July was a month of our consultants being quoted. Leeds Live carried our ENT consultant on why ears block up on a plane, and Stylist asked our gastroenterologist what healthy digestion actually looks like. Here is where LivingCare made the news, and what our specialists had to say.

Why Your Ears Block Up When You Fly

In late July, an explainer on aeroplane ear featuring Mr Sanjay Verma, ENT Consultant at LivingCare Group, ran across 27 regional titles - from the Yorkshire Times and Leeds Live to Belfast Live and the Liverpool Echo, reaching readers the length of the country.

Aeroplane ear, or ear barotrauma, is the blocked, uncomfortable feeling that comes when the pressure in your middle ear does not match the pressure around you. It happens most often on take-off and landing, when cabin pressure changes quickly.

"Behind your eardrum is the middle ear, a small air-filled space connected to the back of your nose by a narrow channel called the Eustachian tube," Mr Verma explained. "Its job is to keep the pressure inside your ear equal to the pressure outside."

"When it can't open quickly enough, the pressure difference pulls on the eardrum and causes that blocked, painful feeling," he said. "Anything that narrows or blocks the tube makes this more likely, such as a cold, allergies (including hay fever), sinus congestion or a build-up of earwax."

For most people the feeling passes within minutes to hours of landing. When it does not, it is worth having looked at: a persistent blocked ear can have several causes, and one common and very treatable cause is a build-up of earwax. Our ENT service covers consultation and examination, ear microsuction to clear earwax where that is part of the problem, and assessment of an ear that stays blocked or muffled after a flight.

If you would like the longer version, we have written about it in Why Do My Ears Block Up When I Fly?.

Gut Health In Stylist

Also in July, Stylist asked two gastroenterologists to explain what really governs how long people spend in the bathroom - and how much of it comes down to biology rather than habit. One of the two was Dr Nick Burr, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Endoscopist at LivingCare.

His answer was less about the differences and more about the one thing he keeps coming back to. "The biggest dietary issue for both men and women is simply not eating enough fibre," he told the magazine. "Choosing wholegrain foods where you can and eating a little more fruit, vegetables, beans and pulses helps keep the bowels regular and supports a healthy gut microbiome."

He also had a practical word about how long is too long. "If nothing happens within three to five minutes, it's usually better to get up and try again later than continue sitting and scrolling," he said. The piece noted that prolonged sitting and straining can increase the risk of haemorrhoids.

His summary of the everyday habits: wholegrains, a bit more fruit and veg, beans or pulses, fermented foods such as live yoghurt or kefir, staying active, drinking enough fluid, and not ignoring the urge to go.

Persistent changes in bowel habit are worth taking seriously rather than living with. Our gastroenterology service offers consultant-led assessment and endoscopy at our Thorpe Park Clinic, where the endoscopy team holds JAG accreditation, the national quality standard for endoscopy services.

What The Coverage Says About LivingCare

June's round-up was about things LivingCare did - a community skin-check event, a new scanning service. July's is a different kind of story: it is about our consultants' expertise carrying into the national and regional press, and reaching readers well beyond Yorkshire.

The useful part, for anyone reading this, is that the same consultants are available to see. You can book privately with LivingCare - no GP referral needed, self-pay or insurance - at our clinics across Leeds, Sheffield and Yorkshire.

You can also read last month's round-up.

Coverage

Ear pain when flying - Mr Sanjay Verma, ENT Consultant

The piece ran in late July across 27 regional titles: North East Post, Yorkshire Times, Cumbria Times, Lancashire Times, In Your Area, Belfast Live, Sussex Live, Hertfordshire Mercury, Bristol Post, Leeds Live, Plymouth Herald, Teesside Gazette, Hull Daily Mail, Liverpool Echo, Essex Live, North Wales Live, Somerset Live, Yorkshire Live, Kent Live, Cambridgeshire Live, Coventry Telegraph, Gloucestershire Live, Lancashire Live, Cheshire Live, Lincolnshire Live, Surrey Live and Buckinghamshire Live.

• Reference copy: Leeds Live, "ENT consultant explains how to stop your ears 'popping' when you fly", 28 July 2026

Gut health - Dr Nick Burr, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Endoscopist

• Stylist - "I'm a gastroenterologist - this is why men take so long in the bathroom", 3 July 2026

This article is for general information and is not sponsored content.