Written By Emman Allahgul Med Youth Alliance | November 2025 Sometimes we all admire the hair on our heads, the coils, curls, waves and straight, but we often forget about hair as a collective system and its purposes. Structure Hair consists of three main structures: The Shaft (part of the hair you can see and style), consists of three parts: Medulla (innermost core), cortex (contains keratin and melanin, determining hair colour and strength), cuticle (outermost layer of k

The integumentary system is the body system we interact with the most, yet often think about the least the simple roles they have . From the moment we wake up and feel the temperature of our room, to the sensation of water on our skin when we shower, this system is constantly at work — protecting us, regulating us, and communicating with the world around us. For this month’s theme, we dive deeper into the skin, hair, nails, and glands that make up this remarkable part of huma

We’ve all gotten cuts and scrapes before, but how do they heal?

All about our body's largest organ... the skin!

By Jouri Al-Butti : As a girl who loves getting her nails done and literally notices every detail when someone’s nails look good or bad, choosing nails as my topic for this month’s blog felt obvious. Nails seem simple. You paint them, file them, shape them and move on. But when you start reading about what they actually are and everything they show about your health, you realise they’re a lot more complex. What are nails? Nails are hard, protective structures at the tips of y

Written By Dilmi Bodha-Hennadige Med Youth Alliance | November 2025 A drawing from the book "The Dragon In My Skin", a book to help children cope with their urges. What is eczema? Eczema is a skin condition found under the umbrella term of 'Dermatitis', since it's specifically called Atopic Dermatitis. It is quite common, affecting 1 in 5 children and 1 in 10 adults in the UK alone. It isn't at all contagious, but the effects of eczema are often seen at a young age; some chil

What is domestic abuse? Domestic abuse is defined as an incident or pattern of incidents involving controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading, or violent behaviour often by a partner or ex-partner, but it can also be carried out by a family member or carer. Unfortunately, many young people experience or witness it at home , a place where they are meant to feel safe. It can deeply affect mental health, causing feelings of fear, guilt, and isolation. Raising awareness helps

Dementia and Alzheimer’s - Mental health As an individual who has been unfortunate enough to see the immediate impact that this degenerative plague has on family members, and the victim of Dementia or Alzheimer’s, I can safely say that mental health is something about the disease that needs to be recognised further, it is so easy to focus on the disease and try numerous preventive methods and trials to prevent further degeneration, but if you were to put yourself in the posit

Written by Aaron Payne MedYouthAlliance | October 2025 It’s normal for children to feel their emotions , such as disappointment on a test score or frustration with their friends and even family. When these symptoms are at a heightened and prolonged state (2 weeks is given as an usual guideline) that’s when we start engage the idea of childhood depression. Childhood depression affects about 3 percent of children ages 3 to 17 suffer from a form of depression. 1 in 5 of adolesce

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is more than just a tendency toward perfection or liking things neat, it is a chronic mental health condition characterised by persistent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviour (compulsions) performed to ease the anxiety these thoughts create. For those living with OCD, these cycles can be exhausting and disruptive, affecting daily routines, relationships, and overall quality of life.

Written by: Monica Walters Introduction: Happy Halloween, everyone. It’s finally the season of the chills - ghosts, vampires… and misconceptions? Personally, I’m not superstitious. But there’s nothing scarier than how misunderstood some mental health conditions still are today. Hence, in light of the recent World Mental Health Day (10 October), I would like to talk about Depressive Disorder (depression), one of the most common mental health conditions worldwide. Approximatel

We often find ourselves learning about new mental health conditions and how they develop, but no one seems to really talk about how to approach mental health in a realistic form. Here I want to talk about the true meaning of mental health and ensure to enforce the reminder no one is alone- ever. Why is mental health important? Mental health affects how we think, feel, and act — it’s just as vital as physical health. Everyone has mental health; it’s part of being human, not a

Written by: Emman Allahgul Med Youth Alliance | October 2025 I’ve decided to focus on something a bit more niche and a bit more unspoken about this month, a condition that feels a bit personal to me as well.  Depersonalisation-derealisation (DPDR) is a mental health condition which seems small and manageable but in fact impacts lives significantly, with it often not being recognised at all or confused with just "zoning out". It often raises questions like: “I feel like I’m in

Written by Dilmi Bodha-Hennadige Med Youth Alliance | October 2025 What is Bipolar Disorder? Bipolar Disorder is classed as a long-term mental health condition with no established cure . It is most commonly recognised through extreme mood swings between emotional highs. There can be periods of high moods, low moods and stability which can last days or even weeks at a time. The lack of control that people with bipolar disorder have over these mood changes leads to problems i

Written by Titilayo Taoreed Med Youth Alliance | October 2025 What is schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is a mental health condition that...

By Titilayo Taoreed, for @medyouthalliance When you think of psoriasis, your mind might go straight to dry, flaky skin or red patches....

Dissociative amnesia , also known as memory loss disorder, is a condition in which your mind blocks out certain memories, causing "gaps"....

OVERVIEW This month, MYA will be celebrating Black Figures in science and medicine, honouring trailblazers like Dr. James McCune Smith,...

What is asthma? Asthma is a lung condition that causes difficulty in breathing. It affects all ages, often starting in childhood, but can...