Dr Xand's Con or Cure

Original version

BBC One North West HD

Factual: Health & Wellbeing

The facts, not the fakes, about your health.

The facts, not the fakes, about your health with Dr Xand van Tulleken and Ashley John-Baptiste. From social media scams to health scares, they'll shine a light on bad medicine.

Series 2

BBC One Yorkshire

The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria

Simulcast of network BBC One in high definition. From 03/11/2010

BBC One HD

BBC One London

London

BBC One Cambridgeshire

BBC One Oxfordshire HD

BBC One Channel Islands

BBC One Oxfordshire

BBC One West Midlands

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East HD

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East HD

BBC One North West

BBC One West Midlands HD

BBC One North East & Cumbria HD

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region. Separated as BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One London HD

BBC One West HD

BBC One South East

BBC One Cambridgeshire HD

BBC One East Midlands HD

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West HD

BBC One South West

BBC One South HD

BBC One Yorkshire HD

BBC One East

BBC One Yorks & Lincs HD

BBC One Channel Islands HD

Simulcast of BBC One Scotland in high definition. From 14/01/2013

BBC One Scotland HD

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

BBC One Northern Ireland

Simulcast of BBC One Northern Ireland in high definition. From 24/10/2012

BBC One Northern Ireland HD

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

BBC One Wales

Wales

Simulcast of BBC One Wales in high definition. From 29/01/2013

BBC One Wales HD

Alexander van Tulleken

Ashley John-Baptiste

Richard Collier

Brendan Hughes

Karen Donnelly

Tern Television Productions

Dr Xand's Con or Cure: Series 2: Episode 1

Episode 1

BBC One - Dr Xand's Con or Cure, Series 2, Episode 1

A look at a revolutionary treatment for depression available on the high street. What gadgets can help treat seasonal affective disorder? Is neck cracking dangerous? And can cheese cause nightmares?

From cons to cures, scams to scares and fakes from facts. 

Health consumer show Dr Xand’s Con or Cure is dedicated to righting the wrongs of ‘bad medicine’. Dr Xand van Tulleken and journalist Ashley John-Baptiste scour the country to expose medical quacks, explode false news, explain topical health and showcase extraordinary cases. In a world of social media and information at our fingertips, they help you sift the right advice from the downright dangerous and shine a light on medical malpractice and criminal behaviour, helping you to take your health in your own hands. 

We live in a world where scammers will try just about anything to part us from our cash – often using sophisticated means. So, it’s especially cruel when an illness like dementia makes that even easier for them. We meet one woman who lost £5,000 of her savings when a scammer posed as an employee of her bank. And in the studio, we get useful tips from the Alzheimer’s Society on things we can all do to help prevent this happening to people we care about.

Medical myths and notions tend to linger. Across literature over centuries, people have been talking about the effects eating cheese can have on sleep. Charles Dickens had Ebenezer Scrooge attributing his ghostly visions to the fact that he had had some cheese. So, we ask the question: does eating cheese at night give you bad dreams? And we have an answer. 

In the UK, we’re all a bit prone to complaining about the cold and dark winter nights – it's just what we do! Shorter days bring less sunshine. Seasonal affective disorder, also known as ‘winter depression’, is a very real problem for many people. But there are gadgets on the market that promise to bring some sunshine back. Are they worth the money, or are they just conning you out of your cash? Psychologist Kimberley Wilson joins us to provide some answers and helpful advice.

We visit a clinic in Somerset where they are using a revolutionary new technique to help people who suffer from depression. Doctors are using magnets to help stimulate the brain, and they are seeing incredible results in patients where nothing else has worked. Professor Alex O’Neill-Kerr, a fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, joins us in the studio with a portable headset approved by the NHS that you can buy yourself and use at home.

We look at the dangers associated with one of the latest trends on social media – neck cracking. Dr Xand looks at why people do it and explains why it’s a really dangerous thing to do.

In each episode, Dr Xand answers a question sent in directly by viewers. In this programme, a viewer asks, ‘Dear Dr Xand, can you tell me if the Low Fodmap diet really helps?'

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Dr Xand's Con or Cure

Series 2

Episode 1

Contributors

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC One North West HD

About BBC One