A mother was left fighting for her life after a mystery allergy that causes her to suffer daily anaphylactic shocks nearly stopped her heart. 

Laura-Anne Davis, 29, was at a friend’s birthday party on February 9 when she was rushed to intensive care with a suspected peanut allergy. 

Paramedics gave her ‘six or seven rounds of adrenaline’ on the way to the hospital while she was ‘vibrating’ in the back of the ambulance. 

Her husband Tom, 30, has now told of the horror. 

Mrs Davis suffers from anaphylactic shocks ‘often multiple times a day, resulting in multiple hospital admissions a week’ – but the cause remains a mystery. 

Earlier this month she had an allergic reaction so severe she went into peri-arrest, a life-threatening state which refers to the time frame during which a person shows signs and symptoms of cardiac arrest, but their heart has not yet stopped beating. 

Mrs Davis, mother to two-year-old Amelia, was very nearly intubated as a result. 

Medics said one more similar episode could result in her being put into a coma. 

Mr Davis, who has started a GoFundMe page to help fund their coming months, told the Daily Mail how his wife has suffered from anaphylactic shocks often multiple times a day since last October, when, on a trip into town, she suddenly felt short of breath. 

The former nurse and care home worker was told for years that she had a peanut allergy – and believed her reaction late last year was caused by ‘contaminated coffee syrup’. 

But blood tests taken in December revealed she does not have a peanut allergy – and that there is ‘no rhyme or reason’ to these reactions, which can occur at ‘random moments’ of the day, according to her husband. 

Mr Davis said: ‘She will just be pottering around the house and [suddenly] feel short of breath or itchy. 

‘Sometimes she will be out and about or at home in the evening. 

‘It gets to the point where you start joking with the paramedics about when they’re going to turn up next.’ 

He has even begun to notice, often before Mrs Davis has told him, when she is beginning to have another reaction. 

The 29-year-old will become tight-chested, have a scratchy throat and break out in rashes, causing her to turn ‘bright red’. She also feels nauseous and needs to vomit. 

The couple, from Hemel Hempstead, in Hertfordshire, went to their GP about her mystery allergy – but doctors could not figure out what was wrong. 

Mrs Davis was then referred to NHS allergy experts in West Hertfordshire to ‘pin-point’ whether she was suffering from a worsening or new intolerance – but they had ‘no idea what was going on’ either, said her husband.

But medics are concerned that using EpiPens and medications to treat her anaphylactic reactions regularly could ‘break’ her heart. 

Mr Davis said: ‘It’s easy to hold it together when the paramedics are here. 

‘But there are instances late at night or in the early hours of the morning, where it is stressful not knowing how long she could be in hospital.’

He added that it’s hard trying to remember how long his wife has spent in hospital since October as she has ‘probably spent more time in hospital than at home over the past few months’.  

‘Luckily we have friends who have rallied round us,’ said Mr Davis. 

He has had to give up his full-time job as a medical administrator and now has a part-time job as a cleaner so he can be there for his wife and two-year-old daughter, Amelia. 

He said: ‘Life still goes on and Amelia comes first. We are trying to keep things as normal as possible for her. 

‘Laura-Anne just wants to be at home with her family. Amelia has been quite good but she says she “misses mummy” which is heartbreaking. 

‘Laura-Anne has always looked out for other people and is always doing what’s best for Amelia and makes sure she’s happy.

‘Before she became unwell she worked in a lot of care homes, she is a former nurse. 

‘Her proudest achievement was working with immunosuppressed patients through Covid.

‘She wants to be a paramedic. She thrives in chaos, under pressure.’ 

Mr Davis has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for private healthcare. 

On it, he wrote: ‘Laura-Anne’s health hasn’t been simple since we met 10 years ago – but she has always kept going, pushed through and been there for others no matter what. 

‘The last couple of years have been a manageable struggle, however over the past six months things have taken a sharp decline. 

‘So far the doctors don’t have much of an idea what’s going on, and the concern for her health alongside the effects of all the various medications (adrenaline, steroids, etc.) is rising. 

‘For anyone that doesn’t know, my wife has been suffering from severe anaphylactic shocks (often multiple times a day, resulting in multiple hospital admissions a week). 

‘She’s probably spent more time in hospital than at home over the past few months and being away from her family is breaking her. 

‘Amelia is now starting to understand that mummy is poorly, which is so hard to see as her dad.  

‘On 9th February, Laura-Anne was taken into hospital with another attack. Unfortunately whilst having a further attack in hospital, she went into peri-arrest: ending up in intensive care and very nearly being intubated (we’ve been told one more episode like that and she is likely to end up in coma).

‘Due to our situation I have had to give up full time work to be her carer and look after our Amelia. 

‘Until recently I have managed to make a part-time role work, but due to the increasing frequency and severity of these episodes I have had to miss a lot of shifts, and it’s a scary time for us on all fronts.

‘We have managed to find some specialist clinics, doctors and hospitals who could hopefully help Laura-Anne and really change her life – however these cost money.   

‘So we’re asking for just enough to cover a couple of initial appointments, to get the ball rolling, then we can work out next steps from there. 

‘Anything over [the] asked amount will go towards more appointments/tests/medications.’ 

Mr Davis described his wife as ‘genuinely the most selfless person’ who ‘has always put others before herself’ and ‘made sure her friends and family are okay before she is’. 

He added: ‘Despite everything going on, she is just the best mum to our little girl and I will do anything to make sure we don’t lose any more of her than we already have done.’

A spokesperson for West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: ‘We are unable to comment on individual patients or their care but can provide assurance that our clinical teams follow thorough, evidence‑based processes when assessing and diagnosing all conditions. 

‘In cases where a diagnosis is complex or unclear patients may undergo further tests, monitoring or referral to specialist services to ensure they receive the most appropriate care. 

‘If a patient has concerns about their treatment or diagnosis we encourage them to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), who can discuss their experience directly and provide support.’

Blood supplies can be ‘lifesaving’ and the NHS has called for donors of a specific type to come forward amid low stocks

The NHS has made an urgent call for people in Cambridge with a rare blood type to come forward and donate. It comes amid warnings that supplies are under pressure.

NHS Blood and Transplant has appealed to B negative donors in Cambridge to book an appointment as soon as they can or walk in to the Cambridge Donor Centre at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Officials say there are 267 appointments still available this week at the donor centre.

Gerry Gogarty, Director of Blood Supply, said: “Right now, B negative stocks are at risk of running low. With this blood type, just a slight rise in hospital demand or one or two patients suddenly requiring a high number of units, can put significant extra pressure on supplies.

“We are calling on existing B negative donors to come forward and donate, and more people with this blood type to become regular donors and help secure the lifesaving supply of blood to patients in the months and years ahead.”

Only two per cent of the population have B negative blood, making it one of the least common types. Patients with the B negative blood type can only receive B negative or O negative blood. This means that low stocks of B negative can also impact emergency O negative supplies.

Existing B negative donors will be given priority access to appointments and are urged to call 0300 123 23 23. New donors who already know they are B negative can now add it when they register, allowing them to be prioritised.

Those with B negative blood are also asked to encourage family members to register and book an appointment to donate as they are 30 percent more likely to have this blood type than the general population.

Donating a unit of blood takes just an hour and each donation can save up to three lives. Men can give blood every three months and women every four months. Hospitals across England need more than 5,000 blood donations every day to ensure they have the blood they need to treat patients.

A new pill could help patients lose more weight than current oral weight loss medications, a promising new study has found.

The drug, called orforglipron, is a GLP-1 agonist and targets the same appetite receptors as fat jabs such as Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic, but is taken in tablet form rather than administered via injection.

Orforglipron has been developed to treat type 2 diabetes and as part of a review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) was compared to an existing medication, oral semaglutide, sold under the brand name Rybelsus.

Rybelsus and the Wegovy Pill – which launched in the US in January and NHS chiefs hope to roll out in the UK by the end of this year – are the same medication, but the former is approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and the latter for weight loss.

In a trial of over 1,500 patients from Argentina, China, Japan Mexico and the US, patients who took orforglipron for a year experienced a greater drop in blood sugar levels and lost more weight than those on semaglutide.

In the study, 1,698 participants were randomly assigned to receive either orforglipron, at a dose of 12mg or 36mg, or oral semaglutide, at 7mg or 14mg.

Participants took their medication every day for a year, starting on a lower dose and increasing every four weeks until reaching their randomly assigned dose.

Results showed that both doses of orforglipron were better than that of semaglutide in reducing blood glucose levels, and they also lost more weight.

Patients with type 2 diabetes are recommended to lose between 5-15 per cent body weight to help manage their condition, with a more than 10 per cent reduction having disease-modifying effects including potential remission.

Up to 43 per cent of participants on orforglipron were able to drop at least 10 per cent body weight, while only 21 per cent of those on semaglutide dropped enough weight to slash their risk of heart complications.

However, the weight loss seen among people taking orforglipron was not as extreme as results seen in patients taking Mounjaro, which contains the active ingredient tirzepatide.

Orforglipron can also be taken with food, making it much more convenient than semaglutide, which needs to be taken on an empty stomach. Experts have already stated that they believe GLP-1 tablets will be more accessible than injections – and potentially in the future, more affordable due to different packaging, storage and shipment requirements.

Writing in medical journal The Lancet, the authors said: ‘Our results suggest that orforglipron represents an important advancement in the oral treatment landscape for type2 diabetes.

‘It’s efficacy, safety, tolerability, and simple doing could address important barriers associated with current therapies, offering a new highly efficacious and safe option for individuals seeking glycemic and weight control with the use of injections.’

The researchers noted the difference in blood sugar control was already significant after just a month of treatment and was sustained until the end of the trial.

The results were particularly strong for patients with higher blood sugar levels at the start of the trial.

Around a quarter of patients taking orforglipron managed to reach near-normal blood sugar levels during the course of the study whilst only around 12 per cent of those on semaglutide managed to reduce their blood sugar to safe levels.

If approved, orforglipron (which like Mounjaro, is manufactured by Eli Lily) could become the next GLP-1 drug approved for use ‘off label’ for weight management.

Weight loss jabs have transformed obesity treatment, offering dramatic weight loss that was largely out of reach with diet and exercise alone.

Two in three Britons are now overweight or obese, driving a nearly 40 per cent rise in type 2 diabetes among under 40s.

The researchers concluded: ‘Orforglipron represents meaningful improvements in glycemic control and weight reduction compared with oral semaglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes, and with larger improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors and simplified administration.’

However, during the course of the study around 10 per cent of participants on orforglipron had to stop taking the pill due to adverse reactions, such as gastrointestinal issues.

Only 5 per cent of patients taking semaglutide experienced similar adverse reactions.

 

Illegal migrants would be given a free house and paid a wage with no requirement to work under the Green Party’s immigration policy.

Zack Polanski plans to let arrivals use the NHS for free the moment they enter Britain.

And they will be allowed to work ‘with no restrictions’ under plans for ‘a world without borders’.

It comes as a bombshell poll put the Greens in second place nationally ahead of an increasingly fraught Gorton and Denton by-election tomorrow. 

Unearthed policy proposals seen by the Daily Mail show the Greens plan to ‘abolish’ immigration detention and grant a full amnesty to illegal migrants to stay in Britain, even if their asylum claims are rejected.

The internal documents state that ‘migration is not a criminal offence under any circumstances’.

Last week, the party’s plans to legalise drugs including crack cocaine and heroin for recreational use were exposed.

According to the immigration proposals, the Greens seek ‘to establish a system that recognises that all migrants are treated as citizens in waiting and therefore supports and encourages them to put down roots in their new home’. 

Last night the Conservatives, Reform UK and Labour derided the ‘open border plans’, branding them ‘financially reckless but also dangerous’.

But Mr Polanski’s party said it was ‘proud’ of the policies, which it claimed have proved ‘popular’ on the doorstep during the Gorton and Denton campaign. Under the Green leader’s premiership all illegal migrants would be handed a wage ‘at the level of Universal Basic Income’ with ‘no requirement to be either working or actively seeking work’.

Migrant families would be ‘accommodated in a house or flat with exclusive use’ and lone men would ‘each have their own room’ in shared accommodation – but would be given their own property if they claimed to be LGBTQIA+ for ‘safeguarding purposes’.

The proposals add that illegal migrants ‘will be allowed to take up employment, with no restriction’ and will be ‘provided with free access to all NHS facilities’ the second they cross the Channel – with these rights remaining ‘even if their [asylum] case is rejected’.

Meanwhile immigration detention ‘will be abolished’ and even illegal migrants who have ‘exhausted all [asylum] appeal rights’ would not be deported. 

The policy says: ‘There will be no requirement for any applicant, or any person whose case has been refused, to report regularly to the Department of Migration.’

Reform UK’s home office spokesman Zia Yusuf last night branded the plans ‘dangerous’. 

He told the Daily Mail: ‘Under the Greens’ open-borders plans, not only is every hoodlum and criminal welcome to our shores but entitled to free housing, healthcare and anything else they might fancy.

‘My only surprise is Zack Polanski isn’t promising to furnish them all with free heroin and crack cocaine, which he wants to legalise. The Greens’ policies are not only financially reckless but also dangerous.’ 

The Greens plan to legalise these drugs because they ‘enhance human relationships and human creativity’.

Mr Polanski’s party plans to create a ‘direct partnership’ between the Government and South American drug cartels to introduce a ‘sustainable supply’ of cocaine to Britain and teach primary school children how to take drugs safely.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail revealed yesterday that Green policy states sex work ‘should be decriminalised’ and restrictions placed on sexually explicit material ‘ended’, except for those aimed at protecting children.

The party’s official immigration policy suggests that migrants would be free to travel to Britain using fake documents as ‘penalties imposed on commercial carriers for transporting undocumented migrants will be abolished’ and asylum claims would be admissible ‘regardless of route’.

Border force officers will be made to take a ‘neutral approach’ to interviewing asylum seekers and ‘what the applicant says will be believed in the absence of contrary evidence’.

The policy also says that illegal migrants who have been in the UK for at least five years would be ‘invited’ to stay permanently.

Mr Polanski’s plans for Britain also state that foreign students and anybody with a visa – apart from a visitors’ visa – would be given ‘the right to vote in elections and referendums’.

Last night the Tories accused the Greens of planning to ‘hand out a welcome pack to every illegal arrival’ and said the party had been captured ‘by hard-Left activists’. A Labour source said: ‘The public expect immigration controls that are properly enforced – not the open-borders plan the Greens are proposing.’

The revelations come as voters prepare to head to the polls in Gorton and Denton tomorrow, with the Greens attempting to position themselves as the main opposition to Reform after Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, was blocked from standing.

Polls suggest the outcome will be tight. Last night Green candidate Hannah Spencer accused her Labour counterpart of ‘racist dogwhistles’ and urged Angeliki Stogia to ‘condemn her party’s racist campaign tactics’ in an escalation of tensions.

It came as a poll of 3,029 voters from Find Out Now put the Green Party in second place nationally, with 18 per cent of the vote. This was behind Reform, on 25 per cent, and ahead of Labour, on 16 per cent.

A Green source said the policy proposals are different from the party’s 2024 manifesto, which is costed, but conceded that it is a ‘long-standing policy and aim’ of the party.

A spokesman said: ‘We’re proud of this policy, voted on and decided by our members… We know it’s popular as well – Green policy regularly comes out as the most popular in polls.’

By GRAEME CULLIFORD

Published: 19:43 EST, 22 February 2026 | Updated: 20:56 EST, 22 February 2026

She was the glamorous German countess with a vast fortune who was one of Jeffrey Epstein’s closest confidantes for 20 years.

Nicole Junkermann stepped down as a trustee of a cancer charity after revelations of her friendship with Epstein and newly released emails now show that she may have provided a link between the predatory financier and the heart of Westminster.

The 50-year-old London-based technology investor, convinced health secretary Matt Hancock to appoint her to the government’s influential ‘Healthtech Advisory Board’.

And she even attempted to engineer a meeting between Epstein and former prime minister David Cameron.

The former model and entrepreneur was charged with creating a ‘culture of innovation’ and with guiding the government ‘on its mission to transform technology in the NHS’.

She was photographed standing directly behind Hancock, 47, at the board’s inaugural meeting – a picture he must now wish could be wiped from the archives.

Last week Junkermann stepped down as a trustee of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity as the extent of her roughly two-decades-long friendship with Epstein was exposed.

Lancaster University, where she was a visiting professor, is also reviewing her status. 

Hundreds of emails released by the United States Department of Justice suggest the paedophile began corresponding with her in May 2009, two months before he was released from prison having served 13 months for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.

Junkermann described Epstein as ‘Mr Wonderful’ in one message in which she suggested she visit him once he was out of jail.

However, a 2003 diary entry she reportedly made, indicates they met years earlier.

Transcribing the diary entry into an email, she wrote: ‘I cannot sleep, I think about Jefrey. There are few people in my life which I want to spend time with – he is one of them.’ How can I trust him? How can I feel so much tenderness?’

By 2011, the pair appeared to have become infatuated with each other. Junkermann called Epstein ‘baby’ and they discussed a mysterious proposal, with Junkermann gushing: ‘You make me smile, you are in my heart.’

Discussing an investment she was mulling, she asked the shamed financier: ‘Daddy, How are u? Should I hedge now at 1.37 or wait? Kiss.’

By 2012, the exchanges become more testy.

Epstein at one point rages that he had ‘spent time trying to give you my best advice’ but he was seeing no ‘small sign of a of two-way street [sic] – not one intersting [sic] person, gesture.’

The German entrepreneur protested that Epstein had a selective memory, reeling off apparent gifts including a ‘cashmere bathrobe’ and ‘your jewelery [sic] which you did not appreciate.’

The emails show that Epstein offered Junkermann a job, saying she would be ‘very helpful to me.’

He is said to have arranged introductions to French banker Ariane de Rothschild and Leon Black, the billionaire private equity tycoon.

He also helped to secure her a nomination for the Young Global Leaders programme run by the World Economic Forum by obtaining a letter of recommendation from Larry Summers, the former US treasury secretary, according to a previous report.

In one email Junkermann asks him, ‘Do you trust me?’

Epstein replied: ‘Any reason I shouldn’t?’

Underlining their closeness, in January 2013 Epstein discussed conceiving a baby.

In an email sent to Junkermann, he wrote: ‘how would the baby thing work, what involvement would you need from me, I reflected on what is left to do that i have not already done …voila’

She replied, ‘Wow!’ to which he responded, ‘Is that a code word?’

Epstein followed up with: ‘where ? how ? what would you expect from me, me from you? It would make a better dream work’

Epstein tried to introduce Junkermann to Microsoft founder Bill Gates at a party, emailing her: ‘I have gates on wed, if you would like to join for part..

‘also why dont you consider working for/with me , organizing the worlds most intersintng pocpl, you can invest alongsie, you can re structure house staff, be very helpful to me, and you might find it challenging.’

She replied: ‘Let’s discuss it….Tried to call you’, then adding ‘Miss you.’

Epstein, notorious for trafficking young girls in a private jet he owned dubbed the ‘Lolita Express,’ teased Junkermann about her favoured mode of transport.

He wrote: ‘Why are you dtill (sic) flying commercial, its time to get your own plane. you can afford it.’

She appears to have become a trusted advisor before he was arrested. They jointly invested in an Israeli security start-up called Carbyne, according to a report.

In July 2017, Epstein included her on an email sent to former Israeli PM Ehud Barak, in which he argued that using Cyprus to avoid tax was ‘silly, antiquated and dangerous.’

Junkermann concurred, saying that Cyprus was ‘raising eyebrows’ and that she ‘would propose Luxembourg’ as an alternative.

That same year – 2017 – she married Italian Count Ferdinando Brachetti Peretti, 66, part of a wealthy dynasty that controls the Italian energy giant API.

 But Justice Department files show that she remained close to Epstein – and was still making introductions for him – even after she became a countess.

In fact, she continued corresponding with the convicted paedophile right up until his second arrest.

In 2018, she wrote to Epstein: ‘I am hosting a lunch on the west coast in March for David Cameron would you like to join or anyone else who I should invite?’

A short time before Epstein was found hanging in his prison cell in August 2019, Junkermann referred to a letter published in The New York Times defending him.

In an email first reported by The Telegraph, she wrote: ‘Cross fingers it is just a wave and it goes away again……. bad timing on the whole Me Too.’

Junkermann’s bond with Epstein was only uncovered when the full treasure trove of evidence was finally released this month.

Born in Düsseldorf in 1975, she is the only daughter of powerful German businessman Heinz Junkermann, who would take her to board meetings from the age of 12.

Raised in Marbella, Spain, she studied business administration and management at the International University of Monaco and attended Harvard Business School in the United States

But she made her bones in the City of London where her NJF Capital has invested in dozens of technology companies including Owkin, an AI healthcare firm worth more than $1bn (£735m) that has struck deals with the NHS.

This perhaps explains how Hancock, who resigned as an MP at the 2024 General Election, came into her crosshairs.

The ‘Healthtech Advisory Board’ was tasked with ‘assisting in policy creation, challenging decision making and acting as a sounding board for new ideas.’

It is not clear when she left that role but the Epstein revelations were too much for those running the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which had appointed her as a trustee in 2024.

The charity raises funds for the Royal Marsden hospital, a specialist cancer centre, which William and Kate became patrons of in January last year and which treated the princess for cancer.

It is understood that Junkermann also stepped down from a role as a visiting professor at Lancaster University, while her Linked-in page was taken down in recent days.

She says she ‘deeply regrets’ her conversations with Epstein and feels she was deceived and misled by him.

A spokesman for the countess said: ‘The scale of Jerey Epstein’s crimes is appalling. As a woman and a mother, Nicole was completely deceived and misled by him and deeply regrets their conversations regarding personal and professional matters.

‘These conversations took place at a time when she was vulnerable, and she was manipulated into trusting him and consulting him with the most personal of matters.

Nicole has been horrified to come to understand his true nature and the suffering he inflicted on women and girls through his abuse of trust, power, and manipulation. Her thoughts are completely with his victims, and she looks forward to the day the real predators face justice.’

Junkermann married her husband, 66, in what one newspaper described as a ‘secret (and) very intimate ceremony attended only by witnesses.’

A glowing 2019 article in the Il Mattino newspaper described Junkermann as a ‘technology consultant to the British government.’

In 2012, she welcomed another Italian publication into her South Kensington home where she boasted that of the 40 start-ups in her portfolio, ‘a full 12 – about one in three—are considered unicorns: they have an average size of over €10 billion.’ 

A Real Madrid fan who speaks five languages, Junkermann added: ‘Everything I’ve done, I’ve built myself.’

Feeling bloated, gassy or suffering from indigestion after a meal is a common complaint – but before you reach for a packet of antacids or charcoal tablets, the answer might lie outdoors.

An estimated 43 per cent of Britons struggle with digestive discomfort, with many pinning the blame on their diet.

But new research suggests that going for a walk after a meal could be the solution to reducing post-dinner bloating. 

Despite there being well-versed rhetoric that you should rest after a meal, research has indicated that taking a light walk immediately or shortly after eating is beneficial for both digestion and blood sugar management. 

Dubbed a ‘fart walk’ on social media, the idea is to take a five to to 20-minute stroll after eating to help with digestion, reducing bloating and relieving any trapped wind in the digestive system. 

Deborah Luciano, a personal trainer and nutrition coach, told the Daily Mail that it makes sense. 

She says: ‘Digestion is a full-body process, not just a stomach process.

‘Once you eat, your body has to coordinate stomach acid production, enzyme release, gut motility, blood flow and hormone responses, and all of those are influenced by movement. 

‘How, or if, you move after meals can either support this process or slow it down.’

Gentle walking acts like a natural stimulator for the digestive tract, which encourages a gut motility called peristalsis.

This is a wave-like muscle movement that moves food through the gut. It can help reduce bloating and pressure, while also supporting a steadier metabolic response after eating.

And when you understand this about digestion, it makes other common post-meal options – such as lying down, having a herbal tea or a cigarette – seem like terrible choices. 

When it comes to your digestion, one of the worst things you can do after eating a meal is lying down or slumping in a chair.

If your stomach is distended with food, these positions put pressure on other organs and impairs peristalsis.

Smoking can also be harmful for digestion as nicotine can thin the gastric mucous, leaving the stomach lining more susceptible to stomach acids and increase the risk of gastritis and peptic ulcers.

Smoking also stimulates gastric acid secretion and inhibits the absorption of nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D.

And while peppermint tea can aid digestion, drinking green or black tea after meals is not recommended, as tannins in tea can inhibit the absorption of nutrients such as iron. Tea contains caffeine, which can worsen anxiety and aggravate heartburn.

In a healthy digestive system, the stomach expands to accommodate food, triggering the gastrocolic reflex which signals the colon to increase motility, which, in some people, can stimulate the need to pass stool soon after eating.

Immediately after eating, blood flow shifts toward the digestive organs and the gut starts rhythmic contractions to move food along. 

Getting up for a stroll straightaway can significantly reduce the usual glucose increase that comes from digesting what we’ve eaten, which is normally seen within 30-60 minutes of eating a meal.

This is why, for people with diabetes or insulin resistance, walking after a meal is particularly beneficial. 

Ms Luciano adds that a post-meal walk can also be especially helpful for people with reflux, functional bloating, slow digestion, or who tend to suffer from constipation.

‘It’s also useful for people who feel very sleepy or sluggish after meals,’ she says. 

‘Digestive symptoms are actually very common, so a small habit like a post-meal stroll can make a noticeable difference for everyone.

‘If you feel very full or tend to experience acid reflux, opt for waiting an extra 10–15 minutes so that food settles and you can feel more comfortable.’

The good news is that even short bursts of walking at a conversational pace can make a big difference for digestion. 

According to the NHS, even a short walk of two to five minutes taken as soon as you finish your meal can have benefits. 

‘To get the best results, know that consistency matters more than intensity here – regular short walks after meals often work better than occasional long ones,’ Ms Luciano says.

‘If you have a busy schedule or have limited space, you can still use walking to aid your digestion. 

‘Light stretching, slow stair walking, using a walking pad, or even doing small household tasks can help. 

‘The goal is simply to avoid staying completely still for long periods right after eating. Even pacing while on the phone or doing light tidying can support digestion.’

 

Health experts including the NHS, UKHSA, and WHO recommend keeping homes above a minimum temperature

Energy costs are soaring and have been escalating each winter, but there’s a compelling reason to ward off the chill. Feeling cold isn’t just uncomfortable – the temperature of our homes plays a significant role in our overall health.

With colds, flu, norovirus, and Covid, winter bugs are abundant and hard to dodge. You’ll be familiar with one of the simplest ways to protect yourself being handwashing, but maintaining warmth is also crucial in preventing illness.

Cold weather impacts the body and keeping your home chilly can lead to sickness, NHS Inform explains. When it’s cold, our hearts have to work harder to keep the body warm, which consequently raises blood pressure. Cold air can irritate the lungs and leave joints feeling sore.

So, what temperature best wards off illness? The guidance from the NHS, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) all point to the same minimum temperature: 18C.

The WHO’s Housing and health guidelines state: “Indoor housing temperatures should be high enough to protect residents from the harmful health effects of cold. For countries with temperate or colder climates, 18C has been proposed as a safe and well-balanced indoor temperature to protect the health of general populations during cold seasons.”

This advice is mirrored by the guidance given by the UKHSA for staying well in winter. The agency advises: “Our top tip is to heat the home, or the parts of it you’re using, to at least 18C.

“This is the temperature at which we start to see changes in the body, when the blood starts to thicken. So, temperatures above this are best to protect your health.”

However, it’s worth noting that the thermostat should be set even higher if there are individuals who are more susceptible to the cold, reports the Mirror. As per NHS Inform, “Anyone can become unwell when the weather is cold. However, some people are more at risk.”

The following groups are listed:

• People aged 65 or over
• People with underlying health conditions, like heart or lung conditions or mental health conditions
• Children (particularly aged five and under)
• Pregnant women
• People who are housebound or have low mobility

Public Health Wales has recommended increasing the temperature to 23C in such instances: “For those households with vulnerable people, the recommendations are 23C in the living room and 18°C in other rooms achieved for 16 hours in a 24-hour period.”

The cold itself doesn’t cause illness, but it does facilitate conditions that do. For example, a chilly environment benefits viruses. Studies have demonstrated that the viruses responsible for flu and Covid survive longer in cold and dry conditions, thereby increasing their chances of infecting people.

“Cold temperatures themselves do not cause infections,” clarified Manal Mohammed, a Senior Lecturer in Medical Microbiology at the University of Westminster in The Conversation.

“Instead, they influence a combination of biological, environmental and social factors that make people more vulnerable to respiratory illnesses, especially during the winter months.”

Being cold also places our bodies at a disadvantage once we become unwell, as UKHSA noted: “Being cold also affects our body’s ability to fight off infection. This is why in the weeks after the cold weather we see more deaths from infections like pneumonia, as lung conditions and coughs can develop into a more serious problem.”

The service frees up bed spaces in hospital

Peterborough City Council’s ruling cabinet has agreed to renew a service which entitles local hospital patients to receive vital support following their discharge from hospital care.

At a meeting on Tuesday, February 10, the cabinet approved plans that will enable the Discharge Support Service – which has been in place since 2017 – to continue operating out of Peterborough City Hospital.

Councillor Neil Boyce (Peterborough First), Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, presented the proposal to Cabinet. “The paper seeks approval from Cabinet to award the contract for delivery of Peterborough City Council’s Discharge Support Service to The British Red Cross Society,” he said.

The proposal to recommission was taken following assessments which concluded the Discharge Support Service was “valuable and impactful.”

Cllr Boyce said: “This service enables those discharged from Peterborough City Hospital to re-settle appropriately in their own home via a variety of tasks for a period of up to six weeks.”

These tasks include:

• Transport home/or to a care setting from hospital;
• Post-discharge support for up to six weeks if needed;
• Telephone support/welfare check-ins;
• Collecting prescriptions;
• Shopping and food parcels;
• Delivering small equipment from hospital to home;
• Mobility aids;
• Triage service into the local voluntary sector and local information for the Peterborough area.

The councillor insisted these provisions helped “increase the independence and well-being of those who use the service”.

The Peterborough First councillor for Glinton and Castor went on to explain the expected length of the new contract, saying it will be “commencing on 1st May 2026 for an initial period of three years with the option to extend for a further two years”.

The current contract for this service, which was awarded in May 2023, ends on 30 April 2026.

The report stated the Discharge Support Service will cost a combined maximum value of £740,209 (£148,041 per year) over the course of five years.

Figures provided by the Department of Health and Social Care estimate likely savings of somewhere between £189,750 and £356,250 each year. Vital bed space needed for newly admitted patients would also be increased as a result.

The Discharge Support Service is available for all adults aged 18 discharged from Peterborough City Hospital.