Anyone who notices blood in stools or suffers from loose stools for longer than three weeks are encouraged to talk to their GP at the earliest opportunity. If it can be spotted early, bowel cancer is treatable and the five year survival rates are at 90%. This can get as low as 6% if the diagnosis comes late however.

Bowel cancer is diagnosed in roughly 33,000 people each year in the UK, and there are 13,000 deaths. Most of these diagnoses are in those over 55, but the age range is increasing as the number of people diagnosed go up. If England can match the best European survival rates, then 1700 more lives could be saved each year.

The symptoms of bowel cancer, as well as loose or bloody stools, include lumps or pains in the abdomen, unexplained weight loss or feeling more tired than normal. Rather than ‘flushing away’ toilet worries, if people talk to their GP then people will face much smaller risks.

A trial of the campaign in the south of England saw a 48% increase in the number of patients over 50 talking to their GP about relevant symptoms. This works out to roughly one extra patient per week per GP practice. If this is extrapolated, then there could be an extra 100 colonoscopies per NHS trust, which would be 15,000 colonoscopy referrals nationwide.

Paul Burstow, the Care Services Minister, is aware that it can be embarrassing to talk about poo, but wants people to get over this and talk to someone medically qualified to help. By using a simple message about the key symptoms, then people should have the confidence to talk to their doctor and potentially save their own life. Then bowel cancer will not be the big trouble that it currently is.

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A significant difference between the two readings would indicate an increase in the risk of vascular disease, and ultimately death. A study by Dr Clark and colleagues from the Peninsula College at Essex University created a metastudy looking at 28 studies where the majority of patients had high blood pressure, and a third had normal levels.

Their research found that if there is a difference in the systolic blood pressure between the arms of10 mercurial millimetres, then the risk of asymptomatic peripheral vascular disease increased. If the difference between the arms is as much as 15 millimetres of mercury then there is an increase in the risk of cerebrovascular disease, and a 70% higher rate in cardiovascular mortality, and the risk of death from all causes goes up by 60%.

This evidence all shows that doctors need to check the pressure in both arms, and compare the difference to see the whole story.

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A usually harmless condition, hyperpigmentation is caused when the body produces an excess of melanin. The dark patches it leaves on the skin are usually referred to as ‘age spots’, ‘sun spots’ or ‘liver spots’.

Wearing sun-cream is vitally important to prevent deposits of the brown pigment that usually forms normal skin colour developing into these dark patches. Hyperpigmentation can occur at any time in life, for example following acne, during pregnancy due to hormonal changes, as part of the ageing process or if you have been a sun worshipper in the past.

Every skin type can be affected by hyperpigmentation, but darker skin is particularly susceptible to it, especially if exposed to the sun for a prolonged amount of time.

What are the causes?

Here are a few things that may cause hyperpigmentation:

• Sun damage
• Inflammation
• Skin injuries
• Acne
• Hormonal changes
• Skin lightening

What are the treatments?

There are some simple, everyday changes you can make in order to prevent hyperpigmentation. An overproduction of colour can be improved just by keeping out of the sun or at least minimising the amount of time spent in it. Always wear a sun-cream if you must go out in it though.

Another lifestyle change you can easily apply is to exfoliate. The simple task of removing dead skin cells on the top layer of your skin has shown some improvement in a number of people.

However, most people even after employing these lifestyle changes still find that they require skin care products to help reduce the appearance of dark spots. These vary from hydroquinone, alpha hydroxyy acids and Retin-A to name but a few.

Lumixyl Topical Brightening Creme contains a synthetic peptide which is non-toxic and therefore won’t irritate the skin but will help fade moderate to mild levels of hyper-pigmentation. This is the type of product which will help to treat sun or age spots, without causing irritation to the skin.

Photodamage or hyperpigmentation as a result of using prescription drugs or relating to a disease can also be treated with this product as it is gentle enough to be applied morning and night yet has extremely effective results. This is because it is based on naturally occurring peptides and therefore doesn’t cause the irritation which can occur with use of hydroquinone or Retin-A.

Lumixyl Topical Brightening Crème must be used with a sunscreen of a minimum of SPF30 however.

Lumixyl products also contain moisturising properties to the skin, which therefore help to improve its overall appearance thanks to a list of ingredients which provide a host of benefits. The moisturising effects can help to hydrate skin and protect against fine lines and wrinkles, brighten dull skin, help dry skin and rejuvenate skin to keep it looking younger.

Advanced Treatments:

In some cases, laser treatment, hydroquinone or Retin-A, among others, will be suitable for treating hyperpigmentation. They reduce melanin in the same way as Lumixyl. The first point of action in treating the condition, however, should be to find out the cause and then try a gentle yet effective treatment such as Lumixyl before deciding on a more advanced treatment if necessary.

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Cervical cancer is diagnosed in around 2900 women every year and is one of the most preventable and treatable cancers. Over the past 25 years, deaths from cervical cancer have dropped dramatically, due to the amount of women who regularly attend cervical screenings.

Many of these women said that they are put off going for a smear due to the lack of information on what is actually involved and the worry of how they would deal with the news if they received an abnormal result. To help with this, Bupa are offering fresh advice on the subject.
Dr Katrina Herren, Medical Director, Bupa Health and Wellbeing, said: “Cervical screening detects pre-cancerous cells which can develop into cervical cancer. Early detection of pre-cancerous cells is vitally important in preventing cervical cancer so if your test does detect these abnormal cells, don’t panic. It means that the cells which could develop into the cancer have been detected and can be monitored closely or treated to prevent them developing into cancer.”

A cervical screening is a simple procedure carried out by a doctor or qualified nurse which can detect pre-cancerous cells inside the cervix which can develop into cervical cancer. Early detection of changes to cervical cells is vitally important in minimising the impact of the disease, which is why all women over the age of 25 are encouraged to have cervical screens.

A cervical smear test is just one of the tests included in Bupa’s female health assessment. For women who are primarily concerned with their breast and gynaecological health, Bupa Female Health offers a thorough check and the opportunity to discuss any health concerns you have. This 60 minute assessment focuses on the early detection of breast and gynaecological conditions as well as other health risks such as diabetes.

For more information about cervical cancer and screenings please visit: www.bupa.co.uk/individuals/health-information/directory/c/ce….

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The announcement has come after the scandal that has affected many women in Britain after they were given breast implants that were filled with the type of silicon that is not permitted to be used for cosmetic procedures. The medical director of the NHS has been ordered to conduct a review of plastic surgery procedures being done in the UK.

The government order for a review has been welcomed by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons. Currently, there are laws that ban the advertising of drugs directly to the public, however there is no law preventing the advertising of plastic surgery to people. The Association has said that they want to see this legal loophole closed and for surgical advertising to be banned.

The president of BAAPS is Fazel Fatah who has commented, “While it is very unfortunate that this scandal has occurred we welcome the government scrutiny and we are hoping that the lax regulations we can see in this cosmetic surgery sector are going to be tightened up.

Marketing techniques by unscrupulous companies mean that vulnerable people are being taken advantage of, this is a problem that we have been talking about for many years and we welcome the investigation into it. We hope that important regulations will be put in place that will safeguard the interests of the public.”

Marketing from cosmetic surgery companies include the techniques such as giving away travel vouchers, offering prizes of cosmetic surgery and giving people loyalty cards. A former head of the BAAPS, Nigel Mercer, stated, “I have been working with the European Union to create standards that will apply throughout Europe. We want to find a way for cosmetic surgeons to deliver the highest standard of care to their patients and put patient safety before all else.

“We intend to only allow physicians with an excellent track record to perform these types of surgery and they must be specialised in the type of work they are doing. We also want to see certain regulations on marketing and one of the most important bans is for cosmetic surgery being offered as a prize to be banned.”

BAAPS also wants to see dermal fillers, which are used to eliminate wrinkles through an injection, to be reclassified as medication. Currently these treatments are not regarded as medicine and only require the CE mark, something which is commonly seen on household devices such as washing machines.

They also stated that it is very important that those practising cosmetic surgery have to register. Currently registration is entirely voluntary and in order to enhance higher standards in the industry a formal register should be established. Mr Fatah continued, “BAAPS has been working very hard in the past to make people realise surgery is not trivial and be aware of the advertising techniques companies use.”

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Diet Chef have commissioned a clinical study that reveals results suggesting that people who go on diets are more than 3 times likely to achieve their weight loss goals is their diet is portion controlled and delivered to their homes that if they try and devise their own weight loss regime.Diet Chef themselves are one of the UK leaders is a weight loss programmes that consist of the food being prepared and then delivered to your door.

Self Devised Diet 3 times less likely to succeed compared to Diet Chef Delivered Meal Plan

There is currently an abundance of commercial programmes dedicated to weight loss management in the UK, but it is only the Weight Watchers programme that has enough significant evidence to support its effectiveness.

This latest study was undertaken by the specialist unit at the University of Hull; HONEI, and is clinically assessed the overall effectiveness of  Diet Chef’s programmes to determine whether or not this meal provision service was more effective in losing weight than traditional, DIY diets.

The study used a random design that had participants split into 2  groups; one following a 12 week Diet Chef plan, the other on self devised diet programmes compiled from dietary advice available from a common text based tool used typically by health practitioners. A 12 week extension was also offered at random where participants were given the option of staying where they were for an additional time, or crossing over into the other group.

Summary Findings

61% of participants lost > 5% of total body weight at 12 weeks on the Diet Chef arm compared to 22% in the control group. Only 7% of Diet Chef participants withdrew from the study during the initial 12 weeks compared to 41% in the control group. Literature reports⁵ indicate generally between 50-70% of individuals drop out of weight management programmes over 12 weeks therefore suggesting a Diet Chef regime is more easily tolerated and simpler to follow than a self devised diet.  .

During the second 12 week phase of the trial, results showed continued weight loss with Diet Chef both from those continuing from the first Diet Chef phase as well as those switching from the control group to Diet Chef.  47% of participants achieved >10% weight loss and they were those who were on the Diet Chef arm for 24 weeks. See chart below. The continued weight loss stopped for those switching from Diet Chef to the self-directed arm.

Results may also indicate that once individuals complete a 12 week period of Diet Chef they are able to sustain that weight loss by their own means.

Given current concerns in the medical establishment² and Government over the epidemic of obesity in the UK, and its impact on the current and future health of the general public³, there is a growing campaign to generate awareness of this issue and devise measures to tackle it.

Healthcare professionals, particularly in primary care, are increasingly at the forefront of the campaign to increase awareness and educate patients generally about the health problems associated with weight gain³, such as risk of heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers and to offer advice on diet and fitness.  This new study provides them with reliable clinical evidence about an easy to follow and inexpensive diet regime which may help their patients lose weight.

Commenting on the outcomes of the study, Duane Mellor, Senior Lecturer – Nutrition and Dietetics, at the University of Chester, and former Research Dietician at the Humber Obesity, Nutrition, Education and Innovation Centre (HONEI), University of Hull, said: “60% of participants in the study lost at least 5% of their initial body weight in the first 12 weeks, which is a significant amount of body weight.  If this weight loss is maintained, then this will offer them significant health benefits.  The trial appeared to be extremely well tolerated with minimal drop outs; this is unusual for a weight loss study and suggests a good level of acceptability of the Diet Chef regime.”

The Humber Obesity, Nutrition, Education and Innovation (HONEI) Centre undertakes national and international scientific research and clinical trials in food and its properties in both health and disease, particularly in obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

There are a wide variety of diets and diet plans around, but hardly any have actually been clinically tried and tested to prove they not only work, but can help people sustain their weight loss. This trial was commissioned by Diet Chef and designed by HONEI to evaluate the effectiveness of the Diet Chef replacement meal provision.

Diet Chef is widely acceptable due to its ease of use, and by helping dieters get used to eating smaller portions, it delivers the key essential element of helping them maintain their weight loss in the long term.  This study will be of interest to health professionals such as practice nurses and GPs who are in the front line in dealing with the medical repercussions of the growing obesity epidemic in this country.  Having a clinically proven diet regime which is so simple to follow suggests patients would find it helpful as part of a structured weight loss programme.

Lola from Hull was one of the participants in the clinical study and was on the diet for 6 months.  “Diet Chef has greatly improved my quality of life. I have lost over 2 stone on the diet plan through the easy portion control and now, having got used to eating smaller meals, it has made it easier for me to keep the weight off. Having previously tried diets without much success, I have been so pleased with the results of Diet Chef and would recommend it to all my friends. I can now go shopping and be confident that I look good! I feel so much healthier and am looking forward to a great 2012 and it is no longer a workout to do my shoelaces up!”

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These chemicals are found in a wide number of everyday products such as under arm deodorant. There has not been a link proved between these chemicals and the prevalence of breast cancer as of yet.

Parabens work by preventing microbial growth in cosmetic products as well as foods and this means they have a longer shelf life. Whenever a product contains these chemicals it must be stated on the label. They also found naturally in some foods, such as blueberries.

Parabens mimic the effects of oestrogen but are responsible for much smaller amounts of the chemical when compared to the amounts that are produced in the body naturally. Research out of the University of Reading has been led by Dr Philippa Darbre and it found that in 160 samples of tissues from breast cancer victims 99 percent of them contained the chemicals.

It had been previously speculated that the use of products such as underarm deodorant were responsible for putting parabens into the system, however the new research found that there was no difference in the level of parabens between the women who did not use underarm deodorant and those that did.

Also working on the study was Mr Leicester Barr and he commented, “Just because there are parabens found in this tissue samples does not mean that they are causing the breast cancer in these women. All we can take from this study is that there is a need for further investigation into these chemicals, currently there is no evidence to suggest that they do cause cancer.”

Dr Darbre stated, “Our study has shown that there are parabens present in the tissue of women who have breast cancer but there is no indication from this study that they are the reason why the breast cancer has developed. The results do, however, justify further investigation into the relationship between breast cancer and parabens.”

Catherine Priestly is a nurse at Breast Cancer Care and she said, “There has been an ongoing debate about whether parabens have a link with breast cancer and this report just highlights how there is a need for further research. There is no evidence currently that these chemicals have any link to the development of cancer but it is certainly worth investigating the issue further.

“Women who are concerned about breast cancer should look at more established indicators that we know to be suggestive of the likeliness of developing breast cancer. These include things such as age and family history. It is important that people are aware of these risk factors so they can make informed decisions about their lifestyle and health choices.”

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Mental illness, however, is a completely different ball game, and the majority of us are worried about approaching a sufferer and asking after them for fear of saying the wrong thing, or how they may react. A campaign backed by the COI aims to address this problem and has released a short film encouraging all of us to talk openly about mental illness and remove the stigma that is still attached to it.

The video shows a workplace and one guy spots a workmate, Dave, who has been off for a long time with a mental illness. This guy is undecided about whether to speak to Dave as he doesn’t know how he will react. As Dave approaches him he decides to speak to him and asks him how’s he’s doing.

There are then two scenarios which we presume are how the guy is imagining that Dave would react. In the first one he starts to speak, then uses his shoe to take a phone call. In the second he disappears into a pile of dust, and the third, which is the real one, has him saying that he’s okay, he has good days and bad days, and he thanks the guy for asking.

You will not offend a mental health sufferer by asking them how they are, much better that than ignoring them, or avoiding them, which only goes to add to the stigma. People with a mental illness are just ordinary people whose health problems are mental instead of physical, so don’t be afraid to approach them.

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A TV ad featuring legendary hardman footballer turned actor Vinnie Jones illustrates perfectly as there should be no more kissing, just hard and fast chest compressions to the beat of the Bee Gees ‘Staying Alive’. The BHF, backed by the Resuscitation Council of the UK, say that this is the only kind of CPR that anyone without the proper training should attempt, and the video clearly shows exactly where on the chest to do it.

A nationwide poll showed that when members of the public saw somebody who was in cardiac arrest, they held back from assisting for two main reasons; firstly, they were worried about the whole kissing thing and catching something, and secondly they didn’t want to make matters worse by doing it wrong. The plain fact is that is nobody does anything that person will die, and that’s what this campaign is all about.

In the ad we see Vinnie with a couple of his henchmen telling us how there are times in life when being tough comes in handy, like when a geezer collapses in front of you. He stresses that you must first call 999, then start hard and fast compressions on the chest. With ‘Staying Alive’ playing in the background, it emphasises the importance of the regularity of these compressions so that they can really make a difference.

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Just as there can be a wide variety of different types of head injury, so there are also a number of different ways in which such injuries can be sustained. Amongst the most common causes of head injuries are falls or motor crashes of any kind. Sometimes, however, internal head injuries – such as brain injuries – can occur as a result of problems during the process of receiving medical care. Brain injuries as a result of medical or clinical negligence can range from ones sustained during a surgical procedure, to ones that arise as a result of the misdiagnosis of symptoms.

There are several ways in which incorrect diagnosis can lead to brain injury. Firstly there are those resulting from the failure to diagnosis existing injuries in this area – such as a tumour or haemorrhage, leading to irreversible damage, or death, when a correct diagnosis may have prevented this outcome. Then there are those cases where a head injury unconnected to the brain is not correctly diagnoses, leading to the problem going on to affect the brain. Finally, there are those brain injuries that result from a surgical procedure going wrong.

Any of these scenarios can potentially lead to a medical negligence claim – of the kind handled by legal representatives such as Patient Lawyers – if there is a strong case for negligence on the part of the hospital, or an individual doctor who was responsible for the treatment.

Article courtesy of Patient Lawyers

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