Butt out

Theodore Dalrymple on why hospitals are wrong to stop patients smoking

Want to live to be 100?

The islanders of Okinawa live longer than anyone else on the planet. And they stay fit, active and happy long into old age. Now a new book reveals their secrets. Emily Wilson reports.

The fright of your life

Spiders, snakes, premature burial - Harriet Stewart faces our worst fears with Phobias: Fighting the Fear by Helen Saul and Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear by Jan Bondeson

Slow burn

Most cancers are invisible, internal. Melanomas are on show, easy to spot. And they're quickly cured, as long as they are caught in time. So how come 1,500 of us are killed by them every year? Sarah Boseley on why checking your moles regularly could save your life.

The multiple choice question

The practice of implanting three eggs at once during IVF has led to an explosion in the number of triplets. But there are serious risks involved. Sarah Boseley investigates.

Down but never out

Poetic, vital, witty - who'd have thought depression could make such an uplifting read? Andrew Solomon anatomises his breakdowns in The Noonday Demon

I’m not mad. Or am I?

Depression crept up on Andrew Solomon. His life closed in on him: he couldn't eat properly, shower, or talk to friends. Drugs helped, his father helped - but, as his acclaimed new book reveals, there was only one person who could make him feel safe from himself

Take my breath away

It can destroy your personal life and your confidence - and it's all in your mind, not your mouth. Sarah Ebner reports on halitophobia - the irrational fear of having bad breath.