# Health news 16th March 2010



## Northerner (Mar 16, 2010)

*Workforce adults with minor ills overwhelming NHS, doctors say*
The "worried well" are putting the NHS under unsustainable pressure by seeing their GPs for coughs, colds and other minor ailments that they should be treating themselves, leading health professionals warn today. Common treatable ailments now account for almost a fifth of GP appointments and are costing the health service ?2 billion annually, research suggests. Of the 57 million visits for a minor health problem, nearly half involved adults of working age rather than appointments for the elderly or children. Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK mentioned.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article7063249.ece 

*Lecturer's diabetes study*
A PODIATRIST who also works as a University of Southampton lecturer is to carry out a study into whether fish oil can help improve the health of people at risk of type 2 diabetes. Keith McCormick, pictured, will look at whether purified fish oil medication can protect and improve the function of nerves and small blood vessels among those prone to developing the condition. Diabetes UK mentioned.

http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/5062674.Lecturer___s_diabetes_study/


*The 'toxic fat' that can strangle your organs and how to shed it*
David Smith looked at the photo of himself holding his newborn daughter, Emma, and winced. The former rugby player had weighed in at a respectable 15st for his 6ft 2in frame, until a ruptured Achilles tendon had forced him to leave the Army. He'd since slowly piled on the pounds and now, 12 years later, weighed nearly 20st.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1258185/The-toxic-fat-strangle-organs-shed-it.html

*As neglect cases fuel 30% rise in complaints, we ask: are nurses still the caring profession? *
For 12 months, while her son Kane underwent treatment for cancer, Rita Cronin sat by her youngest child's bedside. She fed him, gave him drinks, washed him and ensured he had a bedpan. And if Rita was unable to be there, husband Peter, daughter Emma or other son Matthew would take over the nursing duties.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...30-rise-complaints-ask-caring-profession.html

*Chants could be a fine thing: It may sound daft but some doctors believe meditation really can lower blood pressure*
Despite living what doctors described as a 'virtuous life', Claudia Zeff was at risk of heart disease. A genetic predisposition to high blood pressure meant she faced a lifetime of medication and the risk of health problems in later life, including stroke and kidney damage.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...e-meditation-really-lower-blood-pressure.html

*Get outdoors before 9am. Have that glass of red at 7pm. The small daily changes that make a difference to your wellbeing...*
There's an optimal time for everything - from eating breakfast to taking vitamin pills and even having sex in order to conceive. Here, with the help of experts, we show you how to harness your inner body clock to boost wellbeing - and your long-term health.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...daily-changes-make-difference-wellbeing-.html

*Drugs for halting diabetes tested*

Two key treatments do not halt diabetes in people with early signs of the disease,” BBC News reported. The story is based on a large trial assessing the effects of two approved diabetes medications, valsartan and nateglinide, on the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in high-risk populations.

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2010/03March/pages/Drugs-for-halting-diabetes-tested.aspx


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