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Fifteen medical royal colleges in the UK and the British Medical Association are urging the UK Government to take action over the targeting of medical staff working in conflict zones. It used to be the case that having a red cross or a red crescent on a medical tent or ambulance or hospital offered protection, as it was a clear sign that the staff inside were neutral and were simply trying to save lives. But in recent times doctors and nurses have found themselves to be targets.
A report from Global Health Now says that in 2018 there were 950 attacks on health facilities and personnel in 23 countries including Syria, Iraq and Yemen, killing more than 150 health workers and injuring more than 700. Professor Tony Redmond has worked in many conflicts as an emergency physician and is now president of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine.

How would you feel if the doctor prescribed you a night at the bingo, instead of a box of pills? It might seem far-fetched, but that is the idea behind ‘social prescribing’, a scheme that hopes to address some of the underlying problems, such as isolation or stress, that can affect our health. A pilot study conducted in the UK found that linking patients with support and activities within their community was associated with a 20% drop in A&E attendances, and a positive change in the well-being of 83% of participants. To find out more, Health Check prescribed reporter Madeleine Finlay a dance lesson.

We all know that if someone is feeling anxious, taking a few deep breaths can sometimes help them feel a bit better, but could breathing in help people to think better too? New research from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel has found that our breathing patterns can affect our cognition. Professor Noam Sobel tells Claudia about their discovery, the results of which have just been published in the journal Nature.

Health Check was presented by Claudia Hammond with comments from health reporter Katie Silver

(Photo: Syrians salvage medical items from a hospital following an air strike in the eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)