Treatment and medication – articles and advice
End of life care
Explore clear guides and advice on common medical tests and investigations, from scans to blood tests. For detailed reference, see our Patient Information Leaflets on tests and investigations.
End of life care
End of life care is about comfort and dignity. Discover how services support patients and families through symptom control, emotional care, and decision making.
- What you need to know about end of life care
- What not to say to someone who is dying
- How to talk about your end of life care wishes
- End of life care: medical, emotional and spiritual support
- What are the options for end of life care?
- How to cope with a terminal illness at Christmas
- LGBTQI+: what are the barriers and challenges in end of life care?
First aid
Accidents happen anywhere. Learn essential first aid skills that can help you treat common injuries and potentially save a life in an emergency.
- What supplies do you need for a sports first aid kit?
- Empowering the next generation: St John Ambulance and the Young Responders campaign
- What should you do if someone goes into cardiac arrest?
- How to teach yourself first aid
- Holiday first aid kit essentials
- The essential adventure travel kit
- Essential first aid items for your home
Medicine information
Medicines help manage or cure many conditions. Learn about how they work, common side effects, and why taking them as prescribed matters.
- What to expect from your pharmacy consultation
- Book a Pharmacy First online consultation
- Why antibiotics shouldn't be overused
- Should you worry about steroids and their side effects?
- Should you give painkillers to children?
- Antibiotic resistance: a hidden health crisis
- What is #MedSafetyWeek and MHRA Yellow Card scheme?
- What to do if your medication isn't available
- Practical ways to manage your medicines at home
- Where to get medication in an emergency
- Why wasn't I prescribed antibiotics?
- Is it safe to take opioid painkillers?
- What factors are causing antimicrobial resistance?
- Can your skin really get addicted to steroid creams?
- One in four adults prescribed addictive medications
- The dangers of fake drugs
- How does paracetamol know where our pain is?
- Are you too reliant on painkillers?
- Do beta blockers help with anxiety symptoms?
- Making sure your medicine is safe at home
- Pharmacy First - getting the most from your pharmacist
- Can a pharmacist prescribe antibiotics?
- Prescriptions: your questions answered
Other treatments
From complementary therapies to experimental options, learn about alternative treatments and how to explore them safely with medical advice.
- Do you need physiotherapy after joint replacement?
- Hidden sleep hormone in gummies prompts urgent warning
- Signs you might need physiotherapy
- How do inhalers work?
- What does a women's health physiotherapist do?
- What is CBD oil and does it work?
- What is video physiotherapy and who can it help?
- Is getting a massage a substitute for physiotherapy?
- How to get the most out of video physiotherapy
- How physiotherapy can help people with lung conditions
Surgery and procedures
Surgery can range from minor outpatient procedures to major operations. Learn what to expect, how to prepare, and what recovery involves.
- The best things you can to do to prepare for an operation
Other surgery and procedures
- What it's like to have a vasectomy
- Labiaplasties – what are they and are they ever medically necessary?
- What it's like to be on the organ transplant waiting list
- What are the risks of a lung transplant?
- Video: Hip replacement recovery exercises
- Having sex after a vasectomy
- The experiences of a vasectomised vasectomy surgeon
Therapy
Therapies include physical, psychological, and occupational approaches. Learn how therapy can help you recover, manage pain, or improve mental wellbeing.
- Unconventional healing: the rise of alternative therapies
- Don't sweat it: 5 sauna health benefits in the hot seat
Mental health therapy
- How to choose a therapist
- How to decide between different types of therapy
- Are facial workouts good for sleep, speech and oral health?
- Is ASMR the secret to sensory bliss?
- What to expect when your child starts talking therapy
- What is transactional analysis therapy?
- Pets as therapy: benefits for all ages
- Can you have therapy if you don't have a mental health problem?
- What is dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT)?
- What is psychodynamic therapy?
- Why is therapy so exhausting?
- Could you benefit from music therapy?
Vaccinations
Vaccines protect individuals and communities from serious illness. Learn how they work and which ones are recommended for different age groups.
- Why have I been offered the shingles vaccine
- Free chickenpox vaccine to be offered to children in England for the first time
- Are we any closer to a coronavirus vaccine?
- How to speak to someone who's hesitant about vaccines
- When should I get my flu vaccine?
- Everything you need to know about the rabies jab
- Will we need a COVID-19 booster vaccine every year?
- Why you should consider the flu vaccine
- Where to get your flu jab this year
- Should all children have the flu vaccine?
- Why isn't the chickenpox vaccine available on the NHS?
- Offering HPV jab to boys will help prevent over 100,000 cancers
- Flu vaccine in pregnancy does not lead to health problems in children
- Why do kids need the flu jab?
- Should children get the COVID-19 vaccine?
- Vaccination myths you need to stop believing
- Why vaccinations are so important
- We ask a GP what to expect after vaccinations
- Can I have routine vaccinations under lockdown?
- COVID-19 coronavirus: when will we have a vaccine?
- Can I have the flu jab if ...?
- Will flu vaccinations be available after Brexit?
- Can the flu jab really give you the flu?
- Do you need to worry about side effects from vaccines?
- Is it safe to have the flu jab when you're pregnant?
- I regret not getting the flu jab
- What COVID-19 vaccines and medications are available around the world?
- Can the COVID vaccine affect the menstrual cycle?
- When will I get my COVID-19 vaccine?
- Does the flu jab make you immune to flu?
- How will the new flu vaccination programme work?
- Where does a fear of vaccines come from?
- Are vaccinations going to change during the pandemic?
- AstraZeneca vaccine: is it safe and does it cause blood clots?
- What you need to know about the COVID-19 vaccine
- The future of COVID-19 vaccinations
- COVID-19 boosters and pregnancy: Are they safe and should you get them?
- Do you get better COVID-19 immunity from vaccination or infection?
- Do you need the meningitis vaccine?
- How universities promote meningitis vaccinations
Weight loss treatments and surgery
When diet and exercise aren’t enough, treatments or surgery may help. Learn about weight loss options and what to expect from each approach.
- Mounjaro price rise leaves UK patients facing big bills
- Mounjaro price rise: your questions answered
- How weight loss surgery changed my life: Gemma's story
- How to stop taking Mounjaro or switch to an alternative
- Who is eligible for weight loss injections?
- What happens when you stop taking weight loss injections?