World of Health

Advertising Feature for Hovis

“All sorrows are less with bread” said the great Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes. There’s certainly something inherently comforting and nurturing about bread that few other foods can match. It is almost as old as humanity itself, dating back well over 10,000 years, and it has been the staple food of our country and culture since time immemorial: it appears in the Magna Carta, and has been the driving force behind major legislation and great social change.

But bread is much more than simply one of the world’s oldest prepared foods. It also offers a variety of delights to all our senses: the beauty of bread lies not just in its taste but in its aroma, its texture, its appearance and feel. It can be crisp and crusty or soft and floury. It can be brown, white, nutty, round. Slice it and you have a sandwich; heat it and you have toast; you can eat if for breakfast, lunch and even pudding!

Hovis understand bread’s versatility and its wonderfully rich history. Not only has Hovis been enjoyed by millions of people since it first started making bread 122 years ago, but it is still producing its original Wheatgerm loaf. Nowadays, of course, there is something for every taste, from Soft White to Wholemeal, from Granary to Hearty Oats and Seed Sensations, but what hasn’t changed in those 122 years is Hovis’s belief in three simple principles: natural production, great taste, and keeping healthy. It’s bread made the way that nature intended.

It’s why all Hovis loaves contain no artificial preservatives and no artificial flavourings, while their flour comes from 100 per cent British wheat supplied by over 600 British farmers. It’s why Hovis is constantly testing its recipes to make sure its bread remains packed full of flavour. And it’s why Olympic cycling gold medallist Victoria Pendleton starts her day with Hovis Wholemeal, which seems a rather compelling endorsement of its healthy attributes.

A world without bread would indeed be a sorrowful place. That’s why every slice of every loaf of Hovis bread is testament to a dedication to excellence that has made Hovis the most famous bakery in the country.

Follow us at Hovis Bakery.

Risks of getting illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases later in life can be lowered thanks to a simple blood text that measures homocysteine levels.

The homocysteine test developed by YorkTest Laboratories, who are known for their allergy and food intolerance tests, can test for high levels of homocysteine which have been found to lead to potential illnesses.

Homocysteine is a naturally occurring amino acid that is found in raised levels in blood plasma when body chemistry is out of balance. Homocysteine is biosynthesised from methionine via a multi-step biochemical pathway that occurs in every cell of the body.

The importance of homocysteine as a risk factor is becoming more widely accepted. There are an increasing number of studies that show that homocysteine to be a predictor of potential health problems. Raised plasma homocysteine concentrations can both predict and precede the development of cardiovascular disease including stroke.

A study published in 2010 in the British Medical Journal, showed that homocysteine levels in blood plasma predicts risk of death from cardiovascular disease in older people even better than any conventional measure of risk including cholesterol, blood pressure or smoking. Women with high homocysteine levels find it harder to conceive and are at risk from repeated early miscarriage. Raised levels of homocysteine have also been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, declining memory, poor concentration and judgement and lowered mood. Recent research from Oxford University has shown that large doses of vitamin B could halve the rate of brain shrinkage associated with memory loss and dementia in the elderly, and, in the study, it was the elderly people with higher levels of homocysteine that had greater brain shrinkage.

Methods for blood sample collection and handling for plasma homocysteine measurement are critical as, after sampling, homocysteine leaches from the red blood cells into the plasma. Thus it is vital to centrifuge blood samples and separate the plasma from the red blood cells within thirty minutes of collection; not always feasible. YorkTest Laboratories have developed a unique patented plasma separator blood collection device that enables the immediate separation of plasma which is collected into an absorbent pad that can be posted back to their laboratory for testing. YorkTest Laboratories claim that, when sampling using the device, samples are stable for up to 10 days.

If you are found to have raised homocysteine levels a simple change in diet and increase in vitamin intake can help you normalise the levels. YorkTest have consultants who can provide more information and help people stay healthier well into old age.

YorkTest have over 25 years experience in home testing including food and allergy testing and are recommended by leading medical charity Allergy UK. The homocysteine test is available to buy online at yorktest.com for £99 or by calling 0800 074 6185.

There are many different makes of wheelchair accessible vehicles on the market. In simple terms, a wheelchair accessible vehicle is an ordinary vehicle that’s been modified so that it’s suitable for a wheelchair user. Manufacturers such as Vauxhall, Renault, Fiat and Peugeot all produce standard vehicles that are often converted.

Passenger or driver?

There are two types: a passenger vehicle, which allows one or more passengers to sit in their wheelchair while travelling, or a vehicle that a wheelchair user can drive.

If you want to drive from your wheelchair, the vehicle will have to be fitted with custom controls and other features to enable you to drive independently.

Modifications

To create a wheelchair accessible vehicle, a range of modifications are carried out. These vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but most include:

• Lowering the floor of the vehicle (or raising its roof)
• Modifying front seats to allow wheelchair access
• Adding a means of access – ramp or lift
• Strengthening the vehicle’s suspension so that it can take the extra weight of modifications
• Modifying or replacing petrol tanks to take account of the lower floor

Vehicles with a Ramp

Some wheelchair accessible vehicles have:

• A motorised or manual folding ramp, or…
• A sliding ramp that’s hidden under the floor.

Wheelchair lifts

On other vehicles a lift is used to manoeuvre the wheelchair inside. These can be inside or outside the vehicle. Some are powered manually while others are powered electrically.

Double-arm and under body lifts are used in larger wheelchair accessible vehicles such as minibuses or buses. Mono-arm lifts are more suited to private transport since they can fit smaller wheelchair accessible vehicles.

Comfort and Style

These days most wheelchair accessible vehicles look good. From the outside you can’t tell that they’ve been converted. And many are so well fitted out that the trim and finish match the original vehicle.

Reiter’s syndrome is considered a rheumatic disease.  Named after the German doctor Hans Reiter, a prominent physiologist and linked to power experiments in Nazi concentration camps.  It is believed to result from the interaction of different genetic factors (such as HLA-B27) and environmental factors, that cause an abnormal immune responsiveness to certain bacterial pathogens, so many experts now describe it with the term ‘arthritis strip’.

Even when the terms Reiter’s syndrome and reactive arthritis are often used interchangeably, originally a description of Hans Reiter was a venereal infection.  Since there are other pathogens reactive arthritis (as is the case of rheumatic fever and Lyme disease), most experts agree reactive arthritis and inflammatory arthritis are secondary to infectious diseases.
They are a group of diseases sharing clinical features, pathogenesis and epidemiology.  The prototype disease of this group is ankylosing spondylitis.
Symptoms

Often begins with a genitourinary or gastrointestinal infection.  Some of the recognized pathogens are Chlamydia, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia and Campylobacter.  Its manifestation is nongonococcal urethritis, which sets the stage for Reiter’s syndrome.  The rest of the features are developed 1-5 weeks after the onset of urethritis.

Similarly, there can occur, infectious gastroenteritis.  The classic triad of clinical symptoms are inflammation of the urethra, conjunctivitis and arthritis, but one may also have enteritis, sacroiliitis, uveitis, and various mucocutaneous lesions (such as keratoderma blennorrhagic and balanitis circinata, etc).

There are many reasons that medical professionals decide to induce labour, but regardless of the case it is not recommended unless a severe health risk exists to induce labour until the 39th week of pregnancy. While inducing labour at 39 weeks has become extremely popular, bear in mind that due dates are not always accurate based on each woman’s unique ovulation period and that the average length of pregnancy is considered to be 42 weeks making it worthwhile to consider waiting a few more weeks for birth to occur naturally.

However, in some situations inducing labour at 39 weeks cannot be avoided including if the baby or birth mother is facing a critical health situation that needs to be remedied. Hypotension, kidney disease, and diabetes in the birth mother are all viable reasons to induce the birth of a child. If your water breaks and labour does not begin many times a woman will be induced to reduce the change of infection to the baby and within the mother’s uterus.

If your doctor decides to induce labour at 39 weeks a variety of measures may be taken to encourage the start of labour including the use of medication or other techniques that have been proven to stimulate the body into beginning contractions. A doctor may choose to insert medication through prostaglandins into the vagina or via a Foley catheter that is filled with water to help strain the cervix so that it naturally dilates and labour contractions begin.

Surgery is always a bit scary for anyone, even when it is for something as minor as the relief of varicose veins symptoms. Fortunately, UK patients under the NHS can now avail themselves of it with state-of-the-art equipment at facilities such as Royal Gwent Hospital’s League of Friends. The newly-developed equipment here allows doctors to see the finer details of their surgical work far more clearly and enables them to perform surgeries with a much lower level of discomfort to the patient.

How do you know if you have varicose veins? Fortunately, it’s one of the easier medical conditions to diagnose. Many of us will even share memories of seeing and hearing a grandparent complaining about their symptoms while massaging the bluish ‘ropes’ on the sides or backs of their legs. Varicose veins symptoms can include such things as swollen legs, cramps and a feeling of heaviness or tiredness in the affected limbs. Visually, the affected veins often stand out as bulging or distorted, and almost always have the distinctive slightly bluish coloration that distinguishes arteries from veins as the blood heads back to the lungs for infusion with fresh oxygen.

Are they dangerous? Is surgical varicose veins treatment always called for? In most cases varicose veins are more of a cosmetic concern, particularly among women, than a serious medical problem. You should not simply assume their innocence, though. In particular, if you experience bleeding or sores, or if the veins suddenly become more swollen and painful than normal, you should see your doctor. If the doctor recommends treatment that includes surgery, rest assured that new medical techniques, including such things as using radio waves to eliminate the unsightly veins with a minimum of destruction to other tissue, will ensure that the experience will not be traumatic.

No-one enjoys being in a hospital. No matter how small the procedure, having to stay in an unfamiliar bed and have one’s sleep disturbed by strange sounds and nurses making their rounds is an experience we all prefer to avoid. As a result you might tend to delay treatments that could improve the quality of your life or even safeguard your health.

In the past a patient under care for varicose veins might well have needed at least a single overnight stay and been somewhat disabled for several days at home. The new technologies ensure that many post-surgical patients can now walk home the very day of treatment and sleep well that night in their own warm and comfortable beds.

Varicose veins treatment has never been simpler or safer. If you have been concerned about the condition but have been hesitant to seek treatment, discuss the new approaches with your doctor. With the proper care, you’ll be able to put worries about the appearance and the health effects of this condition safely in your past, and do so without worry that you’ll be incapacitated after treatment.

Having smooth, pain-free legs has never been simpler or safer.

Women who are seeking an easy early abortion are required by current law to go to a clinic to be administered the necessary pills. While some would rather be at home, they are looking to Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, to change this regulation, according to a ruling by a judge.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service, also known as Bpas, failed to convince a high court of Britain of the need to throw out current and functioning UK law in favour of allowing women to take the second of two pills at home, rather than supervised in a clinic.

The Bpas lawyers wanted to take the words lightly by interpreting the 24-48 hours that separate the two pills as indicating it was safe for the woman to take the second at home, following the first visit. Their argument hinged on the imagination that there is no clinic close enough to prevent the second trip from being a hardship. Playing on inconvenience of a potential early abortion happening on the way home, they continued their argument on such grounds.

The court, in its fairness, ruled against such fanciful interpretations. However, all was not lost for Bpas, since the burden was thrown onto the Government. Both the Abortion Act of 1967 and its amendment in 1990 provide the Secretary of State authority to adapt to advances in medicine. The Health Minister has the power to extend the location and conditions for approval of the change in location, in relation to medicine and health management.

Bpas’ Ann Furedi, chief executive, decrying the decision, declared, “We will continue to assault these kinds of decisions until we achieve our goal, regardless of so-called evidence or rationale. It is clear what is best for a woman is her choice and comfort. If other countries are allowing this, then why shouldn’t we?”

According to a report from the World Health Organisation, Britain has the worst mortality rates for women from breast cancer. Spain was the lowest. Nevertheless, lung cancer takes far more women’s lives in Britain.

Compared to the total fatalities in Europe, 1.28 million, 156,000 are expected to die from cancer in the UK. Mortality rates continue to drop as the population shifts toward an older profile, but the number of people dying remains static.

“Colorectal, lung, and breast cancers top the charts for deaths from cancers, but these are going through big shifts lately,” argued Professor Carlo La Vecchia who was the lead researcher from the University of Milan.

The research studied WHO reports on European deaths from cancer in 2007, then applied EUROSTAT estimates in populations to foretell the death rates from tumours this year.

As far as men are concerned, the UK has the second lowest mortality rates next to Germany. “The mortality rates of women with cancer in Britain are higher than the European Union, except Poland. However, there was a drop of 8% down to 95.6 out of 100,000 this year. Breast cancer mortality hit their highest anywhere at 17.2 out of 100,000 women in Britain, contrasted with the lowest of 11.3 in Spain.”

“Advances in treating and managing the illness has forced the number of deaths to drop.” The researchers also reported, “Among women in Europe, lung cancer is on the rise. As of 2007-8, it was the number one killer from all cancers in the UK, but also in Poland, where it outpaced breast cancer.”

They estimate over 15,000 British women will die this year from lung cancer alone. This is in stark contrast to the anticipated nearly12,000 deaths from breast cancer.

New information on the causes and possible prevention of age-related macular degeneration or AMD has been published in the scientific journal Nature, and researchers are cautiously optimistic about the reported findings.  Macular degeneration is the most common cause of blindness, especially in the elderly.  Based on current medical knowledge, the disease results from the breakdown and death of light-sensitive cells in the retina at the back of the eye.

The new study, conducted by researchers at the University of Kentucky and other research centres around the world including Korea, Australia and Canada, discovered a link between the lack of a protein known as ‘dicer1’ and AMD.  Dicer1 appears to protect the retinal cells from the build-up of a toxic molecule called Alu RNA.  When this particular substance is not checked, it leads to the death of photo-sensitive cells and in turn to failure of vision.

Jayakrishna Ambati, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Kentucky, has said that he and his colleagues have developed drugs that combat the build-up of Alu RNA and promote the levels of dicer1.  However, researchers acknowledged that the reason or reasons for the lack of the protective dicer1 protein are not yet known, and much more study will be needed before any sort of cure or preventative measures can be marketed.

There are currently over 12,000 people living with dementia in Norfolk alone, and over 18,000 are predicted to be living with the disease by 2021 per a report from the Alzheimer’s Society. Commissioners are being asked to think long term and invest in services and training for dementia. This is to keep from bankrupting the NHS and councils with the high cost for services.

The report sites many concerns with service and those will increase due to spending cuts. Many patients have had to move into hospitals and care facilities against their wants. There needs to be training for home care workers and the correct care available for dementia patients.

In the East Anglia area there are 60,000 with dementia and 90,000 are predicted to be diagnosed by 2021. The Alzheimer Report says Norfolk has the second highest rate of dementia out of nine areas in the east region.

The report is based on a national survey of close to 1,500 people and close to 1,000 care workers. It says that care and support fails to meet the needs of over 250,000 people in the country with dementia, thereby letting them down.

There have been reports of people left bedridden, malnourished and with unchanged incontinence pads. Some 50,000 will be forced to care homes early, says the report, due to substandard care. Tens of thousands will be unnecessarily admitted to hospitals.

Kevin Whately, actor and Alzheimer’s Society ambassador, wrote that dementia patients need quality care to lead a quality life in their own home. We cannot let this situation to continue.

To turn the spotlight on home care for those with dementia, says Care Services Minister Paul Burstow is the correct thing to do. Spending better is much more important than spending more. Personalised service can be achieved with early diagnosis and proper planning.