Women in England will soon be able to obtain the morning-after pill for free from pharmacies, a move aimed at improving access to emergency contraception. While this medication is already available at no cost from most GPs and sexual health clinics, getting it from a pharmacy has often depended on location and cost, with some women paying up to £30.

The government hopes this initiative will reduce inequalities, particularly for women in disadvantaged areas, and ease pressure on GP services.

What Is Emergency Contraception?

Emergency contraception is used to prevent unwanted pregnancies after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure. It is most effective when taken as soon as possible—ideally within 3 to 5 days. However, the effectiveness decreases with time.

By making the morning-after pill widely available through the NHS, the government aims to remove barriers that many women currently face.

Ending the ‘Postcode Lottery’

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock emphasized that access to emergency contraception should not depend on a woman’s location or financial situation.

"Women across England face an unfair postcode lottery when seeking emergency contraception, with access varying dramatically depending on where they live," he said.

Kinnock highlighted that the plan ensures all women can access this essential healthcare "when they need it, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay."

Why This Change Matters

Improved Accessibility – Many women struggle to access a GP or sexual health clinic in time to get emergency contraception. Offering it at pharmacies removes this obstacle.

Reduced Health Inequalities – Women in lower-income areas often face financial barriers to purchasing the morning-after pill. This change ensures equal access.

Less Pressure on GPs – By allowing pharmacies to provide free emergency contraception, GP appointments can be freed up for other medical needs.

Part of a Larger Healthcare Investment

The initiative will be officially announced on Monday as part of a broader government investment in rebuilding community pharmacies.

With this change set to take effect later this year, England is taking a significant step toward making emergency contraception more accessible, ensuring that all women have the right to make informed choices about their reproductive health without financial or geographical barriers.

Women's Health Elsewhere

While this step has been welcomed, in the US, women's health, especially the reproductive health has been a cause of concern. After Donald Trump's return and his second term, women have been panic buying birth control pills. As per Google data, birth controls and Plan B have trended higher than they have trended in June 2022, during the Roe v. Wade judgement, when it had been overturned.

The Associated Press also reported that requests were made for long-term birth control and permanent sterilization across the nation since the election. Companies have told the AP that they have seen a spike in the number of orders, as high as 966% increase in sales from the week before in the 60 hours after the election.

This is in the backdrop of anti-abortion advocacy that Trump and the party he represents, i.e. the Republican Party believes in. Recently, a bill was introduced by Republican Rep Emory Dunahoo who sought to criminalize most abortion from the moment of fertilization. It further expands Georgia's existing "personhood" law, which grants certain rights to the unborn children, such as tax breaks and child support. If passed, this law would make Georgia one of the strictest states on abortion, and joining at least five other states with similar personhood laws.

At this moment, Georgia bans most abortions after a "detectable human heartbeat" is found, which can occur as early as six weeks into the pregnancy. This is also the phase when many women can even realize that they are pregnant. The law is among the strictest in the nation, though, anti-abortion advocates argue it does not go far enough.

Yoga is a wholesome exercise that is not just about poses and asanas. A big part of yoga is meditation and ne unique aspect that you may not be aware of is Yog Nidra. It involves relaxing in a comfortable space and the goal is to move to a deeper state of awareness sleep. It may not be exactly meditation, but there are a lot of similarities there.

Sleep plays a very important role in our health. When you are unable to sleep, your body works overtime, exhausting itself. Another aspect of it is when people are unable to sleep no matter how hard they try. Yog nidra can be very beneficial for them.

The Cleveland Clinic explains yoga nidra and meditation both involve slowing down, but they are distinct practices. It's guided and structured. Regular meditation involves sitting and focusing the mind in a waking state, letting thoughts pass. Meditation can lead to a "theta" state, a step towards the deep "delta" sleep state where healing happens, which is the goal of yoga Nidra while staying conscious.

Why Should One Do Yog Nidra

Yoga nidra helps your body's automatic systems, like your heartbeat and breathing, work better. These systems have a "stress mode" (fight-or-flight) and a "calm mode" (rest-and-digest). While regular meditation can help balance these, yoga nidra's super deep rest does even more. It wakes up a part of your brain that releases melatonin, a helpful substance that fights damage, boosts your defenses, keeps your blood pressure healthy, and helps you sleep soundly.

Tips On How To Do Yog Nidra

You can find yoga nidra classes or practice at home with online guides. No special gear is needed – just lie comfortably on a mat or blanket with support. Here are some tips to follow.

Practice makes perfect

Yoga nidra, while simple, improves with regular practice, especially if you're not used to silencing your thoughts. Consistency helps you access deeper relaxation.

Create a calm environment

A dark and quiet space minimizes distractions, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the guided meditation. Consider using a sleep mask for deeper darkness.

Stay warm and cozy

Your body temperature can drop as you deeply relax. A blanket provides comfort and helps you stay warm and undisturbed during the session.

Find a comfortable position

If lying flat causes discomfort, adapt the practice to a recliner or your bed. The key is to be relaxed and supported so you can focus.

Start gently with time

Begin with shorter yoga nidra sessions, around 15 to 20 minutes, and gradually increase the duration as you become more comfortable with the practice.

Evening practice for better sleep

Practicing yoga nidra before bed can significantly enhance your sleep quality, helping you to fall asleep more easily and sleep more soundly through the night.

Be patient with your mind

Don't get discouraged if you find it hard to quiet your thoughts initially. It's a skill that develops over time with consistent effort and gentle persistence.

The reward is worth the effort

By giving yoga nidra a few tries, you'll likely discover its wonderful benefits for rest, recovery, and overall well-being, making it a valuable tool.

Gen Z's newest fixation isn't some passing wellness fad or trending TikTok challenge—it's a dangerous romance with high-nicotine pouches that experts say is careening into public health catastrophe. Vapes drop from favor as cigarettes once again gain popularity, and products such as ZYNs—nicotine pouches that are portable, convenient, and unnervingly powerful—are quickly becoming the next big thing among teens. With over 1,500 seizures of illicit nicotine pouches reported in areas such as Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Dorset in the UK alone, health officials are raising an alarm.

These packets, usually imported and sold with foreign-language labeling, slip past proper control. Even though they are subject to General Product Safety Regulations, most do not even include simple English safety warnings. Some even misleadingly claim ridiculously high doses—up to 150mg of nicotine—rendering them not only deceptive but also dangerous to unsuspecting consumers.

What is most troubling is the development of a flourishing black market. With no strength controls or age limits, supercharged pouches are readily available to youth through corner stores or websites. Teens are attracted not only by the hype but by the excitement—purchasing products with novelty packaging, candy-like flavors, and video game-like names.

The game of marketing is cunning: companies know that "strength sells." While large manufacturers limit nicotine strength to 20mg per pouch, unknown, frequently illegal brands are promoting much greater strengths—30mg and more—driving a new addiction cycle. "If the pouch contains no instruction or safety information in English, users will not understand how to dose it safely," argues Caroline Cerny, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Deputy Chief Executive. The outcome? An increasing number of adolescents reporting symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, and racing hearts—a condition more commonly referred to as the "niccy rush."

Is GenZ a Generation Hooked on Highs?

This is not a new phenomenon. Evidence in recent years already indicated a high-strength vape use among 18- to 24-year-olds was increasing, with usage of the most potent (20mg/ml) varieties increasing from just below 4% to more than 50% within three years. These are items that equate to one or two packs of cigarettes—reached via delivery through devices that were once erroneously marketed as safer alternatives.

As disposable vapes such as the 3,500-puff Elux Legend saturated the UK high streets, adolescents increasingly turned to high-nicotine puffs, even admitting to knowingly buying illicit products. A 2023 survey of online retailer Haypp found that almost one in three young users would happily purchase black-market vapes. The same hunger is now driving the growth of nicotine pouches.

Role of Education—Or the Lack Thereof?

So why are so many teenagers leaping headlong into a habit so obviously dangerous? Experts attribute this to a huge gap in harm education. "There's no coherent messaging about the dangers of nicotine pouches," says Ivan Ezquerra Romano, harm reduction expert and Drugsand.me founder. "Younger generations heard that smoking kills, but when it comes to newer options like vapes and pouches, the message hasn't caught up."

This disparity makes Gen Z vulnerable. Enticed by colorful packaging and internet-age branding, they tend to underestimate the repercussions. Unlike cigarettes, the health dangers of nicotine pouches are still under-studied, so a false sense of security takes hold. What most people don't know is that nicotine itself is a potent psychoactive drug—one that can drive anxiety, addiction, and chronic cardiovascular problems.

The physical hazards are just half the story. CVS Health just released the results of a national survey indicating that 85% of Gen Z in the United States feel that there's a teen nicotine epidemic, and 9 in 10 feel that these products can exacerbate mental health issues. They're right—research indicates that nicotine use can increase symptoms of depression and anxiety, especially among adolescents whose brains are still maturing.

What is especially insidious is how nicotine quietly reprograms the brain, generating patterns of dependency that are hard to undo. For a generation already struggling with increasing mental health issues, nicotine's effect cannot be exaggerated.

The international scenario is even darker. A modelling research by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), released in The Lancet Public Health, estimated that excluding tobacco sales to individuals born between 2006 and 2010 would prevent 1.2 million lung cancer deaths between 2095. That represents almost 40% of lung cancer deaths expected in this age group.

Smoking is responsible for 85% of all lung cancer diagnoses—the most fatal type of cancer globally. Without extreme measures, almost 3 million individuals born in the same period might lose their lives due to lung cancer alone. Female-orientated tobacco promotion has been an important factor in producing these statistics, with Western Europe experiencing the highest number of potential lives saved among females, and the highest for males in Eastern Europe.

The latest nicotine epidemic—hiding behind shiny, high-tech packaging—is a time bomb waiting to explode. If world leaders don't act to control these products, educate youth, and limit marketing practices aimed at kids, we will see a return to levels of addiction not experienced since the peak of cigarette use.

The answer isn't simply prohibiting products; it's more intelligent policy. From transparent labeling legislation and potency limits to culturally sensitive education efforts and affordable cessation services, it's time we take the same seriousness with nicotine pouches as we did with cigarettes.

Because this isn't a Gen Z issue—it's a global health emergency in the making.

A person who had been impersonating a medical healthcare professional has finally been arrested by the Indian police. The man is Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav. He is accused of posing as a British-trained cardiologist and allegedly performing surgeries that led to the deaths of seven of his patients. The 53-year-old used an alias of Dr N John Camm, had been working at a Mission Hospital in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh.

Who is Narendra Yadav?

He had been practising as a doctor for nearly two decades under different aliases. As per the police, he claimed to have trained under Prof John Camm, who is a respected cardiologist at the UK's St George's Hospital. He added the professor's name to his own to gain credibility. He also claimed to have worked in medical institutions across the UK, US, Germany, and Spain.

However, investigators found out that Yadav's medical degrees were forged. The police have also verified the documents and found that they lacked details like a unique registration number, which is issued to medical graduates.

How Was The Fake Doctor Caught?

The issue first came to light in February 2025, when the Damoh Child Welfare Committee flagged several patient deaths to district officials. A deeper probe revealed that Yadav had performed 64 procedures, including 45 angioplasties, during his short tenure at the hospital. Seven patients died following surgeries conducted by him.

“We got suspicious about his expertise and checked his credentials online. We found that he had cases registered against him in at least three states,” said Deepak Tiwari, head of the Child Welfare Committee.

Following the initial probe, Yadav abruptly quit his job and went missing. He was eventually arrested on Monday evening in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

The "Doctor" Has A Past

While Yadav has denied the allegations, hours before his arrest, he sent a legal notice worth Rs 5 crore, which is around $ 580,000, to several people and publications that allegedly defamed him. However, this is not the first time that he is being questioned about his identity.

In 2019, a fact-checking website flagged an X account he had created under the name of Prof N John Camm. The posts went viral until the real doctor clarified that he was being impersonated.

Further investigation revealed that Yadav had registered four companies in the UK in 2018 under the name Dr Narendra Vikramaditya Yadav, later changing it to Dr Narendra John Camm.

In 2019, he was arrested in Hyderabad for allegedly abducting a British doctor he had invited to work with him. He was also banned by India's Medical Council in 2014 for five years due to "professional misconduct," according to parliamentary records. Additionally, he was charged with fraud and cheating in Uttar Pradesh in 2013, although the case was stayed by a local court.

What Did The Hospital Say?

The hospital where Yadav had briefly worked has denied knowing about his alleged fake credentials. The staff told a media outlet that nobody had suspected him of being a fake doctor because he acted like a "big-time" professor.