2 h. ago The truth about health patches: can they really treat stress, spots and lost libido?

For three weeks, I wore stickers on my skin supposed to address all sorts of conditions. Are they a panacea, problem or performance?This morning, I woke up feeling a little groggy. My go-to remedy is usually a coffee and cold-water face plunge, followed by a compulsive phone scroll. But today called for something more, so I unpeeled a small, yellow “energy” patch the size of a walnut, popped it on to my upper arm and hoped for the best.The patch (£12 for 30) contains – so the packaging says – vitamins B5, B3 and a “microdose” of caffeine. It is made by Kind Patches, which is one brand in an increasingly crowded market of wellness stickers that claim to treat everything from lack of sleep to period pains to pimples. They are coin-sized, and often come in TikTok-friendly shades of sunflower yellow and peachy orange: you may have seen a teenager sporting a star-shaped one on their face to treat spots, or influencers patting blue magnesium ones on their wrists before bed. Continue readi...

Politics

2 d. ago How hard can it be to run 13 miles? With help from the pub, park and peas I am finding out | Barry Glendenning

Goaded by my colleague into a half-marathon, I can’t say I’m enjoying the training but I’m slowly improving, and at least Great Ormond Street benefitsMy name is Barry and I’m a runner. As a clinically obese 52-year-old Irishman who regularly binge drinks (the NHS’s joyless definition, not my own), I would love to be able to say I took up running for health reasons but that would be a lie. Truth be told, I was railroaded into it by my Football Weekly associate Max Rushden, who publicly challenged me to run the London Landmarks Half-Marathon after I had belittled the efforts of a friend who completed it by asking: “How hard can running 13 miles be?” To cut an already short story shorter, in April I hope to plod from Whitehall, past Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament across Westminster Bridge, along Victoria Embankment and on to Trafalgar Square in the company of more than 20,000 fellow runners, most of whom should finish in front of me if they have so much as a modicum of shame.I will ...

Politics

5 d. ago Bagels, the hole truth: Everything you need to know about the boiled bread rolls... and if you REALLY need to toast them

Bagels might seem quintessentially American, but they've been available in Britain for nearly 200 years, brought to these shores by the Jewish community.

Politics

7 d. ago Truth about 'wonder supplement' creatine: It can boost middle

Once the preserve of athletes looking to bulk up, it is the wellness supplement du jour - taken to boost energy and even prevent brain decline.

Politics

2 w. ago The dangerous truth about your dad bod or beer belly... and why our leading experts are urging more men to use Mounjaro

Aged just 39, Dan Hayes viewed going to the doctor as no more than a sensible precaution when he started to feel a bit sluggish and less energetic than normal.

Politics

2 w. ago Heartbreaking truth about the devastating muscle disease that's hit Jesy Nelson's twins

In an emotional Instagram video posted on Sunday, Ms Nelson revealed the girls had been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA-1).

Events

3 w. ago How to remove crusty brown skin patches and warts at home. Doctors often won't treat these unsightly growths. Now our experts reveal what really can help... and when to be concerned about cancer

What do banana skin, nail varnish and garlic have in common? They are said to help clear warts - and what's more, there is some evidence that they might actually work.

Science