Thomas Andrew Porteus, MBCS

In a world of constant notifications, endlessly refreshing newsfeeds, and rapid-fire entertainment, many people say their brains feel “fried”, “distracted”, or unable to settle. Increasingly, this feeling is being described with a modern phrase: popcorn brain. Popcorn brain isn’t a medical diagnosis, but it’s a useful way of describing the sense that your mind is constantly “popping” with new stimuli. You might recognise it if you struggle to focus on longer tasks, find silence uncomfortable, or feel restless when you’re not scrolling or multitasking. Here’s what we know about popcorn brain, why it happens, and what you can do to regain calm and attention.

This year, the whole country fell in love with Lisa Riley once again during I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!. Her humour, honesty, and kindness struck a chord with viewers of all ages. But just before she entered the jungle, Lisa sat down with Matt Jameson and Christine Talbot for a deeply personal conversation that goes far beyond her life on screen. As she celebrates 30 years as Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale, Lisa reflects on the health journeys that have shaped her life from grief and emotional recovery to body confidence, resilience and protecting her wellbeing in the public eye.

Ahead of the launch of Series Two of Yorkshire Talks, hosts Matt Jameson and Christine Talbot sit down for something a little different - they interview each other. If you’ve ever wondered who they are beyond the microphone, this intimate episode is the perfect place to begin. This special conversation brings together two people who have shaped the series with honesty, empathy and humour. Their stories set the tone for what’s to come in the new season: open conversations about life, challenge, identity and resilience across Yorkshire and beyond.

Celebrities may seem distant, but the experiences that shape them, illness, grief, resilience, identity, and family, are often the same challenges many of us face. The new series of Yorkshire Talks bridges that gap, bringing raw, personal and often deeply moving health stories straight into the spotlight. Proudly co-produced by Patient.info, this is the most intimate, most honest and most relatable series yet.

Patients in England often have more say in their healthcare than they realise. One of the most important and often overlooked rights is the right to choose where you receive certain types of NHS care. Alongside this sits another concept known as shared care, where a specialist and your GP work together to support your ongoing treatment. Both are central to patient-centred care, yet both can sometimes cause confusion or frustration when expectations and clinical responsibilities collide. This guide explains how the right to choose works in practice, when it may or may not apply, what shared care means for your treatment, and why GPs sometimes cannot take on shared-care responsibilities even when a specialist recommends it.