Health

A new operation can apparently ‘reset’ your flawed hunger hormone levels for good. And, as Janet French testifies, the effect can be dramatic. She has dropped six stone since having the surgery at a clinic in Belgium in November 2015. Although Janet felt ‘agonising hunger’ immediately before the operation, since the moment it was complete she has only experienced hunger pangs when her body is genuinely in need of sustenance.

Mark Jones (right), 34, from Droylsden, fell into a diabetic coma after his blood sugar levels had dropped. But his son Lenny-George (left) managed to grab two Muller Crunch Corner yoghurts (inset) from the fridge. The quick-thinking toddler then went to his toy kitchen and got a plastic knife after being unable to reach the real cutlery drawer. He used it to spoon the yoghurt into his father's mouth until he came round and was able to take his glucose tablets.

Exhausted but ecstatic after giving birth, 48-year-old Megan Barker clutches little baby Gus. She is older than most mothers in the maternity ward in Chico, California. But there is something even more unique about Megan's situation: Gus is not her son - he is her grandson. 

The video captures the vehicles parked up outside the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff (inset) unable to move until the patients are discharged from their care. He said: 'This has driven me to the edge and I fully intend to seek alternative employment as I am mentally beaten.' Ambulances are unable to move (main) until the patients are discharged from their care. The crew member who recorded the footage said he waited more than four hours to transfer his patient into A&E.;

Eight years ago, Kelly Lee from Portsmouth, now 37, was diagnosed with the tumour she was told could leave her blind, or even dead, within six months. Now, after three years of fighting, she has recovered. Kelly has been vividly reminded of the trauma following Tara Palmer-Tomkinson's revelations in the Mail on Saturday about being diagnosed with a tumour in exactly the same part of the brain as Kelly's.

A line-up of young and old ileostomy and colostomy bag users from across the globe have been snapped with their bags on full display for an inspirational new calendar. The photographs - which show how users live life to the full despite the challenges they face - are all featured in the 2017 Ostomy Awareness Calendar. Michael Anderson (left) isn't held back from a little pool-side fun for July's photo. Stefanie Allemong (middle) shows off her abs - and her bag for June. While Alys Mikolajczk (right) can still fully embrace her musical side with her stoma bag is the face of March.

Now the Duchess of York has revealed her secret – and it’s not just the ‘food emulsifier’ she has been seen flogging on television. Fergie has revealed how she feasts on a strange combination of tomatoes, egg mayonnaise and mandarins. It is, she says, a diet that ‘works for her’. Prince Andrew’s ex-wife said she started comfort-eating after her parents separated when she was a child, an addiction that stayed into her adult life.

'Tis the season to indulge. Thanksgiving is around the corner, and studies (or common sense) show that is the first official day of 'the fat months'. It's clear why: the cold makes us crave warm comfort foods, and the dark dulls our drive to exercise. Couple that with countless festive excuses for feasts and drinking, weight gain seems to be on the cards. But according to these health professionals, there are ways to stay fit, healthy and in-control 365 days a year. 

This summer, 16-year-old Britney Mazzoncini had been to a GP near their Glasgow home complaining of panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. He had prescribed her 84 beta-blocker tablets. Beta-blocker drugs slow the beating of the heart, and are often used to treat high blood pressure, but are also prescribed for anxiety attacks.

Lymphoedema affects up to 20 percent of female breast cancer patients. Sarah Allford, 50, a consultant haematologist from Taunton, Somerset, tried the new microsurgery procedure. The lymphatic system sucks up fluid containing bacteria and other waste from the tissues and pumps it directly back into the bloodstream. But if the pathways are blocked, as a result of damage, there’s nowhere for the fluid to go, which causes swelling in the limbs.

The Oculus Rift (inset) headsets will also be used to spot birth defects and allow parents to see the development of their baby from outside the womb, Brazilian researchers say. They can transform MRI scans and data into a life-like model of a foetus (left). Scientists claim it will allow parents to get realistic images of their unborn children (right), instead of blurry ultrasounds. Lead researcher Heron Werner Jr, from the Clínica de Diagnóstico por Imagem, Rio de Janeiro, said: 'The experience with the Oculus Rift has been wonderful.'

Lucy Saxon (left), 23, a third-year nursing student in Chester, had relied on painkillers to overcome her backache that she developed in June this year. But when she could no longer stand the intense pain in September, she visited hospital. Here she was given antibiotics for a water infection. Just hours later, she started to shiver uncontrollably. Her mother, Trish, 51, and father, Andrew, 50, rushed her to A&E; after she began to vomit. Doctors raced her to resuscitation (right) before revealing the infection had travelled into her blood and developed into sepsis.

Jade Lagden, 29, from Chessington in Surrey, went to see a doctor about the severe shoulder pain she had put down to a pulled muscle from carrying the bag. But doctors discovered she was suffering with secondary breast cancer. Though her illness is incurable, Jade says she's grateful for the chance to prolong her time with her 11-year-old son, Taylor.

Jessica Whelan's plight came to the public attention when her father Andy published a distressing black and white image showing the little girl grimacing in pain while battling her terminal condition (left). The four-year-old (right), from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma in September last year. She tragically passed away at 7am today, and her heartbroken father took to Facebook to announce the devastating news (centre) and said: 'No longer does she suffer, no longer does she feel the pain of the physical constraints of her body. Now my princess has grown her angel wings and has gone up to play with her friends and loved ones. She will now watch down over her little brother and ourselves until one day we are reunited again.’

Singer CeCe Sammy (left), 39, from north London, who suffered a sudden, inexplicable brain haemorrhage, will appear in choirmaster Gareth Malone's new show as a judge (right). And her story is as heart-stopping – and heart-warming – as that of any one of the singers in the show. CeCe, who also worked as a coach on American Idol, The Voice and America's Got Talent, collapsed in front of her sister while on a business trip to Las Vegas, and her devastated family were prepared for the worst. Now, there is no sign of her harrowing ordeal, bar a tiny scar on the side of her head, hidden by her hair – the only visible legacy of the operation she had to save her life.

At just four years old, Indi Warner has already had the fight of her life. Born with Biliary Atresia, she had a liver transplant at just seven months old. Now four, the plucky Sydney youngster has taken it all in her stride and wears her battle scars with pride.

Taken inside Aintree Hospital in Liverpool on a week night, the revealing photographs show the huge pressures faced by hard-working NHS staff to keep the health service afloat, with patients forced to wait in corridors with paramedics (shown main). Dementia sufferer Albert Hooley (pictured inset), a 92-year-old Second World War veteran, was among those left waiting on a trolley as A&E; workers battled to deal with the influx. His granddaughter Emma Satchell shared these photos to raise awareness of the plight of the NHS. An Aintree Hospital spokesman said the photos were taken on a 'very busy' night and thanked patients for their understanding.

Stephanie Theobald (left), from Manchester, was left heartbroken at her 12 week scan when the nurse revealed she couldn't find a baby's heartbeat. The 35-year-old was told her only options were to wait and give birth naturally or undergo surgery. But when doctors performed a biopsy it was revealed it had been a complete molar pregnancy - meaning abnormal cells had grown instead of a baby. Tests revealed she had a malignant tumour and needed chemotherapy - which could put an end to her ever having children with her husband Michael (right), 38.

EXCLUSIVE: A range of leading nutritionists reveal exactly how dietary changes can help you to manage urinary incontinence. Cucumber (top left) contains silica - believed to be helpful to support the bladder due to its anti-inflammatory factors. Vitamin C (top middle) helps to preserve collagen, which is important for elasticity in the tissues that support the bladder and vagina. Magnesium, found in kale (top right), helps to maintain muscle and nerves function and is believed to help with incontinence. But avoid alcohol (bottom right), as this can interfere with the neurological signals from the brain to the bladder. While high levels of caffeine (bottom middle) have been associated with the condition and sugary foods (bottom left) are known to aggravate the condition.

The ‘bright, intelligent’ girl aged 14 from London was diagnosed with cancer in August last year and died a month ago after all treatment options failed with the wish to be cryogenically frozen. The teenager, attracted by the promises of cryogenic websites, was convinced that if her body was frozen it would one day give her a ‘chance to be cured and woken up’. High Court Judge Mr Justice Peter Jackson has now ruled that her mother – who approved of her daughter’s dying wishes – should be allowed to decide the fate of her body, which is currently being held at the Cryonics Institute in Michigan.

Christine Peggrem (right), 52, from West Moors, Dorset, had complained of abdominal pain for weeks but put off visiting her GP until it became too much to bear. The maths teacher was later admitted to hospital and diagnosed with bowel cancer last month. But just two weeks later, doctors revealed she was terminal and had just weeks left. Mrs Peggrem and her partner of 32 years Clifford (left), 51, decided to finally tie the knot in an emotional ceremony at the start of the month. However, her health rapidly deteriorated and she died at home with her husband by her side earlier this week. Mr Peggrem, who met his wife in 1984 (inset), regrets her not seeking answers from her GP earlier and has warned others not to ignore any cancer-related symptoms.