News

Asthma Inhalers at Schools

12th December 2014

Approximately 20 children of school age in England and Wales die every year from asthma and most deaths occur before the child reaches hospital. In 2012, Asthma UK made enquiries as to whether the law could be changed to allow schools to keep a spare reliever inhaler for use in an emergency. Since 1st October 2014, the Human Medicines (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2014 now allows primary and secondary schools in England to obtain salbutamol inhalers for the treatment of acute asthma attacks in children. Schools can now buy inhalers and spacers (the plastic funnels which make it easier to deliver asthma medicine to the lungs) from a pharmaceutical supplier on the written request of the head teacher or principle. A PDF can be obtained [More…]

Top 10 Tips for a Healthy Heart

6th December 2014

1. Stop smoking. If you are a smoker, you are twice as likely to have a heart attack than a non-smoker. But from the moment you stop smoking, the risk of heart attack starts to reduce. 2. Cut down on salt. Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease. 3. Watch your diet. A healthy diet can help to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, and can also help increase the chances of survival after a heart attack. 4. Monitor your alcohol. Too much alcohol can damage the heart muscle, increase blood pressure and also lead to weight gain. Binge drinking will increase your risk of having a heart attack, so you should aim to [More…]

Too Many Hours Sitting Increases Risk of Breast Cancer

21st November 2014

Weight control and exercise are two steps that can significantly lower your risk of breast cancer. So it’s not surprising that too much sitting, which is associated with both weight gain and lack of exercise, could increase your risk of cancer. You might be surprised, however, just how strong the association is. According to research presented at a conference of the American Institute for Cancer Research, too much sitting and lack of physical activity lead to 49,000 cases of breast cancer a year. Separate research found that people who sat for 11 hours a day or more were 40 percent more likely to die from any cause. Even those whose job required sitting for six or more hours a day gained an average of 17 [More…]

Berries in cancer therapy experiment

16th November 2014

Wild berries native to North America may have a role in boosting cancer therapy, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Pathology. Scientists suggest chokeberries could work in combination with conventional drugs to kill more cancer cells. But the UK research is at an early stage, with experiments carried out only on cancer cells in laboratories. Cancer Research UK says much more work is needed to test the effectiveness of berries, particularly in human trials. Researchers from the University of Southampton and King’s College Hospital, London, tested a berry extract on pancreatic cancer samples. Pancreatic cancer is particularly hard to treat and has an average survival period of just six months after diagnosis. The study found that when the berry extract was used, [More…]

Not Just A Funny Turn

14th November 2014

Transient Ischaemic Attack (Mini Stroke) Know the signs of stroke and TIA If you, or someone else, show any of the signs of stroke you must call 999. If you think you have had a TIA and have not sought medical attention, see your GP urgently. Urgently investigating and treating people who have a TIA or minor stroke could reduce their risk of having another stroke. Source – The Stroke Association www.stroke.org.uk

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