'I had an abortion - but I'm STILL pregnant three months later': Teenager, 19, discovers pills failed to work after feeling 'movements' in her stomach

Shannon Skinner, 19, had an abortion when she was eight weeks pregnant after she, and partner Anthony, decided it was too soon to have a second child - they also have a nine-month-old baby

People who are religious or spiritual have 'thicker' brains which could protect them against depression

The finding suggests that being religious can change the brain in a physical way and this change could be protective against depression

Researchers at Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute found religious people have a thicker cortex.

Designer vaginas are ruining our idea of what women's bodies should look like, doctors warn

Designer vaginas are ruining our idea of what real vaginas look like, researchers have warned

Airbrushing and waxing are two of the main reasons why women are becoming unhappy with their appearance, say the University of Queensland researchers.

'Bad' cholesterol that causes heart attacks now linked to Alzheimer's: Clumps stick to brain cells affecting memory and mood

A study has revealed that the bad type of cholesterol - which causes heart disease - is related to the amyloid peptide protein (pictured) in the brain, which is present in Alzheimer's

In patients affected by disease, clumps of the protein stick to brain cells, affecting memory, mood and behaviour.

A lack of sleep 'damages the brain in a similar way to being hit on the head'

Being sleep deprived causes a similar change in the brain to that seen after a head injury - it results in a spike in the chemicals associated with brain injury

A study found going without sleep for just one night causes changes in the brain similar to those that occur after a blow to the head.

Bride-to-be can finally walk down the aisle after surgery to correct her foot - which was always two inches off the ground

Jules Wakeham

Jules Wakeham (pictured with fiancé, Deane Pentney), 31, from Oldham, had surgery to permanently fuse her ankle and wrist joints after she developed severe osteoarthritis. Before the procedures she was only able to walk with insoles and the support of a crutch and her heel was constantly at least two inches above the ground (inset).

Why those 'superfruits' may just be a costly rip-off... and you'd do just as well eating a humble potato!

Sugarfruit: 'Superfruit' cranberry is often coated in sugar to be made palatable and it is also added to cranberry juice

All superfruits claim they contain a big dose of vitamin C, but there are no diseases prevalent in Britain that have anything to do with vitamin C deficiency.

I had to rescue my mum from a PRIVATE hospital as the nurses were so callous: Think woeful care is just an NHS problem? HARRIET SERGEANT'S bitter experience proves otherwise

Bad care: Gilly Sergeant, 86, (pictured with husband Patrick) experienced sub-standard service at a private hospital in London

When Gilly Sergeant, 86, was rushed to one of London’s private hospitals, her daughter Harriet discovered it was not much better than the NHS.

Me and my operation: The one-stop breast cancer op that spares women weeks of radiotherapy

Saving pains: The new treatment saves six weeks of radiotherapy

Rita Rose, 64, from Highgate, North London, was given radiotherapy during surgery to remove the tumour in her breast, instead of weeks of treatment.

Why codeine painkillers don't work for millions - and may even harm your health

Agony: Dr Paul Debenham suffers from an enzyme deficiency that can't metabolise the painkiller codeine to break it down into morphine

Dr Paul Debenham, 60, from Newbury, Berkshire, discovered that he did not produce the enzyme which breaks down codeine into morphine.

Victim of X Factor wannabe's glass attack returns to work as a swimming teacher after making remarkable recovery

Scott Aitken

Scott Aitken, 27, from Northumberland, was left with serious facial injuries (bottom left) after he was attacked by Lucie Slater (bottom right with Mr Aitken), an X Factor contestant, in June 2012. He required 30 stitches and two hours of surgery and was forced to give up his job. Ms Slater, whose band was removed from X Factor after the attack, was given 51 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, with supervision and 120 of unpaid work.

The secret to a healthy and active old age? Play sport at school: People who exercise as teens visit their doctor less in their 70s

The best predictor of whether an elderly man exercises is whether he played sport at school - those who exercise in their teens are more likely to be active in old age

Research published in the journal BMC Public Health revealed the best predictor of whether an elderly man still exercises is whether he played sport at school.

The 32-year-old desperate to lose HALF his body weight - or he'll be dead in 3 YEARS

Struggle: Martyn Richardson's huge 22st frame means he now suffers from crippling arthritis in his knees - meaning exercising in order to lose weight is virtually impossible. He is hoping that acupuncture from Dr Jane Schindler (left) will get him moving again

At his heaviest, Martyn Richardson weighed 26 stone after a lifetime of being overweight. He features in a new series of Channel 5's Big Body Squad, which follows the lives of morbidly obese people and their struggles.

First major breakthrough in heart failure for 20 years thanks to pregnancy hormone

Happy hearts: A synthetic pregnancy hormone has been found to slash death rates for people with acute heart failure

Doctors found that Serelaxin, a synthetic version of the hormone relaxin, can slash the death rate for people with the condition.

ASK THE DOCTOR: What is the best way to treat tennis elbow?

Bad sport: The symptoms of tennis elbow are pain, as well as tenderness at the epicondyle, and some sufferers find it disturbs their sleep

DR MARTIN SCURR helps a worried sufferer of tennis elbow and a patient who has increased metal in the blood after a hip replacement.

Remember any of these? Historians unearth vintage sweet wrappers from the 1920s to help trigger happy memories among dementia sufferers

A selection of vintage chocolate and sweets wrappers will be used to help trigger memories among dementia sufferers

Historians at Rowntree's have placed a selection of packaging online in the hope it might trigger happy memories in sufferers. Scientists believe the syndrome does not affect long term as much as short term memory and discussing the past could engage a patient in conversation.

Do YOU have text claw or iPosture? Expert reveals the 21st century ailments caused by our smartphones and tablets

Smartphone users check their phones an average of 150 times every day, a study by Nokia revealed

Internet addiction specialist Professor Phil Reed, from Swansea University, says people who are addicted to their smartphones are often easily distracted and have disrupted sleep.

Love DOES make us warm inside while disgust turns our stomach: Graphic reveals how emotions cause real physical symptoms

When people are angry, they are more aware of their head and arms. This could be because they are subconsciously squaring up for a fight

Researchers at the University of Turku, in Finland, found different emotions affect the body in different, and distinctive ways.

Eating slowly DOES help you lose weight: People who chew their food properly and sip water consume nearly 100 fewer calories per meal

Relaxed: New research has found that people who eat slowly and chew their food thoroughly, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, consume less calories

Celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow swear by it - and now researchers at Texas Christian University have proven that taking time over dinner really can shrink the waistline.

Almost HALF of women feel guilty about eating carbs - but are they really that bad?

Almost half of women say they feel guilty about their carbohydrate consumption, a new study revealed

Jane Ogden, professor in health psychology at the University of Surrey, has warned of the dangers of cutting out carbs as a quick way to lose weight.

How long do YOU have left to live? Wonder how your lifestyle affects when you’ll die? We got six brave volunteers to find out – with startling lessons for us all...

Long to Live

We asked six people to talk frankly about their health; Dr Gideon Paul, a physician and consultant cardiologist then predicted their life expectancy. Gym bunny Kirsten Bennett, 31, works out at least four days a week and can expect to live another 45 years, cancer survivor Paula Dron, 43, will live long thanks to her diet and moderate drinking, however Danny Clarke, 58, is not fairing as well and has had two heart attacks while having sex. Deborah Leigh, 55, has a lowered life expectancy as a result of taking antidepressants, Ian Lazarus, 48, needs to make moves to stay healthy and Shelly Blackston, 56, can only expect to live to 66 unless she changes her diet.

£161m Lotto couple pay for spinal operation to help disabled girl walk: Four-year-old with cerebral palsy takes first steps without sticks just in time for Christmas

Skye Swinton, 4, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, who has cerebral palsy walks for the first time unaided since having an operation funded by  Britain's biggest lottery winners

This Christmas, Skye Swinton got exactly the gift she’d dreamed of – the chance to walk unaided for the first time.

Guests moved to tears by boy, seven, who beat leukaemia to give best man's speech at his parents' wedding

A seven-year-old boy who beat leukaemia moved guests to tears when he gave a moving best man's speech at his parents' wedding

Alex Vaughan (pictured) told his parents how much he loved them during the best man speech at the ceremony in Preston.

Why are ever more healthy young women falling victim to MS?

Nikki Cooper thought she had trapped nerve but actually has MS

Nikki Cooper, 32, from Guildford, Surrey, (with son William) experienced the beginnings of multiple sclerosis at the age of 28, and initially thought it was a trapped nerve. The mother-of-one is one of around 100,000 people affected by the debilitating neurological condition, where the immune system attacks healthy nerve fibres running between the brain and spinal cord.

Saved from blindness by a jab in the eye: New drug offers hope to Britons facing gradual sight loss in old age and halved the injections needed

Seeing clear: Linda Newton from Bradford has been helped by the Eyela jab

The jab has become available on the NHS to help Britons such as Linda Newton from Bradford (pictured) with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

'I can only operate on Scottish patients because the NHS in England refuses to pay,' says leading hand transplant surgeon

Frustrated: Because of the funding row, Professor Kay says he will most likely operate on a Scottish patient next - in England

Professor Simon Kay, who performed the first ever hand transplant at Leeds General Infirmary, says the huge shake-up in NHS funding this year is to blame.

'I thought my headaches were caused by dehydration - I never dreamt I had a brain tumour': Mother-of-three is give just months to live after being diagnosed with cancer

Laura Fischer-Beards (pictured before her illness with her husband, Mark, and children, Sebastian, Elliot and Henry) was diagnosed with a brain tumour after developing headaches in August 2012

EXCLUSIVE: Laura Fischer-Beards (pictured with her husband and children before her illness), 38, from Coventry, also had a stroke during a biopsy. It left her unable to use the right side of her body.

'I spent three weeks thinking I had terminal cancer - then doctors admitted they'd got it wrong,' says furious mother

Misdiagnosis: Evelina Powell (with daughter Sophie, four) spent three weeks believing she had terminal cancer after doctors said cancer had eaten away a 50 pence-sized hole in her skull

Evelina Powell, 32, from Maidstone, claims she was told that cancer had eaten away a 50 pence size hole in her skull.

A cocktail of cyanide and arsenic: New graphic images show the damage caused by smoking

Stop-smoking campaign

Public Health England has launched a new stop-smoking film which informs viewers that smoking increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The film shows smoke entering a man's lungs (top left) before travelling through his blood vessels (top right) to his heart (bottom left) and brain (bottom right).

Knee operation that is 'no better than fake surgery': Thousands of patients could be wasting their time, researchers claim

needless operation

A new study from the University of Helsinki suggests that procedures to repair torn cartilage have little more positive effect than a fake operation.

Pill could spare 500,000 the agony of Alzheimer's: Treatment can reduce crucial component of the disease by 90%

Experts say 'exciting' research on a drug to combat brain plaques could lead to a generally available pill within five years

Experts say �exciting’ research on a drug to combat brain plaques could lead to a generally available pill within five years.

'I thought my headaches were caused by dehydration - I never dreamt I had a brain tumour': Mother-of-three is give just months to live after being diagnosed with cancer

Laura Fischer-Beards (pictured before her illness with her husband, Mark, and children, Sebastian, Elliot and Henry) was diagnosed with a brain tumour after developing headaches in August 2012

EXCLUSIVE: Laura Fischer-Beards (pictured with her husband and children before her illness), 38, from Coventry, also had a stroke during a biopsy. It left her unable to use the right side of her body.

Hidden dangers of essential oils: The frightening truth about natural remedies such as Olbas Oil which can cause heart problems, convulsions and eye ulcers

olbas oil splash preview

London A&E; paediatrician Hester Yorke has dealt with a string of cases where children have required hospital treatment after drinking or ingesting harmless-sounding oils.

The bizarre visions that come after you lose your sight: Artist paints his 'bizarre visual hallucinations' seven years after going blind

Arthur Ellis 66 of Tonbridge Kent sufferer of Charles Bonnet Syndrome

Artist Arthur Ellis, from Southborough, Kent, lives amid a vivid world of hallucinatory visions, despite being completely blind. The 66-year-old painter, who lost his sight after a near-fatal bout of meningitis that damaged his optic nerve seven years ago, suffers from Charles Bonnet syndrome, as a result of the damage in his brain and now makes art from his hallucinations.

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