Taylor, World Health Organization (WHO) representative to China, in an interview with CGTN's Health Talk. China's average life expectancy has risen to more than 79 years, while basic medical insurance covers over 95% of the population, he added. China should continue to strengthen primary healthcare while encouraging people to adopt healthier lifestyles, Taylor told CGTN. He said these efforts are increasingly important as China works to address chronic diseases and an aging population. Taylor also highlighted the potential of integrating technologies such as artificial intelligence into health system planning to help improve and expand access to health services. He said the WHO will continue to work with China on implementing the Healthy China 2030 agenda and supporting cooperation with other countries, especially through South-South collaboration. Supervisor: Zhang JingwenProducer: Yang ShaDirector: Chen HongyuCopy editors: Zhang Yuying, Zhao Ying, John GoodrichVideographer: Zheng HaoCover: Zhu Shangfan

ADVERTISEMENTWatchStudents at private career colleges say the OSAP payment freeze could add extra strain to Ontario's health care system. Kamil Karamali reports. October 11, 2026 at 10:08p.m. EDT

ADVERTISEMENTWatchStudents at private career colleges say the OSAP payment freeze could add extra strain to Ontario's health care system. Kamil Karamali reports. October 11, 2026 at 10:08p.m. EDT

Extreme heat has led to a marked increase in the risks faced by pregnant women and their babies, according to a survey of 1,000 healthcare professionals in countries including Brazil, India and Zimbabwe. The survey, commissioned by the medical research foundation Wellcome, found that 73 per cent of maternal healthcare professionals had seen an increase in heat-related complications in the past five years. More than three quarters reported an increase in harm to the fetus or newborn babies over the same period.

Beach Boys frontman Mike Love is facing a serious health battle but is determined to keep performing, his close friend John Stamos has revealed. In a statement, actor and musician Stamos said that Love, 85, is being “urged to focus on his health” in a worrying update shared with fans. Stamos is currently on tour with the band. John Stamos shares worrying health update about Beach Boys lead singer Mike Love.  Instagram/@johnstamos“I’m... struggling to put my feelings into words,” wrote Stamos, 63, in a joint Instagram post shared with Love’s account on Monday. “My beloved friend, father figure, musical hero and mentor, Mike Love, is facing serious health challenges. We hope he’ll be doing what he loves for years to come, but we don’t know what the future holds. We have tonight. “Mike is a fighter. Despite doctors, family and friends urging him to focus on his health, he insists on being on stage. “He says he needs his band, the audience, his friends and drummer surrounding him to lift him up.”Stamos revealed he was boarding a plane to Nashville to perform with the Good Vibrations hit makers amid the Beach Boys reunion tour.

Nearly 80,000 older Australians are expected to dump their private health cover by the end of the decade as a result of the federal government's controversial proposed changes. The latest estimate is nearly double the 44,000 figure repeatedly cited by the federal government in defence of the policy. The proposal would wind back the rebate Australians aged 65 and over receive on their private health cover, banking about $3 billion to spend elsewhere in the aged care system. However, health department analysis released under Freedom of Information (FOI) laws reveals that while 44,000 Australians are expected to drop their cover in 2028-29 as a result of the policy, that is forecast to rise to a cumulative total of 78,000 by the following year. The Coalition said Health Minister Mark Butler had consistently used the smaller figure to defend the policy. Anne Ruston says older Australians cannot afford to live without private health insurance. (ABC News: David Sciasci)"Either he didn't read his own briefs, or he's been deliberately misleading older Australians," Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston said.

The last time a Golden State Valkries player missed a game because of injury was back on August 11, when Janelle Salaun sat out with knee soreness. In a WNBA season with a record number of injuries, the Valkryies have been able to maintain their depth, their momentum and their ability to compete for a title by keeping their players on the floor.

HomeCHCH NewsCanadaCanadian Medical Association warns of false health advice from AI From home remedies to medical advice, there’s no shortage of health tips circulating online. But not everything you see is backed by science, and doctors warn some of it could do more harm than good. Now, they’re calling for global action.