Listen again to Health: Fact vs Fiction
In HCA Healthcare's first health podcast series, Health: Fact vs Fiction, Anna Richardson takes a frank look at the facts and fictions surrounding different everyday health issues such as fertility, HRT and bowel cancer, to understanding our genes and their potential health implications.
Anna provides plenty of interesting myth-busting chat, helped along by celebrity guests sharing their own personal health experiences, and leading healthcare consultants offering their expert opinions in each episode. Wherever you choose to listen, be prepared to be surprised, entertained, reassured and educated.
Don't forget, you can subscribe to future health podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts
Episode 1: Having the balls
Suks is one of the UK’s leading andrologists (a specialist bloke doctor) from the Lister Fertility Clinic, The Harley Street Clinic and The Princess Grace Hospital, all part of HCA UK
Joining them for a chat about everything from fertility to lumps and cancers, are former professional footballer and now radio presenter Jason Cundy, and TV’s Dominic Littlewood, who share their experiences of male cancers and their quest to get more men to regularly check their bits.
Episode 2: Genes unzipped
Anna Richardson is joined by Dr Anju Kulkarni from HCA UK’s London Bridge Hospital, as they both unzip the secrets of our genes and dive into the past, present and future of our health.
They are joined by popstar and presenter Michelle Heaton who talks movingly about how inheriting the BRCA gene, which increases a woman’s risk of getting breast and ovarian cancer, has changed her life.
Episode 3: Skin deep
Time to get under your skin. In this episode, Dr Sharon Wong, consultant dermatologist at HCA UK’s London Bridge Hospital, helps Anna Richardson understand how to keep the largest organ in our body not only pampered, but healthy too.
Joining them is TV star Denise Van Outen, who talks about her and her young daughter's experiences with eczema. And how she controls the irritable skin condition whenever she feels a flare up is on the horizon.
Episode 5: Vagina chat and the Big 'M'
Host Anna Richardson talks early menopause; chatting openly about everything from HRT to sex. Anna is joined by celebrity guest Andrea McLean from Loose Women with expert advice coming from Shazia Malik, consultant obstetrician and gynecologist at HCA UK’s The Portland Hospital.
Episode 6: Getting to the guts
Anna will be getting to grips with your guts with Alastair Windsor, specialist colorectal surgeon at HCA UK’s The Princess Grace Hospital and London Digestive Surgery. They will be joined by TV presenter and former Blue Peter star Zoe Salmon who shares her own experience of Irritable Bowel Sydrome (IBS), a condition that affects one in five people in the UK.
Episode 7: Understanding fertility counselling
In this bonus episode, Anna Richardson speaks to Mary-Anne Singh, an accredited counsellor at HCA UK’s Lister Fertility Clinic, about how she helps couples come to terms with fertility issues.
Our guest consultants
Professor Suks Minhas
One of the UK’s only dedicated andrological surgeons, Professor Suks Minhas specialises in treating problems affecting the male genitals, including male fertility, Peyronie’s disease, penile surgery and penile cancer.
Dr Anjana Kulkarni
Dr Kulkarni leads multidisciplinary specialist clinics for BRCA1/2 gene mutation carriers and other rarer hereditary cancer conditions. Her clinical interests include the management of hereditary susceptibility to cancer.
Dr Sharon Wong
One of just a few dermatologists in London who specialise in hair and scalp disorders, Dr Wong helped set a world record for delivering the largest hair education lesson as part of the first ever World Afro Day. She founded Get Ahead of Hair Loss in 2018 .
Miss Shazia Malik
As the lead for early pregnancy and emergency gynaecology at Chase Farm Hospital, Shazia Malik is highly respected in her field. She has worked as part of the recurrent miscarriage team at St Mary’s Hospital, and as a consultant in IVF at CRGH.
Mr Alastair Windsor
Widely regarded as a leader in the field of colorectal disease, Alastair Windsor is also a founder member of Surgical European Crohn’s and Colitis Organization. His clinical practice covers colorectal cancer, endoscopy, diverticular disease, prolapse and IBS.