UK Health Radio Medical New Update - Ebola virus

UK Health Radio Medical New Update

The BBC has been reporting on the fact that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world's deadliest to date. More than 670 people have already lost their lives as health workers in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone struggle to control the virus.

The World Health Organisation has reported on the virus saying that Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat.  But that is just the beginning the sufferer will soon go on to suffer vomiting, diarrhoea and - in some cases - both internal and external bleeding.

The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals some of which are chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope.   Once contracted the virus spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or through contaminated environments. Even the funerals of Ebola victims can pose a threat, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased.

The incubation period for Ebola can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult. The human disease has been mostly limited to Africa, so far, although one strain of the virus has been identified in the Philippines.

Healthcare workers are also at risk if they treat patients without taking the right precautions to avoid infection.

People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus - in some case that can mean as long as seven weeks after they recover.

There is some useful advice from the WHO a link for which I will put on the blog.  Although this is not a disease that we have to fear directly at the moment, there is no doubt that the freedom of movement around the globe could potentially lead to the virus appearing almost anywhere.

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio Medical New Update

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World Health Organization guidance on Ebola

UK Health Radio Medical News Update - six seconds of exercise is as good as a longer work out.

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

Surprising news from the BBC today that, according to researchers in Scotland, a short six-second burst of vigorous exercise has the potential to transform the health of elderly people.

A study involving 12 pensioners showed that, over time, going all-out in very short bursts reduced blood pressure and improved general fitness.

The research team at Abertay University believe this exercise approach could help avert the "astronomical" costs of ill health in elderly people.

High Intensity Training (HIT) has attracted a lot of attention because it promises some of the same benefits that can be achieved by conventional exercise but in a much shorter time. It involves pushing yourself to your limits for a short period of time only.

A group of pensioners were invited to the lab twice a week for six weeks and went hell for leather on an exercise bike for six seconds under the supervision of the research team.  They would then allow time for their heart rate to return for normal and then go for it again, building up overall to one minute of exercise at the end of the trial.

"Although the participants were not very fast, for their age they were." researcher Dr John Babraj said.

The results, that appeared in the Journal of American Gerontology showed the group had reduced their blood pressure on average by 9%, and had also increased their ability to get oxygen into their muscles.  They also reported that day-to-day activities were easier.

Dr Babraj told the BBC the benefits could be huge: "We've got an ageing population and if nothing is done to keep them active,  the economic burden of caring for them will be astronomical.” He said

" If we can keep people active and functioning then we can reduce the risk of a lot of diseases associated with sedentary behaviour - like cardiovascular disease and diabetes.”

More than 10 million people in the UK are over 65 and that figure is set to rise.

Dr Babraj said people could try this exercise at home, but should see their doctor first to ensure they had no underlying health issues. There is an argument that short and strenuous exercise may be safer than conventional exercise.

The message seems to be that you're never too old, too frail or too ill to benefit from exercise, as long as it's chosen carefully.

It has been suggested that even into your 80s and 90s there's a benefit to developing a very slight sweat by exercising on multiple occasions each week."

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

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UK Health Radio Medical News Update - Safe Summer Sex

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

Now that school is out for summer and we relax into the holiday season, I thought it might be worth saying a little about reminders of our holidays that might not be so welcome.  An unwanted pregnancy can be a disaster for everyone concerned.  The worry for a young girl who is perhaps still at school just starting college will be immense and it will be a very strong young woman that is able to keep on studying and start a career once they have a baby to care for.   Babies and children are great but they are really a blessing when they arrive at the right time.  If you use a condom you can decide when the time is right to start a family.   At that time the joy will be doubled by the fact that you have been in control of your life and the important decisions have been made at the right time when you can enjoy the experience of being a parent because the pregnancy and the start of your life as a family has been planned.

The other reason that people use condoms is to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases.  While it is true that a lot of sexually transmitted infection can be dealt with by using the right medicine, some conditions like herpes and Chlamydia can have long-term effects. 

Infection with Chlamydia can affect fertility.  If you are infected with Chlamydia then the chances are that you may have trouble conceiving when the time is right and you are ready to start a family. It may well be that the damage done from a Chlamydial infection will make it impossible for you to have a family, however much you want one.

Genital herpes is another condition that will be with you for life if you contract it.  Flare-ups can be very painful and the condition, although it can be controlled with drugs, will never be eradicated entirely.   This is a condition that using a condom cannot always prevent but there is no doubt that this and many other types of sexually transmitted infections will be less likely if you do use a condom.

There is a huge range of condoms available that should please even the fussiest of users and will lead to peace of mind.

It is always the best idea to use condoms so that you will have complete control over your life and whether or not you have a family.  Taking control is the smart choice so make sure that this summer the holiday pics on your phone are the only permanent reminders you have of that carefree time.

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

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UK Health Radio Medcial News Update Gracie on Eczema

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

Eczema

Eczema is an annoying skin problem which can affect anyone. 1 in 8 children will have it.

Eczema is mainly caused by things that touch your skin. This can make your skin become, red ,inflamed, dry, itchy and cracked.

The main things that cause eczema are:

Soaps and toiletries
chemicals, such as disinfectants and washing powder
acids and alkalis

The best way to help eczema is to try to not use the products that cause your symptoms. However, this is not always possible.

There are all sorts of eczema treatments. Some people are told not to scratch it and some are given special creams and medicines to help them.

When I was 3 I had eczema and instead of using normal bubble bath and soap, my parents had to bath me in a special wash called emollient.

Emollients stop water being lost from the outside layer of your skin. They add moisture to the skin and make a protective barrier to keep the moisture in and the irritants out.

Luckily I grew out of my eczema. Most people who have it can easily control it by avoiding certain things with chemicals in them. Using the correct cream to look after their skin will also help.

Gracie Timms
 

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UK Helath Radio Medical News Update Type 2 Diabetes and Shift Work

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

There has always been a lot of talk around the effects that shift work has on us.  Now a report suggests that type 2 diabetes is more common in people who work shifts.

The findings, published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, indicated that men and those doing rotating shifts were at the highest risk.

It seems that disruption to the body clock affects waistlines, hormones and sleep - all factors that could increase the risk of developing this condition. The advice from Diabetes UK is that shift workers should be sure that they eat a healthy balanced diet.

Studies conducted in sleep laboratories have shown that making people snooze at the wrong time of day led to the early stages of type 2 diabetes developing in a matter of a few weeks. Analysis of data from 226,652 people strengthened the link with type 2 diabetes.

The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Science and Technology in China, showed shift workers were 9% more likely to have type 2 diabetes.  However, in men, the figure was 35%. And for people chopping and changing between day and night shifts, the risk increased by 42%.

The researchers concluded that male shift workers should pay more attention to the prevention of diabetes.

Given the increasing prevalence of shift work worldwide and the heavy economic burden of diabetes, the results of the study provide practical and valuable clues for the prevention of diabetes.

Possible explanations for the development of diabetes amongst shit workers include shift work disrupting sleeping and eating patterns. One idea is that eating late at night makes the body more prone to store the energy as fat, increasing the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

It seems that shift workers should be educated about diabetic symptoms in an effort to forestall or avert the earliest clinical manifestations of the disease.

Dr Alasdair Rankin, from the charity Diabetes UK, said: "These findings suggest that shift workers need to be aware of their personal risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

"They can do this by taking a type 2 diabetes risk assessment, either online or in their local pharmacy.

We know that the best way to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes is to maintain a healthy weight through regular physical activity and by eating a healthy balanced diet."

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

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UK Health Radio – Medical News Update Youngsters smoking reduces

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

Very good medical news today as the BBC report that smoking, drinking and drug use among secondary school pupils have been recorded as having more than halved over the past ten years. The figures came from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

Between 2003 and 2013, regular smoking fell from 9% to 3% of 11- to 15-year-olds. Regular alcohol drinking dropped from 25% to 9%.

The number of pupils who said they had taken illegal drugs also halved.

The HSCIC based its figures on a survey of more than 5,000 pupils in England.

Young people at 174 schools were questioned in the autumn term of 2013.

Health charity Ash said smoking in children had fallen to a record low.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of health charity Ash, said smoking levels among 15-year-olds were now well below the government target of 12%.

She said action taken by the government to ban tobacco advertising, put larger health warnings on packs and make all enclosed public places smoke-free had made a big difference.

"But more needs to be done and plain standardised tobacco packs are the obvious next step," she said.

Fears that electronic cigarettes could become a gateway into smoking for young people have not materialised so far, she added.

"We need to keep monitoring use in young people, and make sure advertising and promotion of electronic cigarettes doesn't glamorise their use."

When pupils were asked what activities were acceptable at their age, they said using illegal drugs was the least acceptable.

Only one in 20 agreed it was acceptable to take cannabis once a week, whereas one in four said it was acceptable to drink alcohol once a week.

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

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UK Health Radio Medical News Update - Melanoma numbers up.

UK Health Radio  Medical News Update

With the weather hotting up and people heading for the beaches it might be a good time to talk about sun protection again.  Every year about 13,300 people will be diagnosed with malignant melanoma in the UK. It is now the 5th most common cancer overall in the UK, if you exclude skin cancers that are not melanoma. The numbers of people who are getting melanoma is now more than 4 times higher than it was 30 years ago. Looking at people over 15, the incidence goes up with age. Now melanoma is one of the most common types of cancer in people between the ages of 15 to 34. The highest incidence of melanoma is in people over 80.

Some of the increase in numbers of melanoma might be attributed to doctors being better at monitoring people for signs of melanoma, and then detecting the onset of the cancer early. But doctors say that the most likely reason for the increase is to do with a change in how much time we spend in the sun, and the number of people who now go abroad for holidays, when compared to 30 years ago.

There is one main environmental factor that increases the risk of developing melanoma - ultraviolet light that come from either the sun or sun beds. But some people are more at risk of getting melanoma than others. Over exposure to sunlight can cause patches of rough, dry skin called solar keratoses. Some patches are skin coloured, other patches are pink, red or brown. Studies show that people with solar keratoses have a risk of melanoma that is 4 times higher than the general population. Also the more moles you have on your body, the higher your risk of melanoma. Of course this doesn't mean you will definitely get melanoma if you have lots of moles. But it does mean you should be very careful about sun exposure. And you should keep an eye on all your moles.  Also at higher risk are people who are very fair skinned, those with fair or red hair and people with a lot of freckles. People with darker skins can still get melanoma but they have more natural protection against it.  So to make sure that you stay safe while you enjoy being out in the sun, make sure you slap on that sun screen. 

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

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UK Health Radio Medical News Update - Gracie on Quality Family Time Instead of Technology

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

Quality Family Time Instead of Technology

A new survey says that families spend just eight hours a week together. That’s not a lot.

Most families spend their time in silence watching TV. My family watch TV but we also play cricket or football in the garden a lot.

Parents buy electronic presents such as Xbox, wii, Nintendos, phones and much more just to keep their children occupied when they are working.

We have a Xbox and my mum lets me and my brother go on it once a week. When we are playing on it we end up arguing over which game to play!

My dad sometimes has to work away but we still see him at weekends. My mum does Avon locally so when she goes out to customers we go with her on our scooters.

I go cycling with my friends a lot after school and I cycle around the village with my Dad at the weekend.

Some parents think that their children don’t spend enough time with their grandparents so they organise holidays with them.

We go on holidays with our Grandad Roy to Spain and with Granny and Grandad to their beach hut near Christchurch.

Families should spend more time together outside so that the children can learn that you don’t need to have technology to have fun.

Gracie Timms

For UK Health Radio Medcial News Update

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UK Health Radio Medical News Update - Assisted Dying

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

Legalising assisted dying would mean "less suffering not more deaths", a leading campaigner has said.  Lord Falconer, whose private members bill would make the practice for some terminally ill patients, legal was reported by the BBC as saying that  a "limited" change was needed to the law to give people a choice to die.

But Lord Tebbit who opposes the bill said that he was afraid that it would create "too much of a financial incentive for the taking of life".  Meanwhile the bill had its second reading in the Lords recently without a vote.

The proposed legislation would allow doctors to prescribe a lethal dose to terminally ill patients who were judged to have less than six months to live.

Lord Falconer insisted that the "final decision would always be made by the patient", with safeguards in place that would prevent "abuse."

About 130 peers requested to speak in the debate that continued for almost 10 hours.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said that he is not "convinced" by the arguments for legalising assisted dying but the bill has won the backing of Lib Dem Care Minister Norman Lamb.

The legislation would allow a terminally ill, mentally competent adult, who was making the choice of his or her own free will and within strict legal safeguards, to request life-ending medicine from a doctor.

Two independent doctors would be required to agree that the patient had made an informed decision to die.

Lord Falconer said many people were so worried that if they asked their loved ones for help they would be  "implicating them in a criminal enterprise" so that many achieved their death "by hoarding pills or putting a plastic bag over their heads".

Legalising assisted dying, he argued would allow a "small number" of people who didn't want to "go through the last months, weeks, days and hours" of life to die with dignity.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey said he had changed his mind about the issue and now believed that belief in assisted dying was "quite compatible" with being a Christian.

"When suffering is so great, when some patients already know that they are at the end of life, make repeated pleas to die, it seems a denial of the loving compassion that is the hallmark of Christianity to refuse to allow them to fulfil their clearly stated request." 

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

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UK Health Radio – Medical News Update - Sun Rocking

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

Sun Rocking

Recently I went to the over 50’s show at Olympia.  I went there to see an old friend of ours on UK Health Radio – Sun Park Living and I was reminded again of how much the life we lead and where we lead it, can affect our health.  I know that might sound a bit obvious but a display on the Sun Park Living stand really brought it home to me.  In one column of photos in black in white were older people sitting staring out of the window at the rain falling, or bundled up against the weather making their way through cold streets.  The loneliness and the harsh conditions of winter were very starkly portrayed.  Next to them was a full colour series of photos taken at the Sun Park Living resort in Lanzarote where similar retired people, called Sun Rockers, were seen enjoying life and the community of others under the sun, the blue sky behind them and above them lighting up not only their lives, but their faces too. 

It showed very clearly the difference between the lonely pensioner in the UK and the very vibrant and welcoming community that others were enjoying at Sun Park Living.  The chance to live for a very reasonable amount with all services thrown in in a community where the honesty box is the only method of payment for the essentials on site, seemed to release something in people.  It seemed to allowed them to be themselves and to get involved in community activities and make the most of an active retirement.  It made me think and even the deliberate black and white against full colour photo comparisons did not make any difference to the reality of what it can mean to be included and enjoying life with like minded people.   The statistics would not doubt be interesting in terms of life expectancy, but having visited Sun Park Living I know where I would rather be on a miserable January day.  

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

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UK Health Radio – Medical News Update - The Importance to Your Health of Keeping your Cats and Dogs Worm Free.

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

Did you know that that adorable little potbelly that many puppies seem to have could be the result of them being infested with worms? It is the case that the majority of dogs and cats will get some type of intestinal parasite at some time and that the worms whilst they are annoying, can lead to far more serious medical problems, particularly in very young animals. It is important to treat your pet for these parasites not only for its own health but because you as their owner could become infected too.

Roundworms are the most common intestinal parasite to be picked up by cats and dogs.  Generally the eggs of these parasites need a minimum temperature in order to become actively infectious. That means that the danger is greatest in the spring and summer.

Animals pick up roundworm eggs from the faeces of other animals or from the soil. They can also travel across the placenta to puppies before they are born.

In their adult form, roundworms live in the intestine and feed off the food the dog or cat has eaten. One female parasite can lay up to 200,000 eggs per day.  Yuck!  Signs of infestation will be diarrhoea, vomiting, and that cute little potbelly seen in many puppies that I mentioned. The coat feeling rough and a generally unhealthy appearance are other signs. Although worms are usually not a serious problem for adult animals, they can threaten the life of a puppy or kitten. Take your pet to the vet if you think there might be an infestation.  I keep my Paddy, a cocker spaniel wormed with the dewormer that I buy on line from www.petscompanion.co.uk

It is important for your own health that you make sure your pet is wormed regularly too. Roundworms and hookworms do not mature in the intestine in human beings. Instead, they remain immature and migrate travelling through the tissues of the body. They can cause skin rashes and even liver and lung damage, and at worse even blindness or permanent brain damage.

Again youngsters, in this case children are most at risk so it really is worth making sure that your pets are kept worm free and that the children wash properly after they have been playing outside.

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

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UK Health Radio Medical News Update - Children's Dental Health Crisis

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

Harsh words from a dental charity today that says that child neglect is to blame for "absolutely appalling" levels of children who are admitted to hospital to have their teeth removed. NHS figures show that this is the most common reason for children in England to be admitted to hospital.  Sadly some of those need all 20 of their baby teeth removed.

The British Dental Health Foundation said some parents were not paying enough attention to the importance of caring for their child's teeth.  Figures from three years ago showed that 22,574 children aged five to nine were admitted with rotting teeth that needed extraction but provisional figures for the year beginning April 2013 show that this number has now climbed to 25,812.

Dr Nigel Carter, the chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, told the BBC that children were not given the correct diet, and that they were getting too many sugary drinks. He said that little or no attention was been given to oral hygiene regimes and children were not being taken along to the dentist when their first teeth come through, only visiting the dentist when a child was in pain with a mouthful of rotten teeth.

Prof Susan Jebb, of the University of Oxford, said: "Once they've been weaned, 'Children should be drinking water' is absolutely the message. Milk is fine, but that should be the mainstay of our advice."

One 330ml can of fizzy pop would take a typical adult up to the proposed 5% daily allowance - and would exceed a child's daily allowance - without allowing for sugar from any other source.

Fizzy sugar drinks, smoothies and fruit juices, have already been criticised as a cause of child obesity, and re to blame for rotting teeth too. Kathryn Harley, a paediatric dentist, said: "We see an awful lot in the media linking sugar to obesity and other health problems and not enough about the link between sugar in the diet and oral health."

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

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UK Health Radio Medical News Update one in five do not know about the new 111 phone service

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

Alarming news today from the National Audit Office who report that a survey of 878 people in England had found one in five did not know about the new 111 phone service intended for those who needed to speak to someone urgently about a medical problem.   The survey also showed that the numbers of people using the out-of-hours services had fallen by a third in six years to 5.8 million for the period 2013-14. The watchdog said the drop in usage may be the result of the fact that people did not know about the service or perhaps lacked confidence in using it. 

The findings come after a turbulent few years for out-of-hours care. In 2004 GPs were allowed to opt out of providing services - and nine in 10 have done just that leaving it to local health bodies to find alternative providers. During the same time however, visits to A&E were found to have increased. Patients have often reported that they were having trouble accessing services or had not been happy with the service that they had received.

Recent results of a patient survey that were released earlier this month showed that 17% reported they felt services were poor.

The head of the National Audit Office, Amyas Morse was quoted by the BBC as saying  "NHS England has much to do to help secure improvements throughout the system and to increase its oversight.

It should also work to raise public awareness of how and when patients should contact out-of-hours GP services and needs to be prepared to take the lead in integrating these services effectively with other parts of the urgent care system."

But in response Health Minister Lord Howe said improvements were already being made. He said 111 was helping to direct patients to the right place, while GPs were now taking on more of a role in challenging out-of-hours care where patients had expressed concerns.

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

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UK Health Radio Medical News Update - More People eligibel for Bariatric Surgery

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

The BBC has reported that there are plans to expand weight loss surgery in England in an effort to to tackle an epidemic of type 2 diabetes which is a huge drain on the NHS resources.  Diabetes UK have said that the new guide lines released by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, could see an estimated 850,000 people eligible for surgery while NICE itself expect the figure to be in the tens of thousands.   Type 2 diabetes has close links to obesity and lifestyle choices.  Uncontrolled blood sugar levels can lead to blindness, nerve damage and amputation.

There is now increasing evidence to suggest that gastric bypass will improve symptoms in some 60% of patients. Currently about one tenth of the NHS budget is spent on treating patients with diabetes.

However this kind of weight loss surgery can cost up to about £15,000 and the move towards this kind of management by NICE has given rise to concerns as to how the NHS will be able to afford the treatment, even if there will be long term savings.  Presently guidance says that surgery should be an option for those whose BMI is above 35 and who are suffering from additional health issues but the new guidelines would suggest that people with a BMI of 30 should be offered weight loss (bariatric surgery) and that would inevitably make many more people eligible for the surgery.  In practice under the new guidleines a man who is 6ft (1.83m) tall and weighs 18st 6lb (117kg) would be sent for an assessment, and doctors would be expected to consider sending a 5ft 5in (1.65m) woman, weighing 12st 10lb (80.7kg), for assessment as well.

But NICE's Prof Mark Baker, who drafted the guidelines, said it was "ridiculous" to think that almost double the number of people would be operated on under the new guidelines and told the BBC that "The first line of attack would be diet and exercise."  But as that message is clearly not getting through to enough people, could bariatric surgery become as common as tonsillectomy once was?

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

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UK Health Radio – Medical News Update Hay-fever

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

Hay-fever

Hay fever is common and one in five people will suffer with it. Over 10 million people in England have hay fever. That’s a lot.

Hay fever usually begins in children or during the teenage years, but you can get it at any age. It is more common in boys than in girls.

I have hay fever and it can sometimes get in the way of how I work in class.

Symptoms of hay fever include:

    Sneezing

    A runny or blocked nose

    Itchy eyes

These are all very annoying!

The symptoms of hay fever are caused when you have an allergic reaction to pollen. Some people find that their symptoms get better as they get older. Around 15% of peoples symptoms go away completely.

The best way to control hay fever is to avoid pollen. However, it's very difficult to do this, especially during the summer months when you want to spend more time outdoors.

I like to sunbathe with my friends and chat eating ice cream in the summer. Having hay fever can ruin that.

There is no cure for hay fever yet, but you can take medication so the symptoms are not as bad. I take a tablet a day, each tablet contains 10g of loratadine. This really helps.

This is Gracie Timms for

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

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