Dr Muiris Houston: Doctors travelling from high Covid-19 areas should self-isolatePotential impact on vulnerable patients could be ‘extremely serious’, says HPSCThu Mar 05 2020 - 20:00
Coronavirus: Myths that have gained tractionDespite myriad online claims for this virus, there is no specific anti-viral treatment for itFri Feb 28 2020 - 16:29
New virus about 20 times deadlier than regular fluFirst solid indication emerges of how lethal outbreak might beTue Feb 18 2020 - 19:40
Muiris Houston: Number of coronavirus cases likely to rise furtherA Doctor Writes . . . virus can spread between humans but unclear if it can do so during incubation periodTue Jan 28 2020 - 15:28
Could coronavirus become a Sars-like illness?A Doctor Writes: Person to person transmission of virus raises fears about it spreadingTue Jan 21 2020 - 12:18
Self-care best tonic for most as flu season stretches hospital capacityIt can take 10 days to recover but see doctor if you have diabetes or cardiovascular issuesFri Dec 27 2019 - 18:48
Man’s 4th Best Hospital review: satirical sequel to The House of GodSamuel Shem returns to the world of medical care, one now ruined by software and billingThu Dec 26 2019 - 06:00
Time to stop throwing good money after bad at the health serviceMuiris Houston: Adding €50m to the Budget will not solve the fundamental problemMon Dec 23 2019 - 00:04
Narcolepsy case raises important questions about vaccine approvalPandemrix process was much speedier than normal assessment period for new vaccinesWed Nov 20 2019 - 01:00
Risk of cancer from HRT is double that of original estimate, study showsA doctor writes: If you are already on HRT, stopping abruptly is not the answerSat Aug 31 2019 - 01:00
Dr Muiris Houston: Is surgery the ultimate placebo?We tend to overestimate the true effectiveness of medical proceduresMon Aug 26 2019 - 06:01
What should I do if I’m bitten by a Noble False Black Widow spider?Dr Muiris Houston takes a look at the health issues surrounding the insectsThu Jul 18 2019 - 18:17
Latest CervicalCheck controversy a communications failureA doctor writes: Contact GP if you’re worried about a recent test, says Muris HoustonFri Jul 12 2019 - 19:50
How does testing for foetal abnormality work?Termination may be offered where there is a condition likely to lead to the death of the foetus either before, or within 28 days of, birthFri May 17 2019 - 20:34
What do you buy a book-lover for their birthday? Not a bookBibliophile Muiris Houston’s present was a personal consultation in a bookshopMon Apr 29 2019 - 05:52
Dr Muiris Houston: Talk of a ‘cure’ for HIV is prematureThere are good reasons to be circumspect about the anti-HIV technique reported this weekSat Mar 09 2019 - 06:00
Let’s stop the war talk when it comes to cancerA recent poll shows most people with cancer are fed up with the language of battleMon Feb 25 2019 - 06:01
Irish anti-vaping sentiment needs to be stubbed outDr Muiris Houston: It’s good that many former heavy smokers who quit carry on vapingMon Feb 11 2019 - 07:01
We need doctors and nurses more than a new children’s hospitalInvesting in people is the first step in turning around a health system close to collapseThu Feb 07 2019 - 01:17
Tech is invading our medical privacy: another reason to beware Dr GoogleMedics are using more and more AI tools but how safe is your data?Mon Jan 28 2019 - 06:01
Bitter pill: how Brexit could interrupt medical suppliesDespite efforts of Government and health agencies, a no-deal scenario will affect supplyMon Jan 21 2019 - 08:39
Billy Connolly is helping others by talking about Parkinson’s diseaseBig Yin’s forthright attitude about his condition in keeping with his attitude to lifeMon Jan 14 2019 - 06:01
Flu vaccine offers best defence against current strainA doctor writes: Influenza virus has arrived and it is not too late to protect yourselfFri Jan 11 2019 - 15:37
Plane speaking: airports a hotbed of infectious diseasesFrom security trays to infected passengers on aircraft, flying puts us at risk of contracting a host of respiratory virusesMon Jan 07 2019 - 07:01
Calling all Christmas chocolate guzzlersMuiris Houston: Time for my annual search to see if I can come up with some health benefits of eating chocolateMon Dec 17 2018 - 06:01
Practising medicine: from experienced-based to evidence-based to interpersonalBetter physician communication is associated with significant gains in outcomes for patientsTue Dec 04 2018 - 06:01
A doctor writes: cervical and endometrial cancers are two distinct diseasesDr Muiris Houston explains differences in the detection, investigation and treatment of the cancersThu Nov 22 2018 - 18:05
How to become the patient Vicky Phelan wants you to beIt’s time we saw critical thinking as an essential life-skill to be taught in schoolsTue Nov 20 2018 - 08:01
Antibiotics: When the drugs don’t workWhile the discovery of a new antibiotic is rare and welcome, the focus must remain on tackling the rising rates of resistance to the drugsMon Nov 12 2018 - 06:01
Varadkar insists lack of staff in hospitals at Christmas results in delayed treatmentTaoiseach said his experience working in various hospitals helped form his viewsFri Nov 09 2018 - 22:00
Anatomy of a Dublin hospital that reaches back to 1703A new book chronicles the history of St James’s, which started out as a workhouseTue Nov 06 2018 - 05:01
Caesarean sections: ‘Too posh to push’ or ‘too poor to choose’The time has come to increase the percentage of operative interventions for women who are treated in the public systemMon Oct 29 2018 - 06:01
No cause for alarm but check your child’s polio vaccination up to dateDr Muiris Houston: Symptoms include loss of muscle tone, facial droop, slurred speechTue Oct 23 2018 - 02:00
Are you allergic to penicillin? Are you sure?There’s an 80 per cent chance that they have been incorrectly labelledMon Oct 22 2018 - 06:01
Danger of a catastrophic influenza pandemic far from overOn the centenary of the Spanish flu epidemic, a worldwide authority on infectious diseases issues a timely warningMon Oct 15 2018 - 05:01
‘If I was a 3 glasses of wine a week person, I wouldn’t stop in the face of recent scare stories’So what does the new information really mean for moderate drinkers?Mon Oct 08 2018 - 06:01
Dr Muiris Houston: Got kidney stones? Hop on a rollercoasterThe ‘Ig Nobel’ awards honour achievements that make people laugh – then thinkMon Sept 24 2018 - 06:01
‘Rx’, ‘Po’ and ‘alt die’: the doctor’s indecipherable prescriptionDoctors are being asked to ditch Latin terms and use language patients understandMon Sept 17 2018 - 07:01
Muiris Houston: Scally report signals deep problems in Irish healthcareCommunication and disclosure are key flaws among CervicalCheck’s systemic deficitsFri Sept 14 2018 - 01:00
How important is taking time off work? VeryDon’t think having an otherwise healthy lifestyle compensates for working too hardMon Sept 10 2018 - 06:22
What is the CPE superbug that is present in Irish hospitals?Dr Muiris Houston: CPE is the latest bug that is hard to kill with antibioticsTue Sept 04 2018 - 06:00
Dr Muiris Houston: I fear we are witnessing a resurgence in measles infectionIn the cot was an eight-year-old boy: he could not swallow and was almost completely blindMon Sept 03 2018 - 06:00
Doctors who trust their gut, vs doctors who order more testsStudy highlights the important role human intuition plays in medical decisionsMon Aug 27 2018 - 10:25
I’m not joking: laughter really is the best medicineA belly laugh is good for the heart, clears up rashes and lowers blood sugar in diabeticsMon Aug 20 2018 - 06:01
Study linking e-cigarettes to lung function adds to concerns over vapingSmall study in ‘Thorax’ medical journal adds to growing body of research on e-cigarettesTue Aug 14 2018 - 00:35
When a sudden descent is too much for the eardrumAfter a dramatic change in cabin pressure passengers can experience bleeding and intense painMon Jul 30 2018 - 06:01
‘I would be horrified to see tattoos or a nose ring on an attending doctor’There was a huge response to a column on presentation and professionalismMon Jul 23 2018 - 06:01
Why you should hug your doctor the next time you see themResearch shows if you see the same doctor you are likely to reduce your risk of deathMon Jul 16 2018 - 06:01
Would you care if your doctor had a ‘Mad Max’ tattoo?Research into doctors’ appearance finds body art doesn’t affect patient trust. But piercings ...Mon Jul 09 2018 - 06:01
Anabolic steroids and adolescents’ culture of invulnerabilityDr Muiris Houston: Risks associated with sex, dosage and duration of administrationFri Jul 06 2018 - 01:53
