Another 15 Minutes...Health News from Fade
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Listen to this edition of Another 15 Minutes...Health News from the Fade Library 18th June 2007 Listen to this edition of Another 15 Minutes...Health News from the Fade Library 17th June 2007 Listen to this edition of Another 15 Minutes...Health News from the Fade Library 16th June 2007New Section
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Quarter of NHS trusts miss targets for superbug -The Guardian 18th June 2007
One in four NHS trusts in England admit they are failing to comply with hygiene regulations introduced last year to halt the spread of MRSA and other hospital superbugs, health inspectors disclose today. The Healthcare Commission said 99 of the 394 trusts confessed to not meeting all the standards included in a compulsory hygiene code introduced by health ministers last October.
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Quarter of NHS trusts fail hygiene standards - The Telegraph 18th June 2007
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Bottom of the league - The Telegraph 18th June 2007
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Shame of the filthy hospital wards - Daily Mail 18th June 2007
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NHS 'hygiene standards struggle' - BBC Health News 17th June 2007
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330,000 users to get access to database on England's children - The Guardian 18th June 2007
A giant electronic database containing sensitive information on all 11 million children in England will be open to at least 330,000 users when it launches next year, according to government guidance. A final consultation on the plan reveals that the index, intended to help children's services work together more effectively following the death of Victoria Climbié, will be accessible through any computer linked to the internet, whether at work or at home, providing users have the correct two-part security authentication.
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Feeling time-short is not just a soft and fluffy issue - The Guardian 18th June 2007
A 24-7 economy is at last being viewed as a way of serving all our citizens' needs in a modern, complex, globalised UK Talk about a "time-short" world and the need to slow down, and most readers of this newspaper will nod enthusiastically. They - we - will go on to fantasise about days in the garden, deadheading roses or idly listening to the radio, or about long, slow lunches with a glass or two, or about having a good lie-in on Sundays. The need for more time, more leisure, is one of the great moans of the current age. Well, the good news, at last, is that time is becoming a hot political issue.
Why do you play? It's a great way to keep fit and fun too. Have you got fitter? Definitely - because you're enjoying the game, it doesn't feel like an effort. Also even if you're exhausted and might be tempted to stop, you can't because you don't want to let the team down. It's amazing how much harder you push yourself when you've got the motivation to win.
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Matt Keating: The path to fulfilment blends the personal and the material - The Guardian 18th June 2007
"Loudly pondering 'What is my motivation?' might scare your colleagues" What is my motivation? It is the cliched question that a washed-up schlock actor, appearing in a dire US detective show as an, erm, washed-up schlock actor, might ask the soon to be bunked-off character playing the theatre director.
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Politicians believe volunteering is the cornerstone of a civilised society. But, as Martin Newland found, red tape, fear and political correctness can get in the way of good works. Has anyone noticed how hard it is to volunteer? I don't mean collecting donations for the preservation of Vulcan bombers, or tearing tickets at the entrance to a National Trust property. I mean good old spur-of-the-moment help-my-neighbour charity.
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Official website will tell us how much carbon dioxide we are each producing and how to cut it An official calculator that enables every person in Britain to work out how much they are contributing to global warming will be launched by the government this week.
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Best of the net: One-stop shop for dos and dont's - The Guardian 16th June 2007
Quarter of NHS trusts miss targets for superbug -The Guardian 18th June 2007
One in four NHS trusts in England admit they are failing to comply with hygiene regulations introduced last year to halt the spread of MRSA and other hospital superbugs, health inspectors disclose today. The Healthcare Commission said 99 of the 394 trusts confessed to not meeting all the standards included in a compulsory hygiene code introduced by health ministers last October.
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Quarter of NHS trusts fail hygiene standards - The Telegraph 18th June 2007
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Shame of the filthy hospital wards - Daily Mail 18th June 2007
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NHS 'hygiene standards struggle' - BBC Health News 17th June 2007
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330,000 users to get access to database on England's children - The Guardian 18th June 2007
A giant electronic database containing sensitive information on all 11 million children in England will be open to at least 330,000 users when it launches next year, according to government guidance. A final consultation on the plan reveals that the index, intended to help children's services work together more effectively following the death of Victoria Climbié, will be accessible through any computer linked to the internet, whether at work or at home, providing users have the correct two-part security authentication.
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Feeling time-short is not just a soft and fluffy issue - The Guardian 18th June 2007
A 24-7 economy is at last being viewed as a way of serving all our citizens' needs in a modern, complex, globalised UK Talk about a "time-short" world and the need to slow down, and most readers of this newspaper will nod enthusiastically. They - we - will go on to fantasise about days in the garden, deadheading roses or idly listening to the radio, or about long, slow lunches with a glass or two, or about having a good lie-in on Sundays. The need for more time, more leisure, is one of the great moans of the current age. Well, the good news, at last, is that time is becoming a hot political issue.
Why do you play? It's a great way to keep fit and fun too. Have you got fitter? Definitely - because you're enjoying the game, it doesn't feel like an effort. Also even if you're exhausted and might be tempted to stop, you can't because you don't want to let the team down. It's amazing how much harder you push yourself when you've got the motivation to win.
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Matt Keating: The path to fulfilment blends the personal and the material - The Guardian 18th June 2007
"Loudly pondering 'What is my motivation?' might scare your colleagues" What is my motivation? It is the cliched question that a washed-up schlock actor, appearing in a dire US detective show as an, erm, washed-up schlock actor, might ask the soon to be bunked-off character playing the theatre director.
Hundreds of thousands of Britain's elderly rely on home care visits to live a dignified life in their own house. But as local authorities reduce funding, an increasing number of our most vulnerable citizens are being neglected and are suffering as a result. Now, with our elderly population set to rise dramatically, we launch our campaign for the right to stay at home
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1 The number of cupfuls of tar found in a smoker's lungs when they die. 2 The tally of cigarettes smoked by John Hurt in a taxi during a seminal scene in the otherwise largely forgotten 1997 movie Love and Death on Long Island. The exchange between his character, the dry, pompous, depressed and very English Giles D'Eath.
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I've drunk at least a bottle of wine a day for 20 years and fear I have damaged my liver. I've stopped drinking now, but is there anything else I should be doing? I am in my late forties and scared. I've drunk a bottle of wine a day (sometimes more) for the past 15 to 20 years, and I think I have cirrhosis of the liver. For some months I've had minor discomfort from my liver area and occasionally I catch myself in the mirror and think I am looking a little yellow. I've stopped drinking now - this might be too little too late, but at least I am giving myself every chance and not making things worse. Is there anything to be gained by talking to my GP? I am ashamed and embarrassed, and as cirrhosis treatment is only really symptom control I'm not sure if anyone can help me anyway. Apart from not drinking, what more should I be doing? What should I eat? Should I give up caffeine?
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In the decadent Eighties, coming to the end of a 10-year sentence, I persuaded the governor of Oxford prison to allow me to conduct a small archaeological dig. Among the findings - shackles, chains, a rusty key, even a human thigh bone - we found scores of white clay pipes, proof (if any were needed) of an atavistic link between old lags and past centuries' equivalent of Old Holborn. Moving on a decade: one of the first places marauding prisoners broke into during the Strangeways riot was the tobacco-rich canteen. Roll-ups ruled the roost throughout that short-lived revolution. Even as we progress through the health-obsessed 'Noughties', more than 90 per cent of prisoners still smoke. So imagine the consternation when it was announced that, from 1 July, all enclosed public spaces would become, effectively, smokeless zones. 'Bird without baccy?' the cry arose. 'It's a diabolical liberty.'
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Politicians believe volunteering is the cornerstone of a civilised society. But, as Martin Newland found, red tape, fear and political correctness can get in the way of good works. Has anyone noticed how hard it is to volunteer? I don't mean collecting donations for the preservation of Vulcan bombers, or tearing tickets at the entrance to a National Trust property. I mean good old spur-of-the-moment help-my-neighbour charity.
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Best of the net: One-stop shop for dos and dont's - The Guardian 16th June 2007
The internet is full of travel advice, but until recently most of it felt like a public service missive - well meaning (but often boring) sites by the Foreign Office (fco.gov.uk/travel) and the NHS (fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk) with helpful tips about visas and vaccinations. While sites with independent-minded advice, like the earnest material at travel-journal.org, still have the feel of something you ought to be reading, rather than actually want to.
I like short stories with happy endings. Last week we saw how the mightily eminent pharmacologist Professor David Colquhoun (FRS) was having his witty and informative "Improbable Science" quackbusting blog quietly banished from the UCL servers. He had questioned claims made by a herbal medicine practitioner called Dr Ann Walker over, for example, the "blood cleansing" properties of red clover (also a "cleanser of the lymphatic system", apparently) and criticised her for making public statements about the benefits of vitamin supplements in an academic journal, without disclosing her role as spokesperson for the Health Supplements Information Service, a lobby group for the multibillion-pound supplements industry. Walker complained.
Simon Jenkins (I went in for a fishfinger, but all I could see were flavonoids and lycopenes, June 15) misses the point about Whole Foods by finding high standards of food quality "obscene". No columnist takes half a page to criticise nice handbags or historic houses just because the poor have cheap carrier bags and live in shacks. Why criticise food, which we put inside our bodies, for being organic, artisanal and nutritious instead of cheap? What's "semi-mystical" about preferring good food that gives pleasure and nourishes without damaging our health through the presence of flavouring and colouring additives, hydrogenated fats and other technological trickery?
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Anne Karpf: So there's a miracle pill for fertility - how about one for employment? - The Guardian 16th June 2007
"I have tasted the obsessive longing for a baby, and the equally obsessive feeling you might be denied one" 'Pill To Delay the Menopause' screamed the headline, to which I screamed back "No!" An oddly vociferous reaction, considering that I had my second child about as late as you can without medical intervention. Is it a case of "me, but not you", like those women who climb into positions of power and then promptly bolt the door behind them? Or are my feelings about the drugs currently being developed that could, according to Robert Winston earlier this week, prolong women's fertility, something different altogether?
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The woman who anticipated disease - The Guardian 16th June 2007
Jacqueline and Susan Donachie were always close, sisters who looked strikingly similar; both were tall and willowy, striding out together among other, usually shorter, Glaswegian women. The fact that Jackie's eyes were her mother's blue and Susan's were her father's hazel would have been negligible had there not been a more insidious genetic distinction to set them apart. They were pregnant together - Jackie, aged 30, with her first; Susan, aged 33, with her second - when they came across the fork in the road. Susan was induced early. The doctors said the baby had problems due to more than being premature, and that these came from the mother. They sprang from a disease that ran in families, so Jackie would have to be tested, too.
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A huge increase in the number of cosmetic surgery treatments carried out by unqualified or insufficiently qualified people is leading to the "McDonaldisation" of the industry, doctors warned yesterday. Surgeons spoke out in response to news that a New Zealand cosmetic surgery company is offering doctors a franchise after just two days' training at a hotel in Manchester.
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A government plan to cut senior staff in paediatric wards and neonatal units and replace them with trainee doctors will put infants at risk, doctors and patient groups have warned. Under the Government's controversial Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) programme, senior staff on some paediatric wards will be replaced by trainee doctors from August.
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My daughter is 4, an only child, and I’ve been a stay-at-home mum since she was born. I have always done many activities and socialising with her since she was about 1. Now she is at nursery school five afternoons a week, goes dancing once a week and helps me to run a singing group. The thing I am concerned about is that she seems to have a double-sided character. Some days she will go up to strangers to chat, show them her latest dance and be full of amazing life and confidence. But other days she is a different child: she’ll pull away from physical contact, pull a face if anyone talks to her and can’t stand loud noise or physical contact. It is as if she’s a teenager going through hormone changes. I don’t know which character I’m going to be dealing with. At times when she’s like this I just want to cuddle her but worry that this would enforce the behaviour.
Kidney cancer is notoriously difficult to treat, although recently the gloomy prognosis has begun to improve with drugs increasing survival times. Beetroot time is here again. Two generations ago beetroot was a favourite vegetable in rural households. British food writers have rediscovered its delights and are again including it in their recipes. It is recommended as a smart and colourful ingredient capable of sprucing up the most dowdy salad and it is delicious when served with a sauce.
Mars UK tried to curry favour with health chiefs by halting production of its super-size chocolate bars to help to tackle obesity. But, instead of shrinking its bars, the confectionery giant has simply split them in two, selling both parts inside one wrapper.
The Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV is right to highlight the problem of alcohol, drugs and underage sex in our celebrity-driven culture (report, June 15). Teenagers need more information to give them the ability to place sexual activity in a moral context. Issues of self-esteem and assertiveness need to be addressed so that they develop the strength of character to decline sex if they do not feel ready.
The NHS is spending more than £1 million a month on so-called “chill pills” that help to calm hyperactive children, figures show. Doctors in Britain wrote almost 7,500 prescriptions a week for Ritalin, the drug that is used commonly when attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has been diagnosed in children.
Britain will be gripped by a liver disease epidemic within 15 years because of drinking, doctors will say on TV tonight. Experts tested the health of livers of 70 daytime passers-by at mobile clinics in London and Birmingham for a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation. Half had liver damage caused by alcohol consumption.
Labour and Conservative MPs are often portrayed by critics of the party system as like Tweedledum and Tweedledee: essentially alike for all the sound and fury of their battle. But this is a false impression. A striking new survey by Populus about the attitudes of MPs reveals not only deep underlying disagreements between Labour and Conservative MPs on key social values, but also big divisions within the Tory party. David Cameron has failed to persuade a large number of his own backbenchers to accept his liberal views on morality and race.
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My daughter is 4, an only child, and I’ve been a stay-at-home mum since she was born. I have always done many activities and socialising with her since she was about 1. Now she is at nursery school five afternoons a week, goes dancing once a week and helps me to run a singing group. The thing I am concerned about is that she seems to have a double-sided character. Some days she will go up to strangers to chat, show them her latest dance and be full of amazing life and confidence. But other days she is a different child: she’ll pull away from physical contact, pull a face if anyone talks to her and can’t stand loud noise or physical contact. It is as if she’s a teenager going through hormone changes. I don’t know which character I’m going to be dealing with. At times when she’s like this I just want to cuddle her but worry that this would enforce the behaviour.
Kidney cancer is notoriously difficult to treat, although recently the gloomy prognosis has begun to improve with drugs increasing survival times. Beetroot time is here again. Two generations ago beetroot was a favourite vegetable in rural households. British food writers have rediscovered its delights and are again including it in their recipes. It is recommended as a smart and colourful ingredient capable of sprucing up the most dowdy salad and it is delicious when served with a sauce.
Mars UK tried to curry favour with health chiefs by halting production of its super-size chocolate bars to help to tackle obesity. But, instead of shrinking its bars, the confectionery giant has simply split them in two, selling both parts inside one wrapper.
The Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV is right to highlight the problem of alcohol, drugs and underage sex in our celebrity-driven culture (report, June 15). Teenagers need more information to give them the ability to place sexual activity in a moral context. Issues of self-esteem and assertiveness need to be addressed so that they develop the strength of character to decline sex if they do not feel ready.
The NHS is spending more than £1 million a month on so-called “chill pills” that help to calm hyperactive children, figures show. Doctors in Britain wrote almost 7,500 prescriptions a week for Ritalin, the drug that is used commonly when attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has been diagnosed in children.
Britain will be gripped by a liver disease epidemic within 15 years because of drinking, doctors will say on TV tonight. Experts tested the health of livers of 70 daytime passers-by at mobile clinics in London and Birmingham for a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation. Half had liver damage caused by alcohol consumption.
Labour and Conservative MPs are often portrayed by critics of the party system as like Tweedledum and Tweedledee: essentially alike for all the sound and fury of their battle. But this is a false impression. A striking new survey by Populus about the attitudes of MPs reveals not only deep underlying disagreements between Labour and Conservative MPs on key social values, but also big divisions within the Tory party. David Cameron has failed to persuade a large number of his own backbenchers to accept his liberal views on morality and race.
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GIRLS aged 12 are to be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer under plans to be approved this week by a government committee. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is expected to recommend that all girls should be given the jab in the first year of secondary school to protect them against the human papilloma virus (HPV). The committee, which comprises senior health specialists, is also expected to recommend a catchup campaign to vaccinate all girls aged 12-16.
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The government is considering a ban on the sale of packs of 10 cigarettes because it believes they encourage children to take up smoking. The move is part of a new wave of antitobacco legislation being considered by Patricia Hewitt, the health secretary, to maintain momentum in the campaign against smoking after it is banned in enclosed public places from July 1. Other planned curbs on tobacco sales include outlawing the display of cigarettes in newsagents and supermarkets and removing cigarette vending machines from pubs.
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FAT and unfit patients are being prescribed country walks and cycle rides by NHS doctors as part of a government drive to tackle lazy lifestyles underlying many illnesses. The Department of Health believes many people suffering from obesity or the first signs of conditions like heart disease and diabetes could benefit more from exercise than drugs. It is running a trial in London where six GP practices are sending such patients on “health walks” and collecting data to gauge how it improves their fitness.
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He’s good-looking, he’s exciting and he loves her – but his lifestyle is making him infertile. Our correspondent hears one couple’s story and offers her advice Zita West is widely recognised as London’s leading holistic pregnancy and fertility guru, having made her name helping celebrities such as Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett. She has been a midwife for 25 years and is also a qualified acupuncturist and nutritional therapist. West runs a holistic pregnancy and fertility clinic in central London, and is the author of several books on fertility.
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Are home whitening kits for teeth dangerous, or are there any safe ones that work?
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Few fears strike at the hearts of men more than the prospect of going bald, and there are many unproven treatments that prey on this insecurity. Male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia, is the most common form of hair loss and is caused by an inherited sensitivity on the scalp to certain normally occurring hormones called androgens. By the age of 30, about one-third of males show signs of baldness, and by 50 half are affected.
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Some women are seeking surgery simply because their bra is several sizes too small THE National Health Service is being urged to provide trained bra-fitters to cut the number of unnecessary breast reductions demanded by women whose lingerie is several sizes too small. A motion to the annual meeting of the British Medical Association (BMA) suggests that if bra-fitters measured the patient and then recommended the correct size of underwear, hospitals could save money on cosmetic surgery.
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Breast jobs are more popular than ever, but it’s the middle classes who are the new candidates. Businesswomen, mums, marrieds and over-40s are all getting in on the act, but you wouldn’t know it. Our correspondent reports on the subtle new teardrop shape that gives you back your twentysomething tits. I’m cupping a set of perfect breasts. They overspill my palms a little – they are roughly a C – so it’s hard to keep them steady. Their shape – round, medium projection – is what many women dream of. Well, they’re not breasts, strictly speaking. I am holding a set of £200 (wholesale price), state-of-the-art silicone implants. In these clear, rubbery sacs, filled with something that looks like grey turkish delight, lies the key to happiness for a fast-growing number of British women.
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I bloody well hope so, says Slummy Mummy. She’s terrified us, and her children, for far too long. At last parenting might be fun again At last, some good news for mothers – at least for the unsung majority of us who constitute the muddlers and befuddlers of the parenting world. We’ve done something right. A flurry of books and new research from the United States suggests that overambitious, competitive parents often end up with miserable, anxious offspring, while so-called beta parents, with more relaxed attitudes, tend to have well-rounded, less neurotic children. This will come as a relief to my friend who accidentally sent her child to school with a packet of cigarettes in his book bag, and to the mum in my son’s class who has discovered that, on the not-infrequent occasions she sleeps in on a school morning, she can get her children out of the house in five minutes flat if she bribes them with breakfast at Starbucks
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For years the baleful shade of Enoch Powell silenced debate about immigration numbers, however rational. Playing the numbers game, as it was called, was always associated with the even more shameful misdemeanour of playing the race card. As recently as November 2003, David Blunkett as home secretary blithely announced that he could not see the need for a limit on immigrants, nor did he think there was a maximum number of people that could be housed in this country.
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One of the most gratifying recent developments in infertility treatment has been the way it has lost its social stigma. It is not long ago that IVF mothers worried about confessing even to close friends that a new arrival was a test-tube baby. Today, celebrities such as Gabby Logan and Julia Roberts share their experiences in the lifestyle pages. IVF is commonplace in dinner-party conversation, and any outrage is more likely to be aimed at appalling NHS provision than at women defying nature. One big taboo, though, still remains. While infertility is both a male and a female problem, with each accounting for roughly half the total burden (one couple in six is affected by infertility), this balance is not reflected in popular culture. Women talk to their friends about their biological clocks, but infertility is not something men discuss much, even with their best mates.
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School truants are costing society £800 million a year, while the annual costs associated with excluded pupils are now £650 million, research suggests. At least a third could be saved if schools provided appropriate support for persistent offenders, the research organisation New Philanthropy Capital says.
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From beefier pecs to perkier bums, it’s not just women under pressure to look good. Hilary Freeman reports When the American clothing company Aber-crombie & Fitch launched in the UK earlier this year, Londoners were treated to the sight of muscular male torsos on the sides of buses. The ad featured no heads or legs, just a close-up of a toned, tanned male physique to get the women drooling and the men aspiring. That male bodies could be so objectified is a sign of our times. It’s no longer women who are judged on their looks. Men are under immense pressure to attain a “perfect” body, to be young-looking and clear-skinned. It may be a far cry from the original intention of feminism, but women have achieved a strange kind of gender equality.
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Father's Day - The Times 16th June 2007
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Father's Day - The Times 16th June 2007
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You can run from the men’s health police. But you can’t hide. According to their stereotyping, you can’t even run. Because being a fag-toting, binge-drinking piece of lard, you’re too unfit. This week we have two innovations aimed at saving men from themselves. First, to raise awareness of prostate cancer, computer wizardry is resurrecting Bob Monkhouse so that he can crack jokes about the big C that killed him.
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Even as a non-smoker I cannot wholly agree with Melanie Reid about the civilising effect of the smoking ban in Scotland (comment, June 11). I live in an area with several pubs, and also work in the night-time economy. Having smokers standing on the street near your front door all day and night isn’t exactly what I’d call civilised, not to mention the associated shouting, swearing and spitting. Then there’s the blocked and litter-strewn pavements. Hardly “sophisticated” and “inching upmarket”.
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Cinven set to win £1.5bn BUPA hospitals auction - The Times 16th June 2007
The British private equity firm Cinven is set to win the £1.5 billion contest for BUPA’s UK private hospitals, The Times has learnt. It is understood that Cinven and CVC were the final bidders on the shortlist but CVC was told last night that it was out of the race. Sources said Cinven was in the final stages of contract negotiations last night and that an announcement could come as soon as this weekend, although they cautioned that the deal could yet fall apart. It also needs the approval of the Department of Health.
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He was once a fully-fledged, flag-waving radical of the Labour Left who railed against the evils of capitalism. Now he has amassed a fortune working as a private contractor for the National Health Service. Reg Race, the former Labour MP and close ally of socialist firebrands Tony Benn and Ken Livingstone, has been paid millions of pounds of taxpayers' money as a result of regulations brought in by New Labour ministers. The union man-turned-consultant has also become a substantial Labour Party donor and is one of the biggest backers of Alan Johnson's bid for the party's deputy leadership. Mr Race's company, Quality Health, is one of a select band of "approved contractors" that health trusts must hire to conduct patient and staff surveys.
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James Le Fanu on scare tactics, blue badge bureaucracy and strange sensations The health brigade, fresh from its victory in the long war against tobacco, is obviously deploying the same tactics in the campaign against alcohol. The first tactic - epitomised by the shaky non-science of passive smoking - is to argue that harm is caused not just to oneself, but to innocent bystanders too.
He might be in a wheelchair but Jonathan Bartley's son has excelled at his local nursery. So why can't he go to the school across the road with his sisters? 'What's wrong with him?" is the question usually asked when someone encounters our family for the first time. The answer is that Samuel came into the world with a two-inch hole in his back - for which the medical term is spina bifida.
Language difficulties run beyond the immigration issue, says Max Pemberton 'You racist, imperialistic cow!" I scream. "I hate you and wish you were dead!" my sister shouts back. "You're a male chauvinistic pig, failing to see the wider politics of a situation," she adds.
Doctors are being forced to question some patients about crimes they have committed and fill out a form for a government database. GPs, medical professionals and others working in drug treatment programmes will be required from this month to ask addicts whether, in the past four weeks, they have been involved in shoplifting, selling drugs, vehicle crime, theft or burglary, fraud, forgery or violence.
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A universal vaccine that could protect against every strain of influenza - the virus behind bird flu, winter flu and pandemics - has shown promise in early tests. Tests on mice suggest that the new vaccine, FLU-v, has the potential to protect against all strains of flu, including both the pandemic and annual varieties.
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Jab could beat all types of flu for rest of your life - Daily Mail 18th June 2007
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Jab could beat all types of flu for rest of your life - Daily Mail 18th June 2007
James Le Fanu on scare tactics, blue badge bureaucracy and strange sensations The health brigade, fresh from its victory in the long war against tobacco, is obviously deploying the same tactics in the campaign against alcohol. The first tactic - epitomised by the shaky non-science of passive smoking - is to argue that harm is caused not just to oneself, but to innocent bystanders too.
He might be in a wheelchair but Jonathan Bartley's son has excelled at his local nursery. So why can't he go to the school across the road with his sisters? 'What's wrong with him?" is the question usually asked when someone encounters our family for the first time. The answer is that Samuel came into the world with a two-inch hole in his back - for which the medical term is spina bifida.
Language difficulties run beyond the immigration issue, says Max Pemberton 'You racist, imperialistic cow!" I scream. "I hate you and wish you were dead!" my sister shouts back. "You're a male chauvinistic pig, failing to see the wider politics of a situation," she adds.
Doctors are being forced to question some patients about crimes they have committed and fill out a form for a government database. GPs, medical professionals and others working in drug treatment programmes will be required from this month to ask addicts whether, in the past four weeks, they have been involved in shoplifting, selling drugs, vehicle crime, theft or burglary, fraud, forgery or violence.
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Britain's best-paid civil servant is to quit as the head of NHS information technology, claiming the new, accident-prone computer system is on track. Richard Granger, the chief executive of Connecting for Health, said he would leave the post, and its £290,000-a-year salary, in October. "There is no doubt about the programme's achievability," said Mr Granger, who took up the role in October 2002. "Most of the building blocks are now in place." Karen Jennings, the head of health at Unison, the NHS's biggest trade union, said Mr Granger's optimism was at odds with the views of the "majority of NHS staff".
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Boss of troubled £12bn NHS computer project quits - The Sunday Times 17th June 2007
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NHS director general of IT quits after repeated system delays - The Guardian 18th June 2007
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Boss of troubled £12bn NHS computer project quits - The Sunday Times 17th June 2007
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NHS director general of IT quits after repeated system delays - The Guardian 18th June 2007
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A surgeon whose radical working methods earned him the praise of Tony Blair has resigned from the National Health Service because he is "disillusioned". John Petri, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, Norfolk, was commended by the Prime Minister last year for his "dual operations" initiative. Under the system, he cut waiting lists by carrying out overlapping operations in different theatres. His rigorous schedule won him the prestigious Medical Futures Award in 2005.
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A blood test has been developed that could allow doctors to diagnose mental illnesses, such as depression and schizophrenia, before patients begin to display symptoms. Prof Sabine Bahn, a psychiatrist at Cambridge University, has found different mental health disorders have their own distinctive chemical "signatures". She claims the test will speed up the diagnosis of psychiatric disease, which at present can take up to three years while the patient's condition worsens. The NHS currently spends more than £12 billion a year on mental health care.
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It blights millions of lives ... and, with obesity on the rise, it's going to affect plenty more. So how do women with polycystic ovary syndrome cope? And what hope of doctors soon finding a cure? Anna Moore reports In January this year Vicki Jones was lying back for a facial at the Carden Park Hotel near Chester. It was the first treatment in her 'spa day', a Christmas present from John, her fiancé.
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Wounded British troops are being evacuated from the battlefield more slowly than the Americans managed in Vietnam 40 years ago, one of the Army's most senior surgeons has revealed. In a withering attack on defence medical policy, Lt Col Paul Parker condemned the treatment of injured troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as being "excessively slow". He blamed the delays on "too much middle management". Several soldiers have died in Afghanistan following delays in deploying a helicopter and medical crew, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.
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I am 64 and was diagnosed as lactose intolerant three years ago. I have eliminated cow's milk from my diet but, on occasion, I'm still bloated and uncomfortable after eating, so I think the intolerance may be broader than diagnosed. Two years ago I developed scalp psoriasis, which I find very difficult to control. Are the two conditions linked and is there anything else I should avoid? I use soy products in place of cow's milk.
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Last-gasp effort can save £1,000s as well as your life - The Telegraph 16th June 2007
New restrictions on smoking which take effect in England on July 1 will give smokers additional good reasons to quit - but there are already plenty of strong arguments to do so, based on wealth as well as health, says Faith Archer
Making arrangements to obtain legal authority to deal with the financial affairs of a loved one suffering from mental incapacity will become much more complicated following a change in the law later this year, a leading solicitor said yesterday. The enduring power of attorney (EPA) is a simple document which allows someone, usually a family member, to sign cheques and pay bills on behalf of someone who has become incapable of doing so. However, from October, this will be replaced in England and Wales with a new document called a lasting power of attorney (LPA).
Teenagers are in the grip of a sexual health crisis fuelled by a "celebrity culture" that condones alcohol abuse, drug addiction and promiscuity, government-funded advisers warn today - 'The Daily Telegraph', June 15 2007 'Two jolly fine tents, four groundsheets, four sleeping bags - I say, what about Timmy the dog? Isn't he going to have a sleeping bag too?" said Anne, with a grin. "I don't suppose Timmy cares one way or the other!" exclaimed George. "He's totally out of his head on drugs!" "Wooooooooooof! Wooooooooooooooooof!" drawled Timmy, agreeing. They all looked at Timmy. A wide grin stretched his hairy mouth, and his tongue hung out for all to see.
A council is to hide a camera in a bin bag to catch residents who do not follow new rules about putting out the rubbish. Householders in a seaside town have been told to put their bins out at the front of their homes and not in an alleyway to the rear.
At present I'm angry with myself for not having started writing this earlier. Every week I reproach myself in the same way. What makes me leave things too close to a deadline? What makes me so incompetent? And so on.
The government is to fit air monitoring equipment on board aircraft amid increasing concerns that passengers, pilots and cabin crew are being exposed to highly toxic contaminants through the cabin air supply. At the same time, 1,500 pilots will take part in the first major health study designed to establish how extensive the problem may be.
Lucy Atkins experiences a painless way to lose aches I am lying fully clothed in my own front room on a gurney, eyes shut, rocking and wobbling this way and that beneath layers of white blankets. It sounds like something from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but I am, in fact, experiencing The Trager Approach, a form of therapeutic body work named after its American founder Milton Trager, an American doctor whose technique took off in the 1970s in California.
Ever since an anonymous village was depicted in academic research as a place where bigotry is rife, its likely location has been the subject of speculation in rural pubs and corner shops up and down the land. Today the inhabitants of a picturesque corner of Oxfordshire are beginning to wonder if the report, which maligned a real village under the pseudonym Stoneycroft, could actually be referring to them.
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So are we the nastiest people in the world? - The Telegraph 16th June 2007
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Third of bosses to axe cigarette breaks when smoking ban arrives - Daily Mail 18th June 2007
More than a third of employers are planning to axe cigarette breaks when the smoking ban comes into force in England next month. Lighting up in an enclosed public places will be illegal from July 1, with those caught flouting the law facing a £50 on-the-spot fine or being summoned to court.
There has been a huge increase in the number of women drink-driving, alarming figures reveal today. They showed a 58 per cent increase since 1995 in women found guilty of drink-driving - compared with a slight fall among men. The figures, obtained by the Liberal Democrats, show that the number of women drink-drivers soared from 6,793 in 1995 to 10,765 in 2004.
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How a well-fitting bra could spare legions of women needless surgery - Daily Mail 18th June 2007
Women should be offered free bra-fittings on the NHS to cut the number getting unnecessary breast reductions, doctors said yesterday. The British Medical Association (BMA) said if women got the right size underwear it could save the NHS tens of thousands of pounds each year it currently spends on operations.
British troops wounded in battle in Afghanistan are forced to wait in agony for seven hours before receiving hospital treatment, a senior Army medic has claimed. Wounded troops wait too long for helicopter evacuation because of a lack of aircraft and cumbersome command procedures, according to Lieutenant Colonel Paul Parker, an experienced combat surgeon who recently served with UK forces in Afghanistan.
Girls of 12 are expected to be vaccinated against a sexually-transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer from next year. The routine jab could cut the number of deaths from the disease by three-quarters and reduce the need for smear tests. However, some campaigners say the scheme sends out the 'wrong signal' to children and could encourage young girls to become sexually active.
A retired couple say they may have to sell their home of 20 years to pay for treatment to stop them going blind. Lawrence and Joan O'Brien need to find £300 a month for sight-saving injections not widely available on the Health Service. Both suffer from the same condition - wet age-related macular degeneration.
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Student is first in Britain to have four life-saving transplants - Daily Mail 17th June 2007
A young medical student has become the first person in Britain to have four life-saving transplants. Over the past 12 years, Allison John, 29, has received a liver, kidney, lungs and a heart. Her latest recovery from surgery has been so swift she is already planning trips around the world with her boyfriend.
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Texting on your mobile could soon be the quickest way to call for police help. The Government has given the go-ahead for a new 999 text-messaging emergency line which will work in tandem with the traditional call centre. Soon typing in text speak "hlp 5-o sum1 hs brokN n2 my hous" - 'Help police, someone has broken into my house' - should summon an emergency response.
How the Tooth Fairy could save your life with stem cells - Daily Mail 15th June 2007
Parents are being offered the chance to store stem cells from their children’s milk teeth as an "insurance policy" against diseases. They can pay to store the precious cells in Britain’s first tooth cell bank until such time as they can be used to treat illnesses ranging from Alzheimer’s to cancer.
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The new apartheid - Daily Mail 15th June 2007
Fancy a better life? Then move north of the border. Awash with cash provided by English taxpayers, Scotland now provides a range of public sector handouts and perks for its citizens that are not available in the south - no tuition fees, free personal care for the elderly, free central heating, free bus and train travel for over 60s, and a range of life-saving drugs denied to patients in England.
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Drivers warned: one drink and you're over the limit - Daily Mail 15th June 2007
A massive cut in the drink drive limit is being considered by ministers. Motorists would find themselves over the limit after just one drink under plans to bring UK law into line with Europe. The plan was disclosed by Road Safety Minister Stephen Ladyman, who told a seminar that a formal consultation would begin this year.
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Total smacking ban looms as ministers order fresh review of laws - Daily Mail 15th June 2007
The row over smacking children has been reopened today as the Government announced a review of the law less than three years since MPs rejected an outright ban. Children's minister Beverley Hughes said parents and professionals would be consulted this summer over how present rules were working.
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Smacking law to be reviewed - The Guardian 16th June 2007
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Ministers to review ban on smacking - The Independent 16th June 2007
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A 49-year-old man died moments after his mother's funeral while an ambulance sent to treat him crashed into the crematorium. Allan Betts collapsed after leaving the chapel at Teesside Crematorium where a service had just finished for his mother, 74-year-old Alice Trainer.
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Hospital set death-threat patient free to stab his social worker - Daily Mail 15th June 2007
A psychiatric patient who was about to be released from hospital, warned doctors he wanted to kill his social worker. He was released from hospital anyway – and then he tried to murder her. Medics had discharged Graham Burton after deciding he was just frustrated and did not really intend to harm the woman.
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Hewitt pressures GPs over hours - BBC Health News 17th June 2007
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has cranked up the pressure on GPs in England to extend their opening hours. She said there was significant dissatisfaction over access and warned GPs they could lose out on money if they did not respond to patient demand.
A twin brother can reduce his female twin's chances of having children, say scientists at Sheffield University. Women were 25% less likely to have children if their twin was male the study, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, concluded.
The government will again try to push through powers to detain mentally ill people in England and Wales who have not committed crimes. The plans, to be debated in the Commons over the next two days, have faced opposition from mental health charities and opposition politicians.
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Human-animal embryo tests 'vital' - BBC Health News 17th June 2007
Medical research using hybrid embryos that are a mixture of human and animal is "vital" in the fight against disease, scientists have said. The Academy of Medical Sciences said it backed the draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill allowing embryos that were 99.9% human and 0.1% animal.
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Move to lift ban on hybrid embryos - The Independent on Sunday 17th June 2007
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Doctors need guidance on how to avoid problems when using the latest telecommunications technology to reach patients, says a researcher. Dr Hilary Pinnock, a GP from Edinburgh, said everything from consultations with patients on mobiles, to hi-tech 'telecare' projects should be covered. She said doctors may be legally vulnerable if confidential data goes astray, or a misdiagnosis is made.
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'I love my new C cup breasts' - BBC Health News 16th June 2007
For the first time in her life Lucy Wingate feels she has a shape she is happy with. "My body is more womanly and I have my curves in all the right places," she said. Last week the 26-year-old single mother of two had a breast enhancement, thanks to a new service - mybreast.org - which makes the UK's top plastic surgeons available at prices women like unemployed Lucy can afford.
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Breast implant website condemned - BBC Health News 15th June 2007
A website where women can raise cash for breast implants using personal photos is unsafe and degrading, say UK cosmetic surgeons. The implants are paid for by male "benefactors" who, for a fee, can access the women's personal profiles, pictures and contact details.
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'Free' breast implant website condemned as degrading - Daily Mail 15th June 2007
Nick Gall-Tomassen, aged 31, has bone cancer and needs to spend weeks in hospital having chemotherapy. But a specially designed backpack now means Nick can spend his recuperation time away from the ward.
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Tomlinson honoured with CBE - BBC Health News 15th June 2007
Terminal cancer sufferer Jane Tomlinson has been made a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. The 42-year-old from Leeds who became an MBE in 2003, has raised over £1.5m for charity through several marathons and epic bike rides.
Cadbury has pleaded guilty to three offences under food and hygiene regulations in connection with a salmonella scare last summer. Birmingham City Council alleged the firm put "unsafe" chocolate on the market for a period in 2006, which led to one million bars being recalled.
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Cadbury admits hygiene failures over salmonella in chocolate bars - The Times 16th June 2007
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Tracking babies' life chances - BBC Health News 15th June 2007
The first newborn babies and expectant mothers to take part in a pioneering health study will meet on Friday for the first time. The research is called Born in Bradford and parents and newborns in the city are being recruited to help researchers understand which factors can affect health and wellbeing.
A weight loss drug used by thousands of Britons has been rejected by US safety officials because of an increased risk of suicide. Rimonabant, launched in the UK last summer, has been shown to aid weight loss by reducing appetite.
A hormone therapy treatment used to tackle breast tumours has also proved successful in combating ovarian cancer, according to research. An Edinburgh University study found an anti-oestrogen drug could help prolong patients' lives by up to three years.
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Men suffer from phantom pregnancy - BBC Health News 14th June 2007
Expectant fathers can suffer from pregnancy symptoms, UK research shows. Morning sickness, cramps, back pain and swollen stomachs were all reported by men whose partners were pregnant.
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Unicef nutrition expert sparks controversy with attack on spoon-feeding from tins and jars. Feeding babies on pureed food is unnatural and unnecessary, according to one of Unicef's leading child care experts, who says they should be fed exclusively with breast milk and formula milk for the first six months, then weaned immediately on to solids. Gill Rapley, deputy director of Unicef's Baby Friendly Initiative and a health visitor for 25 years, said spoon-feeding pureed food to children can cause health problems later in life
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Foie gras could be tasty way to get Alzheimer’s - The Sunday Times 17th June 2007
FOIE GRAS, enjoyed as a luxury since ancient Egyptian times, may be linked to the onset of diseases including Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, researchers have suggested. The scientists who carried out the study say those with a family history of such illnesses should consider avoiding foie gras. The possible risk comes from “amyloid” proteins found in the delicacy, which is made from the swollen livers of force-fed geese and ducks. The proteins have been linked to the onset of all these conditions.
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'Dr Beetroot' sacks nurses who prayed for her - The Sunday Telegraph 17th June 2007
South Africa's controversial health minister, nicknamed Dr Beetroot for urging Aids patients to combat the disease with beetroot and garlic rather than anti-retroviral drugs, has given her opponents a headache within days of returning from prolonged sick leave. Back to work three months after undergoing a liver transplant after a lengthy battle with hepatitis, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang wasted no time in redressing a new climate of cooperation that had been forged between Aids activists and government officials in her absence.
Smokers’ airline no pipe dream - The Times 16th June 2007
The new flights where you can light up at a cocktail bar that is serving caviar Smokers who are upset at the upcoming ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces will like the sound of a new airline about to begin in Germany. Smokers International Airways (SMINTair) is due to fly from Düsseldorf to Nagoya in Japan from October using Boeing 747 aircraft with 138 business and first-class seats – plus a bar and two lounges.
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Breakthroughs, tips and trends - The Times 16th June 2007
THEY’RE a hormonal, moody bunch, men, say Canadian scientists who are exploring why chaps often get weird pregnancy symptoms when their partners are expecting. Canadian Institutes of Health Research scientists are investigating Couvade syndrome, in which men put on weight when their wives are pregnant. They suggest that there’s a hormonal shift that may exist to turn male brains on to fatherhood. Using saliva samples, Dr Katherine Wynne Edwards has found that dads-to-be develop raised levels of nurturing female hormones, notably oestrogen and the milk-stimulating prolactin, as well as a drop in the male hormone testosterone.
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A brief delay in cutting a newborn baby's umbilical cord can significantly improve a child's health, a new study reveals. Waiting just two minutes before severing the cord can halve the risk of serious blood disorders and have an 'important impact', on a baby's wellbeing.
Carrying out checks on embryos for genetic disorders incurs no more risk than standard IVF, researchers suggest. The latest study from Brussels' Free University looked at the outcomes of 583 children born after preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).
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Man dies of bird flu in Vietnam - BBC Health News 16th June 2007
A man has died of bird flu in Vietnam, in the first confirmed human death from the virus there since 2005, health officials said. The 20-year-old died in the northern Ha Tay province, state media reported.
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Op threat for anaemic older men - BBC Health News 15th June 2007
Elderly men with even slightly abnormal red blood counts have a higher risk of dying after major surgery, according to US research. The study, published in Jama, examined data from 310,311 men aged 65 or older.
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Drink headache plagues Russia - BBC Health News 15th June 2007
"Drink up and shut up," was the way cynics summed up the Soviet "era of stagnation". Do not complain about your lot. A few glasses of vodka and all will seem right with the world. Alcohol has been the cure for - and the cause of - social ills in Russia throughout its sometimes troubled history.
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A TERMINALLY-ill father who claims his disabled daughter has been let down by social services today pleaded: “Find Laura a home before I die.” Bill Garvey, 50, from Huyton, has been told there is nothing doctors can do for him after nine attempts at chemotherapy failed.
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RONALD Murrell, 64, has been awarded an MBE for services to disadvantaged people in Merseyside. Mr Murrell, from Liverpool, has had a 24-year career in the mental health and drugs field.
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MORE than 60,000 homes and businesses were left without power yesterday morning following an explosion at an electricity sub-station. Properties in Childwall, Woolton, Broadgreen, West Derby and Huyton were affected. Alder Hey hospital was forced to activate its major incident plan during the black-out and operate on generator power. The hospital said no patients were affected.
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MPs back disabled workers in campaign to save factory - Liverpool Daily Post 16th June 2007
A DELEGATION of Mersey-side MPs visited an Aintree factory threatened with closure in a bid to save the jobs of 70 disabled workers. Peter Kilfoyle, George Howarth, Joe Benton and Maria Eagle went to the Remploy factory on Wearing Road to meet employees.
THE smoking ban has helped business boom for one Liverpool firm. Cigarette Bins UK makes shelters, ashtrays and signs for businesses – and its customers even include the Queen. Founder Paul Garrett has increased turnover of some items by 2,000% since new smoking legislation was introduced.
IT COULD be a scene from any school trip. A group of happy youngsters with smiling faces are given a VIP view of the Merseyside Police helicopter. But behind their beaming smiles, these children from Chernobyl have a story to tell. The group of 27 youngsters are staying with host families across the Southport area as they battle rare blood disorders, heart and kidney conditions and thyroid problems.
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Trust lags behind as deadline looms - Midweek Visiter 13th June 2007
SOUTHPORT and Ormskirk Hospitals Trust is lagging in its progress towards meeting a looming deadline for treating everyone within 18 weeks, new figures reveal. The local Trust was outperformed by all its regional counterparts in snapshot statistics taken in March, as hospitals prepare to try to ensure all patients are treated within the new limit by the end of 2008.
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SPIRALLING costs have left the Eden Valley Hospice facing a potential cash crisis, with less than six months reserves now in the bank. Bosses say daily running costs will soon total £6,500, when the new children’s unit opens in Carlisle this summer.
A FAMILY from Whitehaven blamed a medical blunder for causing a grandmother to die during a routine operation. Relatives of Jean Rogers, 76, of North Road, Egremont, were told there had been “a mistake” during an operation to restore blood supply to her legs. But a surgeon blamed language difficulties and said he had only meant “a complication”.
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‘Routine-op’ death was accident - Carlisle News & Star 16th June 2007
AN RAF squadron leader has written a book on his devastating battle with depression in a bid to help others. In Ice on My Wings, John Farron MBE gives a humorous and sometimes heartbreaking account of how he fell into the depths of depression, struggled to understand his illness and how he made a gradual recovery.
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Botched operation doctor struck off - Lancashire Telegraph 15th June 2007
AN anaesthetist who botched his role in an operation on a nine-year-old girl has been struck off by his professional body. The General Medical Council (GMC) panel has determined that Dr Mariyappan Balasubramanian be erased from the medical register. He now has 28 days to appeal the decision, but has been suspended and cannot practice during that time.
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A MOTHER from Greater Manchester has been arrested after the body of a premature baby was found in a hotel room in Majorca. Vanessa Heywood, 41, from Mossley, near Ashton under Lyne, was questioned on suspicion of manslaughter through negligence after giving birth to the child - thought to be two months premature - in a bath.
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TEN new arrivals at Wythenshawe Hospital's maternity unit are causing a bit of a flap. Matilda the duck checked in six weeks ago - and now her little ones are proving a constant source of entertainment. The mallard chicks are the first to take up residence in the ornamental pond next to the unit, but maternity staff are hoping it could be the start of a long relationship.
A TOP eye doctor, who has carried out groundbreaking research into the link between smoking and blindness, has had a face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair. Dr Simon Kelly, who works at the Royal Bolton Hospital, was one of just a dozen public services workers invited to meet Mr Blair at a special event this week. The ophthalmic surgeon was nominated by his colleagues.
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Stopping abuse of the elderly - The Bolton News 16th June 2007
Mental health bosses are working with Salford City Council to highlight the problem of older people suffering abuse. A campaign was launched on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day yesterday to safeguard vulnerable adults.
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TEN new arrivals at Wythenshawe Hospital's maternity unit are causing a bit of a flap. Matilda the duck checked in six weeks ago - and now her little ones are proving a constant source of entertainment. The mallard chicks are the first to take up residence in the ornamental pond next to the unit, but maternity staff are hoping it could be the start of a long relationship.
A TOP eye doctor, who has carried out groundbreaking research into the link between smoking and blindness, has had a face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair. Dr Simon Kelly, who works at the Royal Bolton Hospital, was one of just a dozen public services workers invited to meet Mr Blair at a special event this week. The ophthalmic surgeon was nominated by his colleagues.
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Stopping abuse of the elderly - The Bolton News 16th June 2007
Mental health bosses are working with Salford City Council to highlight the problem of older people suffering abuse. A campaign was launched on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day yesterday to safeguard vulnerable adults.
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HUNDREDS of young cancer doctors are suffering high levels of stress with some even considering suicide. A quarter of junior specialists are struggling to cope with demanding workloads and the distress of patients and families, according to a survey by Manchester medical experts.
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PATIENTS and health campaigners in Prestwich and Whitefield can now access a new resource offering news, information and contacts. For the Patients' Council, an independent group of people with long-term health conditions, has launched its new website.
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BURY is to become the second area in the country to launch a new system that allows doctors to access patients' basic medical details online. Health chiefs believe the scheme could save lives by allowing doctors to check crucial information at a glance. Doctors working at Fairfield Hospital or for the borough's out-of-hours service will be able to view information currently only available to patients' regular GPs in detailed medical records.
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VICTIMS in same-sex abusive relationships are being urged to seek help from the police and support organisations. Research suggests that domestic abuse is as common and as severe among same-sex couples as among heterosexual couples. Now Greater Manchester Police (GMP) wants to let those who are living in an abusive relationship know they can receive help and that it is being taken seriously.
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Food safety weather warning - The Bolton News 15th June 2007
DESPITE the wet weather health bosses are advising people to stay safe and avoid food poisoning this summer. The Health Protection Agency has issued tips for keeping bugs at bay, especially during the barbecue season.
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Listen to this edition of Another 15 Minutes...Health News from the Fade Library 17th June 2007 Listen to this edition of Another 15 Minutes...Health News from the Fade Library 16th June 2007
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