The number of people in England undergoing surgery on the NHS to help them lose weight has increased ten-fold in less than a decade.
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) reports operations such as gastric banding and bypasses rose from 238 a year to more than 2,543 in 2007.
Researchers from Imperial College London said more obese patients were now aware that surgery could help them.
The Department of Health said drugs and surgery should always be a last resort.
Experts at the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended in 2002 that people classed as "morbidly obese" should be considered for surgery if other weight-loss methods had failed.
You can read the article in full on the BBC Health website: HERE
A less invasive and expensive option is a virtual gastric band - fitted under hypnosis. Please get in touch with Jon Hosgood, our hypnotherapist, for an informal discussion or free initial consultation.
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Drugs don't work: Top professor claims five in six new medicines have 'little benefit' to patients
Drug companies have been accused of conning the public by hyping up patented medicines with little new to offer while downplaying their potentially harmful side-effects.
A new study estimates that 85 per cent of new drugs offer few if any new benefits while having the potential to cause serious harm due to toxicity or misuse.
The author of the research delivered a damning attack on 'Big Pharma' at a meeting of sociology experts in the US.
Read more on the Daily Mail website: here
A new study estimates that 85 per cent of new drugs offer few if any new benefits while having the potential to cause serious harm due to toxicity or misuse.
The author of the research delivered a damning attack on 'Big Pharma' at a meeting of sociology experts in the US.
Read more on the Daily Mail website: here
Thursday, 12 August 2010
High stress 'delays pregnancy'
A scientific study has shown for the first time that high stress levels may delay pregnancy.
Oxford University experts measured stress hormones in women planning a baby naturally and found the most stressed had a reduced chance of becoming pregnant.
Relaxation might help some couples but more research is needed, they say.
The study, in the journal Fertility and Sterility, followed 274 healthy women aged 18-40 planning a pregnancy.
Age, smoking, obesity and alcohol are known to affect pregnancy success, but the influence of stress is less clear.
Markers for two stress hormones - adrenalin, the body's fight or flight hormone, and cortisol, connected with chronic stress - were measured in saliva.
Women with the highest levels of alpha-amylase (an indicator of adrenalin levels) had about a 12% reduced chance of getting pregnant during their fertile days that month compared with those with the lowest levels of the marker.
No difference in the chance of becoming pregnant was found with cortisol.
Anecdotal reports have long linked stress with infertility, but direct scientific evidence has been hard to find.
Yoga
Dr Cecilia Pyper, of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford, said their study aimed to improve understanding of the factors that influence pregnancy in normal healthy women.
She said: "'This is the first study to find that a biological measure of stress is associated with a woman's chances of becoming pregnant that month.
"The findings support the idea that couples should aim to stay as relaxed as they can about trying for a baby.
"In some people's cases, it might be relevant to look at relaxation techniques, counselling and even approaches like yoga and meditation."
The research was carried out in collaboration with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development in the US.
It is part of a larger study looking at the effect of factors like smoking, alcohol, and caffeine on chances of pregnancy.
Commenting on the study, Joanne Taylor, midwife for baby charity Tommy's said: "Stress does affect people in different ways, and therefore may affect some women's chances of trying to conceive.
"There are a number of ways in which women can prepare themselves for a healthy pregnancy - maintaining a healthy diet, taking folic acid supplements and keeping stress levels to a minimum is a good start."
BBC Health
Oxford University experts measured stress hormones in women planning a baby naturally and found the most stressed had a reduced chance of becoming pregnant.
Relaxation might help some couples but more research is needed, they say.
The study, in the journal Fertility and Sterility, followed 274 healthy women aged 18-40 planning a pregnancy.
Age, smoking, obesity and alcohol are known to affect pregnancy success, but the influence of stress is less clear.
Markers for two stress hormones - adrenalin, the body's fight or flight hormone, and cortisol, connected with chronic stress - were measured in saliva.
Women with the highest levels of alpha-amylase (an indicator of adrenalin levels) had about a 12% reduced chance of getting pregnant during their fertile days that month compared with those with the lowest levels of the marker.
No difference in the chance of becoming pregnant was found with cortisol.
Anecdotal reports have long linked stress with infertility, but direct scientific evidence has been hard to find.
Yoga
Dr Cecilia Pyper, of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford, said their study aimed to improve understanding of the factors that influence pregnancy in normal healthy women.
She said: "'This is the first study to find that a biological measure of stress is associated with a woman's chances of becoming pregnant that month.
"The findings support the idea that couples should aim to stay as relaxed as they can about trying for a baby.
"In some people's cases, it might be relevant to look at relaxation techniques, counselling and even approaches like yoga and meditation."
The research was carried out in collaboration with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development in the US.
It is part of a larger study looking at the effect of factors like smoking, alcohol, and caffeine on chances of pregnancy.
Commenting on the study, Joanne Taylor, midwife for baby charity Tommy's said: "Stress does affect people in different ways, and therefore may affect some women's chances of trying to conceive.
"There are a number of ways in which women can prepare themselves for a healthy pregnancy - maintaining a healthy diet, taking folic acid supplements and keeping stress levels to a minimum is a good start."
BBC Health
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Doubts raised over child food allergy rise
Doubts are being cast over the sharp rise in food allergies among children, with a health watchdog saying many could have been wrongly diagnosed.
Up to 8% of children under three now have food allergies - a dramatic rise since 1990.
But NICE raised concern about the reliance on self-diagnosis, such as the use of testing kits bought online.
The health watchdog cited research showing that a fifth of self-diagnosed cases were inaccurate.
But it also called on GPs to improve their practices in some draft guidelines.
It comes as allergies are increasingly being seen as a major child health problem in western countries.
Read the article in full on the BBC Health website - here
Up to 8% of children under three now have food allergies - a dramatic rise since 1990.
But NICE raised concern about the reliance on self-diagnosis, such as the use of testing kits bought online.
The health watchdog cited research showing that a fifth of self-diagnosed cases were inaccurate.
But it also called on GPs to improve their practices in some draft guidelines.
It comes as allergies are increasingly being seen as a major child health problem in western countries.
Read the article in full on the BBC Health website - here
Saturday, 7 August 2010
How to spot the early signs of dementia
The early stages of Alzheimer's and other causes of dementia can be difficult to spot, but there are warning signs. However, they are not necessarily indicative of dementia.
Early signs of Alzheimer's can include:
• Regularly misplacing everyday items, or putting things in odd places – and then forgetting or even denying having done so.
• Problems with everyday tasks; for example, preparing a meal, putting it on the table, but forgetting to eat it and then preparing it all over again.
• General disorientation, such as failing to recognise familiar streets and frequently becoming confused about the time of day.
• Difficulty finding words or using inappropriate words.
• Diminished judgement, for example dressing inappropriately for the weather or being unaware of dangerous situations.
• Mood or behavioural problems which may resemble depression; usually a mixture of agitation, irritability, apathy and lack of care with personal hygiene.
Early signs of vascular dementia are similar, but the decline can happen in distinct steps rather than gradually.
Source: The Alzheimer's Research Trust
Early signs of Alzheimer's can include:
• Regularly misplacing everyday items, or putting things in odd places – and then forgetting or even denying having done so.
• Problems with everyday tasks; for example, preparing a meal, putting it on the table, but forgetting to eat it and then preparing it all over again.
• General disorientation, such as failing to recognise familiar streets and frequently becoming confused about the time of day.
• Difficulty finding words or using inappropriate words.
• Diminished judgement, for example dressing inappropriately for the weather or being unaware of dangerous situations.
• Mood or behavioural problems which may resemble depression; usually a mixture of agitation, irritability, apathy and lack of care with personal hygiene.
Early signs of vascular dementia are similar, but the decline can happen in distinct steps rather than gradually.
Source: The Alzheimer's Research Trust
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