Health news

• In her gracious acceptance of death, Deborah James has given us lessons in how to live | Nicci Gerrard

  15-05-2022 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  None of us truly knows how we will behave when the inevitable gets ever closer. Facing it squarely might allow us to savour those final momentsDeborah James has been dying in public for five years. Since her diagnosis of terminal bowel cancer, she has become famous and beloved as a tireless campaigner, co-host of the award-winning podcast of You, Me and the Big C, author of a book about cancer and a humane and life-affirming contributor to the conversation around how we face death. Now she has s
  
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• Switzerland votes for organ donation by default

  16-05-2022 04:23 via theguardian.com
  
  ‘Presumed consent’ if dead person has not recorded their wishes, but relatives will still be asked to give go-aheadSwitzerland has voted to boost the availability of transplant organs by making everyone a potential donor after death unless they have expressly objected.The legal change was approved by 60% of voters in a referendum. Under the existing laws, transplants are only possible if the deceased person consented while alive. Continue reading...
  
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• My burnout is born of a health system that treats the emergency department as a panacea | Stephen Parnis

  15-05-2022 19:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Hospital overcrowding and delays to care have never been worse, and the morale among emergency doctors and nurses has taken an enormous hit“Physician, heal thyself.”This proverb has been in use for at least 2,000 years, but it is relevant today, and it applies to me. Continue reading...
  
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• Jeremy Hunt ‘ignored’ NHS staff shortages while health secretary

  15-05-2022 19:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: health unions say Tory leadership hopeful, now highlighting labour crisis, failed to take action in his ministerial roleJeremy Hunt has been accused of ignoring serious NHS staff shortages for years and driving medics out of the profession while health secretary after he intervened this weekend to warn of a workforce crisis.Promoting his new book, Zero: Eliminating Unnecessary Deaths in a Post-Pandemic NHS, Hunt said tackling the “chronic failure of workforce planning” was
  
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• Taboo stops south Asian people in UK seeking help for dementia, says charity

  15-05-2022 16:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Alzheimer’s Society says fear of embarrassment or misunderstanding stops thousands coming forwardThousands of south Asian people living with dementia in the UK are being denied access to help and support because stigma and taboo prevent them from getting diagnosed, a charity has warned.People from south Asian communities are more likely to develop dementia than the general UK population, due to being at higher risk of other illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes,
  
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• Robot-assisted surgery can cut blood clot risk and speed recovery, study finds

  15-05-2022 16:30 via theguardian.com
  
  In world-first trial, bladder cancer patients who had robotic surgery went home sooner and were less likely to be readmittedPatients having major abdominal operations should be offered the option of robotic surgery, doctors and scientists have said, after a world-first clinical trial found the procedures dramatically speed up recovery times, reduce complications and cut the risk of blood clots.In a first-of-its-kind three-year study, experts at University College London (UCL) and the University
  
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• NHS prescription charges in England to be frozen

  15-05-2022 13:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Not raising the fees for the first time in 12 years puts money back in people's pockets, ministers say.
  
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• Bill Gates: ‘Vaccines are a miracle. It’s mind-blowing somebody could say the opposite’

  15-05-2022 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Microsoft co-founder takes questions from scientists, academics and readers on Ukraine, Covid, Jeffrey Epstein and moreBill Gates strides into the boardroom of Bafta in central London, pumps my hand and the clock starts ticking. It’s been noted before that, despite being the richest person in the world for a good chunk of the past 30 years, the one commodity he can’t buy more of is time. Gates has the same 24 hours in a day as the 7.9 billion rest of us. Today, I have him for 45
  
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• Prescription charges frozen to help with cost of living crisis, Sajid Javid says

  15-05-2022 12:54 via theguardian.com
  
  Move will save total of £17m, says health secretary, as Labour and head of TUC say much more needed including windfall taxPrescription charges will be frozen for the first time in 12 years as a gesture to help with cost-of-living pressures, the government has said.The move is one of a number of small measures that government departments have been ordered to find to reduce families’ costs, but comes amid criticism that steps taken so far have done little to ease the burden of rising b
  
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• Tory backlash grows over delay to junk food TV ad ban

  15-05-2022 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Conservative MPs raise fears that Boris Johnson’s decision to ease cost of living crisis will help fuel obesityBoris Johnson is already facing a growing backlash within his party over his decision to shelve a plan to ban “buy-one-get-one-free” supermarket deals and pre-watershed TV advertising for junk food.The prime minister ordered the delay as part of a decree for Whitehall to find ways of easing the cost of living crisis. However, senior Tories have warned the delay risks h
  
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• Jeremy Hunt says NHS was a ‘rogue system’ during his time as health secretary

  15-05-2022 08:16 via theguardian.com
  
  In new book Hunt says he was ‘shocked to his core’ by failures in care and the system’s fear of transparency Jeremy Hunt has described sitting at the top of a “rogue system” when he was health secretary and said he was “shocked to his core” by failures in care.The current chair of the Commons health and social care committee said a fear of transparency and honesty in the NHS when it comes to avoidable deaths and mistakes is a “major structural prob
  
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• US Covid deaths hit 1m, a death toll higher than any other country

  15-05-2022 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Virus has laid bare America’s fragmented healthcare system and corrosive racial and socioeconomic inequalityMore than one million people have died in the Covid-19 pandemic in the US, according to Johns Hopkins, far and away the most deaths of any country.While the sheer number of deaths from the coronavirus sets the US apart, the country’s large population of 332.5 million people does not explain the staggering mortality rate, which is among the highest in the world. Continue reading
  
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• Using your phone during mealtimes could be damaging your health - unhealthy side effects

  15-05-2022 05:01 via express.co.uk
  
  VISCERAL fat is dubbed the ‘hidden' fat because it wraps around the abdominal organs, where it can neither be seen nor prodded. The main threat it poses to health is inflammation, which is a common precursor for metabolic disease. According to researchers, one common eating habit could increase the risk of fat storage around the body's midsection.
  
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• STI: Three 'must-know' complications of sexually transmitted infections – expert

  15-05-2022 05:00 via express.co.uk
  
  TWO of the most common sexually transmitted infections for women in the UK are chlamydia and gonorrhoea, closely followed by herpes. Sometimes symptomless, if left untreated, health complications can occur.
  
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• Measles warning: Five 'serious' signs to spot as the UK faces new 'epidemic' - doctor

  15-05-2022 05:00 via express.co.uk
  
  THE WORLD is in the grip of a measles "epidemic" owing to low vaccine uptake among children. The UK is particularly exposed due to woefully low vaccination levels. Speaking to Express.co.uk, Doctor Stuart Sanders, GP at The London General Practice revealed the five "serious" signs to spot in your child.
  
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• How to sleep: Avoid ice cream before bed - it may 'make it very difficult to fall asleep'

  15-05-2022 05:00 via express.co.uk
  
  DIET can have a big impact on a number of areas of health, including in terms of sleep quality and longevity. There are certain foods to avoid and adopt, according to experts.
  
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• 'Game changer' medication could relieve chronic pain but it faces challenges

  15-05-2022 05:00 via express.co.uk
  
  IMAGINE being in pain from the moment the alarm goes off in the morning to the moment the lights are switched off for the night. In short, imagine being in chronic pain, a condition suffered by millions of patients in the UK, and one doctors are trying to solve with a new plant-based treatment.
  
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• Football funny-man Jimmy Bullard’s easy tip for keeping mind ‘in check’ - brain benefits

  15-05-2022 05:00 via express.co.uk
  
  FOOTBALL'S funny-man and Soccer AM presenter Jimmy Bullard has admitted fishing kept his "mind in check" after retiring from football.
  
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• Casualty's George Rainsford on the 'devastating' impact of Huntington's after storyline

  15-05-2022 05:00 via express.co.uk
  
  CASUALTY legend George Rainsford has lent his support to The Huntington's Disease Association ever since his character Dr Ethan Hardy was diagnosed with the progressive condition in the popular BBC soap drama series. Back in 2021, Rainsford became patron of the charity and is currently backing Huntington's In Mind - a campaign highlighting the mental health struggles associated with Huntington's disease and the need for equitable access to mental health services.
  
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• B12 deficiency: Dr Sara warns of the ‘irreversible’ consequence that can occur - signs

  15-05-2022 05:00 via express.co.uk
  
  DUBBED as "harmful", vitamin B12 deficiency can trigger various health problems if left untreated. Express.co.uk spoke to Dr Sara Kayat, Superdrug's medical ambassador, about an "irreversible" consequence that may occur.
  
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• Vitamin D: Could UV-mushrooms help fix the nation’s issue?

  15-05-2022 03:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  With one in 10 deficient in vitamin D, the government is exploring new ways to boost the UK’s intake.
  
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• Bristol mum writes heart surgery book to help son

  15-05-2022 01:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Aimee says the book will help her son understand why he "should be proud" of his heart surgery scar.
  
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• Poor healthcare? More than half of patients don't complain

  15-05-2022 00:57 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Almost half the participants in the poll - conducted by the medical negligence lawyers Fletchers Solicitors - said the main reason for keeping quiet was they did not think it was important.
  
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• My GP says I'm too old for HRT at 68. What can I do? DR ELLIE CANNON answers your health queries

  15-05-2022 00:56 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  DR ELLIE: Rather than continue with a treatment that's not working, it may be worth considering HRT patches rather than tablets, or lower doses, both of which might not have the same risks.
  
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• England will end free NHS flu jabs for over-50s but Scotland won't

  15-05-2022 00:55 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  England will ditch Covid measures which saw the annual flu jab given free to those aged 50-64 and secondary school children aged 11 to 15. Scotland and Wales will still offer a free jab to these groups.
  
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• Trendy air purifiers: Do they really work and are they worth their eye-watering price tags?

  15-05-2022 00:54 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  A survey from the Government's Office for Product Safety and Standards found one in 12 Britons owned an air purifier - which sucks in a room's air and filters it before pumping it back out.
  
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• Dupuytren's disease breakthrough: New jab fixes 'claw hand' condition that hit Lady Thatcher

  15-05-2022 00:53 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Claw hand, properly called Dupuytren's disease, affects around five million Britons. It causes lumps of scar tissue to develop on the palms of the hands.
  
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• Cells infected with Covid can 'explode'

  14-05-2022 23:45 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  The reaction, a cell death known as pyroptosis which is linked to inflammation, is thought to occur in roughly eight out of ten patients hospitalised with Covid.
  
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• Covid jab's very rare side-effects may be explored in public inquiry into pandemic

  14-05-2022 23:38 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Probe chairwoman Baroness Heather Hallett wrote to the PM outlining the key areas under scrutiny - including pandemic preparedness, lockdowns, testing, PPE and care homes.
  
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• Health chiefs deny vulnerable patients vital care which NHS should fund

  14-05-2022 23:21 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Campaigners have warned that thousands entitled to help from the Continuing Healthcare fund, which covers the costs of long-term social care, are being turned down by Clinical Commissioning Groups.
  
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