Dr Xand's Con or Cure 

Original version

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

BBC One East

Dr Xand's Con or Cure

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 Two

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

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

BBC One HD

BBC One London

London

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

BBC One West Midlands HD

BBC One East Midlands HD

BBC One Oxfordshire 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

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 Yorkshire

BBC One Channel Islands

BBC One Yorks & Lincs 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

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 South

BBC One North West HD

BBC One Cambridgeshire

BBC One West Midlands

BBC One East 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 Cambridgeshire HD

BBC One South East

BBC One Channel Islands 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 HD

BBC One South West HD

BBC One Yorkshire HD

BBC One West

BBC One North West

BBC One Oxfordshire

BBC One North East & Cumbria 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

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

BBC One Scotland HD

BBC One Wales

Wales

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

BBC One Wales HD

BBC Two England

England

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two HD

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland 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 7

Episode 7

BBC One - Dr Xand's Con or Cure, Series 2, Episode 7

A look at the baby hearing test scandal and the dangers of home gel nail kits. Also, does reading in dim light damage our eyes, and can ice cure acne?

Around 12 million people in the UK live with hearing issues. Detecting problems with hearing early in life is important. But last summer, the NHS launched an urgent review of paediatric services after it became clear that thousands of babies and young children had hearing problems that weren’t diagnosed until it was too late. We meet Kirstie and her eight-year-old son, Tommie. Tommie was born deaf, but it wasn’t diagnosed until it was too late. Now fitted with cochlear implants, Tommie is improving, but the lack of a diagnosis has left him at a very big disadvantage compared to others his age. Samantha Lear, a senior paediatric audiologist, joins us to advise on what signs we should look out for in young babies, and what to do if we suspect a child may have issues with hearing.

When it comes to what we eat, it’s hard to keep up with what’s good for us and what’s bad. In this episode, we’re looking at the battle between two giants of our diets – fat and sugar. Are they really that bad for us, and is one worse than the other?   

Facial icing is another trend that has gone viral on social media, with millions of viewers watching videos online of people using ice and iced water on their faces. The claim is that it is a way to help circulation and get rid of acne and redness. But is it a con? Dr Xand thinks that it is dangerous and explains why.

Home kits of gel nail polish promise salon-style nails with a finish that lasts for weeks, sometimes months. And they’re easy to buy if you have about £70 to spare. That’s a lot cheaper than going to a nail salon regularly. However, they can come with unexpected health risks. We speak to 26-year-old Katie from Bradford, who prefers doing her nails at home but suffered pain and peeling of her skin due to the chemicals in the nail kit. Consultant dermatologist Dr Deirdre Buckley is in the studio to talk about the problems with these kits and advises us to steer clear of them.

Many of us have no doubt been told by our parents – and now tell our own kids – that sitting too close to the television, reading in dim light or not wearing your glasses can ruin your eyesight. But how much of this is actually true?

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Dr Xand's Con or Cure

Series 2

Episode 7

Contributors

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC One East

About BBC One