Dr Xand's Con or Cure

Original version

BBC One Oxfordshire 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

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 London

London

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

BBC One HD

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

BBC One East

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC One East HD

BBC One North West

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands HD

BBC One Yorks & Lincs HD

BBC One South East

BBC One Channel Islands HD

BBC One North West HD

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

BBC One Cambridgeshire HD

BBC One East Midlands

BBC One West Midlands HD

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

BBC One West

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 Yorks & Lincs

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 HD

BBC One Channel Islands

BBC One West HD

BBC One North East & Cumbria HD

BBC One Cambridgeshire

BBC One South West

BBC One South

BBC One Yorkshire HD

BBC One Oxfordshire

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

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

BBC One Northern Ireland 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 Wales in high definition. From 29/01/2013

BBC One Wales HD

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

BBC One Wales

Wales

Alexander van Tulleken

Ashley John-Baptiste

Richard Collier

Brendan Hughes

Karen Donnelly

Tern Television Productions

Dr Xand's Con or Cure: Series 2: Episode 3

Episode 3

BBC One - Dr Xand's Con or Cure, Series 2, Episode 3

Do detoxing gadgets work? Tips on helping us with our sleep. A revolutionary scientific advance that might spell the end of mammograms. And the dangers of weight loss surgery abroad.

Having weight loss surgery on the NHS can see patients sitting on waiting lists for years. Many look abroad for quicker solutions. But health tourism is fraught with risks. One woman from the Wirral was told by her consultant that she needed a gastric sleeve operation to help her lose weight. With the costs starting at around £10,000, she couldn’t afford to do it in the UK, so she looked further afield. However, when her surgery in Turkey went horribly wrong, she was left unable to eat or drink without the aid of a tube. 

Blue light glasses have clocked up over 140 million views on the internet. They are supposed to be the key to having a restful night’s sleep, but are they just another way to get us to part with our cash? Sleep physiologist Stephanie Romiszewski joins us in studio to talk about whether they work or not, and she gives us some useful tips on how we can improve our sleep.

Detoxing has become a popular buzzword in the world of diets. Some of the claims made in relation to detox diets include magical weight loss, improved digestion and better hair quality. Dr Xand and Ashley discuss the merits and risks of detoxing and look at whether any detox gadgets are worth the money. 

Thanks to continuing research, advancements in the treatment of cancer are improving year on year. But there are still around 55,000 women and 400 men diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK. However, pioneering new research in the early detection of breast cancer could now be literally at our fingertips. Researchers at Sheffield Hallam University have discovered that sweat on our fingertips may give us an early warning of breast cancer. Ashley goes along to investigate.

Drinking tart cherry juice daily has become a new sensation on social media, with many people claiming that it can help with sleep. But can it really? There is some research suggesting that it can. Dr Xand outlines why that work may be flawed but is then surprised by an anecdotal tale from one member of the team.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Dr Xand's Con or Cure

Series 2

Episode 3

Contributors

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC One Oxfordshire HD

About BBC One