Author: MD. MOSLIM UDDIN

British Gas opened an account in my name for an address that I have never occupied, and sent me a £571 bill. It declined to open a complaint because I “refused” to provide a tenancy agreement or mortgage statement which, since I’ve long since paid off my mortgage, I don’t have. It is now threatening me with a debt collection agency.IW, NorthamptonYour house is supplied by Octopus and you have no connection with the flat along the road that British Gas has conjured you into.British Gas’s stance was that if you can’t prove you don’t live there, then you surely…

With fuel prices soaring and service stations running dry, you might find yourself taking a second look at that old bike gathering dust in the back of the garage. Cycling may not be a suitable replacement for all car trips but, with more than half of Australian motorists cutting down on driving due to the crisis, it’s a very handy (and very fun) tool to have in your arsenal for a quick trip to the shops, a leisurely weekend joyride or the first or last leg of your commute.Even if you don’t already own a bike, cycling can be among…

The trillions of microorganisms that live in and on our bodies – known as the microbiome – have been hailed as the key to better immunity. “Lots of studies correlate the types of bacteria in your microbiome with health and disease across almost every mental and physical condition,” says Prof Daniel M Davis, head of life sciences at Imperial College London and the author of Self Defence: A Myth-busting Guide to Immune Health. “But most of that evidence is correlative, and we still need to understand exactly how the microbiome affects health.”Scientists often look at one measure: diversity. In other words, how many different species…

I am one of many left thousands of pounds out of pocket after signing up for solar panels via Ikea’s website late last year.Ikea had partnered with the European installer Soly, and the fact the panels were being advertised via such a well-known company gave us confidence.In February I emailed Soly to check when the installation would start and received an out-of-office notification. My next email, in March, bounced back. Phone numbers no longer worked either, though the website was still up and running.That’s when I found out that the European operation had gone bust. The partnership was still being…

What edges a day over the threshold from being humdrum to something better? Something good?It is a question that occurred to Dunigan Folk, a researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, when he encountered the vast data treasure trove of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) in which tens of thousands of Americans record what they do with their days. In it, the survey respondents are asked to evaluate their day – whether it was a typical one, or, perhaps, better than average. In research published last month, Folk and colleagues used machine learning to analyse the ATUS data and figure…

My kitchen table is littered with tiny test tubes, envelopes and plastic lancets. At one end of the table, I have a parcel containing everything I need to take a food intolerance blood test, sold by one of the best-known companies in this market, as well as one of their food and environmental allergy tests, a package deal that cost me just over £200.At the other end, I’ve arranged everything I need to do a top-of-the-range ALEX2 allergy blood test, which I got from the allergy clinic run by Dr Helen Evans-Howells, a GP and allergy specialist who runs clinics in Hampshire,…

My wife and I are in our late 60s. The past 20 years have felt like treading water, as all my funds are tied up in a property that, for complex reasons, I am unable to sell. We are both creative. Over the past year or so I’ve made some improvements to our house, things that make people say wow. I enjoy seeing their pleasure, but their praise isn’t hugely important to me. In fact, I am somewhat reclusive. I do not enjoy being part of a wider community and I’m content with a handful of close friends. Last year…

Chasing after your dog, catching yourself before you fall, jumping over a big puddle. These activities all have something in common, and it’s not just that they’re the makings of a very bad day. They rely on power: the ability to generate force quickly. It’s an often overlooked part of the fitness menu that experts think deserves more attention.Mobility, cardio and strength all help us stay active and healthy as we get older. Strength training in particular has boomed in recent years, as the importance of building muscle mass to keep us strong, protect our bones and help us stay…

At my suggestion, my husband and I moved his father to live in a granny annexe of our home. This was for two reasons. First, he was experiencing health issues and getting visibly older and we thought he’d end up needing to live with us eventually. Second, we wanted to start a family and I naively thought we could have some live-in childcare.We now have a toddler and although my father-in-law is useful in many ways he isn’t able to provide childcare as he is emotionally and physically frailer than I thought, and we are also having to deal with…

Whatever you think of alcohol, you have to admit that it’s versatile. Ever since the first humans started smashing up fruit and leaving it in pots to chug a few days later, we’ve been relying on it to celebrate and commiserate, to deal with anxiety and to make us more creative. We use it to build confidence and kill boredom, to get us in the mood for going out and to put us to (nonoptimal) sleep. Where most mind-altering substances have one or two specific use-cases, alcohol does the lot. That’s probably why it’s been so ubiquitous throughout human history…