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Sunday, 05 September, 2010
New Soap Alternatives (London) Many people have very little idea on what is contained in popular soaps sold in almost every supermarket and corner shop. Many of the brand name products contain artificial additives and chemicals that have often been tested on animals as well as contain...
Increased Cancer Risk in Women The conclusions of a study conducted in Sweden have just been published in the Diabetes Care journal, revealing that high levels of blood sugar enhances the risk to women developing cancer of the womb, skin, pancreas, urinary tract and breast.The study in...
Drinking Tea for Health Aside from water tea is the world's most popular drink and at the Fourth International Scientific Symposium on Tea and Human Health, which was held in Washington, US, scientists gave a clear suggestion that by drinking more tea it may help prevent Parkins...
Bionic eye gives blind man sight (London) A man who lost his sight 30 years ago says he can now see flashes of light after being fitted with a bionic eye. Ron, 73, had the experimental surgery seven months ago at London's Moorfield's eye hospital. He says he can now follow white lines on th...
Sex drug hope over rotten egg gas (London) The gas responsible for the foul odour of rotten eggs could hold the key to a new impotence drug, experts believe. A team from the University of Naples Federico II in Italy found the release of hydrogen sulphide in the penis plays a role in creating an...
Spider venom could boost sex life (London) Brazilian and US scientists are looking into using spider venom as a possible treatment for male impotence. Their investigation follows reports that men bitten by the Phoneutria nigriventer experienced priapism - long and painful erections. A two-ye...
Antibodies tackle severe asthma (London) Patients with a type of severe asthma benefit from injections of an antibody, research has shown. Two teams, in the UK and Canada, found the treatment mepolizumab helped those patients with asthma exacerbated by a condition called eosinophilia. The ...
I should have been diagnosed sooner (London) Having polio as a child left Pami Loomba with a paralysed right arm and only partial use of her right leg. She had been given physiotherapy until the age of 16, but was then discharged from health services and learned to cope with her disabilities. So ...
Hope over peanut allergy (London) A group of children with peanut allergies have had their condition effectively cured, doctors believe. A team from Cambridge's Addenbrooke's Hospital exposed four children to peanuts over a six-month period, gradually building up their tolerance. By...
Breast cancer biology (London) Lifestyle changes and screening have shifted the type of breast cancers women are diagnosed with over the past couple of decades, research suggests. Women are now more likely to have hormone-dependent, slow-growing tumours, a comparison of tissue sampl...
The potential risks of a kiss and a handshake (London) Public fears of a flu pandemic appear to have passed, but experts say the threat still exists. In this week's Scrubbing Up, John Oxford says we need to know more about how people pass the flu virus to each other. What's worse for catching influenza - s...
Thursday, 02 September, 2010
'Sorry' is still the hardest word (London) When something goes wrong in the NHS, staff can be reluctant to offer patients and relatives the apology they seek. But in this week's Scrubbing Up health column, England's Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson says the NHS needs to apologise more -...
Grapefruit diet 'put leg at risk' (London) A woman who went on an intense grapefruit-based diet developed a blood clot in her leg and risked losing the limb, US doctors have reported. The unusual case, written up in the Lancet medical journal, occurred in Washington state in November last year...
Gene defect clue to male pill (London) A male contraceptive pill could be a step closer after US researchers identified a gene flaw linked to male infertility. The study of Iranian families found mutations in the CATSPER1 gene which controls a protein determining sperm movement. Researc...
Menus to display calorie counts (London) Hundreds of food outlets will start displaying calorie information on menus later this month, ministers say. A first wave of 17 firms will trial the scheme, aimed at getting people to eat healthily. High street chains including Pizza Hut and Burger...
How scratching can stop an itch (London) Scientists have shown scratching helps relieve an itch as it blocks activity in some spinal cord nerve cells that transmit the sensation to the brain. However, the effect only seems to occur during itchiness itself - scratching at other times makes no...
High-salt diet link to ulcer risk (London) The bug that causes stomach ulcers may be more likely to cause disease when exposed to high concentrations of salt, a US team of researchers has said. Two genes associated with the potency of Helicobacter pylori became more active if a lot of salt is p...
Baby broccoli 'controls gut bug' (London) Eating a daily portion of broccoli sprouts could help tame the H. pylori bacteria, linked to stomach ulcers and even cancer, research suggests. The study in Cancer Prevention Research of 50 people in Japan found eating 2.5 ounces of broccoli sprouts e...
Balance of good health (London) Eat a healthy, balanced diet and stay active The key to a healthy balanced diet is not to ban or omit any foods or food groups but to balance what you eat by consuming a variety of foods from each food group in the right proportions for good health. ...
What's a healthy weight (London) Good health is about more than just your weight. It depends on many things, including your family's medical history, your genes, whether you smoke, the type of food you eat and how active you are. A combination of factors determines our weight, and that'...
The digestive system (London) What is digestion? Digestion is the process of breaking down food so that it's small enough to be absorbed and used by the body for energy or in other bodily functions. Digestion involves a number of different stages. The first phase is known as the...
Caffeinated drinks (London) Effects of caffeine Caffeine acts as a stimulant to the heart and central nervous system, and is also known to increase blood pressure in the short term, although there's no conclusive evidence of long-term effects on blood pressure. The effects on ...
Salt (London) Salt, also known as sodium chloride, is made up of 40 per cent sodium and 60 per cent chloride. Found predominantly in pre-prepared foods, excessive salt consumption has been linked with high blood pressure and stomach cancer, and can exacerbate osteoporo...
Alcohol (London) There are mixed messages about alcohol, so what are its proven health benefits and risks, and how much should you be drinking, What is alcohol? Alcohol is a common term for ethanol, a compound produced when glucose is fermented by yeast. The alcohol co...
Milk and dairy products (London) What foods are in this category? This food group includes milk and milk products - cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais - but not butter, margarine or cream. They belong in the fat and sugar group of the Food Standards Agency's 'eatwell plate'. Varieties...
Bread, cereals and other starchy foods (London) Refined and unrefined grains The foods listed above (apart from potatoes) are all produced from grains, such as wheat, corn or rice. They should be a part of all meals, filling about a third of your plate. They can come in two forms – refined or unre...
Fats and sugars (London) These foods, although an important energy source, often contain few other nutrients, so it's healthier to limit their consumption. What are they? This group, which includes foods such as cakes, biscuits, sweets, sugar-sweetened drinks and crisps, make...
Fruit and vegetables (London) Five a day Due to their nutritional and health benefits, it's recommended that fruit and vegetables form the basis of your diet, with a minimum intake of five portions each day - about a third of your daily food consumption. Currently the UK averages t...
Eating out - choosing healthier options (London) More and more of us are eating out on a regular basis, whether it's for a business lunch, a girls' get together, or for a family meal. The 2006 Family Food Survey found that households where the head of the household was under 30 years old were spending ...