Health News

A teenage girl has reportedly had more than 100 tapioca balls trapped in her body after drinking too much of a popular Asian beverage known as 'bubble tea' (right, file photo). The 14-year-old was taken to the hospital by her parents in eastern China after suffering from constipation for five days, reported a local newspaper. An X-ray picture (left) showed the girl had more than 100 dark balls in her stomach, intestines and rectum.

Christine Morgan (left, before), from Tonbridge in Kent, felt a 'whooshing sensation' as she coloured a client's hair, and felt instant severe headache and neck pain. The 64-year-old's husband and now full-time carer, Dave, called an out-of-hours GP, who checked her temperature and glands. She was told she had tonsillitis after they spotted a small, white lump on her tonsil and was prescribed penicillin. Yet, less than a week later, Mrs Morgan (pictured right in hospital) was under the knife having emergency brain surgery to treat a brain haemorrhage.

People in Mevagissey, on the east coast of the county close to St Austell, faced the closure of their only surgery when its only partner resigned. In desperation to keep it open, residents filmed a video (pictured main) to try and attract a new head GP as part of their #WillYouBeMyGP campaign. GPs at the Veor Surgery in nearby Camborne have now stepped in to take over the contract and the partner has agreed to stay on. Dr Katherine James was getting ready to leave the Mevagissey (inset) surgery, which serves 5,300 patients, at the end of July. It is not clear why she was departing. More staff will be employed to keep the practice open. Dr James revealed she was pleased with the solution and happy to be staying at the surgery.

Why do diets work for some people and not others? It's a question that's kept a multi-billion-pound diet industry happily ticking over for decades - but a game-changing new study might have at last uncovered the answer. It suggests there's a major flaw in all those one-size-fits-all guidelines to cutting fat, carbohydrates or calories that we've been trying to follow for years. They're doomed to fail because they are based on the 'average person' - and no one is average. Identical twins Kinga (left) and Kata Varnai (right), both 35, from North London,took part in the £21 million nutrition study, involving a collaboration between King's College London, and Massachusetts General Hospital and Stanford University in the US.

Amie Schofield gave birth to an intersex child 20 years ago, and agreed to have that child undergo 'confirmation' surgery. But the child grew up feeling unsettled and confused, and suffered attacks. In 2014, Amie had another child, and was told it would be a girl, so she chose the name Victoria. When the child was born a boy, they switched the name to Victor. But it turned out the child had both male and female traits, so they named the child Victory. At 18 months, Victory started gravitating towards female and has felt that way ever since. Like her half-sibling, Victory has XXY chromosomes. She also has a separate condition that means her body doesn't fully respond to male hormones. Her genitalia are ambiguous, but due to the Y chromosome doctors marked the birth certificate as male, and encouraged Victory's parents to raise the baby as a boy. More and more doctors are urging parents of intersex children to delay surgery until at least 5 years old.

With UK surgeons now, for the first time, performing keyhole surgery on a baby in the womb to treat spina bifida, we publish a heartstopping extract from a new book in which one mother describes what it's like to have your baby operated on before they're born. Here, the 40-year-old journalist, who lives in Oxford, tells her story.

A nine-year-old girl inhaled her wobbly tooth in her sleep and needed it surgically removed. The unidentified girl, from Turkey, was rushed to hospital by her concerned parents the next morning. They had noticed their daughter's tooth was no longer in her mouth as it was when they put her to bed the night before. An X-ray was performed on arrival, which spotted the tooth (it is circled in the main X-ray) lodged in an airway that leads to the left lung.

Most of us should be doing strength-building exercise - such as lifting weights - at least twice a week, according to NHS guidelines. Doing so helps stave off the natural weakening that comes with age. In fact, in a study of almost 4,000 older people who lifted weights regularly, those who lifted the heaviest weights lived longer, it was reported at the European Society of Cardiology conference earlier this year. Here, Tim Allardyce, a physiotherapist and clinical director at the Surrey Physio clinic, recommends a selection so you can find one to suit your needs...

Frankie Shopland, three, is described by his parents as 'half a human' after doctors discovered most of his abdominal cavity is empty. Amie Grant, 26, and her partner Kerry Shopland, 26, of south east London, refused a termination of pregnancy when scans revealed something abnormal. Frankie was born eight weeks premature at 29 weeks and has suffered ill health from day dot, spending more than 800 days in hospital (pictured inset, in intensive care). He has had two major surgeries, including one to insert a plastic lung, and can't eat or drink due to spending so much time on a ventilator to support his breathing. Frankie's condition is so rare there is no name for it, and is unable to receive donor organs. (See left, the family together, and right, an X-ray of Frankie's insides)

Boys aged four and 14 in Queensland, Australia, were both shot in the left eye (pictured left, the 14-year-old's eye when blood pooled in front of the bottom of his iris) and now face a higher risk of developing glaucoma or a cataract and losing their vision when they get older. The doctors said the spring-powered guns (top right) which fire gel pellets (bottom right) and can cost as little as £15 when bought online, should be regulated in the same way as paintball and airsoft guns.

Peter Potts, 39, proposed to Ashley Meehan at her bedside this weekend by dressing their one-year-old daughter in a shirt reading, 'Mummy will you marry daddy' (see left). Ms Meehan, 30, was given the devastating diagnosis after she claims her GP sent her home with painkillers for agonising pain in her bladder and legs. The mother-of-four, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, had already beaten the disease and been declared cancer free in December 2018. But despite her history of cancer, she said she wasn't referred for scans by her GP or A&E; department where she visited twice earlier this year. (Pictured right, the couple).

Yael Borger (pictured right with her mother Le'at) from Edgeware, North London, was 16 when she came close to ending her life. She prescribed asthma drug montelukast (right inset), a drug known for its devastating effects on mental health, causing hallucinations, night terrors and suicidal thoughts. Yael's mother Le'at said: 'No one had ever warned me but, of all her medication, it was the only one that mentioned it'.

Dr Guy Leschziner, a sleep expert in London, said 'obsessing' about sleep, through monitoring sleeping patterns on an app can make it harder to get the right amount. There is a word for this affliction - orthosomnia - and it can cause stress and anxiety, producing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol which keep people awake. Dr Leschziner, a consultant neurologist, was speaking before a talk on the science of sleep at Cheltenham Science Festival. (Pictured, Fitbit Versa left, Nokia Withings Steel centre, Polar M430 right).

Women across the UK are spending up to £1,200 on vaginal rejuvenation treatments for their intimate areas to boost their sex life. The Mail On Sunday's Eve Simmons (right, in left main) investigates why women are flocking to clinics like Dr Shirin Lakhani's (left, in left main) Elite Aesthetics to boost their sex life. One woman Sunita Shah, 45 (right), is a regular patient at Dr Lakhani's and underwent a chemical peel on her intimate area. She said about the treatment: 'It's not for anyone else, it's about how it makes me feel.'

Dr Orla Wilson spent some 30 years checking her blood sugar levels and giving herself shots or pump-pushes of insulin. Then she built a device that automates the process for her and her daughter.

Nyree Stevens-Credle, 19, was shot in the neck outside a Christmas party in New York in 2009. She and her friends had gone to a club night after spending the day with their families, and someone in her group started squaring up with someone else. They managed to break it up but, as they left, they saw the person following their group. To Nyree's shock, her friend pulled out a gun in defense. Everyone scarpered, running as fast and far as they could. But as Nyree stepped up onto the curb, a bullet hit her neck. The bullet hit her from behind, severing her spinal cord. Now she is a mentor to other people like her.

Josephine Suffolk (pictured left) died in May after doctors allegedly said her bleeding was an irregular period or a consequence of childbirth even though the NHS lists it as the top cervical cancer symptom. Ms Suffolk was told that by the time she was diagnosed her tumour was too large to remove with surgery and she needed chemotherapy and radiotherapy (pictured, Ms Suffolk after losing her hair in treatment). Local people helped to raise more than £2,000 for Ms Suffolk's sons Leighton, five, and George, two (pictured inset with their late mother).

Varrie Dunlop was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last November after doctors initially dismissed her fatigue as a viral infection. The now 26-year-old, who is mother to four-year-old Lana, was told her blood cancer was so advanced she would die within a month unless she began treatment immediately. Miss Dunlop, of Ringwood, Hampshire, endured 13 rounds of chemotherapy, which caused her to lose her hair and spend 21 days in hospital. Luckily, her treatment was a success and she was given the all-clear last month. Miss Dunlop is pictured left before her diagnosis and right with Lana after losing her hair due to chemotherapy.

Scott Mattison, 42 (left, with his family), of Boise, Idaho, developed flu-like symptoms in early February 2019. After complaining of pain in his right leg, he rushed himself to the ER. Within hours, he went into septic shock and he was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacteria that destroys tissue under the skin. Doctors performed several surgeries to stop the infection from spreading before he was airlifted to the University of Utah Burn Center. Mattison had 90 percent of his right leg removed and skin grafted and the tips of his right toes had to be amputated. The father-of-three was in a medically-induced coma for 17 days (inset), has undergone at least 13 surgeries (right) and is now back home in Idaho.

David Shorr, 59 (left), of Bexley, Ohio, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at 56 years old. He is now part of a new clinical trial testing an ultrasound cap at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and two other sites (right). The cap uses ultrasound waves and microbubbles to open the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from infection and foreign objects. Researchers hope this will help the body break down the build-up of proteins that smother neurons, causing memory loss and confusion. Another alternative is to deliver drugs directly to the site of the disease.

Writer and mother-of-one Tonilyn Hornung (left and right) started having migraines 12 years ago, just three years into her marriage. They became so debilitating that she thought she'd lose her husband (right), she reveals in a heart-wrenching essay for the Huffington Post. After years of missing plans and hiding in her bed, she's finally found a treatment that's giving her back more good days - and a way to let her migraines be part of her marriage, instead of the force driving her and her husband of 15 years apart.

Gill Haddington, 42, saw her foot swell to twice the size, develop sore ulcers, turn in to the left and her toes curl underneath after the incident in September 2015 (inset). X-rays showed no broken bones, and instead, Ms Haddington was diagnosed with chronic regional pain syndrome. Ms Haddington, from Morecambe, Lancashire, a former nursery nurse, needed to use a wheelchair to get around and relied on her daughters for support. Eventually, after doctors recognised how miserable Ms Haddington's life had become with the deformed foot, they removed her leg below the knee in February 2017. Pictured right, her stump after the operation and left, wearing a prosthetic.

They say you are what you eat, but now one nutritionist has explained how your diet really impacts your complexion - and the six ways you can get glowing skin fast. Food author Jessica Sepel (left and right) said that anyone who ever has told you that your gut is the key to good health is right - because it is where 70 to 80 per cent of the immune system lies. 'When your gut is functioning optimally, you will notice better energy, skin, mood and immune function,' Jessica said. On the flipside, if your digestive system is sluggish, you will experience 'constipation, diarrhea, bloating, hormonal imbalance, skin issues and more'.

People living in Mevagissey, on the east coast of Cornwall (pictured inset), are campaigning to find a new GP partner to run the village's practice when the current boss leaves in July (pictured main, local people holding a campaign sign). People say they are worried those who can't drive and the elderly will suffer if the practice closes and they have to travel the six miles (9.6km) to the closest town, St Austell. One local councillor, called Michael, said: 'We love our GP, we love Mevagissey surgery... we need that service to continue'.

The unnamed 60-year-old went to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Jodhpur. Doctors diagnosed the 6x1cm growth (seen left) as a giant cutaneous horn (CH) in what is thought to be the first ever case on a patient's thumb. CHs occur when the fibrous protein keratin, which makes up hair, feathers and claws, forms a growth. Medics removed the harmless horn (pictured inset), with the woman doing well one-and-a-half years later. Her hand is pictured right recently.

Samara Davies (pictured left after giving birth), 19, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, took the decision to become a single parent to little Ailani (right, and inset with her mother) last year after being diagnosed with endometriosis. The disease occurs when cells in the lining of the womb grow outside the uterus, causing immense pain and heavy periods. Doctors advised the teen to have a full hysterectomy - an operation to remove her womb - after the condition left her bed bound. Ms Davies' family raised £5,000 to pay for her to have a child before the operation made her infertile. after just one round of the treatment, a two-week scan revealed she was pregnant with Ailani, now seven-months-old.

Almost 8,000 people in England were admitted to hospital in the year 2017 to 2018 from dog injuries. This is a seven per cent jump on the admissions recorded in the previous year and almost five per cent since 2015 (see right, the data). The Royal College of Surgeons issued the warning after reviewing the most recent NHS statistics, saying the injuries can be life-changing. It has urged dog lovers to remember that while dogs may be man's best friend they can, and at times do, bite. Clair Kami (see bottom inset), 26, of Liverpool, was delivering mail while working as a postwoman when she was bitten by a dog (see left, the wound).

Justin Robertson (pictured left after his operation), from Bournemouth, Dorset, was told his left testicle needed to be removed following a cancer diagnosis. Knowing his sunny sense of humour, his family and friends organised a special surprise ball-themed party as a send-off for his testicle days before his operation. They laid out tables packed with spherical snacks, such meatballs and stuffing, along with a selection of nuts (inset). And the playlist included Jerry Lee Lewis' famous Great Balls of Fire and Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball. Pictured right: Mr Robertson has made a full recovery.