Animals and Health

Animals and our Health

A strong link has been identified between health and animals.  Cuddling your kitty or patting your pooch is said to reduce blood pressure and add to the general well being of pet owners.   The link is considered so beneficial that it is a common sight these days to see animals visiting retirement homes where the residents enjoy interacting with dogs cats and even parrots.   Perhaps contact with the visiting pets reminds them of their younger days and the pets they used to have.   Whatever the reason the effect has been proved to lift spirits and make a most enjoyable interlude for the residents of many of the retirement homes where animals have come to visit.

Recently I visited an animal farm called Farmtastic that is near Chippenham in Wiltshire.  Here the owners Dave and Lizzie have got together a great collection of beasts from cuddly rabbits to Alpaca and even a tame deer that will gratefully nibble food from your hand.  With goats and sheep and chickens and pigs and even a Barn owl it really is a great place to visit.   The animals are friendly too and will take food from visitor’s hands.   It is a great way to introduce children to animals and for the adults too to feel the benefit of a day spent communing with charming and gentle creatures.  After a particularly busy week I know I felt refreshed and reinvigorated after my visit.  Comments that I read about Farmtastic that visitors had left on Trip Advisor mentioned the fact that it was possible to pet the creatures and to feed them, unlike so many other places where visitors were not encouraged to interact with the animals. Farmtastic offers a great day out with kite flying, picnic spots, animal feeding, horse grooming, alpaca walking, hot food, tea, coffee and drinks and it is free to park. 

There is no doubt that being with animals is soothing to the soul and there is scientific proof that it does lower blood pressure.  I can remember when a friend of mine was very ill in hospital, taking my dog to see her on the ward.  She used to look after him every day for me when I was at work.  The sister who sanctioned the visit told me that getting a visit from a much-loved pet often had a great effect on patients who had been missing their animals.    So there is clearly a link between well-being and the animals that we love.  So the next time you are feeling stressed you could visit an animal farm like Farmtastic or give your hound a hug and see if it makes a difference!

Please note that all information and content on UK Health Radio and this blog are provided by the authors, producers and companies themselves and is only intended as additional information to your general knowledge.  It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. Please do not delay or disregard any medical advice received due to information gathered on UK Health Radio.

UK Health Radio – the health radio station for the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond at www.ukhealthradio.com – is kindly sponsored by www.1-stop-health-shop.com

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio

August - National Road Victim Month

August - National Road Victim Month

This month is National Road Victim month and we are urged to make a difference and raise awareness.

A road accident can happen to anyone, and it can be devastating, we have all seen the bunches of flowers placed at the side of the road to mark the spot where a loved one died, and paused maybe to think – there but for the grace of God…..

Have you lost a friend or relative in a traffic accident?  While we remember lost loved ones every day, Road Victim Month each August aims to remember those who have died in road traffic accidents and promote what they call ‘road peace.’

This special month was first established and celebrated in 1998 by the RoadPeace organisation.   It aims to remind the public of how devastating road accidents are and how they can impact on people's lives.

The month of August was chosen specifically as a number of poignant road accidents have happened in this month throughout history.  Bridget Driscoll, the first person in the UK to die in a road traffic accident died in August 1896.   Diana, Princess of Wales also died in August 1997.

A number of events will be held throughout the month, including service of remembrance on 10 August 2013 at the RoadPeace Wood at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and an annual ceremony will be held on the steps of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on 31 August 2013 remembering everyone who has been killed on the roads.   Those roadside memorials of flowers and wreaths at the sites of accidents are also encouraged throughout this month.

For more details visit the National Road Victim Month website, where you can find out more about this important celebration of lost lives.

RoadPeace, the organisers of the event are an independently funded national charity for road crash victims.   RoadPeace is also a member of the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims.

If you would like to get involved either by joining the group to become a member, showing your support by giving a donation or holding a fundraising event just visit the official website for more information.

This is the link for the  National Road Victim Month website.

Please note that all information and content on UK Health Radio and this blog are provided by the authors, producers and companies themselves and is only intended as additional information to your general knowledge.  It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. Please do not delay or disregard any medical advice received due to information gathered on UK Health Radio.

UK Health Radio – the health radio station for the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond at www.ukhealthradio.com – is kindly sponsored by www.1-stop-health-shop.com

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio

International Youth Day 12th August

International Youth Day 12^th August

International Youth Day was created by the United Nations and first celebrated in 1998.  The event is now marked on 12 August each year, the day aims to celebrate the contribution young people make to society.

Young people have led the world in encouraging recycling and green lifestyles and the use of new technology like mobile phones, iPods and social networking sites like Facebook.

But as we celebrate youth and the contribution many of our young people make, child abuse is rarely out of the news.  Whether it is children abused in church institutions or care homes, or in their own homes, vulnerable young people, have been failed.  Is it true that children who have been abused or otherwise failed are inevitably led into a life of crime, homelessness, prostitution and drug taking? What is the end result for these young people likely to be?  Will the care they failed to receive and the abuse in all forms that they suffered irrevocably influence what kind of adult they become?  Unfortunately the answer is that for the vast majority of children, experience has shown that what you put in is what you get out, in other words an abused disadvantaged child will, often become an abusive and unfulfilled adult.

But what about young people who have not had any of these awful things happen to them?  Well today it is tough to be a teenager, even one from a good, loving home. Temptation is all around and social media makes everything and everyone, it seems, accessible.  No matter how hard they work at college or university job prospects are bleak and the pressure to look the right way and have the right ‘gear’ has never been more intense.

Although there are many young people occupying themselves with caring for others and working within their community, it seems that we rarely hear about them.  The focus is invariably on the teenagers who misbehave and some of the crimes perpetrated by very young children can be breath-taking in their horrific detail.   Is overcrowding, cruelty, lack of direction or stimulation to blame?   Well the arguments go on and on and the discussion is slanted from every direction.  The blame is put on parents, the media, computer games, social networking, poor housing and lack of opportunity. 

If you are an adult reading this - you had to grow up too.  Your possibilities for creating mayhem might have been less, but I am sure you still managed to exasperate or horrify at times!  It is all a matter of scale. 

I suppose what I am saying is we all need to try and look at the challenges that the world throws up for our young people and cut them some slack.   They are, for the most part, doing their best to fit in and work out where their place is in the great scheme of things.

There will be a huge range of events taking place across the world for World Youth Day!   There will be photography exhibits and competitions at the UN headquarters in New York showing how world youth experience economic, environmental and social life.   There will also be a showcase of youth talent, showing how young people think these problems should be tackled.

If you fancy organising your own event or planning a youth performance or lobbying Government about the World Programme of Action For Youth, lots more information about how you can get involved can be found on the United Nations website.  International Youth Day 

Please note that all information and content on UK Health Radio and this blog is provided by the authors, producers and companies themselves and only intended as additional information to your general knowledge and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. So please do not delay or disregard any medical advice received due to information gathered on UK Health Radio.

UK Health Radio – the health radio station for the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond at www.ukhealthradio.com – is kindly sponsored by www.1-stop-health-shop.com

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio

Acne

Acne

With acknowledgement of The NHS website and the information on acne contained there.

Acne is a condition that blights the teen years of many a young boy or girl and can be absolute misery.  It is a fairly common skin condition and it causes spots to develop on the skin, usually on the face, back and chest. These spots can range from blackheads and whiteheads at the milder end of the spectrum, all the way to inflamed pus-filled pustules and cysts, which can be severe and long lasting.  These are the types of lesions that can lead to scarring.    

Why do people get acne?

Changes in hormone levels during puberty are often thought to be the cause of the onset of acne.   You can find a fuller explanation on the NHS website.  Normally harmless bacteria that live on the skin infect blocked follicles, and cause pus-filled papules or cysts.  The condition also runs in families.  There are some myths surrounding acne that being dirty or some sexual activity can give rise to the condition but there is no evidence of this. 

What to do if you have acne

Keeping skin clean is important to prevent new spots developing. Washing the affected area twice a day with a mild soap or cleanser is recommended to combat this but the skin should never be scrubbed. 

Although there is no cure for acne as such, with treatment it can be considerably improved. Several creams, lotions and gels to treat spots are available at pharmacies. If you do develop acne a pharmacist can be a great source of advice.

If acne is severe and is also on the chest and back, antibiotics or stronger creams might be needed and a doctor can prescribe them.

Treatments can take up to three months to work, so some patience is required with any course of treatment. When they do start to work, the results will generally be very good.

There is always the temptation to pick or squeeze the spots but this is really a very bad idea as it is this that will lead to permanent scarring.

You are not alone!

Acne is really very common in teenagers and younger adults. Some 80% of the population between the ages of 11 and their later teens will be affected by acne.

Commonly, girls between the ages of 14 and 17 are most affected while in boys acne is most common between the ages of 16 and 19.

Mostly once it arrives acne will occur on and off for several years then symptoms will start to improve, as the sufferer gets older. Acne will usually disappear by the mid twenties.

In some cases, acne does continue into adult life. About 5% of women and 1% of men still have acne over the age of 25.

Please note that all information and content on UK Health Radio and this blog are provided by the authors, producers and companies themselves and is only intended as additional information to your general knowledge.  It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. Please do not delay or disregard any medical advice received due to information gathered on UK Health Radio.

UK Health Radio – the health radio station for the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond at www.ukhealthradio.com – is kindly sponsored by www.1-stop-health-shop.com

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio