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Health news stories selected by our editors |
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![]() 29/08/2008 - Carers 'need more financial help' (BBC) The government must provide more money to help Britain's six million unpaid carers, MPs say. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
29/08/2008 - New assault on dementia (The Scotsman) TREATMENT and early diagnosis of dementia could be improved through a '£1 million investment to be announced today by the Scottish Government. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
29/08/2008 - If you are born and raised in Calton you can expect to die at 54 (The Scotsman) GROWING up in Calton, a deprived pocket in the east end of Glasgow, Steven Francis Hewitt never knew of bad habits. For him, the culture of pubs, takeaway food and palls of ci Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
![]() 29/08/2008 - Cancer spread 'happens earlier' (BBC) Apparently "normal" cells may carry cancer to new sites long before a tumour develops, scientists say. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
![]() 29/08/2008 - Antipsychotic drug 'stroke risk' (BBC) More people than previously thought could be at higher risk of a stroke from antipsychotic drugs, a study claims. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
![]() 29/08/2008 - 'Huge contrasts' in devolved NHS (BBC) Separate health policies across the UK are leading to wide differences for patients, it is claimed. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
29/08/2008 - Staff sickness 'costs health service £650m a year' (The Independent) Staff sickness costs the NHS more than £650m a year, according to a new survey of health trusts. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
28/08/2008 - Gene therapy for deafness (NHS Choices) Deafness has many causes that can be environmental, medical or genetic, and what works for one form of deafness might not work for another. The specific gene therapy technique developed in this study is unlikely to be carried out in human embryos, due to technical and ethical concerns. Therefore other methods of delivering gene therapy that could be used later in life would need to be developed. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
![]() 28/08/2008 - Seven treated in E.coli outbreak (BBC) Seven people, some of them children, are diagnosed with E.coli 0157 in a single village. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
![]() 28/08/2008 - Man who lost 20 stone refused op (BBC) A 28-year-old man who lost 20 stone is told he is too overweight to have surgery to remove excess skin. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
28/08/2008 - Cell reprogramming for diabetes (NHS Choices) Given the potential applications of this technology (even if they are in the very distant future) for regenerating mammalian tissues or for %u2013 as the newspapers suggest %u2013 treating diabetics, the findings will be of interest to the scientific community and will undoubtedly lead to more research. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
![]() 28/08/2008 - C diff deaths 'continue to rise' (BBC) The number of deaths involving Clostridium difficile in England and Wales rose by 28% between 2006 and 2007, official figures show. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
![]() 28/08/2008 - Social factors key to ill health (BBC) Social factors - rather than genetics - are to blame for huge variations in ill health and life expectancy around the world, a report concludes. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
![]() 28/08/2008 - Britain's happiest places mapped (BBC) The most sparsely populated county in Wales is where you will find Britain's happiest place, say researchers. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
28/08/2008 - Wirral PCT faces local data privacy backlash (eHealthInsider) Wirral Primary Care Trust has delayed plans to introduce a telephone support service provided by a US contractor, after a local outcry at plans to transfer extracts from patient records to a private company. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
28/08/2008 - Medical 'misjudgment' could be leaving heart attack patients open to further attacks (Daily Mail) Patients being sent home from hospital to recover after a heart attack could be at risk because the assessment of attacks has been underestimated, a study claims. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
![]() 28/08/2008 - Gene therapy 'may repair hearing' (BBC) Scientists claim gene therapy has the potential to restore hearing in mice, offering hope for humans as well. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
28/08/2008 - 'Cell alchemy' breakthrough for diabetics could do away with insulin injections (Daily Mail) Scientists have found a way to transform ordinary cells in the body into cells that produce insulin in a breakthrough that could revolutionise the treatment of diabetes [Experiment using mice]. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
![]() 28/08/2008 - Map highlights 'obesity hotspots' (BBC) Shetland and parts of Wales and north England are Britain's obesity hotspots, according to a map compiled from GP records. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
27/08/2008 - Too late: After thousands of patients needlessly go blind, NICE boss says sorry for delays in sight-saving drugs (Daily Mail) The head of the NHS rationing watchdog has said he was 'genuinely sorry' for a delay in approving a new treatment for blindness. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
![]() 27/08/2008 - NHS set for large budget surplus (BBC) The NHS in England is heading for an estimated surplus of '£1.75bn in the current financial year, official estimates predict. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
27/08/2008 - Incense smoke and cancer risk (NHS Choices) The researchers in this study found an increased risk of squamous cell respiratory cancer in long-term, regular incense users. [NHS Opinion - The findings do suggest a possible link between incense and cancer and given the associations between respiratory cancer and tobacco smoke and other inhaled substances, this seems plausible. Further follow-up studies will be needed to confirm the results]. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
27/08/2008 - British man has pioneering robot blood vessel surgery (Daily Mail) A British man, who was the first to have life-saving blood vessel surgery performed by a robot, left hospital today. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
27/08/2008 - The two-week dark chocolate diet that reduces risk of heart disease (Daily Mail) Snacking on dark chocolate every day for just two weeks can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, according to new research. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
27/08/2008 - Toxic metals in Ayurvedic remedies (NHS Choices) With the surge in popularity of alternative remedies such as Ayurvedic medicines, the public should be aware that many do not have to undergo the stringent health and safety research that conventional medicines do. People taking any Ayurvedic or other alternative therapies to self-treat medical conditions should seek medical advice if they have concerns and inform their doctor, particularly if they are taking prescription medications at the same time. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
27/08/2008 - Intellect calls for more IT in diabetes care (eHealthInsider) The trade association Intellect has expressed disappointment that the Department of Health's latest policy statement on diabetes fails to give a role to telehealth and telecare. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
27/08/2008 - Baby saved after friend spots eye cancer clue in photograph emailed by girl's mother (Daily Mail) A mother diagnosed cancer in a baby girl she had never met - after a chatroom friend from America emailed her a photograph of her daughter. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |
![]() 27/08/2008 - Drug 'may slow down Parkinson's' (BBC) Early use of medication may be able to slow down progression of Parkinson's disease, preliminary research suggests. Discuss this >> OR Read background >> |


Health news stories selected by our editors











