The marina was sunny and calm as we set out to sea in a fishing boat for our summer party. The Medical News Today editorial team had been eagerly anticipating this trip for months, and the English weather was, for once, pretending it was August.

English ChannelShare on Pinterest
Don’t let the sun fool you; choppy waters surrounded our boat after rounding the corner of the breakwall.

With the seafaring-themed playlist on full blast and drinks in our hands, we rounded the corner of the protective breakwall that shielded the marina from the waves of the Channel.

Ten minutes prior, the weathered owner of the boat company had warned us of the choppy conditions awaiting us. I dismissed him. Our MNT editors are, after all, built of wisdom and curiosity. What is more, we’re familiar with motion sickness remedies. Surely, we could handle a few waves on a sunny day.

Now, crossing the threshold of the protective marina, we were blasted with waves of epic proportions. The whole boat swayed front to back, side to side, and I felt as though I would be ejected from my seat.

Share on Pinterest
Features Editor James McIntosh holds on to the boat for dear life while still managing a smile.

I tied the editorial office’s “Hat of Success” – a felt pirate hat – to my head with my scarf, determined to keep things light despite the tsunami that had greeted us so harshly.

All in all, we lasted a mere 30 minutes before returning to the safety of the marina, where our calm captain steered us around for the remaining hour.

The party was salvaged, and we enjoyed the calm behind the breakwall for the rest of the afternoon. We even laughed together about our trials and tribulations, promoting social bonding among the group.

The sea, however, is full of metaphors. I can’t help but compare our brush with turbulence to the tumultuous journey of health that many of us face at some point in our lives. Whether it is our own health or that of a loved one, calm seas can turn into unexpected waves in an instant.

And this is when it helps to have a guide to navigate you through unknown waters. We feel very lucky at MNT. Our job is to harness our curiosity to uncover the latest developments in medicine so that we can help you to make the best health decisions, whether for yourself, a loved one, or a patient you are treating.

We get to be your guide and help you during an important moment in life, and for us, that is extremely rewarding.

This month, we uncovered quite a lot of new research that piqued your interest. One popular story from the news team reported that loneliness is a bigger killer than obesity. And another found that a new cancer drug reduces tumor size by up to 50 percent.

Meanwhile, we investigated what the first steps are in dealing with a stroke, so that you know what to do when the unexpected happens.

Some of the inquisitive articles from our resident scientist uncovered what causes biological aging and what determines hand preference.

Is there something specific that you’re curious about? Let us know and we’ll steer you in the right direction. As always, you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

I’ll be back next month with more updates from our editorial team, but until then, I wish you smooth sailing.

[Marie signature]
, Managing Editor