Health Check

Vaping is often recommended to help people give up smoking tobacco - because it’s a safer way of obtaining nicotine. But in the United States 39 deaths and more than 2000 lung injuries have been linked to vaping e-cigarettes. We hear how the chemical vitamin E acetate and THC found in cannabis are now being blamed for the epidemic. The same pattern of harm has not been seen in other parts of the world so vaping is still considered a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes which kills half the people who smoke them in the long term. Climate change is being blamed for an increase in cases of insect-borne diseases like Lyme Disease and West Nile Disease in Canada. Anyone hiking or camping is advised to cover up their arms and legs and use an insecticide to reduce their risk of being bitten. The number of patients who survive serious bleeding could almost double if a new approach to treatment developed at a London hospital is followed. Doctors gave blood products early to patients – instead of just clear fluids - and monitored how their blood was clotting, to improve their chances of survival. (Photo: Young Woman Smoking e-cigarette. Credit: Ranta Images/Getty Images.) Health Check was presented by Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

Air quality in Delhi has been downgraded from severe to very poor – thanks to strong winds which are blowing away some of the city’s smog. Despite this good news hospital admissions are up for people with respiratory problems. The government has handed out 5 million face masks to schoolchildren and car use has been restricted but doctors fear there will be long-term health consequences after exposure to such severe pollution. Teenagers can be mean to each other in order to gain popularity – or they might instead turn on the charm. Psychologists in the United States and Canada wanted to know whether it’s the nice teenagers – boys as well as girls – who others like best. They discovered that a mix of strategies might be the most effective way of becoming popular. A Health Check listener tweeted about how she can’t burp – and whether we could find out if there’s anything that can be done to help her and others who suffer discomfort as a result. (Photo: Children in India wearing face masks. Credit: Sakib Ali/Hindustan Times) Health Check was presented by Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

Up to three quarters of people say that painful conditions like arthritis get worse when the weather is turning damp and cold. But up until now it’s been hard to prove they are right. A new study from Manchester in the UK involved people tracking people’s daily pain using an app. This information was linked with local weather conditions and high humidity was found to increase pain levels the most. Many people around the world are lucky enough to be able to turn on the tap and get a clean, safe supply of water. In Kisumu in Kenya special community taps are being installed to clean up the water. They inject just enough chlorine solution to kill harmful microbes – but not enough to spoil the taste. Similar trials in Bangladesh cut the number of cases of diarrhoea in young children by nearly a quarter. Monks in Thailand have become more at risk of developing diabetes, thanks to the tasty religious offerings they are given to eat. News that nearly half the monks monitored were obese, prompted a Health Charter – interventions which help the monks to watch what they eat and do gentle exercise. (Photo: A senior woman with a cane looking out of a window. Credit: PeopleImages/Getty Images) Health Check was presented by Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

Experts on drug dependency are meeting in Lisbon this week and are calling for a public health approach to tackle the issue rather than treating addicts as criminals. Researchers say that harm reduction is key – including safer alternative medication for opioid addicts, clean needles and supervised injection centres where medical help is on hand in case of overdose. The medical journal The Lancet has brought together a series of reports by experts including Australian researchers who study opioid addiction and the risks of new psychoactive substances. Children with heart problems across the middle east – from places like Iraq, Gaza and Jordan – might not get the treatment they need because not all hospitals are able to perform the specialised surgery required. A Christian organisation Shevet Akeem which is based in Jaffa and Jerusalem is helping to connect these sick children with hospitals in Israel where they can have tests and treatment. Our reporter Dale Gavlak accompanied a Syrian refugee and her baby son Mohamed as they travelled from Jordan to Jerusalem so his heart could be repaired. In other health news this week: why taking blood pressure medication at night instead of in the morning could halve your risk of stroke and heart attack; advice for footballers to stop heading the ball to protect their brains; and the science behind the technique to correct errors in our DNA that cause disease. (Photo caption: Customer in pharmacy holding medicine bottle. Credit: Tero Vesalainen/Getty Images.) Health Check was presented by Claudia Hammond Producer: Paula McGrath

Many people with autistic spectrum disorder learn techniques to overcome their difficulties interacting with others. The first study that has looked at the consequences of these compensatory strategies reveals some benefits but also significant downsides. The consequences can be stress, low self-esteem, mental illness and misdiagnosis. Claudia talks to lead researcher Professor Francesca Happé from King’s College London and Eloise Stark, a woman with autism. A new research programme at Imperial College London is investigating the link between obesity and infertility in men. Madeleine Finlay explores why weight gain and other factors of modern life might be influencing men’s sperm health. Tick-borne Lyme disease is on the rise in the northern hemisphere. Lyme disease can develop into a serious illness. It is hard to diagnosis early and delayed diagnosis means lengthy treatment and recovery. Dr Mollie Jewett at the University of Central Florida is working on a much faster means of diagnosis, and a more effective treatment. Deborah Cohen meets Dr Jewett and her ticks. Graham Easton is in the Health Check studio to talk about links between hearing loss and dementia, and the worrying spread of bacteria resistant to carbapenems, one of the most important kinds of antibiotic drugs. (Photo caption: A young woman standing in the middle of a crowded street – credit: Getty Images) Health Check was presented by Claudia Hammond with comments from Dr Graham Easton. Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker