Cognitive stimulation is a structured approach that aims to engage people with dementia in enjoyable activities that generally stimulate areas of cognition such as thinking, language skills, concentration and memory. In this blog, retired clinical psychologist and dementia care researcher, Bob Woods, explains how it might help people living with dementia.

The post Cognitive stimulation for people with dementia: making a difference appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

A recent Cochrane Review – the largest ever investigation into antidepressants used for chronic pain - shows insufficient evidence to determine how effective or harmful they may be. In this blog, principal investigator Professor Tamar Pincus explains the findings, and a clinician (Dr Peter Cole), a patient, and a researcher (Hollie Birkinshaw,) share their reflections. 

The post Antidepressants for chronic pain: an important evidence gap appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

In this blog, Dr Paula Byrne, post-doctoral researcher with the University of Galway, explains the difficulty – and importance of – knowing whether health information is true, and explains how iHealthfacts – a website where the public can fact-check things they read and hear about health – aims to help.

The post iHealthFacts website: fact-check things you read and hear about health appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

A blog for people with eczema and those caring for children with eczema, by Cochrane UK's Sarah Chapman, looking at trustworthy evidence on emollients or moisturisers and topical steroids.

The post Eczema treatments: evidence to help you choose appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

In a blog for people with ear-related balance disorders and those supporting them, Sarah Chapman and Selena Ryan-Vig from Cochrane UK share the latest Cochrane evidence and some useful resources, introduced by Professor Martin Burton.

The post Ear-related balance disorders: evidence and resources appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

A blog for GPs on antibody tests for COVID-19

The post Antibody tests for COVID-19: what use are they in practice? appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

We answer some questions you may have if you’re affected by pain and discomfort in your lower back which has no identifiable cause (it’s ‘non-specific’) and has lasted longer than 3 months (it’s ‘chronic’). On this page, we look at the potential benefits and harms of various non-invasive, non-surgical treatment options. The answers are based on the latest trustworthy evidence from Cochrane and NHS advice. 

The post Treating long-lasting low back pain without surgery: the latest evidence appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

Robert Walton, a Cochrane UK Senior Fellow in General Practice, looks at the latest Cochrane evidence on what blood pressure targets to aim for, balancing the benefits of treatment against risk of side effects.

The post Blood pressure targets – how low can you get? appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

In a blog for physiotherapists, other health professionals and anyone interested in arts and health, Hannah Dye from Breathe Arts Health Research explains how their innovative dance programme provides an alternative to exercise classes for older adults prescribed strength and balance physiotherapy at Guy’s Hospital, London. Created with patients, the programme is offering people choice in their healthcare pathway and bringing multiple benefits.

The post Breathe Dance for Strength & Balance: offering choice, delivering benefits appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

On this page, we share trustworthy evidence and resources about hearing conditions and highlight opportunities to take part in research. Our blogs help to set evidence in context and make it easy to understand, and often include reflections from people living with hearing conditions and from health professionals and researchers. 

The post Hearing conditions: evidence, experience and resources appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

Professor Martin Burton looks at the evidence on ear drops for removing earwax, and some things to think about, including whether you need to remove it at all.

The post Ear drops to remove earwax: a quick look appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

Doctors Rebecca Gould and Charlotte Squires look at new Cochrane evidence on how physical exercise can help people with Parkinson’s, and Lis Kirkness, who lives with Parkinson’s, writes about her experience of trying both old and new forms of exercise, and the benefits she has felt.

The post Physical exercise for people with Parkinson’s: do what you enjoy appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

A new project aims to find out what are the top questions that need answering about dementia and hearing conditions, in the first Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) to look at two health areas together.  Sarah Chapman looks at what this is about, and hears from some of those involved in the PSP about what it hopes to achieve and why it’s important.

The post Dementia and hearing conditions: what do we most need to know? appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

Sarah Chapman from Cochrane UK shares new evidence on what can be done to reduce falls in older people at home by making safety adaptations to the environment and, importantly, who is likely to benefit most from these. 

The post Preventing falls in older people: new evidence on what helps appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

In a blog for people with Menière's disease and those supporting them, Sarah Chapman looks at the latest evidence on treatments and talks to her husband Tim about living with Menière’s and making choices about treatments, and to researcher Katie Webster and Ear, Nose and Throat doctor Martin Burton, who are both authors of new Cochrane Reviews on treatments for Menière's.

The post Menière’s disease: experience, evidence gaps & treatment choices appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

In this blog, Sarah Chapman looks at the Cochrane evidence on treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), talks to Consultant Neurophysiologist and Cochrane Review author Jeremy Bland, and reflects on her husband’s experiences.

The post Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS): the latest evidence on treatments appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

In a blog for people interested in asthma management, Professor Adrian Martineau reflects on new Cochrane evidence on vitamin D and asthma and why conclusions have changed.

The post Vitamin D for asthma: new evidence, new message appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

In a blog for parents and guardians, Rufaro Ndokera, a children’s intensive care doctor who is also a mother, discusses things to consider when making decisions for children and young people.

The post Making healthcare decisions for and with our children appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

In a blog for anyone looking for support in making health decisions, Dr Jenny McSharry, Health Psychologist and lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Galway, explains what systematic reviews are and why they are a particularly trustworthy source of health evidence.

The post What health evidence can we trust when we need it most? appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.

In this blog, Professor Gus Gazzard, a glaucoma consultant and president of the UK & Éire Glaucoma Society, and Evgenia Konstantakopoulou, an optometrist specialising in glaucoma, explore the evidence on treatment options for different types of glaucoma. 

The post Glaucoma: what are the options? appeared first on Evidently Cochrane.