A number of athletes have managed to combine sporting excellence with a cigarette habit. Is it possible, asks Peta Bee, that being super-fit lessens the risks of smoking?
Supermarket's dentist offers check-ups before check-out - The Guardian 16th September 2008
The treatment rooms are lined to ensure that no one queuing at the checkouts can hear the dentist's drill. But the convenience of dropping in for a filling while doing the groceries was a winning combination for shoppers at Sainsbury's in Sale, Manchester, yesterday.
Dentist opens supermarket surgery - The Guardian 15th September 2008
A dentist is to make shoppers a special offer with the opening of the first surgery in a supermarket today.
Shoppers will have the chance to fill their trolleys and have a check-up at a Sainsbury's store in Sale, Manchester.Kate Hilpern: Just how unreliable are our powers of recall? - The Guardian 15th September 2008
From rose-tinted views of childhood to clear recollections of events that never happened, research shows that memories are both suggestible and inherently idealised. Kate Hilpern finds out just how unreliable our powers of recall are
Well, who knew that not drinking could actually be quite simple? I was worried that I'd find sobriety a trial, that I'd be sniffing at bottles of mouthwash come day seven, swigging down mouthfuls of perfume come day 11, and eyeing up that old bucket of meths that we keep in the outside cupboard, adulterated with stray strands of paint, come day 13. But no. I've been booze-free for three weeks and it's fine. I am relieved.
Letter: A human right to palliative care - The Guardian 16th September 2008
Guy Brown's article on our ageing society and its implications (The long game, September 10) raises a number of important issues. As well as considering how we manage these, however, we must also face the fact that the final test of our health and social care systems must be how we are cared for as we approach the end of life. According to the Department of Health's first End of Life Care Strategy (July 2008): "How we care for the dying is an indicator of how we care for all sick and vulnerable people. It is a measure of society as a whole." Yet last year the Healthcare Commission reported that a majority (54%) of the complaints regarding English acute hospitals concerned end-of-life care.
Offer patients tax breaks to stay healthy, say Lib Dems - The Guardian 15th September 2008
Patients should be offered tax breaks as an incentive to encourage them to take steps to stay healthy, the Liberal Democrats said today.
Norman Lamb, the health spokesman, said health boards should be given the power to reward people who sign up for gyms, quit smoking or attend medical check-ups.NHS: Personal details of 18,000 staff 'lost in the post' - The Telegraph 16th September 2008
The personal details of nearly 18,000 NHS staff have gone missing in the post, it has emerged.
Four computer discs containing the details of 17,990 current and former staff were lost in July when they were sent between Whittington Hospital NHS Trust in north London and McKesson, a firm providing IT payroll services.A young mother has been given just months to live after blundering medics failed to spot a mole on her back was skin cancer.
Tara Jones, 26, had the mark removed three years ago and, after a biopsy, was told that the growth was harmless.
But over the next few months her health deteriorated, she lost two stone and started passing out.Teach gay sex to children as young as five, say researchers - Daily Mail 16th September 2008
Children as young as five should be taught to understand the pleasures of gay sex, according to leaders of a taxpayer-funded education project.
Heads of the project have set themselves a goal of 'creating primary classrooms where queer sexualities are affirmed and celebrated'.Camomile tea 'can help keep diabetes under control' - Daily Mail 16th September 2008
It has long been used to soothe frayed nerves and guarantee a good night's sleep.
But drinking camomile tea could also help keep diabetes under control, scientists claim.
Research suggests the drink lowers blood sugar levels and can help prevent complications arising from the condition, including blindness, kidney disease, and nerve and circulatory damage.We beat our doctors death sentences - and we're not happy about it! - Daily Mail 16th September 2008
When pensioner Andy Lees was told he had just six weeks to live, he gave away his life savings. In fact, he'd been misdiagnosed and, as was reported last week, is now suing his local health authority.
Here, we talk to three people who were told they only had months - but who have survived for years, even decades longer than expected. What effect did their bleak prognosis have on them - and their families - and how do they feel about what has happened?How beer, wine, coffee and nuts can ALL 'lower a man's fertility' - Daily Mail 16th September 2008
Beer, wine, coffee and nuts all contain high levels of chemicals linked to male infertility, a study has found.
The bar-room drinks and snacks are loaded with phytoestrogens - naturally-occurring plant compounds implicated in falling sperm counts.Surgeons made me a new nipple from my earlobe - Daily Mail 16th September 2008
Most of the 14,000 women each year who have breast reconstruction have new nipples fashioned for them. Tracy Savage, 43, a clerical assistant from Hellesdon, Norfolk, underwent a new procedure using tissue taken from her ear.
She tells ANGELA BROOKS about her experience while her surgeon explains the technique.Jane Clarke: Don't feel guilty about eating meat - Daily Mail 16th September 2008
Every Tuesday, Britain's leading nutritionist explains how to eat your way to health. This week Jane explains why, if you're considering giving up meat for health reasons, it's not as simple as 'meat is bad'...
A newly launched over-the-counter device could help thousands of people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
The jelly-bean-sized gadget is designed to help boost the sound of speech only - it is being targeted at people who struggle to hear what's being said in crowded places (such as in meetings or at parties) or on the TV.More than 15 years have passed since World Cup legend Bobby Moore died of bowel cancer. But the feelings of shock and horror are still vivid for his England teammate George Cohen.
For George has battled the very same cancer. First diagnosed at just 36, he recovered, only for the disease to return twice. He was finally given the all-clear in 1990, but was then in the excruciatingly painful situation of watching Bobby die of the same disease three years later, aged 51.After being diagnosed with leukaemia three years ago, Lita Jempson underwent five courses of chemotherapy. It was harsh, but the disease went into remission. Then last year the cancer returned.
Doctors had hoped a bone marrow donor could be found for the 39-year-old housewife from Kent, but no match was available. It seemed the only hope was more chemotherapy.They're bursting with health benefits, require no prescription and cost nothing. Research shows that Britain's hedgerow plants are full of vitamins and antioxidants. Furthermore, scientists are investigating their uses as medicines for a host of conditions, including cancer and high blood pressure.
One-a-day pill could end eczema misery for 100,000 sufferers - Daily Mail 15th September 2008
Patients with severe eczema of the hands could benefit from a once-a-day pill.
The condition, which causes inflamed cracks in the skin, affects 250,000 Britons. For many sufferers conventional steroid creams have no effect.A dentist has filled a cavity in the market by opening a surgery in a Sainsbury's store.
And with some treatment prices undercutting the NHS, the new practice, which offers everything from a check-up and polish to a root canal filling, has been swamped with patients eager to register.Ask the doctor: What's the best way to treat my acne? - Daily Mail 15th September 2008
My daughter has acne and has taken the contraceptive Pill Marvelon since she was 15 to combat it. Now aged 24 and fearing for her fertility, she has come off it - only for her acne to return with a vengeance.
What alternatives does she have when over-the-counter treatments have no effect?Fears voiced over new superbugs - BBC Health News 16th September 2008
A leading microbiologist says he fears a major outbreak of new strains of community superbugs unless public monitoring is given more resources.\n\nProfessor Hugh Pennington told the BBC the Health Protection Agency lacked the staff for the greater surveillance of such virulent and mutating bacteria
Body exhumed in fight against flu - BBC Health News 16th September 2008
The body of an aristocrat who died nearly 90 years ago has been exhumed in the hope that it will help scientists combat a future flu pandemic.
Yorkshire landowner Sir Mark Sykes died in France in 1919 from Spanish flu.Stroke patients to test sensors - BBC Health News 15th September 2008
Motion sensors similar to those developed for video games like Nintendo Wii may help stroke patients relearn simple tasks, researchers say.
A UK team is assessing such technology to see if it can be used to monitor improvements in upper body movements in patients undergoing physiotherapy.'Our children have been let down' - BBC Health News 15th September 2008
Julie and Steven Bangham feel they have been seriously let down by the services meant to provide care for their two sick children.
Both their children, Steven and Danielle, have congenital muscular dystrophy - a genetic muscle wasting condition present from birth.Fresh start for cancer student - BBC Health News 15th September 2008
His bags were packed and he was looking forward to living away from home for the first time in his life, but two days before he was due to leave for Cardiff University Nick Richards's doctor began to suspect he had bone cancer.
After recovering he is now due to begin his university course. Here the 20-year-old from Pembroke tells the story of his past 12 months.Poor health 'due to wet climate' - BBC Health News 15th September 2008
Scotland's poor health record could be directly linked to a lack of sunshine, a scientist has said.
Dr Oliver Gillie linked the "extreme" weather to vitamin D deficiency, which is caused by low exposure to sunlight.Trust loses 18,000 staff records - BBC Health News 15th September 2008
Discs containing personal information on almost 18,000 NHS staff have gone missing from a north London hospital.
Whittington Hospital NHS Trust admitted the discs were lost when they were put in the post by mistake in late July.Chamomile tea 'may ease diabetes' - BBC Health News 15th September 2008
Drinking chamomile tea daily may help prevent the complications of type 2 diabetes, such as loss of vision and nerve and kidney damage, a study says.
UK and Japanese researchers fed a chamomile extract to diabetic rats.Celery eating paramedic suspended - BBC Health News 15th September 2008
A paramedic who ate celery while his colleague jokingly put a prawn on a dying man's chin as he was given shock treatment was suspended for six months.
Clive Greedy ate the vegetable in the kitchen of the heart attack patient, on the Isle of Wight in 2006.Gene tests 'create undue stress' - BBC Health News 15th September 2008
Gene tests to predict a person's future risk of life-threatening disease may be damaging to health by causing unnecessary stress, an expert claims.
Professor Nilesh Samani, British Heart Foundation chair of cardiology, says the tests are too inaccurate to help the individual.
UK Health News 09/16/2008
Tuesday 16 September 2008
Posted by Kieran at 11:30 0 comments
UK Health News 09/15/2008
Monday 15 September 2008
Only 12% of Britons meet 'five a day' target for fruit and veg - The Guardian 15th September 2008
Most Britons are not eating the daily recommended amount of fruit or vegetables, and most adults are not eating enough fibre, research has found.
The Department of Health advises that people should eat at least five portions of fruit or vegetables a day to help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and other chronic conditions. But a study by the marketing group TNS found that only 12% of the population are adhering to the target, and another 12% eat no fruit and veg at all.The question: How can I avoid Sad? - The Guardian 15th September 2008
As summer, for all it was, shifts into autumn and days get shorter and darker, around two million Britons will begin to wish they could pull the duvet over their heads until spring. As sufferers of seasonal affective disorder, or Sad, they will typically feel lethargic, depressed and have cravings for carbohydrate foods, with symptoms intensifying between December and February.
tags: SAD, Mental Health, Health, News, UHN, The Guardian
Depressed? Phobic? Broken-hearted? If so, the world's first download-to-mobile therapy service promises to soothe your troubled mind. My Mobile Guru offers life-coaching, counselling and therapy for a whole host of ills, from anger management to infidelity and even the shock of cancer diagnosis. Simply visit mymobileguru.co.uk and download the appropriate message to your PC or mobile phone.
tags: The Guardian, Health, News, Mental Health, Mobile Telephony, UHN
Scotland’s poor health ‘caused by a lack of sunshine'- The Times 15th September 2008
A national campaign to persuade every Scot to take daily supplements of vitamin D is needed if the country’s appalling health record is to be reversed, leading scientists believe.
A report, published this week, links poor weather to the lack of the “sunshine vitamin” in Scotland, and urges the Scottish government to launch a nationwide vitamin D programme to lower the incidence of devastating illnesses, such as heart disease, cancer and multiple sclerosis.tags: Vitamins, Health, News, UHN, Heart Diseases, Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Environment, The Times
Thousands ‘denied best thinning bones treatment’- The Times 15th September 2008
Thousands of women with thinning bones are being denied the best available therapies because of “unethical and shortsighted” NHS rationing, senior osteoporosis specialists say today.
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) are unfairly restricting access to osteoporosis drugs that can prevent pain, disability and even death, leading doctors and charity executives say.tags: UHN, Health, News, Osteoporosis, Drug Therapy, Evidence Based Practice, Cost-Effectiveness, The Times
Parents will be able to check police records if they fear someone they know maybe be a paedophile, the government has said, in a version of the controversial 'Sarah's Law'.
tags: Child Protection, Child Abuse, UHN, Legislation, Health, News, The Telegraph
Average NHS dentist earns six-figure salary - The Sunday Telegraph 14th September 2008
The average Health Service dentist received a 13 per cent pay rise last year, official figures will show this week.
tags: Dental Health, Pay, NHS, Health, News, UHN, The Sunday Telegraph
For Barbara Moss, the photographs of this summer's camping trip to France will be particularly special.Two years ago, she was diagnosed with bowel cancer and given less than five months to live. After chemotherapy failed to slow the disease's progress, doctors said that her only hope was a drug called bevacizumab, marketed as Avastin, which her local NHS refused to fund.
tags: UHN, Health, News, Drug Therapy, Bowel Cancer, Private Sector, The Sunday Telegraph
Rationed kidney cancer drugs can lengthen survival- The Telegraph 13th September 2008
Two cancer drugs which were controversially rejected by the NHS's rationing body can triple patients' length of survival, new research has shown.
tags: Kidney Cancer, Cancer, Health, News, UHN, The Telegraph, Mortality, Cost-Effectiveness, Evidence Based Practice
Quick fix Botox has long-term effects- The Telegraph 13th Spetember 2008
Botox, the 'quick fix' injection used to reduce wrinkles, can have long-term effects on the shape of users' faces, research has found.
tags: UHN, Botox, Plastic Surgery, Health, News, The Telegraph
My sex attack nightmare at the hands of the hair doctor - Daily Mail 15th September 2008
A mother has relived her five-hour ordeal with a sleazy hair doctor who was found guilty this week of massaging women's breasts - 10 years after her attack.
Leading hair consultant Praminder Mankoo told his victims they needed stress relieving massages to help with their scalp problems but instead groped their breasts under the guise of 'treatment'.tags: Sexual Abuse, Professional Discipline, Jurisprudence, Health, News, UHN, Daily Mail
Parents will from today be able to ask police whether anyone who has access to their child is a convicted paedophile or is even suspected of abusing children.
Police will pass on details of any relevant criminal convictions and may include ‘soft intelligence’ detailing unproven complaints of abuse, even where there was no finding of guilt.tags: Daily Mail, Health, News, UHN, Child Protection
Heart care failings 'across UK' - BBC Health News 14th September 2008
Every cardiac rehabilitation service in the UK is understaffed, the British Heart Foundation has warned.
The programmes are reckoned to boost five-year survival rates by about 26% by giving medical and lifestyle advice.tags: Heart Diseases, Rehabilitation, Staff Supply, Health, News, NHS, UHN, BBC Health News
NHS 'has more to do over stroke' - BBC Health News 14th September 2008
Stroke services are improving, but there are still some gaps in care, an audit of hospitals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has shown.
The Royal College of Physicians quizzed 224 hospitals about their services.tags: Stroke, Quality, Health, News, UHN, BBC Health News, NHS, Hospitals
NHS art therapy for schizophrenia - BBC Health News 14th September 2008
Government advisers are expected to recommend art therapy on the NHS for people with schizophrenia.\n\nThe National Institute of Clinical and Health Excellence (NICE) will promote use of programmes offering music, art and dance therapy for the first time.
tags: Mental Health, Health, News, Schizophrenia, Art Therapy, UHN, BBC Health News
Posted by Kieran at 11:30 0 comments
UK Health News 09/14/2008
Sunday 14 September 2008
My body & soul: Richard Wilson, actor, 72 - The Observer 14th September 2008
How healthy are you?
I'm still working a 12-hour day without any problems. I've got high blood pressure, my hearing has got worse and I'd quite like a new pair of feet, if that were possible, but I'm pretty well.tags: Ageing, Older People, Health, News, UHN, The Observer
Private equity takes on primary healthcare - The Observer 14th September 2008
Private equity firms are bidding for an estimated £1.25bn worth of NHS contracts to run primary healthcare centres, in a move that is expected to attract strong opposition from doctors and unions.
The contracts will be awarded before the end of the year through the government's Alternative Provider of Medical Services (APMS) initiative.tags: Private Sector, Primary Care, NHS, Health, News, UHN, The Observer
Michael and Henrietta Spink are two of Britain's six million carers. Their lives have been dictated by their son's disabilities for the last 20 years. Like many other carers, they face financial ruin, stress and exhaustion as they battle to cope with the demands of 24-hour care and a bureaucratic system that makes their lives a misery.
tags: Carers, Disabilities, Social Services, Financial Management, Health, News, UHN, The Observer
'Sarah's Law' pilot police scheme prompts vigilante fears - The Observer 14th September 2008
Some mothers will be able to check from tomorrow whether their partners are convicted sex offenders. Under pilot projects being introduced in response to demands for a 'Sarah's Law', individuals will be given greater information about paedophiles living in their area.
But public protection experts and children's charities have questioned the value of the projects. They warn that the sharing of the information could lead to mob justice and cause paedophiles to adopt lower profiles, making them more difficult to monitor.tags: Sexual Abuse, Health, News, UHN, The Observer, Child Protection, Legislation
Brittle bone drug may be lifesaver - The Sunday Times 14th September 2008
Breakthrough could relieve millions of osteoporosis sufferers
THE lives of millions of sufferers from osteoporosis and their carers could be transformed by a new drug, which may be on sale in Britain within two years.
The results of successful trials of Denosumab to treat the crippling bone condition will be unveiled this week. It helped bone to regrow, halved the number of hip fractures and reduced spine fractures by almost two-thirds in patients on whom it was tested.tags: The Sunday Times, Health, News, UHN, Osteoporosis, Drug Therapy
Woodland therapy helps tame unruly teenagers - The Sunday Times 14th September 2008
DISTURBED and troublesome teenagers are having their lives turned around by the calming influence of trees. “Woodland therapy” is credited with helping children learn to remain calm, busy, and self-sufficient.
Young people, often excluded from school for bad behaviour, spend their days being taught traditional woodland management techniques and learning about the environmental importance of trees and the animals they support.tags: The Sunday Times, Health, News, UHN, Young People, Physical Activity
Officer set to return MBE in cancer row - The Sunday Times 14th September 2008
A naval commander’s wife is being billed for all her NHS care after paying for a drug privately
A LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER awarded an MBE for services to the Royal Navy is preparing to hand back his decoration in protest after his terminally ill wife had her free NHS cancer care withdrawn for buying a drug privately.tags: The Sunday Times, Health, News, UHN, Cancer, Drug Therapy, Financial Management, NHS, Rationing, Health Service Economics
FOR 150 years the image of the Lady with the Lamp has symbolised the selfless devotion to duty of Florence Nightingale.
Now, however, a new biography has claimed that the mother of modern nursing toured her wards at night not to cast a caring eye over sick soldiers but to check that her nurses were not drinking with them or sharing their beds.Big Brother's Nikki Grahame: 'For years I was a walking skeleton'- Daily Mail 14th September 2008
Behind the vulnerable, hysterical persona Nikki displayed on Big Brother lies a horrifying battle with anorexia that she has fought for most of her life. Now in recovery, she tells Liz Jones about the devastating long-term effects of the illness
tags: Eating Disorders, Mental Health, Personal Identity, Psychology, Health, News, UHN, Daily Mail
It looks like a photo of a typical family get-together. But there is something about the youngsters in the back row that sets it apart.
They are all members of what they call the 66 Club, named in honour of the father they share – an anonymous sperm donor known only as Donor 66.tags: Ethics, In Vitro Fertilization, Human Fertility, Health, News, UHN, Daily Mail
Doctors told man-about-town Dai Llewellyn give up the drink or die - Daily Mail 13th September 2008
Three months ago, I was visiting friends in Kent when my body gave up on me.
I had received warning signs that my health was shaky for some months; however, this was different. I was in pain so acute that I could not get out out bed. I felt like a wild animal and just wanted to crawl away and lick my wounds clean. Friends rushed me to hospital, where doctors and nurses ran a battery of tests. After four days of poking and prodding, a doctor sat me down and with a sombre face announced I had low cholesterol.Ulrika Jonsson: I hate my huge breasts. They have to go - Daily Mail 13th September 2008
Living as we do in an age where breast enlargements are more common than visits to the dentist, it seems almost violently ungrateful that I, having been endowed with a large bosom, would want to have it reduced.
While every other woman is in pursuit of larger, more prominent and certainly more noticeable breasts, I'm in the process of investigating the best way to 'dispose' of mine.tags: Daily Mail, Health, News, UHN, Personal Identity, Psychology
Most dog-owners would not have been best pleased to be woken in the night by the warm nudge of a labrador's nose. Particularly when the dog dashed round the bed, whining to make sure everyone in the room was awake.
But Sam and Keith Beeby-Brown from Sidcup, Kent, could not find praise enough for their new dog, Bianca.Are you a real fidget in bed? This is how to cure restless legs - Daily Mail 13th September 2008
If your legs burn and you can't keep them still at night you may have a condition that is easily treated with over-the-counter medicine - or perhaps an iron or magnesium supplement.
tags: UHN, Neurology, Health, News, Daily Mail
Many women 'do not check breasts' - BBC Health News 13th September 2008
Only 35% of women regularly check their breasts for signs of cancer - and 23% seldom or never do, a survey suggests.
The charity Breathrough Breast Cancer surveyed 2,005 women aged between 18 and 64.tags: Breast Cancer, Health, News, UHN, BBC Health News
Posted by Kieran at 11:30 0 comments
UK Health News 09/13/2008
Saturday 13 September 2008
Matthias Rath, the vitamin campaigner accused of endangering thousands of lives in South Africa by promoting his pills while denouncing conventional medicines as toxic and dangerous, has dropped a year-long libel action against the Guardian and been ordered to pay costs.
tags: UHN, HIV, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Jurisprudence, Libel, Mass, Media, The Guardian
Libel battles can make and break reputations, but only rarely do they bear on questions of life and death. The legal case against the Guardian which Matthias Rath abandoned this week is an exception. The vitamin campaigner - who has long proffered his pills as a panacea in defiance of all evidence - objected to remarks our columnist Ben Goldacre made about his South African activities. In a country where 6 million are HIV positive, Mr Rath sought to persuade victims to take vitamins instead of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). He played a part in the madness which allows Aids to claim 1,000 South African lives every day.
tags: UHN, HIV, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Jurisprudence, Libel, Mass, Media, The Guardian
Edited extracts of witness statements for the defence in the case of Rath vs GNM Ltd and Ben Goldacre.
Mandla Majola is the coordinator of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in Khayelitsha, a township outside Cape Town. TAC educates people about HIV and Aids:tags: UHN, HIV, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Jurisprudence, Libel, Mass Media, The Guardian
Britain's middle classes are fleeing state schools and the NHS "en masse" because Labour's "extraordinary experiment" of doubling spending on public services has failed to improve standards, Nick Clegg claims today. On the eve of his first party conference as Liberal Democrat leader, Clegg tells the Guardian that "middle class flight" from schools and the NHS poses a dangerous threat to public services which need "cross-class solidarity" to guarantee taxpayer support.
tags: NHS, Politics, Health, News, Public Sector, UHN, The Guardian
Doctor, doctor - The Guardian 13th September 2008
How dangerous is coffee drinking for women? I hear so many conflicting reports.
tags: Coffee, Health, News, UHN, Womens Health
From politics and sport to high street shops, family dynasties are everywhere. But, asks Laura Marcus, would you encourage your children to go into the same line of work as you?
We cannot rule out cuts to NHS 'sacred cow', says Cable - The Independent 13th September 2008
The National Health Service faces the threat of cuts under a wide-ranging Liberal Democrat assault aimed at saving £20bn in public money, Vince Cable, the party's deputy leader, has warned.
tags: NHS, Financial Management, Health, News, UHN, Politics, The Independent
Lawyers are pocketing £1 in every £2 paid out to victims of NHS blunders.
Legal firms are bringing in a total of more than £3million every week as the compensation culture booms.
Experts say increasing numbers of cases are being taken to court by 'no-win, no-fee' solicitors, who even tout for business in A&E waiting rooms.tags: Jurisprudence, Health Service Economics, Financial Management, Health, News, NHS, UHN, Daily Mail
An organic product sold under Prince Charles's Duchy Originals brand has been found to contain elevated levels of a cancer-causing chemical.
Hand-fried vegetable crisps from the Prince's range are among a number of products identified as containing acrylamide in a study by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).tags: Cancer, Health, News, Diet, Nutrition, Daily Mail, UHN
Men 'unhappy' with their bodies - BBC Health News 12th September 2008
One of Britain's leading eating disorder experts says as many as one in five young men are deeply unhappy with their body image.
Dr John Morgan said that for every man with an eating disorder there were 10 more who desperately wanted to change the way they looked.tags: Personal Identity, Mental Health, Psychology, Health, News, Mens Health, Eating Disorders, UHN
Cardiff-London tensions re-ignite - BBC Health News 12th September 2008
An English health minister who criticised health policies in Wales has returned to the attack.
Ben Bradshaw told a conference the English NHS provided a better service despite spending less per patient than the health service in Wales.'The effects stay with you forever' - BBC Health News 12th September 2008
Reality TV star Jade Goody is set to undergo a hysterectomy after being diagnosed with cervical cancer.
Around 2,700 women are told they have cervical cancer every year in the UK and it is the second most common cancer in women under 35.tags: UHN, Hysterectomy, Surgery, Cervical Cancer, BBC Health News, Health, News
'Alcohol damaged my adopted child' - BBC Health News 12th September 2008
When Julia Brown adopted, she was aware that her new baby daughter had problems.
For several years medics went through possible diagnoses.
The suggestions included autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyspraxia - a movement disorder.tags: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Neurology, Health, News, UHN, BBC Health News
Posted by Kieran at 11:30 1 comments
UK Health News 09/12/2008
Friday 12 September 2008
Let NHS patients pay for drugs, says thinktank - The Guardian 12th September 2008
The NHS should no longer deny treatment to patients who pay privately for unapproved drugs, the King's Fund, an influential health thinktank, said yesterday.
Niall Dickson, the chief executive, intervened in an argument that is splitting the health service over whether better-off cancer patients should be allowed to top up their NHS care by buying life-saving or life-prolonging drugs that could not be afforded by the poor. Under the current rules, patients may lose the right to free NHS care if they pay privately for drugs rejected by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence as not cost-effective.tags: Private Sector, Financial Management, Health Service Economics, NHS, Drug Therapy, Health, News, Ethics, UHN, The Guardian
Free recipe book for pupils starts real meal revolution - The Guardian 12th September 2008
The nation's 11-year-olds are to take up their wooden spoons, tie on their aprons and come to the rescue of the English dinner table, too often these days heralded by the ping of the microwave tackling the ready meal.
tags: Education, Children, Diet, Nutrition, UHN, Obesity, Health, News, The Guardian
An 11-year-old tries out the new Real Meals at home - The Guardian 12th September 2008
Fergus Mason, 11, who began secondary school this year, opens the Real Meals booklet and tackles spaghetti bolognaise for the first time
tags: Education, Children, Diet, Nutrition, UHN, Obesity, Health, News, The Guardian
NHS to allow 'private' drugs for cancer - The Independent 12th September 2008
Patients may soon be allowed to pay for "top up" drugs on top of their NHS care under a major reform to Britain's healthcare system expected next month.
Approval of top-up payments for cancer and certain other treatments is being widely anticipated from the review being conducted by Professor Mike Richards, the Government's national cancer adviser, despite fears that it could introduce a two-tier NHS.tags: Private Sector, Financial Management, Health Service Economics, NHS, Drug Therapy, Health, News, Ethics, UHN, The Independent
School cookery lessons are recipe for enthusiasm - The Times 12th September 2007
No one can quarrel with the Government’s desire to see every child acquire basic cooking skills but we’re entitled, I think, to feel just a touch cynical after years in which cooking has been derided as a subject and school kitchens dismantled.
I remember my children who were quite interested in food despairing at being forced to design the packaging for a burger or invent a new pizza topping. I’m not sure I feel reassured at the idea of expensive new “food technology teaching areas”.tags: Education, Children, Diet, Nutrition, UHN, Obesity, Health, News, The Times
Compulsory cooking lessons for school kids - The Times 12th September 2008
Children will be expected to master recipes that would not disgrace a dinner party from a new cookbook for 11-year-olds promoted yesterday by the Government.
They should be taught to rustle up a mushroom risotto or lamb hotpot, ministers said, even though university students can supposedly prepare only beans on toast.tags: Education, Children, Diet, Nutrition, UHN, Obesity, Health, News, The Times
Microchips in tablets could monitor pills - The Times 12th September 2008
Patients could soon be swallowing microchips in their tablets. The chips would then report when treatments had been taken and what effect they had on the patient.
Other microchips could also be placed under the skin to deliver drugs ranging from pain medication to chemotherapy. These chips, in the advanced stages of trials, are designed with tiny compartments loaded with multiple drugs and covered with caps. Applying an electrical signal dissolves the caps and releases the medication.tags: Fraud, Pharmaceutical Industry, Health, News, UHN, Medical Technology, The Times
Official figures compiled by the Office for National Statistics show that the amount of treatment the NHS delivers is lagging behind the pace of increase in the service's budget.
Critics said the statistics showed the NHS had absorbed huge amounts of money with very little to show for it and the Government must reform its management instead of pumping in ever more funding.tags: NHS, Productivity, Health, News, Health Service Economics, UHN, The Telegraph
An NHS trust criticised for paying 'extravagant' wages to a temporary executive has admitted paying two more interim managers nearly £1,000 a day.
tags: Health, News, NHS, Pay, Staff Supply, Ethics, Hospitals, The Telegraph, UHN
Patients must be allowed to top up their Health Service treatment with drugs bought privately, experts have warned.
If not, they will resort to buying medication from the black market, with no guarantees about its safety.
The current Government policy which stops individuals combining NHS and private treatment is untenable, insisted the King's Fund, a health policy think tank.tags: Private Sector, Financial Management, Health Service Economics, NHS, Drug Therapy, Health, News, Ethics, UHN, Daily Mail
All 11-year-olds in England will be able to receive a free cookbook under a Government scheme designed to tackle obesity.
It contains recipes for 32 family favourites including spaghetti bolognese, beef curry, mushroom risotto and stir-fry.
Heads are being urged to order the book for pupils to help them learn how to cook healthy meals.tags: Education, Children, Diet, Nutrition, UHN, Obesity, Health, News, Daily Mail
The secret to a long life: Lucozade, gardening and a steak supper - Daily Mail 12th September 2008
A glass of Lucozade and a spot of gardening followed by a steak supper could be the menu for a healthy old age.
Research shows that a combination of a sugary drink, gentle exercise and a protein-rich meal helps over-65s lose weight, build muscle and improve balance and flexibility.tags: Diet, Nutrition, Older People, Health, News, UHN, GMHN, Daily Mail
For generations, the scent of lavender has been used as a calming agent.
Now it appears it even works on-the-spot ... to help patients scared of the dentist's drill.
Spraying the scent 'significantly' lowered patients' anxiety levels, says a study to be presented today at the British Psychological Society's health psychology conference at the University of Bath.tags: Complementary Therapies, UHN, Dental Health, Health, News, Emotions, Daily Mail
Better brain power, sharper wits? All you need is regular meditation, a study suggests.
Scientists believe meditation could join mental arithmetic puzzles, sudokus and crosswords as a way of 'brain training'.
They found adults who meditate have better powers of concentration and faster reaction times than those who don't.tags: Complementary Therapies, Memory, Health, News, UHN, CMHN, Daily Mail
NHS bill from lawyers 'soaring'Heart damage prevention hope - BBC Health News 12th September 2008
Fees being charged by solicitors acting for patients in NHS compensation claims have soared, the BBC has learned.
The annual bill in England now tops £90m - a 122% increase in four years despite the number of cases remaining relatively stable.tags: Jurisprudence, Health Service Economics, Financial Management, Health, News, NHS, UHN, BBC Health News
Eradicating an ancient scourge - BBC Health News 11th September 2008
Ask anyone in which country the world's last victim of smallpox died and they are unlikely to choose England.
But 30 years ago on Thursday Janet Parker, a medical photographer, died in Birmingham, weeks after being infected with the virus.Mystery Jets star puts health first - BBC Health News 11th September 2008
With their colourful, catchy guitar pop, The Mystery Jets were hoping to win over fans during this summer's festival season.
But then singer Blaine Harrison was admitted to hospital to treat the spine disorder spina bifida. He won't let it stand in the way of pop stardom, though, he says.tags: Disabilities, Spina Bifida, Health, News, UHN, BBC Health News
NHS top-up care ban 'untenable' - BBC Health News 11th September 2008
Denying NHS services to patients who top up their care with private treatment is "untenable", according to a leading health think-tank.
The King's Fund gave its backing to co-payments, saying the NHS risked being seen as uncaring if it did not.tags: Private Sector, Financial Management, Health Service Economics, NHS, Drug Therapy, Health, News, Ethics, UHN, BBC Health News
Women 'more prone to nightmares' - BBC Health News 11th September 2008
Women experience significantly more nightmares than men and have more emotional dreams, research suggests.
In a study of 170 volunteers asked to record their most recent dream, 19% of men reported a nightmare compared with 30% of women.tags: Sleep, Psychology, Womens Health, Health, News, UHN, BBC Health News
NHS sees annual productivity fall - BBC Health News 11th September 2008
The NHS has seen a year-on-year fall in productivity despite the billions of pounds of investment in the service, latest figures show.
The data from the Office for National Statistics showed a fall of 2% a year from 2001 to 2005 across the UK.tags: NHS, Productivity, Health, News, Health Service Economics, BBC Health News, UHN
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