World of Health

According to a new study of sexual health from Lloydspharmacy – 72% of men have never had an STI screen, compared to 62% of women. Lloydspharmacy also found men were almost twice as likely to test positive for certain STIs such as chlamydia.

13% of men buying chlamydia tests from Lloydspharmacy’s Online Doctor tested positive compared to just six per cent of women.

The research from the community pharmacy chain also found that men are placing themselves at greater risk of picking up an STI with 13% of men having had unprotected sex with more than one person over the last five years, almost double that of women (7%).

With the research revealing that men are more reluctant to be tested but significantly more likely to test positive than women, the findings fuel concerns that men may be delaying testing until they are showing symptoms and that real rates of infection are significantly higher than reported.

Although men are less likely to have had a face-to-face consultation for an STI screen, according to Lloydspharmacy sales of tests online are split almost equally between men and women. This suggests that men prefer the anonymity of the online channel.

Through its Online Doctor service the community pharmacy chain has launched a postal Platinum Test for men which screens for five genital infections; genital Chlamydia, genital gonorrhoea, mycoplasma, ureaplasma and trichomonas. This confidential postal service allows men to be tested and if found to be positive, treated without the need to visit their GP.

“The lower rate of face-to-face testing and higher incidence of positive results amongst men suggests that many men may be waiting until they suspect they have an infection before getting themselves tested”, said Clare Kerr, Lloydspharmacy’s head of sexual health. “This is particularly worrying as many STIs don’t have any obvious symptoms, so men could be putting both themselves and their partners at risk by delaying tests.”

“Embarrassment is a huge barrier to testing and so we hope that removing the need to see a GP or GUM clinic face-to-face will encourage men to test themselves regularly. We can provide accurate tests for a wide range of genital infections anonymously and discreetly through the Online Doctor.”

Website:  http://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/

Looking for a new job is never the most enjoyable task, whether you are unemployed or are currently employed and looking for a new job, but specialist job sites on the internet help to make the task as pain free as possible.  When looking for a new job the web is most definitely the place to start and with all the employers that recruit people online in a number of different industries, it is the place that you are most likely to find the perfect role for you.  If you work in the medical industry then there are thousands of jobs listed online that might just fit the bill for you,  including doctors jobs and employment in the nursing sector.

Whatever type of medical work you are interested in, specialist medical job websites have every angle covered, with full-time employment available in a number of different sectors, alongside locum nurses jobs where contracts are for a short but fixed period of time. Each medical sector has its own sub-site, and within each of these you can conduct an advanced search and specify the type of contract that you are after, whether that is a part time or permanent contract.

There are many other criteria that you can search by as well, and if you are settled in a specific location or do not have access to transport to be able to travel a long distance to work every day, then you can search for jobs that are only located within the region of your choice. Within each of these regions you can even specify a certain area if you are really limited in the distance that you can travel, so for example you can just browse through the nursing jobs that are listed in North London.

One of the medical sub-sites that are featured is the health science jobs website that has dozens of health science employment for you to choose from. You can select a certain category, whether that is biomedical science, pharmacy or physiological sciences, and just look at the jobs that are listed in that category. You can also search through the employers that are currently recruiting, as well as the latest jobs that have been listed, so that you are always aware of what new jobs have become available.

The internet is a great place to search for jobs, but is also home to a vast amount of information that can prove to be incredibly useful in helping you to secure a job. Your CV is a very important document and you can access plenty of advice and get tips on how to make yours to stand out from other peoples, and then upload it to the site so that you can be head hunted by employers. You can also plug in your ideal employment criteria and in turn sign up for email notifications when certain jobs become available.

Information and advice on how to write the perfect modern day CV is posted through the blog that accompanies the revamped site. The blog features posts on medical news and views as well as CV and interview tips, and as a result there is something for everyone to access, get value from and have a read through at their leisure. You can even get medical career tips and learn how to sell yourself as the perfect applicant for the specific job that you are applying for.

Learning the art of selling yourself can be extremely useful for all job-seekers and is an important part of writing a good CV or effectively responding to questions in an interview. By highlighting your abilities and accomplishments you can help to set yourself apart from others and with practice it should become second nature. Then when you find the job that you are looking for you can ensure that you have a pretty good chance of getting it by being able to succinctly say how you would be able to make a difference to their business.

The result of all this information and advice is that an online community has been created for medical professionals to enhance their chances of finding their ideal job. Social elements such as tweets by the Job Doctor and her Facebook status updates will also provide you with further useful information and a space for fellow professionals to interact online and share the knowledge that you have gained over the years with your peers, as well as learning from others and just having a friendly chat.

There are also further resources that can be accessed online, which include a list of useful links for a wide range of medical sites. As well as having links for each of the six dedicated sub-sites that each feature a variety of jobs from the relevant sector, there are also further links for useful general medical sites. These include links for sites such as BBC Health and Times Online that will keep you right up to date with the latest medical news, as well as links on working in the UK and general sites that include NHS Direct and the British Medical Association.

First and foremost the new look British medical job site is a valuable tool for job-seekers, but as for most of your life you will not be job hunting there are many other resources that provide help and advice for any medical professional. The thousands of jobs that are listed will help you to find work whether you are a qualified midwife or psychoanalyst, and the improved functionality allows you to find a selection of relevant jobs in a matter of minutes.

Once you have found the medical job of your dreams or if you are already happy in your current employment, then the up to the minute blog will provide readers with medical industry news stories and industry updates. The social media channels also allow you to engage with the experts and vice versa, creating an online community for medical professionals through which you can interact as well as improve your chances of finding that perfect job.

Professor of chemistry at the Belfast Queen’s University, John Mann, stated that mephedrone should have been banned sooner, after it was found that 27 people in the UK may have died from its use.  The street names for the drug are ‘miaow miaow’ and ‘plant food’.

Mann, stated that the dangers associated with the drug could have been widely published sooner since it is chemically similar to other drugs.

People who use the Somali drug khat, are openly known to have trouble with impotence, which should have been detected earlier as mephedrone is a close structural relative of cathinone, which is one of the most psychoactive ingredients of khat.

Mann added that mephedrone is also chemically related to amphetamines which are limited to use only as controlled substances due to their known dangers.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson announced that mephedrone will be banned along with substances that are similar to it on Monday, with the law likely to go into effect by April 16^th.

On Thursday, a report from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs was released.

In England there are 18 deaths that are linked to mephedrone, one in Wales and Northern Ireland, and seven in Scotland.

The report revealed that users of the drug tend to be younger compared to those that use ecstasy and cocaine and are most often in their 20s or teens.  It also stated that police have problems testing accurately for mephedrone use.

In the last two decades mouth cancer has risen by 50%, which is accredited to the increase in the spread of HPV (human papilloma virus).  HPV is already responsible for around 80% of all cervical cancer cases, which has prompted the new vaccine that is administered as young as 12 to females to prevent infection later in life by the disease.

The study claims that the reason that mouth cancer may be on the rise is because HPV is transmitted via oral sex.  Consideration should thus be given to extending the vaccination program against HPV to include boys as well as girls.

Lead author of the study from the Coventry University Hospital, Hisham Mehanna, stated that HPV related mouth cancer is a new disease in terms of other cancers that are caused in the mouth.

For the most part, throat and mouth cancers are associated with excessive drinking and smoking and usually only affect older people out of which a third usually die within two years.

On the other hand, mouth cancers caused by HPV have a larger survival rate with about 80% of those diagnosed still living two years later dependent on which stage the cancer was in when discovered.

The type of cancer caused by HPV is oropharyngeal, which is a tumour that develops near the rear of the mouth at the connection with the throat.

The research found that those who had a past of six or more different sexual partners had a 25% higher risk of developing cancer in their mouth.

If you’re detoxing and thinking of dieting in time for summer, you’re probably moping around with unbearable cravings after cutting out everything remotely tasty from your diet. Just because you’re on a health kick, that doesn’t mean you have to ditch your daily caffeine fix. Beat your detox blues with a cup of coffee. It’s low in calories and rich in antioxidants – so will actually help your detox!

Coffee beans naturally contain antioxidants and drinking one or two cups of coffee every day contributes substantially to your intake. Antioxidants are substances that play a crucial role in protecting your body from the effects of free radicals and reducing damage caused to cells. Free radicals are naturally occurring particles in the body associated with accelerated ageing and an increased risk of major diseases. Not only is coffee is packed full with antioxidants it’s also delicious and 100% natural.

Douwe Egberts have an unrivalled heritage in the coffee world and boast over 250 years of experience in making truly exceptional coffee. Blending smooth, delicious coffee is an art they have been perfecting since 1753.

If you’re on the go choose Douwe Egberts Pure Gold Instant coffee for a medium and well-balanced flavour. Made from a blend of the finest beans that have been roasted and freeze-dried using craftsmanship and expertise, this coffee is suitable for drinking at any time of the day. Or there’s Douwe Egberts Decaffeinated Instant coffee, if you want to enjoy the same satisfying taste without the caffeine.

If you have more time to relax whilst boosting your antioxidant intake why not get your natural refreshment from a tasty cup of Roast and Ground coffee.

Douwe Egberts Cafetiere and Filter Blends are medium roasted for a full flavour and smooth taste. For a darker flavour Douwe Egberts Intense is blended to give an exquisite, rich aroma and a full-bodied taste. Douwe Egberts Decaffeinated brings you a rich, velvety taste, so you can savour the same great quality coffee – just without the caffeine, so it’s perfect for drinking any time of the day or night. This blend is suitable for use in all types of coffee makers.

Your cup of coffee contains as many antioxidants as an apple and is a good addition to a well-balanced diet that is rich in fruit and vegetables, so you don’t have to miss out on your favourtie cuppa!

Monday at 8:15 an international group of surgeons started an operation that is the first of its kind at Great Ormond Street Hospital on a ten year old boy.

The boy required a windpipe transplant from a donor to replace the artificial one that was in place in his body, because it had caused his throat to massively bleed three times in a row.

However, the twist of the surgery was that instead of getting a normal donor organ, he became the first child to receive an organ transplant that was created with stem cell advances and made from his own stem cells.

When the boy was born, his windpipe had only grown about one millimetre in width making it impossible for the boy to breathe forcing doctors to replace it with a metal implant.  However, over time the metal device pushed against his blood vessels threatening to cause him to bleed to near death multiple times.

The process of creating his donor organ actually started six weeks ago in Italy when a windpipe was taken from a 30 year old donor and stripped of its tissue.

Afterwards, the donor trachea was flown to London and the team of surgeons took 60ml of bone marrow from the boy’s pelvis so that stem cells could be extracted and injected into the donor organ.

Professor Paolo Macchiarini from the Florence, Italy hospital where the organ was treated, stated that the team accomplished what had taken six months in the past to finish in only four hours which is a landmark in stem cell advances.

A new study published in the Lancet medical journal on the treatment of high blood pressure and the drugs used to control it indicates that physicians may need to change their approach.

Currently, the accepted practice in determining a patient’s risk of stroke or heart attack is to take the average of several pressure readings over a period of time.  Thus, if the results of several tests include one high and the rest low or normal, drug treatment would probably not be recommended.

The new studies concluded that people whose blood pressure varied the most, with spikes of high pressure and other periods of low or normal pressure were most likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke, six times more likely than those with relatively stable pressure.  Those with the highest spikes appeared to be at greatest risk overall.

The findings of this study need further research and clarification, however.  Though the study was comprehensive and reliable, it was not specifically designed to measure the extent of blood pressure variations in individuals, or how much that variation might affect their risk of heart attack.  In addition, the two drugs most commonly used, beta-blockers and calcium-channel blockers, work on different aspects of the condition.

In general terms, beta-blockers serve to lower blood pressure by blocking reception of stimuli to the heart and blood vessels so the heartbeat becomes stronger and slower.

Calcium-channel blockers help prevent the constriction of blood vessels, thereby improving blood flow to the heart.  Both drugs are effective in combating high blood pressure, but one may work better than the other to prevent strokes and heart attacks.

The news media in general is guilty of pouncing on anything that is startling and unusual as opposed to that which may be construed as “old news”.

Case in point,  during a period in 2002, the BBC ran one story on people who died from smoking (8,571) and three stories on a single death from vCJD.   From this we might conclude that both the public and the media are rather blasé about old news, whatever it may be.

That’s not all, though; we also often fail to consider the source.  News stories are generated by reports from agencies and individuals, sometimes those with a vested interest in the public’s reaction to the report.  For a frightening example of this scenario, take the review published recently by Janine Caltado and her colleagues at the Centre for Tobacco Control Research and Education in San Francisco.

They examined every paper ever published on the relationship of smoking to Alzheimer’s, including some claiming that smoking may help prevent this disease.

In all they found 43 published reports, eleven of them written by people affiliated with the tobacco industry.

On average, those eleven papers showed the risks of Alzheimer’s related to smoking less than a third of that presented by the other reports.  Going to greater depths, the reviewers discovered some of the tobacco industry’s marketing strategies, including those intended to recruit young people based on studies showing that the large majority of smokers form the habit before the age of 24.

So check the facts with every resource available, and don’t let preconceived ideas (or wishful thinking) influence your judgment.

The UK smoking ban was introduced four years ago, with the aim of making life so difficult for smokers to encourage them to quit. As we approach this year’s “No Smoking Day’, what is evidence to suggest whether this has really worked.

The rate if giving up seems to have fallen. Statistics from the NHS Information Centre show that 19,473 fewer smokers had managed to kick the habit in the latest year compared with 2007/08. The number of pregnant women who successfully stopped smoking also dropped, falling 12% to 8,641. However, compared with the year the smoking ban was introduced in 2006/07, the latest data still shows 71,000 more people tried to quit over the past year and 17,000 more people were successful.

This year’s ‘No Smoking Day’ campaign theme, Break free, helps, acknowledges that No Smoking Day is the time for smokers to break free from their smoking habit and escape their chains of addiction. The following video provides some useful assistance with some top tips on stopping smoking.

A routine blood test can reveal a blood cholesterol that is too high even if the individual is mostly in good shape, and is without pain.

However, hygienodietetiques rules should be applied in order to minimise any risk of cardiovascular incident.

What is the role of cholesterol?

This molecule composed of 27 carbon atoms is one of the elements, which form the membranes of our cells. Indeed, it fits between certain molecules ensuring membrane permeability of the cell and exchanges outwards.

Cholesterol also allows the development of hormones (especially sex hormones).
His latest role is to facilitate digestion because it is processed by the liver bile acids.

What are the consequences of excessive cholesterol?

The risk of cardiovascular disease increases in proportion to the increase in blood cholesterol.

When fats circulating in too large quantities in the blood, they are deposited on the walls of arteries and ultimately develop deposits of fat. The plates of fat will begin to thicken gradually the bloodstream.

What are the symptoms?

Only the blood test can detect an excess of cholesterol. However, if no action is taken in cases of coronary problems, chest pain may occur after several years: the pain of angina.

The blood circulating evil, the heart is deprived of oxygen, which causes pain first effort and then pain at rest.

How to detect cholesterol?
Cholesterol is largely manufactured by the body, only one third comes from food.

What are LADLE and HAL?

The cholesterol, belonging to the family of fats, is totally insoluble in the blood. He therefore needs to move carriers: these lipoproteins. The latter are classified according to their density:

– HAL (high density lipoprotein) with a protective role because it contributes to the elimination of cholesterol. It is better known as the “good cholesterol”.

– LDL (low density lipoprotein) or “bad cholesterol” is deposited on the walls of arteries and can lead to atherosclerosis.

How to decipher the blood test?

An increase in LDL and a decrease in HDL are related to a significant risk of cardiovascular disease.
Below are the values of desirable fats in the blood:

– Total cholesterol <2 g / l
– LDL <1.3 g / l — HDL (male)> 0.45 g / l
– HDL (Female)> 0.55 g / l

To fight against excessive cholesterol, dietary measures will be applied first and then, if they prove insufficient after 2 months, drug treatment will be prescribed.