Dr Xand's Con or Cure

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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

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Alexander van Tulleken

Ashley John-Baptiste

Richard Collier

Brendan Hughes

Karen Donnelly

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Dr Xand's Con or Cure: Series 2: Episode 12

Episode 12

BBC One - Dr Xand's Con or Cure, Series 2, Episode 12

Is there anything we can do to stop snoring?

The dangers of long-term steroid use for eczema. How to stop snoring. Can a base tan prevent sunburn? And why drinking saltwater can be fatal.

Eczema affects one in five children and one in ten adults. There is no cure. Steroids are one frequently prescribed way to control it. After years of using steroid creams, 43-year-old Sheryl from Scotland suffered a major side effect when she tried to stop using them. Dermatologist Deirdre Buckley discusses the risks of long-term steroid use.     

One of the latest trends on social media suggests drinking glasses of salt water is a healthy thing to do. There have been almost 15 million views of this trend, under the title 'saltwater flushing'. Dr Xand points out the dangers: drinking too much salt water may actually kill you. 

Snoring affects almost half of the population in the UK. ENT consultant Andrew Swift runs through some of the latest devices on the market that claim to help solve the problem. So, what works, and what doesn’t? 

Sometimes there are conditions which even have the scientists stumped. Thirty-six-year-old Zoe Eldridge has one of the rarest and least understood conditions in the world – Foreign Accent Syndrome. Zoe’s accent suddenly changed, and she now sounds Welsh. Consultant neuropsychiatrist Dr Laura McWhirter talks to us about the condition. 

Many people use sunbeds and tanning salons before they go on holiday in the belief that getting a base tan will prevent them from getting sunburned while away. Is it true, or is it just a myth? Xand unpicks it and explains that there is more truth in the idea than you might think.

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