Health Fact vs Fiction with Anna Richardson

Staggeringly, 80% of us will see our GP about back pain in our lives. It’s one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and one of the most common causes of people missing work. Anna Richardson puts her back into understanding the causes with Consultant Neurosurgeon, Mr Chris Chandler, from The London Neurosurgery Partnership and HCA Healthcare UK’s The Harley Street Clinic.

Every two minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with cancer. We have all encountered the Big C – whether we know someone who has been affected or we’ve been diagnosed ourselves. But what’s the future of cancer treatment? And will we ever make it a thing of the past? Anna Richardson talks about clinical trials and new advances in therapies, such as immunotherapy, with Dr Tobi Arkenau, Consultant Oncologist and Executive Medical Director of HCA Healthcare UK’s Sarah Cannon Research Institute.

We’re all likely to have bumped our heads at some point in our lives. Some of us will have experienced whiplash - and if you play a contact sport, your chances of experiencing concussion increase significantly. But do we really understand what’s happening inside our brains when a concussion occurs? Dr Richard Sylvester, consultant neurologist at the Institute of Sport Exercise & Health, part of HCA Healthcare UK, joins Anna, along with former England rugby player, Kyran Bracken.

Heart disease is responsible for one death every three minutes in the UK and we know that diet and exercise helps us maintain a healthy heart. In this episode, Anna Richardson talks to Dr Mike Mullen, consultant cardiologist at HCA Healthcare UK’s The Harley Street Clinic about the kind of heart disease which no amount of diet and exercise can solve - structural heart disease. Mick Jagger recently joined the ranks of people across the UK who have had their heart valves replaced. So how do you spot problems with your heart valves and what can you do to treat this type of heart disease?

Prostate cancer is the UK’s most common male cancer, with one in eight men diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. In this episode, Consultant Urological Surgeon Mr Ben Challacombe from The Prostate Centre, part of HCA Healthcare UK tells Anna Richardson everything we need to know about the prostate, including infection and enlargement and how to watch for warning signs of cancer.

It’s the most common chronic disease in Europe. One in four of us here in the UK will have to deal with an allergy at some point in our lives. And, as we find out in this episode, it’s all down to your immune system making a mistake and attacking harmless proteins or pollen. Presenter Anna Richardson talks eczema, asthma, hay fever and food allergies with Dr Helen Brough from HCA Healthcare UK’s The Portland Hospital.

Right now, 4.7 million people in the UK are living with diabetes, with the vast majority having Type 2, which is linked to our diet. There's twice the number of people living with diabetes now than there was 20 years ago - and those numbers keep on rising. In this episode, Anna Richardson talks to Dr Alex Miras, a consultant endocrinologist at HCA Healthcare UK’s London Bridge Hospital about what we need to know about diabetes and what we can do to prevent it. We also hear how bariatric surgery can help to change the way we think about hunger.

When should you start thinking about your fertility? Most of us take it for granted throughout our lives but the truth is, one in seven couples across the UK will encounter issues with their fertility. Host Anna Richardson sits down with Dr Marie Wren, Deputy Director of the Lister Fertility Clinic, and TV presenter, Julia Bradbury to understand the ups and downs of trying for a baby, IVF and how we can all become more fertility aware.

40% of children born in the UK every year are born to first-time mums - and going through the final stages of pregnancy can be a daunting process. So on this episode, presenter Anna Richardson calls on midwife Ellie Cockburn, from HCA Healthcare UK’s The Portland Hospital, to have a frank and honest chat about the period between a woman’s waters breaking and leaving the hospital with your baby.

Do you dream of getting off the couch and into your running shoes? As marathon season is upon us, Anna Richardson gets some ‘runspiration’ and tips on how to stay fit and active from Dr John Rogers, Medical Director at HCA Healthcare UK’s Manchester Institute of Health and Performance (MIHP) and TV presenter, Sean Fletcher.

Do you want to be at one with your number twos? And do you know what your poo says about you? In this episode of Health Fact vs Fiction, Anna Richardson is joined by two of HCA Healthcare UK’s consultant colorectal surgeons, Colin Elton and Daren Francis, to get to the bottom of bowel health.

Don’t nod off - this episode is all about getting the kind of sleep that dreams are made of. Dr Guy Leschziner is a consultant neurologist and reader in neurology at HCA Healthcare UK’s Sleep Centre at the London Bridge Hospital. Guy talks to host Anna Richardson about the importance of sleep, why sleep disorders happen and how to get a good eight hours in.

Fertility issues are a heartbreakingly common reality for many people. In fact, one in seven couples in the UK has trouble starting a family. There is a lot for couples to process - the disappointment of not being able to conceive naturally as well as the implications of fertility treatment on them and, potentially, their children. In this episode, Anna Richardson speaks to Mary-Anne Singh, an accredited counsellor at HCA UK’s Lister Fertility Clinic, about how she helps couples come to terms with fertility issues.

Is gluten-free all it’s made out to be? How can stress-busting techniques help keep your guts happy? All will be answered in this entertaining, easy-to-swallow podcast episode. Anna will be getting to grips with your guts with Alastair Windsor, a specialist colorectal surgeon at HCA UK’s The Princess Grace Hospital and London Digestive Centre. They will be joined by TV presenter and former Blue Peter star, Zoe Salmon, who shares her own experience of IBS, a condition that affects 1 in 5 people in the UK.

A funny and frank discussion about women’s intimate health and the menopause. Host Anna Richardson talks early menopause - including everything from HRT to sex - with TV presenter and Loose Woman Andrea McLean. There’s also expert advice from Consultant Obstetrician, Gynaecologist, and Subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine, Shazia Malik from HCA UK’s The Portland Hospital.

Episode 4: This episode is all about the little grey cells. That’s right. Memory…! Consultant Neurologist at HCA Healthcare UK’s Wellington Hospital, Nick Losseff, joins Anna Richardson to test her cognitive functions and asks, are women really better at remembering things than men? And can doing the daily crossword really help brain training?

Episode 1: Say ‘balls’ to bravado, as Anna Richardson and her guest consultant Suks Minhas, one of the UK’s leading andrologists (a specialist bloke doctor), from HCA Healthcare UK’s Lister Fertility Clinic, bust myths and tackle the taboos about your tackle! Yep, we’re talking men’s health - and everything from fertility to lumps and cancer. Sharing their experiences of male cancers are former footballer and radio presenter, Jason Cundy, and TV’s Dominic Littlewood, who are both on the quest to get more men checking their bits. For more information on this episode, go to https://www.hcahealthcare.co.uk/podcast

Episode 2: What makes you ‘you’? How much of your future health is shaped by your ancestors and is there a way to predict or prevent it? Anna Richardson is joined Dr Anju Kulkarni from HCA UK’s London Bridge Hospital, to unzip the secrets of our genes and dive into the past, present and future of our health. They are joined by pop star and presenter Michelle Heaton who talks movingly about how inheriting the BRCA gene - a gene that increases a woman’s risk of getting breast and ovarian cancer - has changed her life. For more information on this episode, go to https://www.hcahealthcare.co.uk/podcast

Episode 3: Time to get under your skin. Dr Sharon Wong, consultant dermatologist at HCA Healthcare UK’s London Bridge Hospital helps Anna Richardson understand how to keep the largest organ in our body, not only pampered but healthy too. Along the way, they’ll be busting myths including whether SP50 factor sun cream is enough to protect us from skin cancer; if women can be affected by common baldness - and can olive oil help your skin? Joining them will be TV star Denise Van Outen on her experiences with an ex - eczema, that is - and how the common condition can be treated and managed. For more information on this episode, go to https://www.hcahealthcare.co.uk/podcast

Coming Monday 12th November - It's just what the doctor ordered! Health Fact v Fiction is a frank and fascinating mix of myth-busting and chat about all things health. Join Anna Richardson as she brings together special celebrity guests and leading healthcare consultants. Their mission – to get to the heart of a different medical topic each episode, from the menopause and memory, to healthy guts, the BRCA gene and beyond.