31/07/2012More GPs asking patients if they have health insuranceAn increasing number of GPs are asking patients if they have health insurance, according to a new survey. Spire Healthcare, a large private hospital group, carried out a poll of more than 1,000 GPs across the...
30/07/2012Ill and disabled refused ESA because of flaws in the assessment systemPeople who are unable to work because of illness or disability are being refused their benefits because the current assessment is inadequate, says a government minister. During an investigation into the...
25/07/2012Degenerative brain conditions could be treated with a single pillScientists have developed a pill with the potential to treat multiple brain conditions such as Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease . Writing in the Journal of Neuroscience, US...
25/07/2012Patients suffer as nursing numbers drop by over 4,500 in the NHSOfficial figures show that there are over 4,500 fewer nurses in the NHS than two years ago, a decline which is seriously affecting patient care. According to statistics from the NHS Information Centre, there...
24/07/2012Antioxidant vitamins reduce the risk of pancreatic cancerIncreasing your dietary intake of antioxidant vitamins C, E and selenium could reduce your risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Cancer of the pancreas is difficult to detect and treat, and is often not...
24/07/2012Malignant melanoma rise blamed on sunbeds and package holidays in the 70'sA change in tanning culture 30 years ago means that middle aged skin cancer cases have quadrupled since the 1970s. A rise in package holidays has been partly to blame for the skin cancer increase ...
23/07/2012Fizzy drinks alter the body's metabolism and increase blood sugar levelsFizzy drinks can alter the body’s metabolism and lead to lifelong health problems, according to a new study. Scientists at Bangor University discovered that drinking fizzy pop for a month causes the muscles...
20/07/2012New cancer drugs more likely to have life-threatening side effects Cancer drugs approved in the last 12 years are more likely to have serious side effects than older medication, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. New cancer drugs...
19/07/201290,000 yearly heart attacks and strokes preventable with a new 'polypill'A ‘polypill’ combining a statin with three blood pressure drugs could prevent over 90,000 heart attacks and strokes every year. Researchers at Queen Mary, University of London, tested the pill on 84...
18/07/2012Lack of exercise causing 5.3 million deaths worldwideInactivity is causing as many deaths as smoking across the world- and Britain has one of the most sedentary populations on the planet. Researchers used World Health Organisation survey data, collected by...