The perfect morning routine: how to build a happy, healthy start to the day – from showers to sunshine

You don’t have to wake at 5am or commit to hardcore exercise. But by working out a handful of habits that suit you, and introducing them slowly, you can change your life

Crunch time: are freeze-dried fruit and veg actually healthy to eat or just chips in a different form?

This food preservation method is being promoted as a nutrition powerhouse, but it shouldn’t be treated as a direct substitute for fresh produce

‘I’m going to scream!’: how to survive (and maybe even enjoy) your family Christmas

From preparing safe topics to taking silly games, we ask the experts how to avoid falling out with your nearest and dearest – before, during and after the big day

‘A potential treasure trove’: World Health Organization to explore benefits of traditional medicines

UN body to study possibility of integrating centuries-old practices into mainstream healthcare

I threw a potato. Mum brandished a knife … would whole-family therapy save our Christmas?

Eight years ago, after yet another disastrous festive get-together, my mother decided we needed professional help. Which is how a new festive tradition began

‘She was like a deer in headlights’: how unskilled radical birthkeepers took hold in Canada

In holistic communities and midwifery deserts, women are turning to the Free Birth Society for information and unlicensed providers

New antibiotics hailed as ‘turning point’ in treating drug-resistant gonorrhoea

First new treatments for sexually transmitted disease in decades approved by US Food and Drug Administration as number of cases worldwide surge to 82m

‘Oysters are a risk, as is raw meat’: why you get food poisoning – and how to avoid it

Several kinds of bacteria can give you an upset stomach. Here is how to steer clear of the worst offenders, and what to do if they do make it through

Friday briefing: How the Free Birth Society’s ​philosophy ​contributed to a ​preventable ​death

In today’s newsletter: The Guardian’s new podcast, The Birth Keepers, explores how a global network promoting unassisted childbirth has shaped women’s decisions​ around childbirth. One mother’s story stands as a stark warning

One in five women in England say their concerns were ignored during childbirth, survey finds

Women say fears were dismissed and help was unavailable at crucial moments during labour