Cold homes lead to extra Winter deaths

Cold homes are triggering heart attacks and strokes in older people.

An Age Uk report says living in a cold home is a ‘major factor’ in winter deaths. There are around 8,000 extra deaths for every one degree drop in average temperature. It has been found that death rates in Britain are higher than Scandinavia, which has colder winters – but better insulation.

High energy prices and badly insulated homes will lead to the loss of thousands of lives and seriously effect pensioners health this winter, warns a new report.

It shows cold homes are costing the NHS £1.36 billion every year in hospital and primary care as older people struggle with respiratory problems, stroke and heart attacks triggered by the cold.

Around 27,000 excess winter deaths are expected this year, including avoidable fatalities among older people, says the charity Age UK.

The report says superior building standards in countries like Finland and Sweden which insist on insulation and double glazing mean they have warmer homes than in the UK, which has a milder climate.

Older people living in cold homes are at higher risk of death and illnesses such as arthritis and rheumatism, with the risks going up as temperatures plummet.

Millions of older people are having to choose between staying warm and high priced energy bills they can afford.

Michelle Mitchell, charity director general at Age UK told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s an absolute scandal that tens of thousands of older people will become ill or die this winter because they are unable to keep warm.

‘Not only is this resulting in an incalculable human cost but the NHS is spending more than a billion pounds on treating the casualties of cold every year.’

Video courtesy of Age UK

NHS tips on preventing cold and flu

Vitamin C has no real benefit when it comes to fighting cold and flu

The NHS have put together a list of tops tips to help you avoid getting struck with cold or flu this winter.

Vitamin C

When it comes to flu, one person in three believes that taking vitamin C can cure the flu virus. In 2007, the authors of a review of 30 trials involving 11,000 people concluded that, “regular ingestion of vitamin C has no effect on common cold incidence in the ordinary population”. A daily dose of vitamin C did slightly reduce the length and severity of colds.

“Studies found that vitamin C offers a very, very limited benefit,” says Dr Joshivice-chair of the Royal College of GPs. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Echinacea
The root, seeds and other parts of echinacea plants are used in herbal remedies that many people believe protect them against colds. There have been several studies into echinacea’s effect, but no firm conclusions.

A review of trials involving echinacea showed that, compared with people who didn’t take echinacea, those who did were about 30% less likely to get a cold. However, the studies had varying results and used different preparations of echinacea. It’s not known how these compare with the echinacea in shops.

This review also showed that echinacea did not reduce the length of a cold when taken on its own.

Zinc
There is some evidence that taking zinc lozenges, syrup or tablets may reduce how long a cold lasts.

A 2011 Cochrane review of studies into zinc and the common cold suggests that taking zinc supplements within a day of the symptoms starting will speed up recovery from a cold and lessen the severity of symptoms. Long-term use of zinc isn’t recommended as it could cause side effects such as vomiting and diarrhoea. More research is required to find out the recommended dose.

There has also been research into nasal sprays containing zinc. “Some people believe that the zinc lines the mucosa [the lining of the nose] and stops a cold virus attaching itself to the nose lining,” says Dr Joshi. “Unfortunately, this has been found to be no more effective than a placebo.”

Getting cold or wet
The only thing that can cause a cold or flu is a cold or flu virus. Getting cold or wet won’t give you a cold. However, if you are already carrying the virus in your nose, it might allow symptoms to develop.

A study at the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff found that people who chilled their feet in cold water for 20 minutes were twice as likely to develop a cold as those who didn’t chill their feet.

The authors suggest that this is because some people carry cold viruses without having symptoms. Getting chilled causes blood vessels in the nose to constrict, affecting the defences in the nose and making it easier for the virus to replicate.

“Getting a cold from going out in the cold or after washing your hair is a myth,” says Dr Joshi. “Colds are common. If the virus is already there and then you go out with wet hair and develop symptoms, it’s common to think that is what caused it.”

So what does work?
The flu vaccine can prevent you from catching flu. Apart from that, the best way to protect yourself from colds and flu is to have a healthy lifestyle.

“Eat a healthy diet, take regular exercise and drink plenty of warm drinks in the winter months,” says Dr Joshi. “The important thing to remember is that most people are going to catch a cold in winter anyway, because there is no effective cure for cold viruses.”

Washing your hands
Cold and flu viruses can be passed through tiny droplets of mucus that are sneezed or coughed out into the air by an infected person, and breathed in by another person. If an infected person sneezes into their hand, and then touches an object (such as a doorknob, or railing on a train) the virus can pass from the object to the next person who touches it. By washing your hands, you will be getting rid of any viruses you’ve picked up on them.

Avoid touching your nose and eyes
Cold and flu viruses can enter your body through the eyes and nose. If you have any infected droplets on your hands, and you touch your eyes or nose, you can pass the virus into your system. By not touching your nose and eyes, you’ll reduce your chances of catching a virus.

Need to stock up on cold and flu remedies? Here is a map of pharmacies in and around Preston.

Click here for more NHS advice about staying healthy this winter.

Healthy eating: Winter warmer vegetable soup

With winter well and truly upon us we need all the energy we can get.Resist the urge for a Friday night take-away and instead opt for something equally as tasty but packed full of vegetables. This vegetable soup is perfect for those cold winter nights in front of the TV, and quick to make too.

Ingredients
½ tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 small carrots, sliced
2 potatoes, chopped•3 sticks of celery, sliced
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
80g green beans
1½ tbsp tomato purée
1 leek, sliced
A handful of frozen peas
2 handfuls of dried pasta
1 litre of boiling water
pepper to taste

Method
1. Chop all vegetables into small cube sized pieces.

2. Heat the oil in a pan, add onions, carrots, leeks and celery and fry until sizzling. Reduce the heat and then cover and cook gently for five minutes. Stir if needed.

3. Add the tin of tomatoes, water, tomato purée, beans and frozen peas. Raise the heat to maximum. Bring to the boil and add the pasta, herbs and pepper.

4. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Stir the soup frequently to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick to the pan.

President Obama’s health care plans

The American election is over and Obama will continue in his presidency for another 4 years. So, what is he doing for American health care?

According to his website,President Obama is:

Ending insurance company abuses

• The Affordable Care Act is holding insurance companies accountable, putting an end to the worst abuses, such as capping or dropping your coverage when you get sick.

President Obama has won the USA election

In March 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, this put in place comprehensive reforms that improve access to affordable  health care for all Americans and protect people from abusive insurance  company practices. The law allows all Americans to make their own health insurance choices while also guaranteeing access to care for the countries most vulnerable people. The Act provides ways to bring down health costs and improve the quality of care. Young adults under the age of 26 are also allowed to be kept under their parents insurance policies.

Strengthening Medicare

• The Affordable Care Act is helping people with Medicare save on the care they need to stay healthy—from free preventive services to lower costs on prescription drugs and monthly premiums.

Putting women in control of their health

• President Obama is putting an end to the health insurance company practice of charging women more than men for the same coverage.

Since the health care law passed, more than 20 million American women have received preventive care without co-pays.  Meaning affordable access to birth control, cancer screenings, and smear tests.  The law ends discrimination based on “pre-existing conditions,” such as breast cancer and pregnancy. It also guarantees that insurance companies will no longer be allowed to charge women higher rates than men.

According to http://www.womenarewatching.org , Obama has recently required an employer’s health insurer to provide birth control coverage without co-pay.  Considering the fact that American women spend up to $600 dollars a year on birth control, and over a third of the female voters have found it difficult to afford birth control at some point in their lives, this was an important step in protecting access to basic, preventive care.

Charity campaigner, Debbie Dowie, discusses breast cancer treatment

Debbie Dowie (far right) and the Boot Out Breast Cancer Team

Mia Bolton

Today, Bolton based charity campaigner, Debbie Dowie, has said she feels “very strongly” that unnecessary cancer treatment needs to change.

This follows the news that 4,000 British women go through unnecessary, and sometimes harmful, breast cancer treatment each year.

Mrs Dowie, wife of ex-footballer Iain Dowie, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and, after a mastectomy, was told that she would need to have chemotherapy.

“Fortunately I had an amazing oncologist who told me about a test that is only offered in Los Angeles,” said Mrs Dowie.

The test is not available on the NHS and cost Debbie £2,500. 8 weeks after sending her breast tissue to Los Angeles, she was happy to receive the news that she would not benefit from chemotherapy.

“I was in a very fortunate position that I could afford to pay for the test, it was later refunded by my insurance company as they realised that I had saved the insurance company between £30,000-£40,000 on chemotherapy and other subsequent treatments,” she added.

Mrs Dowie suggests that for some people, like herself, chemotherapy is not always the most suitable option.

“A friend of mine, wife, and mother of 3 recently underwent chemotherapy for breast cancer. Unfortunately the chemotherapy was not suitable and affected her heart. She died in her sleep 2 weeks ago aged 48,” she explained.

After her diagnosis, Mrs Dowie founded the charity Boot Out Breast Cancer. The charity aims to raise funds for the latest advances in breast cancer treatments.

Despite potential difficulties with cancer treatment, Debbie encourages both women and men to go for breast screenings, as early diagnosis is key.

“I would much rather we were over diagnosed and are called back for 2nd screenings than to let people slip through the net,” she added.

Talking about people being sent for unnecessary treatment after breast screenings, Dr Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said:

“Research is advancing at pace and we hope that in the future there will be a number of new techniques that we can use alongside the screening programme to make it more sophisticated and reduce the numbers of women having unnecessary treatment.

Until this is possible, we’d recommend women who have had something unusual picked up through screening to seek full advice and discuss all possible options with their breast cancer specialist team.”

Graph

Statistics for this bar chart have been gathered from Cancer Research UK

Keep track of tiredness: Blood vessel disease ‘vasculitis’ is easy to miss

In October 2010, 15 year old Lauren Currie thought she had picked up a chesty cough. When her mother Adrienne took her to her doctor, he dismissed it as a chest infection and prescribed antibiotics.

The next day, Lauren began coughing up blood; the GP reassured the family there was nothing to worry about, but said they should go to hospital the following day to get her checked out.

After minutes of arriving at the hospital the next morning, the family was surrounded by a crash team, who told them Lauren had pneumonia and within 48 hours she had died.

Lauren’s death certificate stated that her cause of death was vasculitis – a condition where blood vessels become inflamed, cutting off the blood supply to vital organs and causing them to fail. Vasculitis is as common as bacterial meningitis, even though many doctors are not aware of it.

Vasculitis – raised blood vessels under the skin

Around 3,000 people develop vasculitis each year. Lauren was found to have a rare and aggressive form called Wegener’s granulomatosis, which affects the nose, kidneys, and lungs. Around a fifth of those with this type of vasculitis will die within a year, with a quarter dead within 5 years.

‘One of the most common symptoms in any form of vasculitis is tiredness, as any inflammation causes this,’ Professor Kuntal Chakravarty, a rheumatologist at Queen’s Hospital, Essex, explained to the Daily Mail.

As well as excessive tiredness, it can produce an acne-like rash caused by inflammation of the blood vessels beneath the skin. This could be itchy, and usually affects the upper or lower limbs or whole body.

Other symptoms to look for are persistent ear, nose and throat infections. With Lauren’s form, patients can sometimes develop symptoms such as blocked sinuses or nose, and a nosebleed.

Study: A Bit More Sleep Means A Lot Of Help In School For Kids

A good post about the importance of a good night’s sleep.

Could switching to decaf save your sight?

With many ‘good things’ in life, we are constantly bombarded with often contradictory advice about what is either incredibly healthy for us or a terrible risk.

The latest study to come out of the works is that drinking 3 cups of coffee or more a day could be terrible for our vision. A report in the Daily Mail suggests that drinking three or more cups of coffee a day could seriously damage your sight.

The newspaper refers to a study, published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, suggesting coffee lovers should reduce their coffee intake to lower their chances of developing glaucoma.

Drinking 3 or more cups of coffee a day could cause eye damage

The researchers, from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, suggest that compounds found in coffee may increase pressure within the eyeball, causing a vision-destroying condition known as exfoliation glaucoma.The study assessed over 120,000  people in both the UK and U.S. All were over 40 and not suffering from glaucoma.

each participant completed a questionnaire about how much coffee they drank and their medical records were checked for a history of glaucoma.

The results found that those who drank more than three cups a day had an increased risk of developing glaucoma compared with those who  hardly drank coffee. No correlation was found in other caffinated drinks such as hot chocolate or cola.

Glaucoma occurs when the drainage tubes within the eye become slightly blocked, preventing eye fluid from draining properly and therefore resulting in a build up of pressure.

This can damage the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, and the nerve fibres from the retina.

Discussing the findings, NHS.co.uk do not feel that it is reason enough to avoid coffee all together: “By far the greatest risk of exfoliation glaucoma was among those with a family history of glaucoma – which is a factor already known to be linked with developing glaucoma.

Coffee has been linked in the past with both health problems and health benefits. So, despite the headlines, there’s no need to ditch the cappuccino altogether, but it makes sense to drink coffee and other caffeinated products in moderation.”

This research comes after findings early this year that drinking 4 to 5 cups of coffee a day could cut the risk of diabetes, skin cancer, stress, cavities, breast cancer and heart disease.

Drugs live: Was it a useful scientific study?

Last week, Channel 4 aired Drugs Live: The Ecstasy trial. The supposed aim of the programme was to research whether ‘E’ might have a clinical role in helping sufferers of depression and post traumatic stress. This had been the first time Ecstasy had been filmed on TV since the 1980’s…

Network bosses described the show as ‘a programme only Channel 4 would be brave enough to submit’. But, there has been much talk as to whether the programme really was as ‘groundbreaking’ as it claimed itself to be.

Ecstasy pills

The Guardians, Rupert Sawyer saw the programme as anything but controversial.

“What Drugs Live has illustrated to us all, is that television has lost its edge since Y2K. Frankly, if it’s still controversial to have a conversation about ecstasy on the television, we, the industry are failing to move with the times. If the broadcasters do not do something soon, the internet will kill us all,” he said.

Personally, I found it to be lacking in new scientific findings. Yes, there were plenty of doctors, and a big model of the inside of a brain, but everything seemed very basic. You don’t need to be a scientist to know that E releases seratonin in the brain, giving that ‘feel good’ emotion.

Questions are also raised over the show’s seemingly positive representation of the drug. Critics have asked why the only expert to point out  the dangers of taking drugs was given just three minutes of the 65 minute programme to voice his concerns.

Interestingly, only one man, a former SAS soldier, was shown to  have had a negative response, while the  majority of the volunteers  described feelings of well-being and euphoria. It also appeared that the choice of participants seemed to be more aimed at pleasing the viewer rather than for scientific gain. (The female priest, for example.)Another participant was Keith Allen, a celebrity who has been known to take drugs in the past.

Brain activity was measured in an MRI scan

I think that it is neccessary to point out that nobody taking part in the experiment actually had depression or post traumatic stress, which seemed odd considering this appeared at first to be the premise of the show.

In defence of Drugs Live, Proffessor Nut told the BBC that it is a ‘very high quality in-depth scientific study.”

What did you make of the show?

Click here to read the Telegraph’s review of the show.

Click here to read a Daily Mail article about the ‘acceptability’ of ecstasy.

Click here to read a Metro article and the criticism of Drugs Live.

Similarities between chocoholics and heroin addicts?

A study has found that the natural brain chemical enkephalin surged as rats ate chocolate.

The study used rats to investigate the effect of the brain chemical enkephalin on the urge to consume, using specifically M and M chocolates. Enkephalin is part of the brain chemical endorphins a natural mild form of opium, an active ingredient in heroin.

They also found that injecting a synthetic opiate, similar to enkephalin, into the dorsal neostriatum area of the brain  triggered a feeding frenzy in the rats. An effect that study leader Dr ALexandra DiFeliceantonio says is similar to that of drug addicts and those who are obese.

‘The same brain area tested here is active when obese people see foods and when drug addicts see drug scenes. It seems likely that our enkephalin findings  in rats mean that this neurotransmitter may drive some forms of overconsumption  and addiction in people,’ says Dr Alexandra DiFeliceantonio.

The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Michigan and was funded by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and  published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal: Current Biology.

Click here to view the full article on the Daily Mail.

Click here for more information from the NHS website.