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20/08/2008 - Gaps in diabetes care remain (BBC)
Diabetes care is improving, but still a long way to go before the NHS is providing top quality services, a report will say.
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20/08/2008 - Inside health: Death toll casts new doubts on methadone (The Scotsman)
SCOTLAND'S record on drug-related deaths does not paint a pretty picture.
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20/08/2008 - Epilepsy raises drowning danger (The Scotsman)
NEW research has highlighted that people with epilepsy are nearly 20 times more likely to drown compared with the general population.
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20/08/2008 - Hospital ward closed after outbreak of lethal superbug (The Scotsman)
A HOSPITAL ward has been closed after an outbreak of the Clostridium difficile superbug, it emerged yesterday.
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20/08/2008 - Tag for aggressive bowel cancer (BBC)
UK scientists find a marker for aggressive bowel cancers needing the most treatment.
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20/08/2008 - Back pain eased by good posture (BBC)
Long-term back pain can be relieved through encouraging sufferers to adopt good posture through the Alexander technique, say researchers.
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19/08/2008 - Drinking fruit juice 'may stop medication working' (Daily Mail)
Drinking fruit juice dramatically reduces the effectiveness of drugs used to treat cancer, heart conditions, high blood pressure, infectuions and hay-fever, scientists say. Professor Bailey said: 'Juice taken four hours prior to drug intake did not have an effect. Thus, it should be possible still to take grapefruit, orange and apple juices while on affected medications provided there is a sufficient time interval.
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19/08/2008 - Family anger at C. diff 'secret' (BBC)
The family of a woman who died after contracting the C. difficile bug at Altnagelvin hospital hits out at the way she was treated.
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19/08/2008 - Lunar phase and stroke-like symptoms (NHS Choices)
This case series study suggests that medically unexplained stroke symptoms (MUSS) %u2013 considered to be %u2018psychiatric%u2019 rather than %u2018medical%u2019 %u2013 may be linked to the phases of the moon. The researchers mention some possible psychological and biological explanations for the link, such as variations in gravitational pull, but say that %u2018the underlying mechanism remains elusive%u2019.
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19/08/2008 - Half of Scottish prescriptions sent electronically (eHealthInsider)
Over half of all NHS prescriptions issued in Scotland are now sent electronically, latest figures show.
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19/08/2008 - 'Remote nurse' aids home patients (BBC)
A system which allows patients to monitor their health at home and send the results to nurses electronically is tested in Cornwall.
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19/08/2008 - Gum for bowel recovery (NHS Choices)
A review of studies revealed chewing gum helped speed up a return to bowel health after surgery. The researchers say that given the potential health and economic benefits to patients and the health system, the use of chewing gum should be further investigated. A large, high quality, randomised controlled trial is needed to confirm the results, and this seems a sensible way forward.
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19/08/2008 - Second body left at city hospital (BBC)
A second case of a body being left on a ward in a Glasgow hospital is uncovered by BBC Scotland.
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19/08/2008 - Online diet disasters: Advice that is often wrong and sometimes dangerous (Daily Mail)
Avoid oily fish, cut out all dairy foods, : it's the kind of advice that flies in the face of conventional thinking on healthy eating. Yet, amazingly, this is what I was told to do.
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19/08/2008 - Could vitamin C jabs cure cancer? This man says it's put his prostate tumour into reverse (Daily Mail)
Denis Vaughan has prostate cancer for 12 years and a check-up six months ago revealed it was becoming more active.
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19/08/2008 - Porcelain veneers could ruin your smile... and your life (Daily Mail)
Expensive tooth veneers are touted as a quick fix for unsightly teeth. They fit over existing teeth and are supposed to give a perfect smile. But before you try them, read this horror story.
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19/08/2008 - Families to get cholesterol tests (BBC)
The UK is expected to endorse the screening of families for an inherited cholesterol disorder.
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19/08/2008 - Chewing gum aids bowel recovery (BBC)
Chewing gum aids recovery from bowel surgery, mounting evidence suggests.
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19/08/2008 - Singer Sandi Thom is 'aged' to show the risk of using sunbeds (BBC)
An image of Sandi Thom with wrinkles and severe skin damage is being used to highlight the dangers of sunbeds.
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19/08/2008 - Brain's counting skill 'built-in' (BBC)
Humans have an innate ability to do maths even if they do not have the language to express it, research suggests. However, some people may be born without this innate numeracy mechanism - for example those with dyscalculia who struggle to develop number skills.
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19/08/2008 - Research says QoF can reduce inequalities (eHealthInsider)
The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF) has helped to reduce inequalities between rich and poor areas according to a study published this week.
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19/08/2008 - Light therapy company says that poor weather this summer could trigger increase in depression (The Scotsman)
SCOTLAND'S miserable summer has triggered a surge in winter depression, according to new figures published yesterday.
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19/08/2008 - Sea air carries more than scent of waves (The Scotsman)
SEA air is generally regarded as healthy, but it may be polluted with dangerous chemicals from ships, say scientists.
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19/08/2008 - Doctors told to heed painful truth on different ways the sexes suffer (The Scotsman)
WOMEN are being left in pain because doctors do not listen to them and they are forgotten in clinical research, a conference heard yesterday.
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19/08/2008 - How doctors are turning millions of us into addicts (Daily Mail)
Britain spends millions helping junkies kick the habit. So why isn't there any help for patients who become hooked on drugs prescribed by their doctor?
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19/08/2008 - Treatment advance for drug-resistant diseases (The Independent)
US researchers believe they have found a way to overcome the drug resistance that is frequently seen in ovarian cancer patients given the drug Taxol %u2013 a chemotherapy agent that becomes less effective over time. The breakthrough could have wider implications for the many other illnesses where drug resistance is a problem, such as multiply-resistant strains of staphylococcus that result in hospital-acquired infections.
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18/08/2008 - The 'scaffolding' breakthrough that rebuilds skin after burns and ulcers (Daily Mail)
A bandage that helps new skin grow, then dissolves safely into the body, could be a major breakthrough in the treatment of burns and ulcers.
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18/08/2008 - Depression link to poor driving (BBC)
People on anti-depressants may have impaired driving skills, a small US study suggests.
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18/08/2008 - DH gives go-ahead for EPS Release 2 (eHealthInsider)
The Department for Health has given the go-ahead for implementation of the Electronic Prescription Service Release 2 in England, following an evaluation of pilot projects.
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