Cookies on the Bupa website

We use cookies to help us understand ease of use and relevance of content. This ensures that we can give you the best experience on our website. If you continue, we'll assume that you are happy to receive cookies for this purpose. Find out more about cookies

Continue

Navigation

You are here:
  • Home
  • Health information

Health information

Featured content

Bupa Health blog

Bupa Health blog

Tips, advice and opinions from Bupa's clinical and lifestyle experts.

The Bupa Health blog has everything you need to keep you feeling good, healthy and living well.

Read more
Find out more

Having heart surgery

This information has been created by Bupa and the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery. It is designed to provide you, your family and carers with the information you need at each stage of heart surgery, from your initial appointment with your surgeon, all the way through to recovery.

Find out more
brainy app

BMI calculator

Try our calculator to work out if you're a healthy weight for your height.
#bodyasaband

If your body were a band, how would it perform?

Find out in our interactive music video, starring The Futureheads.

Find out more
Bupa Life Stories

Bupa Life Stories

Our series of short films explore your most searched for health and care topics, from mole removal and physiotherapy to dementia and what to look for in a care home.

Show more
Tools and calculators

Health tools and calculators

We have a wealth of online tools, quizzes, calculators and mobile apps to help you look after your health and wellbeing.

Find out more
Image of people raising their wine glasses

Alcohol calculator

Get to know the sensible drinking limits by using the DrinkAware calculator.
Breast cancer awareness

Breast cancer awareness

Find out what the key symptoms of breast cancer are. Diagnosing breast cancer early means treating it is more likely to be successful.

Find out more
An image showing money boxes

Cost of smoking calculator

Work out how much money you can save by giving up smoking.
Deciding on 24/7 care

Deciding on 24/7 care

Professor Graham Stokes
Bowel cancer awareness

Bowel cancer awareness

Find out the key symptoms of bowel cancer. Diagnosing bowel cancer early means treating it is more likely to be successful.

Find out more
right Next

    Details

    Health videos

    How a baby develops during pregnancy

    How a baby develops during pregnancy

    Your body goes through a lot of changes in pregnancy
    Lee learns to manage his back pain

    Lee learns to manage his back pain

    How cancer develops

    How cancer develops

    Cells begin to grow in an uncontrolled way
    Long-term effects of alcohol

    Long-term effects of alcohol

    If you regularly drink too much alcohol, you can be putting your long-term health at risk
    The effects of smoking on your body

    The effects of smoking on your body

    Smoking causes serious health problems that you can't always see
    Mat gets back on track after injuring his knee

    Mat gets back on track after injuring his knee

    How a common cold develops

    How a common cold develops

    A cold is an infection caused by a virus. It's a common and usually mild illness that affects the nose and throat
    right Next

      These videos are intended for general information only and do not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.

      View more

      Featured content

      Diet

      Designing an environment to help you eat healthier

      Sarah O’Farrell, behavioural scientist, blogs about how to use your environment to help you stick to healthy eating goals.

      Show more
      Fitness

      Be inspired by these healthy exercise habits!

      Natalie Heaton, Health and Lifestyle Editor, asked a group of people what healthy habits they have successfully adopted for getting fit.

      Find out more
      Relaxation

      Six ways to grow your willpower

      Sarah O’Farrell, behavioural scientist, blogs about willpower: what it is and how to keep it strong.

      Read more
      Living well

      Five mocktails to try this Dry January

      With the popularity of Dry January on the rise, more and more people are cutting out booze. Sophie Mellor, Health and Lifestyle Editor, has found five mocktail recipes for you to try at home.

      Find out more
      Mindfulness

      Five tips to stay stress free at work

      Dr Pablo Vandenabele, Clinical Director for Mental Health, blogs about the five key things you can do to keep your stress levels at bay.

      Read more
      Request a blog

      Request a blog

      Is there a topic you'd like us to cover? Click the button below to tell us your idea.

      Find out more
      Diet

      Including superfoods in your diet

      Christina Merryfield, Lead Dietitian at Bupa Cromwell Hospital, blogs about how can you include quinoa, chia seeds and kale in your diet.

      Find out more
      Fitness

      Your daily wake up routine - stretching

      Lucie Roux, Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist at Bupa, blogs about working stretching into your daily routine.

      Read more
      Relaxation

      Keep calm and meditate

      Meditation is a mind-body practice that uses a mixture of body postures and focused attention as a way to relax.

      Find out more
      Living well

      Fighting the common cold

      Dr Lizzie Tuckey, Medical Director of Bupa UK, gives us a guide to the common cold.

      Read more
      Mindfulness

      Kick-start your week with kindness

      Jane Bozier, a registered nurse and mindfulness expert at Bupa, explains how to kick-start your week with kindness by practising loving-kindness meditation (LKM).

      Read more
      right Next

        About our health information

        At Bupa we produce a wealth of free health information for you and your family. We believe that trustworthy information is essential in helping you make better decisions about your health and care. Here are just a few of the ways in which our core editorial principles have been recognised.

        • Information Standard

          We are certified by the Information Standard. This quality mark identifies reliable, trustworthy producers and sources of health information.
          Information standard logo

        • HONcode

          This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

          This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify.

        What our readers say about us

        But don't just take our word for it; here's some feedback from our readers.

        “Simple and easy to use website - not alarming, just helpful.”

        “It’s informative but not too detailed. I like that it’s factual and realistic about the conditions and the procedures involved. It’s also easy to navigate to areas that you specifically want without having to read all the information.”

        “Good information, easy to find, trustworthy.”

        Meet the team

        Image of Andrew Byron

        Andrew Byron
        Head of health content and clinical engagement




        • Dylan Merkett – Lead Editor – UK Customer
        • Nick Ridgman – Lead Editor – UK Health and Care Services
        • Natalie Heaton – Specialist Editor – User Experience
        • Pippa Coulter – Specialist Editor – Content Library
        • Alice Rossiter – Specialist Editor – Insights
        • Laura Blanks – Specialist Editor – Quality
        • Michelle Harrison – Editorial Assistant

        Our core principles

        All our health content is produced in line with our core editorial principles – readable, reliable, relevant – which are represented by our diagram.

        An image showing or editorial principals

                          Click to open full-size image

        The ‘3Rs’ encompass everything we believe good health information should be. From tweets to in-depth reports, videos to quizzes, every piece of content we produce has these as its foundation.

        Readable

        In a nutshell, our information is jargon-free, concise and accessible. We know our audience and we meet their health information needs, helping them to take the next step in their health and wellbeing journey.

        Reliable

        We use the best quality and most up-to-date evidence to produce our information. Our process is transparent and validated by experts – both our users and medical specialists.

        Relevant

        We know that our users want the right information at the right time, in the way that suits them. So we review our content at least every three years to keep it fresh. And we’re embracing new technology and social media so they can get it whenever and wherever they choose.

        Our accreditation

        Here are just a few of the ways in which the quality of our information has been recognised.

        • The Information Standard certification scheme

          You will see the Information Standard quality mark on our content. This is a certification programme, supported by NHS England, that was developed to ensure that public-facing health and care information is created to a set of best practice principles.

          It uses only recognised evidence sources and presents the information in a clear and balanced way. The Information Standard quality mark is a quick and easy way for you to identify reliable and trustworthy producers and sources of information.

          Certified by the Information Standard as a quality provider of health and social care information. Bupa shall hold responsibility for the accuracy of the information they publish and neither the Scheme Operator nor the Scheme Owner shall have any responsibility whatsoever for costs, losses or direct or indirect damages or costs arising from inaccuracy of information or omissions in information published on the website on behalf of Bupa.

        • British Medical Association (BMA) patient information awards

          We have received a number of BMA awards for different assets over the years. Most recently, in 2013, we received a 'commended' award for our online shared decision making hub.

        Contact us

        If you have any feedback on our health information, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us via email: healthinfo@bupa.com. Or you can write to us:

        Health Content Team
        Bupa House
        15-19 Bloomsbury Way
        London
        WC1A 2BA

        Find out more Close

        Legal disclaimer

        This information was published by Bupa's Health Content Team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been reviewed by appropriate medical or clinical professionals. Photos are only for illustrative purposes and do not reflect every presentation of a condition.

        The information contained on this page and in any third party websites referred to on this page is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice nor is it intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment. Third party websites are not owned or controlled by Bupa and any individual may be able to access and post messages on them. Bupa is not responsible for the content or availability of these third party websites. We do not accept advertising on this page.

        For more details on how we produce our content and its sources, visit the 'About our health information' section.

        ˆ We may record or monitor our calls.