One minute, I was in the sauna – the next, I was in a steamy panic

Sweating profusely has improved my life, with the heat wringing all the worry out of me. But an unexpected conversation sent me spiralling, writes Arwa Mahdawi

The People’s Hospital: why public healthcare can be successful in the US

A physician’s book details the success of a Houston hospital that treats uninsured Americans stranded by the system

A winter of the mind: how to escape survival mode

For many of us, it has been a cold and traumatic year. But, as one reader found, difficult times can lead to new and revolutionary ways of thinking

Covid has not affected people’s happiness around world, study reveals

World Happiness Report finds higher levels of benevolence in all global regions than before the pandemic

Mind over matter: can meditation soothe my troubled insides?

Meditating Buddhist monks have been shown to have healthier gut microbiomes and more effective metabolisms than non-meditators. Could an app make mine happier?

Chew slowly, keep moving and eat 30 plants a week: 12 rules for gut health

What to eat, when, how to do it properly – and what to avoid. Experts lay out the food habits that will make a real difference to your health

I started running during lockdown and still hate it – what counts is I do it anyway

It feels good to be fit but the gift of fitness isn’t to make exercise pleasurable, it’s to make impossible things achievable

What are the real signs of a healthy gut? A user’s guide

It’s a huge organ that gives us the energy to live, grow and repair. But how does it work – and how do you keep it healthy? Our science editor unravels its astonishing job

NHS doctors offered up to £5,000 to recruit colleagues for private hospitals

Exclusive: HCA Healthcare is spending tens of thousands of pounds on ‘golden hello’ bonuses for staff from overstretched public service

At long last, some recognition of the pain after childbirth. Why is women’s suffering so ignored?

Research shows opioid painkillers are unlikely to harm breastfed babies – but history shows how often women have had to sacrifice their own health, says historian Agnes Arnold-Foster