Topics on Our Desk

This page is a view across the writing desks: what each shelf covers today, which questions are waiting for their turn and which subjects we have decided are not ours to write about. It changes as the library grows, so treat it as a snapshot rather than a promise.

Smile & Teeth

Fenella's shelf deals with the everyday side of mouth care. It already covers caring for dentures and coping with nerves in the dental chair. Questions she is exploring next include how to care for teeth while wearing braces, what to ask before a first visit with a young child and how to look after the mouth during a long illness. Browse the shelf at Smile & Teeth.

Smoke-Free Living

Corwen's smoking entries are written for adults who already smoke and want to stop, and for the people supporting them. Current entries deal with cravings and with helping someone else. Ideas in progress include planning a quit date around a busy calendar and handling social situations where others smoke. The shelf lives at Smoke-Free Living.

Pregnancy & Early Days

Quenby's shelf follows the months before and after a birth, from packing a hospital bag to getting through broken nights. Topics on her list include preparing older siblings for a new arrival and organising help from friends and family in the first month. Find it at Pregnancy & Early Days.

Men's Wellbeing

This shelf makes space for subjects men often keep quiet about, including routine checkups and talking about feelings. Upcoming ideas include loneliness after a move or a breakup and building healthy routines around shift work. See Men's Wellbeing.

Healthy & Happy

The broadest shelf gathers entries that sit across several themes, such as how clinics communicate with patients and how keepsakes can carry a pregnancy forward in memory. Gwendal has a growing list of questions about preparing for appointments and understanding what a clinician has said. Visit Healthy & Happy.

Subjects we leave alone

• Detailed treatment of specific diseases, which needs professional authorship.
• Anything involving medicine doses or prescription choices.
• Miracle cures, detoxes and products with sweeping promises.
• Content that might encourage anyone who does not smoke to try nicotine.

Suggest a subject

Many of the ideas above came from readers. If there is a question you would like us to take on, send it through Say Hola. We cannot answer personal health questions, but we can consider whether a general entry would help others in the same position.