UK Health News

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

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HIV infections hit record high - The Guardian 25th November 2008

Record numbers of people in the UK are living with HIV, with more than half of newly diagnosed infections found in heterosexuals, figures revealed today.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said that in 2007 an estimated 77,400 people had the virus, up from 73,000 in the previous year. More than a quarter of those infected remained unaware of their status.

Link to Article

tags: HIV, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Statisitical Data, Health, News, UHN, The Guardian

Additional Stories

  1. Background: The search for the elusive cure for Aids - The Guardian 26th November 2008
  2. Sharp rise in heterosexual HIV cases - The Independent 26th November 2008
  3. ‘Straight’ HIV transmission doubles in four years - The Times 25th November 2008
  4. HIV cases double in just four years among British men and women having ’straight’ sex - Daily Mail 25th November 2008
  5. Rise in UK HIV numbers continues - BBC Health News 25th November 2008

Pubs face happy-hour ban in plans to curb binge drinking - The Guardian 26th November 2008

Local authorities are to be given the power to ban happy hours, all you can drink offers and other price promotions in troublesome pubs and bars, as part of a drive to tackle Britain's binge drinking culture.

The package to be unveiled next week is also expected to include cigarette-style health warnings on television advertising for drinks, and labels on cans and bottles spelling out their alcohol-unit content.

Link to Article

tags: Legislation, Alcohol, Health, News, UHN, The Guardian, Local Authorities

  1. Pubs and clubs told to bring an end to happy hours - The Times 26th November 2008

Ray Jones on the required support for and confidence in all working in child protection following the Baby P case - The Guardian 26th November 2008

I fear that we are about to make the most vulnerable children less likely to be protected, as we destabilise and destroy one of the safest child protection systems in the world. Children are not protected by procedures and records. They are protected by skilled, confident and competent workers, such as social workers, health visitors, doctors and police officers, who are closest to the children and their families. These professionals need the stability, time and management support, and the public confidence, to be able to do their jobs well.

Link to Article

tags: Local Authorities, Social Services, NHS, Child Protection, Quality, Health, News, UHN, The Guardian

Additional Story

  1. Perter Beresford on the underlying failings of agencies and practitioners leading to the Baby P tragedy - The Guardian 26th November 2008
  2. Baby P councillors cling on to their jobs as opposition leaders bid to oust them - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

David Brindle on the reforms needed in the care system of older and disabled people - The Guardian 26th November 2008

A landmark report calls for reform of a care system that older and disabled people find unfair, unaffordable and unable to meet their needs

Link to Article

tags: Health, News, UHN, The Guardian, Social Services, Older People, Financial Management, Health Service Economics

Additional Story

  1. Green light for care law overhaul - The Guardian 26th November 2008

Zoe Williams: Pro-choice taboo - The Guardian 26th November 2008

It doesn't make you a eugenicist to speak up for the right to abort a foetus that may have Down's

Link to Article

tags: The Guardian, Health, News, UHN, Abortion, Disabilities, Ethics

Are vitamin supplements actually bad for us? - The Independent 26th November 2008

Next time you visit your local chemist, pause in the aisle containing vitamin supplements, and take in the quantities and varieties of pills and potions on offer. Tiny boxes and bottles stretch as far as the eye can see, affirming that even in these cash-strapped times, the gorging of such "miracle cures" continues to be big business.

Link to Article

tags: Vitamins, Health, News, UHN, The Independent

Catalogue of NHS data losses makes shocking reading - The Independent 26th November 2008

Confidential patient information has been lost in scores of cases, according to a catalogue of NHS data losses released last night.

Files, computers and memory sticks containing details of thousands of patients have been lost according to details released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Link to Article

tags: Data Protection, NHS, Health, News, UHN, The Independent

Additional Story

  1. NHS lost patient details 135 times in two years - The Times 26th November 2008

'Fit notes' bid to cut £100bn sickness bill - The Independent 25th November 2008

Sick notes are to be replaced with "fit notes" in a bid to cut down the £100bn cost to the economy of workers' ill-health, the Government announced today.

The system of doctors giving workers a sick note if they are ill has not changed since the NHS was created in 1948.

Ministers said that, under plans to "significantly reduce" ill-health at work, doctors will instead issue fit notes which will specify what workers are able to do.

Link to Article

tags: Disabilities, Social Security, Sick Leave, Health, News, Primary Care, UHN, The Independent, Human Resources

Additional Stories

  1. ‘Fit notes’ replace sick notes to keep patients working - The Times 26th November 2008
  2. Fewer staff to be signed off under new 'fit' notes - The Telegraph 25th November 2008
  3. Sicknotes to be replaced with electronic 'fit notes' in bid to cut £100bn ill-health bill - Daily Mail 25th November 2008
  4. Ministers back 'fit note' plans - BBC Health News 25th November 2008

First national gambling addiction clinic opens - The Times 25th November 2008

The NHS has opened its first ever clinic for people addicted to betting.

The National Problem Gambling Clinic began treatment in Central London today trying to help break addictions as well as offering practical advice on dealing with debt problems. The condition affects around a quarter of a million Britons.

Link to Article

tags: Gambling, Addiction, Mental Health, Psychology, Health, News, UHN, The Times

Additional Story

  1. First NHS gambling clinic opens with one patient aged just 16 - but is Labour to blame for this new disease? - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

Cancer patients seek damages after frozen sperm is destroyed - The Times 25th November 2008

Six cancer sufferers who lost their only chance of fathering children when a hospital freezer broke down and destroyed their sperm samples were at the centre of an unprecedented compensation claim yesterday.

The six men all gave the samples because of fears that cancer treatment might make them infertile, senior judges were told yesterday.

Link to Article

tags: Human Fertility, Cancer, Jurisprudence, Negligence, Hospitals, UHN, Health, News, The Times

Additional Story

  1. Cancer patients' sperm cash claim - BBC Health News 25th November 2008

Expensive lung cancer drug to be available on the NHS - The Telegraph 26th November 2008

Lung cancer sufferers are to be given an expensive life-prolonging drug on the NHS under a deal with manufacturers to cut the medication's price.

tags: Health Service Economics, Financial Management, Lung Cancer, Drug Therapy, NHS, Health, News, UHN, The Telegraph

'Quack foods' that claim to aid weight loss are 'waste of money' - The Telegraph 26th November 2008

Consumers are wasting billions of pounds on 'quack' foods that promise to help them lose weight, a nutritional expert has warned.

Link to Article

tags: Diet, Nutrition, Obesity, Health Service Economics, Financial Management, Health, News, UHN, The Telegraph

Terry Pratchett will warn Gordon Brown that UK faces 'a tsunami of Alzheimer's' - The Telegraph 26th November 2008

Novelist Terry Pratchett will tell Prime Minister Gordon Brown that the UK faces "a tsunami of Alzheimer's" disease unless he increases research funding.

Link to Article

tags: Alzheimers Disease, Health, News, Research, UHN, The Telegraph

Additional Story

  1. Terry Pratchett to hand Gordon Brown petition warning of Britain's Alzheimer's 'tsunami' - Daily Mail 26th November 2008
  2. Author heading dementia campaign - BBC Health News 26th November 2008

Nurses told not to call patients 'love' - The Telegraph 26th November 2008

Nursing staff will be told that addressing older people in their care as "dearie" or "love" is inappropriate.

They should always speak to elderly patients "courteously and respectfully" and ask them how they prefer to be known, under the new advice being drawn up by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Link to Article

tags: Professional Discipline, Ethics, Health, News, UHN, Nursing, The Telegraph

Additional Stories

  1. Where is the 'love'? And nurses could be banned from calling sick patients 'dearie' if PC brigade have their way - Daily Mail 26th November 2008

Baby boy ‘murdered by mother’ after being handed back by social services - The Telegraph 26th November 2008

A three-month-old baby suffered severe brain damage and died after being shaken by his mother weeks after being handed back to her by social services, a court has heard.

Link to Article

tags: Jurisprudence, Child Abuse, Homicide, Health, News, Child Protection, Social Services, UHN, The Telegraph

Additional Story

  1. Mother accused of murdering 16-month-old baby son after changing her mind over having him adopted - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

14-year-old girls to be taught about their 'right' to have an abortion - The Telegraph 26th November 2008

Schoolgirls as young as 14 could be forced to watch a film that teaches them they have the right to choose an abortion.

Link to Article

tags: Sex Education, Abortion, Ethics, Health, News, UHN, Schools, The Telegraph

Calorie counting to put boozers off drink: A pint of lager equals a sausage roll - Daily Mail 26th November 2008

Bottles of wine and beer could soon carry labels warning of their calorie content.

Experts believe binge drinkers, not deterred by information about how much alcohol a drink contains, might think again if they knew how fattening it was.

The message would be most likely to hit home with image-conscious young drinkers and women.

Link to Article

tags: Alcohol, Obesity, Health, News, UHN, Daily Mail

Whistleblower nurse could be struck off for Panorama exposé of appalling abuse of elderly patients - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

A nurse who exposed appalling neglect of the elderly at an NHS hospital began a fight to save her career today.

Margaret Haywood, 58, faces a series of disciplinary charges over a secret film she made for a BBC Panorama programme.

Link to Article

tags: Elder Abuse, Health, News, Whistleblowing, Ethics, Nursing, Professional Discipline, UHN, Daily Mail, Mass Media

Meet Millie, 7, who still smiles despite disease so rare it affects just FOUR people worldwide - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

Brave Millie Smith can still break into a beaming smile despite suffering from a medical condition which is so rare that it has no name and affects just four people in the world.

She was diagnosed at 16 months when tests revealed she had strands missing from her eighth chromosome.

tags: Genetics, Health, News, Disabilities, Children, UHN, Daily Mail

Rate alcohol and tobacco like illegal drugs, says top scientist - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

The harm done by tobacco and alcohol should be rated on the same system as illegal drugs, a leading scientist said today.

Professor Sir Gabriel Horn who chaired a special committee on drug use, warned that dependency on drink and cigarettes was spiralling out of control and urgent measures were needed to curb their misuse.

Link to Article

tags: Health, News, UHN, Daily Mail, Smoking, Alcohol

Care ‘failing the terminally ill’ - BBC Health News 26th November 2008

Terminally ill people and their families are being let down by failings in end of life care, a watchdog says.

The National Audit Office said while most people wanted to die at home, the majority ended their days in hospital.

The report said families, hospices and care homes in England needed more help to provide better end of life services.

Link to Article

tags: Palliative Care, Health, News, UHN, Quality, BBC Health News

Stop smoking drug concerns raised - BBC Health News 26th November 2008

It was launched as a wonder drug. A tablet to take the pain out of kicking the killer weed.

Since it appeared on the market two years ago in the UK, almost 400,000 prescriptions for Champix have been written.

Across the world, that figure is currently sitting at nine million.

Link to Article

tags: Health, News, UHN, Smoking Cessation, Drug Therapy, Adverse Effects, BBC Health News

Lansley’s recession blog apology - BBC Health News 25th November 2008

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has apologised for remarks he made saying a recession could be “good for us” in many ways.

The comments, published on Mr Lansley’s blog, were made in the context of the likely impact of a recession on health issues such as drinking and smoking.

Link to Article

tags: Alcohol, Smoking, Economics, Politics, Health, News, UHN, BBC Health News

Long delays hit brain injury recovery - BBC Health News 25th November 2008

Children are having to wait as long as two years to be given specialist therapy to help them recover from forms of brain damage.

But the BBC can also reveal there is a plan in hand that should dramatically improve the situation.

Link to Article

tags: Occupational Therapy, Health, News, UHN, BBC Health News, Children

UK Health News RSS Feed

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International Health News

Mass media stories about Health News from outside of the UK

Mass testing plan to tackle Aids - The Guardian 26th November 2008

A radical new strategy to stop the Aids epidemic in its tracks was proposed yesterday by World Health Organisation scientists but ran into immediate controversy over its implications for human rights.

The plan involves testing everybody for HIV every year in hard-hit areas like sub-Saharan Africa and immediately putting those who are positive on Aids drugs. It could slash dramatically the number of new infections, because Aids drugs lower the levels of virus in the body, making HIV transmission through unprotected sex much less likely.

tags: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, HIV, Diagnosis, IHN, Health, News, The Guardian

3,000 dead from cholera in Zimbabwe - The Independent 26th November 2008

Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s President, is trying to hide the real extent of the cholera epidemic sweeping across his nation by silencing health workers and restricting access to the huge number of death certificates that give the same cause of death.

Link to Article

tags: Cholera, Developing Countries, Health, News, IHN, The Independent

Additional Story

  1. Dr Douglas Gwatidzo: Patients ask for help, but there is nothing we can do - The Independent 26th November 2008

Toddler makes miraculous recovery after getting key lodged in brain - The Telegraph 25th November 2008

A toddler has baffled medical experts by making a miraculous recovery after a key became lodged in his brain.

Link to Article

tags: IHN, Health, News, Neurology, Children, The Telegraph

Truman Show Syndrome delusion: Sufferers convinced they are on reality TV - The Telegraph 25th November 2008

Psychiatric experts say they have identified a new 21st century form of delusion whose sufferers are convinced their lives are being played out as a reality television show.

Link to Article

tags: Mass Media, Mental Health, IHN, Health, News, The Telegraph

Dozens of British passengers on German river cruise hit by winter vomiting bug - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

More than 100 British cruise ship passengers have been quarantined after falling ill with the winter vomiting bug. The elderly travellers were on a trip along the Rhine in Germany when they contracted the highly infectious norovirus.

Link to Article

tags: Norovirus, Health, News, IHN, Daily Mail, Travel Health

Couple face jail ‘for selling their newborn baby online for five- figure sum’ - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

A couple face ten years in prison after selling their newborn baby on the Internet.

The couple - a man aged 26 and woman aged 24 who already had another child - are currently under investigation by police and social services in the Belgium town of Ghent.

They decided they could not afford the new baby and so offered him to the highest bidder.

Link to Article

tags: IHN, Social Services, Health, News, Child Abuse

Ignoring India’s ‘republic of hunger’ - BBC Health News 25th November 2008

The BBC’s Soutik Biswas travels to the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, one of six states holding key elections, and asks why malnutrition has not been a major issue with politicians.

Link to Article

tags: Malnutrition, Developing Countries, IHN, Health, News, BBC Health News

International Health News RSS Feed


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Cheshire and Merseyside Health News

Articles relating to mass media Health news about the Cheshire and Merseyside patch of the NHS in the North West of England.

Paramedic faces 2nd police probe - Liverpool Echo 25th November 2008

A MERSEYSIDE paramedic was suspended amid allegations he “assaulted” a young mum.

Tyrone Fitzgerald, 34, is being investigated by police following the alleged attack at the woman’s Warrington home.

It is alleged the ambulance worker returned to the house when off-duty after being called previously to see her young child.

Link to Article

tags: Ambulance Services, Health, News, CMHN, Liverpool Echo, Ethics, Professional Discipline, Jurisprudence

TV exposé nurse neglect charge - Liverpool Echo 25th November 2008

A LIVERPOOL nurse who went undercover for a television exposé at a hospital could be struck off.

Margaret Haywood, 58, is facing a four-day disciplinary hearing in London at the Nursing and Midwifery Council to decide her career.

The Everton woman has come under fire after she took part in a BBC Panorama show three years ago.

tags: Whistleblowing, Health, News, CMHN, Mass Media, Elder Abuse, Professional Discipline, Ethics, Liverpool Echo


Additional Story

Whistleblower nurse could be struck off for Panorama exposé of appalling abuse of elderly patients - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

Cheshire and Merseyside Health News RSS Feed


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Cumbria and Lancashire Health News

Articles relating to mass media Health Stories about the Cumbria and Lancashire patch of the NHS in the North West of England.

Revival of cottage hospitals in Cumbria - Carlisle News & Star 25th November 2008

COCKERMOUTH is set to lead the multi-million rebirth of Cumbria’s once-doomed cottage hospitals. Health bosses have published £14 million plans to replace the existing building with a brand new health village - combining a community hospital, GP and other services all on one site.

Link to Article

Tags: NHS Estates, Primary Care, Health, News, CLHN, Carlisle News & Star

Rehab unit planned for west Cumbrian hospital- Carlisle News & Star 25th November 2008

New plans have been unveiled to improve palliative care and rehabilitation services at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven by merging two wards.

Bosses plan to amalgamate the Ullswater Stroke Unit and Younger Disabled Unit (YDU) to create an all-ages rehabilitation centre. This will allow a dedicated palliative care unit to be developed at the site.

Link to Article

Tags: Palliative Care, Stroke, Rehabilitation, Organisational Design, NHS, Health, News, CLHN, Carlisle News & Star

East Lancashire hospitals’ clean bill of health - Lancashire Telegraph 25th November 2008

HOSPITALS in East Lancashire have passed an annual health check.

The East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs both the Royal Blackburn Hospital and Burnley General Hospital, was one of the 51 trusts randomly picked for the Healthcare Commission’s annual study.

Link to Article

tags: Health, News, Infection Control, CLHN, Hospitals, Lancashire Telegraph

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Greater Manchester Health News

Articles relating to mass media Health Stories about the Greater Manchester patch of the NHS in the North West of England.

Hospital hope of deliverance - Manchester Evening News 26th November 2008

A MATERNITY unit set for closure could be given a lifeline offering a service with midwives in charge. Midwife-led units are run by highly-experienced midwives and cater to women assessed as being at low risk of complications that may require a doctor.

They aim to provide a less `medical’ environment in which women can give birth, surrounded by their families, while enjoying one-to-one care from their midwife.

Link to Article

tags: Midwifery, Obstetrics, Hospitals, GMHN, Health, News, Manchester Evening News

Top doc denies experimenting on his patients - Manchester Evening News 26th November 2008

A TOP doctor has denied claims he `experimented’ on patients to support his own research.

Consultant gynaecologist Martin Quinn also rejected the accusation of a `sinister’ plan to select patients for his academic interests.

Link to Article

tags: Health, News, GMHN, Manchester Evening News, Gynaecology, Professional, Discipline, Ethics, Jurisprudence

Health check is a £1m lifesaver - The Bolton News 25th November 2008

A LEADING Bolton doctor has told how the cost of The BIG Bolton Health Check will be the best £1 million the Primary Care Trust will spend this year.

Dr Stephen Liversedge, who is spearheading the campaign, said the PCT will spend £410 million from April, 2008, to April, 2009, but the cash invested in the health check “was the best million of the 410 in terms of saving lives”.

Link to Article

tags: The Bolton News, Diagnosis, Primary Care, Public Health, Mass Screening, GMHN, Health, News

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UK Health News

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Want to keep up-to-date with mass media news on a particular topic? Ask your health librarian about RSS and check out the RSS directory from the Fade Library.

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Scientists attack plan to upgrade cannabis - The Guardian 25th November 2008

Government plans to overrule its own drug advisers and reclassify cannabis as a more dangerous substance are attacked by leading scientists and MPs in a letter to the Guardian today.

The home secretary, Jacqui Smith, intends to move cannabis from class C to class B, where it will sit alongside amphetamines, such as speed, and barbiturates. The move comes despite repeated recommendations from the government’s drug advisers that its classification should not be upgraded.

Link to Article

tags: Drugs of Abuse, Legislation, Health, News, UHN, The Guardian

Additional Stories

  1. Letter: Lords must stop plan to reclassify cannabis- The Guardian 25th November 2008
  2. Government advisors could call for Ecstasy to be downgraded - The Telegraph 25th November 2008
  3. Government experts could soon back plans to downgrade Ecstasy to a Class B drug - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

The Welllcome Collection: where science and art are encouraged to meet Stuart Jeffries profiles the work of the Wellcome Collection - The Guardian 25t

On the wall of the Wellcome Collection in London is a colour pencil drawing of a man’s crotch that makes me wince. It is a self-portrait, featuring a dangling penis, curly thigh hairs and a post-operative scar indicating that the subject has had a testicle removed. It is by Michael Landy, the British artist perhaps best known for his 2001 artwork Breakdown, a performance piece in which he destroyed everything he owned at the old C&A store on Oxford Street.

Link to Article

tags: Art, Health, News, UHN, The Guardian

The reluctant dieter: Kira Cochrane remembers how difficult it is to diet in the dog days of winter- The Guardian 25th November 2008

The days have grown colder, the nights have grown longer, and I’ve remembered just how difficult it is to diet come the dog days of winter. Of course, it’s tough to lose weight in any season, but at least salads seem vaguely relevant in summer, and the fear of baring your flesh is a spur to that dread concept: moderation. Once early winter arrives, only carbohydrates seem attractive, consumed while swaddled in duvet.

tags: Diet, Nutrition, Health, News, UHN, The Guardian

Shock tactics: Kate Hilpern reports on the anti-abortion presentations in schools- The Guardian 25th November 2008

Anti-abortion campaigners are being allowed into schools to present their arguments to teenagers, and are making converts. But what about the facts? Kate Hilpern reports

Link to Article

tags: Sex Education, Health, News, UHN, The Guardian, Abortion, Ethics

College Voices: November 25, the carer- The Guardian 25th November 2008

I became a carer when I was eight. My mum had a bowel disorder and various health conditions. Sometimes she’d be bedridden for weeks at a time.

At first my nan used to help out a lot. Then she developed lung cancer, so I was helping out with both of them. My nan died when I was 11, so I was on my own after that. My dad wasn’t around and there wasn’t any other family I was aware of.

Link to Article

tags: Carers, Health, News, UHN, Schools, Education, Young People, The Guardian

Fines for loss of confidential data could run into millions- The Guardian 25th November 2008

The information commissioner is to be given sweeping new powers to fine those in Whitehall and private companies who deliberately or recklessly lose confidential personal information, Jack Straw, the justice secretary, disclosed yesterday.

tags: Data Protection, Legislation, Health, News, UHN, The Guardian

Bloody reality: David Cotterrell’s diary and photographs are a harrowing reminder of the cost of war - The Guardian 25th November 2008

Last year, the artist David Cotterrell went to Afghanistan to observe the work of military medical staff at the main field hospital at Camp Bastion. His diary and photographs, now on show in London, are a harrowing reminder of the cost of war

Link to Article

tags: Health, News, UHN, Armed Forces, Hospitals

Early warning: Tom Nolan describes the cancer symptoms to look out for - The Guardian 25th November 2008

Britain has one of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe - and late diagnosis is the main reason. Tom Nolan describes the symptoms to look out for

tags: The Guardian, Cancer, Health, News, Diagnosis, UHN

Bigger not better for sperm trying to reach an egg - The Times 25th November 2008

Size does not matter when it comes to a sperm’s ability to reach and fertilise an egg, a study published today suggests.

Research in the London-based journal BMC Evolutionary Biology casts doubt on the common scientific belief that sperm with longer tails can swim faster. The speed at which a sperm swims is a key factor in its capability to fertilise an egg.

Link to Article

tags: Human Fertility, Health, News, UHN, The Times

Fears that more dentists will quit NHS as thousands billed over missed targets - The Times 25th November 2008

Dentists will be required to refund £120 million to the health service because they failed to treat enough NHS patients last year, The Times has learnt.

About half of dental practices have fallen short of targets for NHS treatment agreed with local health authorities, meaning dentists will have to pay back tens of thousands of pounds each.

tags: Health, News, Dental Health, Financial Management, NHS, UHN, The Times

Give us hairdryers and you’ll get a nation of fitter women - The Times 24th November 2008

Changing rooms with hairdryers and full-length mirrors would help to encourage women and girls to take up sport, a poll published today suggests.

More than half of those surveyed would take part in sport if they could style their hair afterwards. Fifty-six per cent of girls aged 10 to 15 said that hairdryers were essential, and 91 per cent cited private cubicles as a must-have.

Link to Article

tags: Health, News, UHN, Womens Health, Physical Activity, The Times

Blood pressure readings in GP surgeries ‘may not predict heart problems’ - The Telegraph 25th November 2008

A blood pressure reading in a GP’s surgery may not be the most accurate way of predicting the chances of suffering a heart attack, according to a study.

Link to Article

tags: Hypertension, Health, News, UHN, The Telegraph, Heart Diseases

Fresh basil linked to salmonella cases - The Telegraph 24th November 2008

Contaminated packets of ready-to-eat herbs, such as basil, could be causing outbreaks of salmonella, UK scientists have found.

Link to Article

tags: Food Hygiene, Food Poisoning, Health, News, UHN, The Telegraph

Additional Story

  1. Salmonella bacteria found in ‘ready-to-eat’ fresh herbs - Daily Mail 24th November 2008

We ‘played God’ to have our baby girl: Many think it’s morally wrong, but this moving story might change your mind - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

With her beautiful blue eyes and a smile to melt your heart, at eight months old Jessica Gledhill is everything you could wish for in a baby.

But gorgeous though she is, for her parents Donna and Dave there are more important reasons to be grateful for their precious daughter.

For in just 17 months between May 2003 and October 2004, the couple from Wigston in Leicestershire went through the agony of losing three babies - all boys - in the most tragic of circumstances.

Link to Article

tags: Genetics, Human Fertility, Health, News, UHN, Daily Mail

New device small enough to fit in a GP’s pocket can diagnose skin cancer in 20 seconds - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

A device small enough to fit in a GP’s pocket can diagnose dangerous skin cancers in just 20 seconds.

The hand-held gadget, which costs around £500, can detect cancer using a complex technique called Optical Transfer Diagnosis.

tags: Skin Cancer, Health, News, UHN, Diagnosis, Primary Care, Daily Mail

Why won’t our doctors face up to the dangers of radiotherapy? - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

It’s a life-saver for thousands - but the side-effects can be devastating.

A year after he’d undergone treatment for cancer of the tonsils, Richard Wayman felt a painful tingling in his legs. Within weeks, the 59-year- old shopkeeper was struggling to walk. He was admitted to hospital, where doctors carried out scans, X-rays and tests.

Link to Article

tags: Radiotherapy, Health, News, UHN, Adverse Effects, Daily Mail

The vital hidden warnings in your ‘health family tree’ - Daily Mail 25th November 2008

A grandfather and aunt with Parkinson’s. Three relatives with thyroid trouble. What clues does one woman’s family background hold for her future health?

Katherine Lewis has always been pretty healthy. The 24-year-old from Manchester has only ever had the usual childhood illnesses - such as chicken pox - and without any outward sign of illness, considered herself to be in good shape.

Link to Article

tags: Genetics, Health, News, UHN, Daily Mail

Huge increase in ‘post-nuptial depression’ as newlyweds turn to therapists for help with bridal blues - Daily Mail 24th November 2008

The wedding’s over, so is the honeymoon. But modern couples face yet another hurdle before a life of wedded bliss - the bridal blues.

The expectations of newlyweds are so high, and married life such a let-down after all the planning and excitement of the big day, that an increasing number of brides are suffering post-nuptial depression, say doctors.

Link to Article

tags: Health, News, UHN, Daily Mail, Depression, Mental Health

Sleeping pills ‘double’ risk of having car crash the next day - Daily Mail 24th November 2008

Sleeping pills prescribed to hundreds of thousands of Britons could more than double their risk of road accidents, scientists have found.

Research showed that men and younger people are more likely to be involved in a car crash the day after taking the pills than women and the elderly.

tags: Sleep, Drug Therapy, Road Accidents, Risk Evaluation, Health, News, UHN, Daily Mail

MP calls for detailed report into tragic death of Baby P to be made public - Daily Mail 24th November 2008

The Government has come under pressure to publish a detailed report into the death of Baby P in Haringey.

Children’s Secretary Ed Balls has refused to release the serious case review on Baby P based on legal advice and a ruling by Information Commissioner Richard Thomas.

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tags: Health, News, UHN, Data Protection, Child Protection, Local Authorities, Social Services, Daily Mail

Fat bloke slims: I’ve lost even MORE weight thanks to the chew-chew diet - Daily Mail 24th November 2008

Actor Bruce Byron, who plays DC Terry Perkins in The Bill, has struggled with his weight for years. But in the past six months he’s lost nearly two stone. Bruce, who is married to TV psychologist Dr Tanya Byron, writes fortnightly in Good Health about his battle with the bulge.

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tags: Diet, Nutrition, Obesity, Health, News, UHN, Daily Mail

Jane Clarke: Forget reading the label - just enjoy your food - Daily Mail 24th November 2008

Every Tuesday, Britain’s leading nutritionist explains how to eat your way to health. This week Jane explains why we need to get in touch with savouring our food…

tags: Daily Mail, Health, News, UHN, Diet, Nutrition

A massive stroke robbed Catriona of her speech. Then, one day, her sons were stunned to hear her say: I love you - Daily Mail 24th November 2008

Mealtimes at Catriona Grant’s home are always a lively affair. As her sons laugh and banter, Catriona quizzes them about the day’s events.

‘We talk and talk,’ says Catriona proudly. ‘It makes us so close.’

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tags: Stroke, Health, News, Communication, Speech Therapy, Aphasia, UHN, Daily Mail

The good trainer guide: Running is a cheap way to get fit - but the wrong shoes can be an expensive mistake - Daily Mail 24th November 2008

Most people own a pair of trainers, and the market for sports shoes is worth more than £1.25 billion a year. But when it comes to keeping fit, you need shoes fit for the purpose.

Running is a cheap and effective way to keep healthy, but it’s a high-impact activity.

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tags: Physical Activity, Health, News, UHN, Daily Mail

MS ‘costing the economy £1.4bn’ - BBC Health News 25th November 2008

The cost to the UK economy of looking after people with multiple sclerosis is £1.4bn a year, a study suggests.

King’s College London researchers surveyed 2,000 MS patients finding they cost the equivalent of nearly £17,000 a year in care, support and medication.

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tags: Health Service Economics, Financial Management, Multiple Sclerosis, Health, News, UHN, BBC Health News

UK stem cell work under threat - BBC Health News 24th November 2008

The UK could lose its place among the world leaders in stem cell research unless adequate funding and legislation is assured, experts warn.

The UK National Stem Cell Network says red tape and poor investment threatens the future of UK stem cell work moving from research to real life therapies.

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tags: Genetics, Health, News, Legislation, UHN, BBC Health News