GPs can prescribe Tamiflu to fight influenza

The Health Protection Agency’s (HPA) recently released health data show that GP consultations for influenza have risen – particularly amongst children and young people.

The HPA figures show that for the week prior to Christmas, weekly primary care consultation rates across England had increased to 27.4 per 100,000 people. Encouragingly, other countries in the UK had witness similar increases for the same period, with a rate of 18.9 per 100,000 in Wales, 19.7 per 100,000 in Scotland and 25.5 per 100,000 in Northern Ireland.

Flu-like symptoms were predominantly reported in the 5-14 year olds – double those of overall levels. Other HPA information show that also in the week before Christmas, 45 acute respiratory disease outbreaks had occurred; 43 within schools and the other 2 in care homes.

Influenza or ‘flu’ as it is commonly known as is a respiratory illness associated with infection by influenza virus. Common symptoms usually make an appearance roughly 2 days after infection and include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, aching muscles and joints. The condition was first identified in 1933, and there are main three types determined: Influenza A, B, and C.

Dr Richard Pebody, head of seasonal flu surveillance at the HPA commented that the latest flu figures were ‘encouraging’, saying: “The latest vaccine uptake figures for one of the ‘at risk’ groups – the over 65 age group – are encouraging, with more than 70 percent taking up the offer of the flu vaccine. Among those in an ‘at risk’ group under 65 years of age, uptake is just under 50 percent and around 40 percent of pregnant women and healthcare workers have accepted the offer of vaccination this season.”

The HPA stats come in the same week that it emerged The Department of Health (DoH) have informed GPs they  can prescribe antivirals such as Tamiflu for influenza to the groups of people who are most at risk of developing complications from contracting flu. High-risk people include pregnant women and those over the age of 65.

However, according to The DoH, there is a ‘substantial likelihood’ that schoolchildren across the UK showing with influenza-like symptoms had the disease.  NHS chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies said: “The most recent surveillance data indicate that there is now a substantial likelihood that people, including children in schools, presenting with an influenza-like illness are infected with an influenza virus.”

This follows action from The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, who last Friday extended the use of Tamiflu to children as young as 2 weeks old who have shown flu symptoms for no more than two days. The U.S. approval means that Tamiflu is the only prescription oral antiviral medication approved to treat patients of all ages; infants two weeks of age all the way to the elderly
Roche’s Tamiflu works at lessening the duration and severity of influenza by blocking the virus from replicating within the body. It belongs to a group of medicines named ‘neuraminidase inhibitors’.

These medicines prevent the influenza virus from spreading inside the body and so help to ease or prevent the symptoms arising from the influenza virus infection. Tamiflu was first given FDA approval in the United States back in 1999, so its existence is not a new revelation. However, the drug came to worldwide prominence a decade later in 2009 due to the deadly H1N1 swine flu epidemic, hitting peak sales of an incredible $3 billion because of the epidemic.

Tamiflu is available today through Medical Specialists Pharmacy from as little as £21.98 per pack after we dramatically lowered the price of Tamiflu earlier in the year to help out new and existing patients during this difficult recession.

Graphic ad campaign could shock smokers into quitting

The New Year is just four days away and with a New Year comes fresh determination to make positive changes in our lives as we are on the brink of New Year’s Eve – usually in the form of New Year’s resolutions. These could span from simple life goals such as cut down on chocolate, be a less selfish person, or more serious health-based resolutions such as lose weight or quit smoking.

The latter is such a common resolution to make for England’s 8 million smokers and with this in mind; the UK government has decided to seize the opportunity for our disposition to create health-related resolutions. In particularly, they are targeting these 8 million smokers with a nine-week long £2.7 million ad campaign which begins today and the core aim is to utilise shock tactics in attempt to get people to stop smoking.

TV, posters and billboards and the internet will all be used in The Department of Health’s (DoH) campaign in an attempt to reach the target audience. The disturbing graphic image chosen is that of a tumour growing from a cigarette as it is smoked and is the first ‘shock’-intended campaign since the infamous fatty cigarette advert in 2004 that depicted fatty deposits being squeezed out of a smoker’s artery, with dripping fat coming out of the end of the cigarette.

According to the DoH it merely takes just smoking 15 cigarettes to cause some type of mutation that can lead to cancer. Many people are unaware of this staggering fact though and Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies says that the new campaign has been devised following the gathering of statistics showing that over a third of smokers are under the misguided belief that health risks are over-exaggerated. However, keen readers of the Medical Specialists Pharmacy news section will know that the dangers of smoking  are certainly not exaggerated and smoking-related studies are continuously released, providing plenty of evidence that shows how damaging the habit actually is.

Professor Dame Sally Davies said: “People are playing Russian roulette with their health. What our evidence shows is that people don’t personalise the impact of their own smoking. They don’t understand what’s going on in their own bodies, so that’s why we’re launching such a hard-hitting campaign. It’s to show them a real picture of what cancer looks like and what happens in one in two long-term smokers. This is a hard-hitting campaign to get at the hidden harms of smoking. People will see a man smoking and then a cancer growing out of the cigarette. That is what happens in people’s bodies. One in two smokers dies from smoking, most from cancer. We know that people don’t personalise the harms of smoking and don’t understand what’s happening in their bodies. This will show them.”

Of course, quitting smoking is no easy task and estimates say that one out of every five smokers who tries to quit, relapses within just one day. The new DoH adverts will hopefully hit home with smokers though and show the awful harm that cigarettes do to the human body.  To support them, smokers are currently being encouraged to collect a free ‘Quit Kit’ from any local participating pharmacy.
Together with support from surrounding friends and family, as well as the Quit Kit and smoking cessation medication such as Champix, smokers will hopefully have enough tools in their armour to finally kick the habit in to touch!

Champix is a prescription medication that can be obtained from Medical Specialists following an online consultation with one of our GMC registered doctors. The medication works out at just £75.00 per pack. Champix mimics the effect of nicotine on the body, reducing the urge to smoke and relieving withdrawal symptoms. It can also decrease the enjoyment you experience of smoking if you are still smoking whilst on the treatment.

Statins help to cut heart attack deaths by half

Firstly, Medical Specialists Pharmacy would like to wish everybody a slightly belated Merry Christmas and we hope everyone has had a fantastic few days with their family, friends and loved ones.

Secondly, we have already touched upon one group of people who may be vulnerable at Christmas time; asthmatics. However, those at risk of high cholesterol and heart problems need to be particularly cautious as well over the festive period.

Yesterday (Dec 26) is a day notorious for a high number of cardiac-related health problems such as heart attacks, heart failure and arrhythmias. A 2004 study conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Tufts University discovered that heart-related deaths go up by almost 5% during the Christmas holidays.

Some of the increased deaths can be attributed to a number of causes such as alcohol abuse as people already at risk of heart problems ignore the warnings and consume alcohol in excess, and some of the tragic fatalities are down to a build-up of Cholesterol – an important component of the blood stream that works at repairing body cells. However if excess cholesterol is not efficiently removed from the blood stream, it can pose a serious problem and cause deadly health issues such as stroke, heart attack and coronary heart disease.

As everybody is aware, stress levels for the majority of the UK and indeed around the world are at their peak over Christmas time as we frantically rush around for presents, planning time to see family and friends, and sorting last minute arrangements. Unfortunately stress and cholesterol are closely linked and when our stress levels increase, the production of two hormones – cortisol and adrenaline also increase.

Cortisol is known as the ‘stress hormone’ and it raises the sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream. Prolonged levels of cortisol have been shown to be connected to increased abdominal fat – linked to higher levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to all kinds of heart problems.

Cholesterol lowering medicines known as ‘Statins’ have been in the news throughout 2012 as health experts uncover more exciting findings about their capabilities. As stress and over indulgence of fatty foods increase our cholesterol over Christmas, it may come as good news to learn that British Heart Foundation statistics show that deaths from heart attacks have been cut by half, saving the lives of millions of people and this has been largely down to ‘wonder drug’ statins such as Crestor and Lipitor.

According to figures released by the British Heart Foundation, between the years 2002 and 2010 the death rate in men dropped from 78.7 deaths per 100,000 men to just 39.2 deaths per 100,000 men. Over the same 8 year block there was also a decrease in the death rate for females, 37.3 deaths per 100,000 women in 2002 fell to 17.7 deaths per 100,000 women in 2010.

The higher use of statin medication and blood thinning medication in conjunction with such lifestyle factors as fewer people now smoking have resulted in the decrease in heart attacks and other related problems. In addition, more advanced treatment than previous years means that those who do suffer from a heart attack, have a much better chance of surviving.

Professor Peter Weissburg, medical director of the foundation, said: “The last decade has seen excellent progress in heart attack prevention, treatment and care which has resulted in a dramatic reduction in the number of people dying from heart disease. Statins are an important part of that success story. They have undoubtedly changed the face of heart disease treatment for the better and there can be little doubt that there are thousands of people alive and well today because of statins. Whilst some people do experience irritating side effects, they are very rarely life threatening and the benefits far outweigh any risks. The progress we have witnessed over the last 10 years is something to celebrate but coronary heart disease is far from beaten and is still the single biggest killer in the UK. We must tackle the problem of inequalities which place an unfair burden of heart disease on our poorest communities. By dealing with the root causes of heart and circulatory disease – diet, smoking and lack of exercise – we should continue to see a decline in the numbers dying from a heart attack.”

Prescriptions for statins are now an incredible 15 times higher than 20 years ago, with estimates showing that approximately eight million people in the UK take statins every day. They work out to cost around just 40p per day and their benefits have led for calls for even more ‘healthy’ adults to be prescribed them too.

Thankfully, Medical Specialists Pharmacy provides private and confidential online consultations for statins, and for suitable patients our in-house doctors can prescribe statin medication such as Lipitor and Crestor, and our in-house pharmacists can dispense to patients within just 24 hours. We also dispense statins for patients who can provide a private prescription. If all that wasn’t enough, we also have the legally available generic Atorvastatin at much lower prices for suitable patients.

Asthmatics ‘face increased risk of pulmonary embolism’

Continuing from where we left off a few days ago, we are again focusing on the lung condition asthma – of which an estimated 5.4 million in the UK alone suffer with according to the charity Asthma UK.

Research conducted by Scientists at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, suggests that having ‘severe’ asthma increases the risk of developing a potentially fatal blood clot in the lungs – also known as a pulmonary embolism.

A pulmonary embolism is a serious and sometimes life-threatening condition whereby one of the arteries in the lungs becomes blocked usually because of a blood clot and results in a prevention of blood reaching the lungs from the heart. There may be more than just the one clot and can differ in their size.

Symptoms can include a chest pain which feels like a sharp stabbing sensation that feels worse after inhalation, shortness of breath that can either slowly develop or strike suddenly, coughing (sometimes blood or mucus appear) and feeling faint or dizzy is another main sign of a pulmonary embolism.
They often happen when part or all of a blood clot moves from one of the deep veins in your legs, travelling into your lungs. A clot within one of these deep veins is known as ‘deep vein thrombosis’ (DVT), apparently occurring randomly but is usually following extended periods of inactivity, such as during a hospital stay with illness or after a long-haul flight.

Past studies have identified connections between chronic lung diseases and blood clots such as DVT. However this study, published online in the European Respiratory Journal, is the first of its kind to analyse if there are any associations with asthma.

The study involved 650 asthmatic participants from the Netherlands aged 18 to 88. They were compared against members of general population who did not have asthma. Investigators deduced that people with severe asthma were at an almost 9 times bigger risk of pulmonary embolism, whereas the study subjects found to have mild to moderate asthma had a 3.5-times elevated risk.

Study lead author Dr. Christof Majoor, of the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, spoke out in a news release from the European Lung Foundation, saying: “This is the first time a link has been found between asthma and pulmonary embolism and we believe these results have important clinical implications. Our findings suggest that people with severe asthma have an increased risk of pulmonary embolism and doctors should increase their awareness of the possibility of this occurrence in order to help prevent this serious event.”

Stephen Fry’s asthma worries at Christmas

Christmas day is now only four days away and when it comes to health, most people will be primarily concerned with how much stodgy food they are indulging in for fear of adding an extra few inches to their waistline.

Perhaps surprisingly though, there are another group of people besides the weight-conscious who should possibly be concerned at Christmas time – asthma sufferers.

Comedian, actor and TV Personality Stephen Fry is one of many celebrity asthma sufferers and Fry will be completely avoiding any festive bubbly with worry that even one drink could trigger an asthma attack and kill him.

He says: “Christmas parties are generally a lot of fun but I have to make sure that I avoid champagne because it triggers my asthma symptoms. People don’t always realise that there are all sorts of different triggers for asthma, including plenty of things that are in abundance during the festive season. Champagne can leave a lot of people feeling poorly the next day but for me it is far more serious because it could trigger a potentially fatal asthma attack.”

Fry’s comments came in the wake of the charity Asthma UK warning that approximately 200 people in Britain will require hospital treatment on Christmas day due to their asthma symptoms. Fry himself experienced a scary situation last month at a film screening when he was struck down with an asthma attack, and carelessly did not have a blue reliever inhaler in his possession, such as the widely used Ventolin Evohaler.

The 55-year old comedian suffered with breathing difficulties and had to resort to asking surrounding guests if anybody had an inhaler he could use. Luckily for him, other asthma sufferers at the screening were not so careless and did indeed have their inhalers. Fry later posted a tweet on his Twitter account saying: “Just had a surprise asthma attack at a screening. Got up to ask if anyone had an inhaler, so many hands went up. Saved.”

As the UK are fully in the midst of a bitterly cold winter, the decreasing temperatures alone are just one risk factor for triggering an asthma attack and therefore people are advised to wrap up warm.
However, as the cold winter months mean more people spend larger amounts of time indoors; this in itself can create a whole new set of potential asthma triggers that are just waiting to cause problems for sufferers.



For example, it might sound an exciting prospect giving your child a new pet puppy or kitten for Christmas, but if your child is an asthma sufferer then this could be disastrous for their lungs. These animals shed a high volume of something called ‘dander’ – a combination of dead skin cells and hair (or feathers) that can bring on asthma attacks and allergic reactions in those who are sensitive to these allergens. It if is determined by a doctor that your child’s allergies or asthma is worsened by dander then you may have to find an alternative home for your pet.

There are many other factors to consider though at Christmas from an indoor perspective.  Here are some important tips to reduce the risk of an asthma attack:

. Don’t use artificial snow. Although it looks festive enough and is aesthetically pleasing, fake snow straight from a can may unfortunately trigger asthma attacks. Perfumes and scented candles should also be avoided where possible.
. Don’t stress. The process of buying and wrapping presents can be a stressing time, and this isn’t even adding on the time needed to see friends, family and loved ones. Plan your time in advance in order to relax and not let stress get the better of you as this is one of many asthma triggers.
. Clean your Christmas tree and decorations. Artificial trees that have been stored in a dusty attic or damp basement through the year will gather dust and mould spores – both common asthma triggers. The process of unpacking the artificial tree out of its box can stir up all the allergens and create problems. A real tree – bought as close to Christmas as possible, is advised. However we recommend that both real and artificial trees should be taken outside and thoroughly shaken prior to any decorations being put on the tree. If your decorations have not been stored in a sealed bag, they should also be wiped down to eradicate dust and mould.
. Be careful about alcohol intake. Some asthma sufferers find that any alcoholic drink can erupt symptoms in them, whilst other such as Stephen Fry, find that they could only have symptoms after consuming a particular drink. Learn from Fry’s potentially-deadly mistake and have your reliever inhaler on you at all times.

Medical Specialists Pharmacy hopes we have made you more aware about the different factors to consider at Christmas if you are suffering from asthma or allergy problems. We do not want anybody’s Christmas to be effected through health issues and we hope you take our advice seriously.
In addition, we advise heading to our ‘Asthma and Allergies’ section of our website where we have a massive range of different inhalers and medications to ease your symptoms. In fact, many asthma suffers will also benefit from taking an anti-histamine such as Loratadine on a regular basis, to act as a precaution to allergic and asthmatic reactions, even throughout the winter months.

One in two men will develop cancer by 2027

As the number of men developing cancer is on the rise, UK health experts believe that by the year 2027 men will have a one in two chance of developing the disease.

The increase will change from the current 44 in 100 chance, to a 50 in 100 chance and is mostly because of the fact that people are generally living longer according to Cancer Research UK who teamed with Wolfson Institute of Preventative Medicine at Queen Mary, University of London to offer forecasts for the future.

Projections were formulated after studying previous information available about cancer incidence and mortality rates, in addition to projected population data for the UK.

In 2010 it was calculated that 324,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in the UK and this is expected to hit 416,000 by 2027. For men, the total is expected to reach over 221,000, up from 164,000 back in 2010.

The projections estimated that more than 194,000 women will be diagnosed with cancer in 2027, compared with 160,000 in 2010. Therefore, the predictions seem to be a similar pattern for women compared to men, with a lifetime risk which will increase from 40 to 44 out of 100 according to the researchers.

Cancer Research UK’s chief executive Harpal Kumar says that ‘it’s only through research that we will be able to beat cancer’, further adding: “We need to do more work to understand what drives cancer and how we can prevent it, as well as developing new treatments to reduce the number of people who will die from it.”

As mentioned previously, age is predicted to be the biggest risk factor for the disease and it is thought that the biggest increases in new cases will be seen in cancers of the bowel and prostate, as well as melanoma – the most dangerous type of skin cancer and most often brought on because of ultraviolet light (radiation) from the sun or excessive sunbed use.

Dr Kumar says the figures offer an outlook into the future and what challenges health authorities may face. One such challenge is developing an efficient and effective method of screening men for prostate cancer.

Not every cancer within the prostate gland is aggressive or potentially life-threatening and some can live with this all their lives and experience no health problems. Unfortunately though, doctors do not have a reliable testing procedure in their possession that can identify ‘safe’ tumours that are ok to leave alone.

Alan White, chairman of the Men’s Health Forum and professor of men’s health at Leeds Metropolitan University, argues that another problem will be persuading men to attend screenings for prostate cancer should an effective test ever be developed. Prof White says that even though men have a higher chance of developing bowel cancer than women, a lot less men than women actually bother to go for screening for this cancer.

Prof White says: “It’s desperately important that men take up any opportunity to go for cancer screening that they can. Some men are fatalistic about cancer and screening. But screening does make a difference. If cancers are spotted earlier they are easier to treat. We also know that men who discuss screening with their doctor or their partner are more likely to take up the offer.”

TV chef recipes contain more calories than ready meals

If you have ever sat down in front of the TV with a microwave ready meal and felt a degree of guilt watching one of the many celebrity chefs preaching about their ‘healthy’ meals, perhaps you don’t need to be worried anymore. A study featured in the Christmas edition on the British Medical Journal website, even go on to claim that recipes included in TV shows from chefs such as Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver show be given to viewers with accompanying health warnings and be aired after the watershed. The study authors also argue for nutritional information to be included on recipes in cookery books.

The UK government and NHS Choices both argue that ready meals are less healthy than meals prepared from scratch, and should be avoided if possible. One of their arguments is that these types of meals usually have a high saturated fat and sugar content, contributing to an ever-increasing number of Britain becoming obese.

Obesity levels are predicted to go through the roof over the next few decades,  with excess weight being responsible for a variety of health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure. Men who are overweight also risk suffering from erectile dysfunction problems.
Research that has been conducted in recent times have unearthed evidence to show that consumers can be swayed in their dietary choices by the unhealthy stigma attached to supermarket ready meals and television chef recipes boasting about their suitability within a healthy diet. However until now, there has been no study to be carried out comparing the nutritional content of the two.

With this in mind, NHS Tees and Newcastle University teamed up to compare the nutritional content of 100 ‘own brand’ ready meals from three leading supermarket chains (Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s) and 100 recipes for main meals in bestselling books by TV chefs. Recipes were analysed from ‘30 Minute Meals’ and ‘Ministry of Food’ by Jamie Oliver, ‘Baking Made Easy’ by Lorraine Pascale, ‘Kitchen’ by Nigella Lawson and ‘River Cottage Everyday’ by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Upon analysis, researchers discovered that recipes by TV chefs were less healthy than ready meals, comprising of ‘significantly more’ energy, protein, fat and saturated fat, and a lower total of fibre per portion than the ready meals. If this wasn’t damaging enough, it was also determined that the recipes from the TV chefs were more likely to achieve ‘red traffic light’ labels according to the Food Standards Agency criteria than ready meals. For those unaware, the traffic light system works by having a postage-stamp sized sticker that states the percentage of a person’s recommended daily allowance contained in each product – red for high, amber for medium and green for low.

It was calculated that on average, the recipes conjured up by the celebrity chefs contained 2,530 calories per portion and the ready meals fared slightly better, with 2,067 per portion. However, it was found that no meal option from either group reached the criteria set by the World Health Organisation for a ‘balanced healthy meal’. In addition, the study authors’ stress that any salt used for seasoning was not considered in their analysis.

In their report, the authors say: “This study shows that neither recipes created by popular television chefs nor ready meals produced by three leading UK supermarket chains meet national or international nutritional standards for a balanced diet. The recipes seemed to be less healthy than the ready meals on several metrics.”

They further add that good nutritional intake ‘is likely to be derived from home cooking of nutritionally balanced recipes primarily using raw ingredients, rather than relying on ready meals or recipes by television chefs’.

Concluding their findings, the authors comment: “Further reformulation of ready meals in line with international nutritional guidelines, and collaboration with television chefs to improve the nutritional quality of their recipes, may also help consumers to achieve a balanced diet.”

Overall, Medical Specialists Pharmacy would argue that not strictly following the recipes from celebrity television chefs is the way to go. Although, neither those nor ready meals appear to be meeting nutritional guidelines and could be hindering attempts to maintain a healthy weight. With Christmas around the corner and the over-indulgence that this period brings, weight concerns are at their highest now more than ever.

If you want to lose weight, this can be achieved by adopting a healthy lifestyle and diet in conjunction with a medically proven weight loss aid such as XLS-Medical, Alli, or the prescription medication Xenical.  All three weight loss aids are available today from Medical Specialists at incredibly low prices.

Cigarette packets to have larger health warnings

The European Union (EU) plan to introduce legislation prohibiting the sale of flavoured cigarettes, such as menthol. The EU wants to also make it mandatory for cigarette manufacturers to cover at least 75% of a packet of cigarettes with various health warnings for consumers. The aims will be the latest effort to discourage young people from starting smoking by making them more aware of the damage they are doing to their health, in addition to saving billions of pounds in the long-term with reduced diseases and hospital visits as a result of smoking-induced health conditions. Fortunately for older smokers, they will still be able to carry on enjoying flavoured pipe tobacco.

The proposed rules though do not go quite as far as those that came into play earlier this month in Australia, whereby all packets now have to be sold in plain packaging and carry graphic health warnings. However, governments in Britain and other countries will be given the go-ahead to enforce a similar policy should they wish.

The Changes will likely enrage tobacco companies who have already witness a sharp declined in cigarette sales in recent years and will fear that the stricter rules will hit their profits even more so and also effect markets in Asia and Africa.

Cigarette sales in the 27-nation EU bloc have decreased quite a lot over the last few years as more people are starting to realise the damages to health that smoking can do, and that it is just not worth it. Just some of the problems directly related to smoking include:

. Smoking accounts for 71% of all lung cancer deaths.
Smoking has been proven to be directly responsible for many types of cancer including: throat, lung, kidney, bladder, stomach, liver and cervix.
. Smokers are twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack in comparison to their non-smoking counterparts.
. Scientists say that the average smoker will lose 14 years of their life because of smoking.
. Sugar approximates to about 20% of a cigarette and many diabetics are unaware of this fact.
. Smoking not only increases the risk of a man being impotent, but it also damages sperm.
. Smokers who are also taking the contraceptive pill are about 20 times more likely to have a heart attack than someone who doesn’t smoke.
. Smokers are twice as likely to develop psoriasis as a non-smoker. Psoriasis is a common skin problem that results in patches of inflamed skin.
. Nicotine slows down your body’s ability to heal itself by dehydrating your skin.

Draft legislation for the proposed changes state: “Each unit packet shall carry combined health warnings (picture plus text). The combined warnings shall cover 75 per cent of the external area of both the front and back surface of the packet. However, a member state may maintain more stringent national provisions on grounds of overriding needs relating to the protection of public health.”
It is expected that cigarette companies will not go down without a fight though and already some have criticised the EU’s plans, arguing that graphic pictures showing the shocking effects of smoking will harm famous long-standing brands.

In fact, Reemtsma, the German subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco, has already hit out at the EU, blasting that the larger-scale warnings do not include new information for consumers and long established trademarks will be destroyed.

A spokesman for Reemtsma said: “Under the German constitution this is a major breach of our property rights and trademarks. It will not stop with tobacco, it will move on to alcohol and sweets. Anyone who can read knows the implied risks of smoking and existing health warnings are very clear. This is a step to a health dictatorship. Is that the future we want?”

Medical Specialists Pharmacy support the EU changes and we have reported on countless studies that have shown the awful detrimental impact that smoking just one cigarette each day can do to the body. This is summed up with the response from a European Commission spokesman in relation to the concerns about the legislation. The spokesman said: “We are aware of the concerns. Everything has been double-checked for the legal position and we can do it. Let’s not forget that 700,000 people die every year because of smoking.”

Better care needed for pregnant women

NHS watchdog The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has drawn-up guidelines stating that the NHS in England and Wales should offer a dedicated service seven days a week for women who have had a miscarriage during the first trimester (13 weeks) of their pregnancy or an ectopic pregnancy, with a 24-hour helpline available for women who experience any bleeding or pain.

Those behind the guidelines argue that doctors could be more sympathetic when dealing with women who are at risk of miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies and that these women are currently not being provided with sufficient information or offered enough support. Arguments have been made that doctors, nurses and even receptionists, are all under-equipped to deal with the huge emotional trauma that the women are going through.

Now though, women with early pregnancy complications can rest assured that there is seven-day service should they require it, where they can speak to specialists and scanning can be carried out. The aim is to stop vulnerable women from feeling afraid or alone and like they have nobody to speak to.

Julie Orford, chair of the Birth Trauma Association, was involved with the creation of the report. She herself has tragically suffered two miscarriages in between giving birth to two healthy children. Julie argues that there needs to be more sensitivity showed to the women from health professionals. She says: “For me there didn’t seem to be any sympathy, it was very much a procedure, you were given a cup of tea, you were given a leaflet on your choices, taken through to a room and no one really acknowledged the fact you’d just been given devastating news and that you’d lost your baby.”

Adding to Julie’s comments was Professor Mark Baker, Director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at NICE, who said in a press release:  “It can be very distressing and, in some cases, frightening to experience a miscarriage or be told your pregnancy is ectopic. It’s vital that women and their families receive good, consistent, timely and effective care and support that addresses their needs and enables them to make informed decisions. We know that not every woman is receiving this level of treatment at the moment but this guideline will address that inconsistency and ensure all women receive excellent care, no matter where they live.”

Estimates say that one in every five pregnancies end in miscarriage in the first 23 weeks, with 168,000 women affected each year in England alone. In addition, approximately 11 women in every 1,000 who become pregnant will have an ectopic pregnancy – where a fertilised egg implants itself out of the womb, 95% of the time this is in the fallopian tube. This is because either the tube has become damaged or it is failing to function properly.

Between 2006 and 2008 there were 35,495 confirmed ectopic pregnancies and tragically, six women had died during the first trimester due to their pregnancy. Nice warned: “About two-thirds of deaths caused by ectopic pregnancy are associated with substandard care, due to missed or late diagnosis.”
In their guidelines, NICE say there should be much better training offered to GPs so they can spot symptoms of either event in order to help detect an ectopic pregnancy earlier, as this could potentially avoid any problems later on in the woman’s pregnancy and reduce the chance of death.

750,000 people could have norovirus

It was just over a fortnight ago when Medical Specialists Pharmacy reported how the norovirus ‘winter vomiting bug’ had struck the UK with a fierce vengeance and resulted in many hospital ward closures. Now, weeks later, it seems things are getting much worse.

The latest set of Health Protection Agency (HPA) statistics will certainly raise a few eyebrows and they show just how serious the contagious the illness is. The HPA figures show that the winter vomiting bug is wreaking havoc across Britain with cases now standing at a five-year high and also up by 72% at the same time in 2011.

The HPA claim that more than 750,000 people could be affected by the outbreak as there have been 2,630 confirmed reports of the virus from laboratory tests and the HPA operate on the basis that for every confirmed case, there are an additional 288 cases that have yet to be reported. This means that there may be around 757,440 people struck down with the stomach bug.

A HPA spokespersons said: “Laboratory confirmed reports represent only a small proportion of the actual amount of norovirus activity in the community, because the vast majority of affected people do not access health care services as a result of their illness.”

The weekly figures from the HPA indicate more cases reported, however the total number of new reports has dropped 28% from the previous week’s total of 327 confirmed cases. However, HPA norovirus expert John Harris warns that the worst may be yet to come after Christmas. He says: “Our figures show a small drop in the number of confirmed cases over the last couple of weeks. We cannot read too much into this at present as this is typical of the norovirus season where we see a series of sharp rises and falls in activity between October and April with the bulk of cases usually occurring between January and March. People should be vigilant in their hygiene and we would like to remind anyone who has typical symptoms suggestive of norovirus infection to avoid visiting friends or relatives in hospital or care homes. Norovirus infection in hospitals is very disruptive as it can lead to ward closures.”

Mr Harris also advised what course of action to take in the event of developing the virus. He continued: “Having a norovirus infection is very unpleasant but it is short-lived and most people will fully recover in a couple of days. Make sure that you or anyone you are caring for takes plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Over-the-counter medicines can also be useful in reducing headaches and other aches and pains.”

The HPA’s figures have coincided with news this week that 300 of the 1,834 passengers aboard the luxury cruise linger ‘Oriana’ have been quarantined due to an outbreak of norovirus, forced to stay in their own cabins to prevent a further spread of the virus which causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea.
There have been reports that some passengers collapsed on the deck and corridors and toilets ‘smelt strongly of sick’ according to some people aboard the ship. The winter vomiting bug hit passengers after the vessel departed from Southampton on 4 December for the 10-day Baltic cruise.

Oriana is scheduled to arrive back in port at Southampton on Friday morning, slightly earlier than first planned and new passengers will not be allowed on board until health experts have undergone strict cleaning procedures within the public areas and cabins, predicted to take around 6-7 hours.
A spokeswoman for P&O cruises said that ‘enhanced sanitation protocols’ had been put into place to try and contain the virus, which includes requesting that affected passengers isolate themselves in their rooms and do not leave the ship for any day trips.

The spokeswoman said: “The safety and comfort of passengers and crew is always our number one priority. As is currently standard procedure across our fleet, all the ship’s passengers were provided with a precautionary health notice advising of widespread norovirus activity and the health measures to avoid contraction and spread, both on board and whilst ashore.”

Cruise ships are a notoriously dangerous environment for a rapid spread of norovirus. Earlier this year, a similar outbreak erupted on another ship; Boudicca, with 170 passengers of the 828 on board being effected.

Approximately 600,000 to 1 million people in the UK fall ill with norovirus every year, but there are certain steps you can take to prevent contracting the virus and prevent it spreading. For example, avoid sharing towels and flannels, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the toilet as well as prior to preparing meals, use a bleach-based household cleaner to disinfect any surfaces or areas that may be contaminated and wash all clothing and bedding at risk separately from other items.

Just one cigarette a day doubles the risk of sudden death in women

Previously it was thought that heavy smokers are most at risk from such health problems as heart disease, cancer, etc. However, a new study has emerged showing that women who smoke just a single cigarette each day and believe they are avoiding such dangers, are still at massive risk.

Researchers from the University of Alberta, Canada, tracked 101,018 women over a period of thirty years, examining the effects of both cigarette smoking and smoking cessation. In particularly, researchers were curious how many instances of sudden cardiac death (SCD) there would be. All study participants were between 30 to 55 years old and on average it was found that those who smoked, began in their later teenager years.

SCD is a where a sudden expected non-violent/non-traumatic death happens as a result of the loss of heart function. This is usually due to fatty deposits blocking arteries in the heart within older people, and in younger people under 35 years old, it is more than likely because of an inherited condition running in their family. The incidence of sudden cardiac death is approximately 1 in 1,000 per year, more common in males than females which make the findings of the Canadian study all the more intriguing.

The risk of heart problems was found to be double for women smoking just one cigarette each day compared to those who do not smoke, and the risk is a lot higher for long term smokers. The dangers are even greater than first thought and provide even more evidence that smokers should try and quit cigarettes altogether instead of limiting them to one or two a day, believing this to be healthier. Clearly even one cigarette is one too many, although the researchers do point out that the risk can be reversed and maybe eliminated within half a decade if women manage to stop smoking.

Roopinder K. Sandhu, M.D., M.P.H., the study’s lead author and a cardiac electrophysiologist at the University of Alberta’s Mazankowski Heart Institute in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, says: “Cigarette smoking is a known risk factor for sudden cardiac death, but until now, we didn’t know how the quantity and duration of smoking effected the risk among apparently healthy women, nor did we have long-term follow-up.”

During their three-decade long study, there were 351 occurrences of SCD according to the report in Circulation: Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology, an American Heart Association journal. Proving just how damaging cigarettes are to the human body, it was discovered that Women with no previous history of cancer, heart disease, or stroke and who smoked were at two and a half times the risk of sudden cardiac death in comparison to healthy non-smoking women. For each additional five years of smoking, the risk shot-up by 8%. There was some positive findings however. Researchers ascertained that if women with heart disease decide to quit smoking, they will see their risk of sudden cardiac death falling to levels of a non-smoker after a period of 15 to 20 years of kicking the habit.

Upon viewing the alarming findings from the study, Ellen Mason, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), commented: “This study shows that smoking just a couple of cigarettes a day could still seriously affect your future health. As we approach the New Year, many of us will be making resolutions and giving up smoking will be top of the list for lots of people. If you’re thinking of quitting and need a nudge, this research adds to the wealth of evidence that stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for your heart health.”

Quitting smoking should be something considered all year-round though and not just as a New Year’s resolution, that often people will give-up on.  If this study alone will not persuade you to quit, perhaps many of the other countless serious health risks could tempt you to finally stop.

If you require a little extra help, why not try effective smoking cessation medication from Medical Specialists Pharmacy. Champix is a prescription medication that works out from as little as just £75.00 per pack, an incredibly small price when it comes to your long-term health. Champix mimics the effect of nicotine on the body, reducing the urge to smoke and relieving withdrawal symptoms. It can also decrease the enjoyment you experience of smoking if you are still smoking whilst on the treatment. In fact, many people argue than Champix is much better than nicotine patches at helping you to stop smoking.

‘Weight Loss Ward’ to be featured in ITV1 documentary

One of Britain’s first dedicated obesity hospital units will be shown tomorrow night in an ITV1 documentary fittingly titled ‘Weight Loss Ward’. The hospital featured in the documentary is Sunderland Royal Hospital – in an area where shockingly more than 40% of the adults are overweight and such a ward is needed.

In fact as the national obesity epidemic continues to get worse and the NHS feels the impact of the £500 million it is losing from such problems, it will be no surprise to see more of these ‘weight loss wards’ appearing up and down the country.

Everything on these wards is super-sized. The doors have to be twice their usual width, every wheelchair has been reinforced with extra strength and could even fit two people with a normal ranged body mass index (BMI) and the beds are monstrous in their size.

Staff members at the hospital have been forced to use 50 stone max weight industrial strength scales to determine how much one patient weighed – 29-year-old Terry Gardner who was eventually found to tip the scales at 47 stone after previously being housebound for a year before being admitted to the hospital.

Terry is one of the largest patients ever treated at the Sunderland weight loss unit; too big to fit through his own bathroom door and his weight means he cannot use one of the reinforced ward beds, forcing staff to draft an even stronger one in from elsewhere and costing them £150 each day.

Terry’s story along with that of several others on the ward, will be featured tomorrow in the documentary. Viewers will see Terry pictured in his wedding photo just ten years prior, cutting a more drastically slender figure. He and many other patients are at their last resort at hospital and hoping for surgical intervention to basically save their lives. The documentary will show possible reasons why they have reached the size they are, the harsh truths about gastric surgery and what the weight loss surgery means to them – as well as the massive demands places on the shoulders of all the staff working at the unit.

One of these demands is keeping Terry to adhere to his strict 1,500 calorie per-day diet. They have decided this low calorie intake is essential for him to lose weight initially as he is too unhealthy to go in for a weight loss operation.

Tragically, Terry’s father passed away when just eight years old and he found himself put into care at 12. Now the father of two young children himself, he finds himself too big to wash his own body. He explains: “I feel like my weight is eating my life. There are times I say to my wife, why are you here? I am trapped in my own body.”

In the programme, consultant surgeon Peter Small does not hold back in his honesty of Terry’s situation and initial slow progress in shifting any weight. He says: “There is no medical problem that is causing people to be obese. The vast majority of people are obese because their calorie intake over time has not matched their calorie burn. The usual patient we get has been trying all the diets under the sun and all the medicines under the sun and they’ve failed. And they’re just crying for their life back.”

Regarding Terry, Mr Small explains: “We want him to confront his behaviour. He is almost pathologically obese, but why? Often complex psychological factors cause people to overeat.”
After being admitted on to the ward, Terry is provided with some basic exercises to carry out on his Zimmer frame. Mr Small says: “I have had younger and lighter people than him die on me while they are still on the list. But if we can get a balloon into him, it will help.”

However, in the documentary, Terry’s progress is shown to be minimal at best following three weeks on his 1,500 calorie-a-day diet. In fact, after three weeks he has lost just a single pound and staff suspect he has been allowed to buy crisps and fizzy drinks from the hospital trolley. “He is not cheating me… he is cheating himself. But it costs £100 a day to keep someone here”, says Mr Small, who is also irritated by Terry’s claim of an under-active thyroid being the cause for his weight gain. “Until he’s honest, we can’t help him. If he wants to bite the hand trying to not feed him…”
After a month though, the realisation of his grim situation has finally hit home with Terry and remarkably he has managed to lose a stone. “I think he realised if he didn’t help himself, we wouldn’t,” says Mr Small. Due to Terry’s shift in attitude and continued weight loss, he will soon be able to have a gastric balloon op.

With Gastric surgery costing an incredible £8,000, those who are obese could try clinically proven weight loss medication such as Xenical or XLS-Medical Fat Binder. Adopting a healthy lifestyle and diet in conjunction with one of these scientifically proven weight loss aids can help you lose weight and avoid ever ending up inside a weight loss ward such as the one at Sunderland Royal Hospital. Both Xenical and XLS-Medical are available today from Medical Specialists Pharmacy at incredibly low prices.

More evidence emerges to show a gum disease and erectile dysfunction link

Erectile dysfunction (ED) and heart disease have been closely associated with each other in recent years. As science has developed leaps and bounds, numerous studies over the years have provided evidence to show that many men who have difficulty achieving and sustaining an erection, will show early signs of atherosclerosis; a hardening of the arteries. Links have also been established between heart disease and the severe gum disease known as ‘periodontitis’.

This is a condition whereby inflammation and infection occurs within tissue supporting your teeth and is the result of gingivitis being left untreated. It is a very serious condition sometimes resulting in tooth loss, and infection of gums and the jaw bones. Periodontitis is the main culprit for adult tooth loss and it is estimated annually in the United Kingdom that there are six cases of severe periodontitis for every 100,000 people. If left untreated, it may increase the risk of serious health problems such as heart attack and stroke.

However, an intriguing study of patients in Turkey published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, suggests that men with ED are three times more likely to have gum disease than men who do not suffer from impotence. The Turkish researchers examined 80 male patients with ED and 82 male patients without it. Non-smokers were specifically chosen for the study as smoking is known to be a massive cause for both ED and gum disease. In addition, all patients involved were aged between 30 and 40 years of age to dismiss the prospect of age as being risk factor.

Before determining any results from their study, scientists took into account things such as education status, household income and body mass index (BMI), with both groups being similar in these regards. After all these important points were taken into account, the link between ED and bad oral hygiene still stood up.

In total, 52% of men suffering with ED also had inflamed gums, whilst 23% of men in the control group had periodontal disease. Therefore, it was estimated that men shown to have severe periodontal disease were actually 3.29 times more likely to suffer from ED their counterparts with healthier gums. The men’s sexual performance was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function, whilst the plaque index and tests on the gums were used to check patient’s oral health.

The lead author for the study, Doctor Faith Oguz, of Inonu University in Turkey, said: “Erectile dysfunction is a major public health problem that affects the quality of life of some 150 million men, and their partners, worldwide. Physical factors cause nearly two-thirds of cases, mainly because of problems with the blood vessels, with psychological issues like emotional stress and depression accounting for the remainder. Chronic periodontitis is a group of infectious diseases caused predominantly by bacteria that most commonly occur with inflammation of the gums. Many studies have reported that chronic periodontitis may induce vascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease, which have been linked with erection problems.”

The Turkish study only looked at men aged between 30 and 40 years old however. ED can affect men of all ages and it is estimated that a staggering two thirds of men over the age of 70 have quite severe symptoms.

The causes of male impotence is a subject that Medical Specialists Pharmacy has previously discussed in great detail and following requests from our patients, we ran a side-by-side comparison of each of the treatments available for men. Viagra, Cialis and Levitra are available today at Medical Specialists, at low prices. All are obtainable with or without a prescription. If you do not have a prescription, you can undergo a private and confidential online consultation with one of our Doctors and if suitable, they will write you a prescription. This is passed to our in-house Pharmacists, and dispensed and dispatched to you at your home, your place of work, or where ever you choose, discreetly within 24 hours.

IVF babies could be at double the risk of developing asthma

Researchers based at Oxford University claim that a child who is born through In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is more than double likely to develop asthma compared to a child that is planned and then conceived naturally. During IVF, an egg is taken from the woman’s ovaries and then fertilised with the man’s sperm at a laboratory inside a dish. This fertilisation process is referred to as ‘in vitro’, which is the Latin meaning for ‘in glass’. The resultant embryo is then placed back inside the woman’s womb to grow and develop.

Cost of the treatment is incredibly expensive, with the UK and the U.S. leading the way in regards to each ‘live birth’ and it is the actual costliness of the underlying healthcare system that is taken into account more than anything else. Unfortunately, in recent times IVF has faced many controversies and some babies from IVF treatment have even joined together on internet forums later in their life to voice their distress and anger with their situation. Many feel socially ostracised and frustrated about not knowing their donor parent and genetic relatives they may have.

The asthma claims stem from what is the first ever UK study to analyse asthma risks following an IVF conception and have recently been published in the journal Human Reproduction. A possible connection was established by scientists at the University following an analysis of 18,818 children born in the UK in a two-year period between 2000 and 2002.

According to the study, children conceived after fertility treatment, are also more likely to suffering wheezing or have to use an anti-asthmatic medicine by the age of five; a potential indication of more severe asthma.  Despite the possible connection between IVF treatment and lung problems, the researchers stress that the findings do not definitely prove asthma is caused by IVF and that a child born as a result remains at low risk.

Childhood asthma is already a massive problem in the UK. In total it is estimated there are around 1.1 million children who are currently receiving treatment for asthma in the UK – an equivalent of 1 in every 11 children. Asthma rates have skyrocketed four-fold since the 1970s and some of the many risk factors for the problem have been covered in detail by Medical Specialists Pharmacy. Just this year alone we have seen a wide range of different issues that can contribute to asthma development, such as tobacco smoke, viral infections and mothers taking antibiotics during pregnancy.

In addition, approximately one child in every seven will experience ‘wheezing’ at some point during their first five years. The Oxford University study will raise concerns as the results show that IVF children are twice as likely to develop wheezing.

Researchers conducting the study found that children born to sub-fertile parents were 39% more likely to be experiencing asthma symptoms by the time they were aged five. Also the same children were 27% more likely to suffer with wheezing.

A thorough analysis of the results showed a link between health problems and assisted reproduction technology (ART). ARTs can include IVF as well as ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection); which involves injecting a single sperm straight into an egg to fertilise it.

Lead researcher Dr Claire Carson of Oxford University says that in total 15% of the children involved in their study were asthmatic at age five, with an increase to 24% within the 104 children born through assisted-reproduction technologies. As only 104 were born via this method, scientists have urged caution when translating the results.

Dr Carson explains: “Childhood asthma is a common condition in the UK where the prevalence of the condition is higher than other European countries, and to our knowledge this is the first UK study of asthma after IVF conceptions. Our analysis suggests that it is the ART group in particular who are at higher risk.”

Malayka Rahman, from the charity Asthma UK, said: “This study suggests that there might be an association between IVF treatment and asthma developing in children, but the sample size for this study is small and currently the research in this area generally is not conclusive. Overall research suggests that the absolute risk of asthma increasing after IVF appears to be small. Further work is needed to establish what might be causing this association and whether there are other factors at play other than the IVF treatment itself. In the meantime those considering IVF should speak to their GP about the benefits and health risks in order to make an informed decision.”

Medical Specialists Pharmacy is able to help you if you are suffering from asthma. We can provide any new or existing asthma patient with a wide range of medications. If you have already been prescribed an inhaler, have lost your inhaler, or run out and cannot get a prescription immediately, we are able to supply you an inhaler to help your asthma symptoms. You can undergo a quick and easy confidential online consultation with one of our GMC-registered Doctors and if suitable, they will write you a prescription which is passed to our in-house RPSGB–registered Pharmacists and dispensed to a location of your choice. We have both blue (relievers) inhalers such as Ventolin and Salbutamol, and brown (preventers) inhalers such as Qvar Beclomethasone and Qvar Easi-Breathe.

Scientists claim red wine may help to prevent bowel cancer

Two glasses of red wine per day may help to prevent the growth of cancerous tumours in the bowel according to researchers at Leicester University, whose findings will be presented by Professor Karen Brown to over 100 experts from around the world at a conference taking place at the university today.

The key to this cancer-prevention is held in a compound contained within the skin of grapes called ‘resveratrol’; which is also found in various other sources such as peanuts and berries. Resveratrol has garnered much attention over the years for its apparent anti-aging and disease-combating benefits and but this study represents the first genuine scientific evidence that resveratrol helps to prevents cancer.

Past research has indicated that the compound can also reduce the risk of heart disease by stopping the oxidation of LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol, making it a lot harder for platelets to stick together and form the clots that may result in a heart attack. If that wasn’t enough, resveratrol is known prevent insulin resistance. This process occurs after insulin levels are sufficiently high over a sustained period of time to cause the body’s own sensitivity to the hormone to be reduced. Insulin resistance is a precursor to diabetes and can be caused by obesity, stress, pregnancy and because of the ‘metabolic syndrome’.

The researchers at Leicester University administered a daily dose of 5mg (the equivalent of two glasses of red wine) to mice, and to their amazement they discovered it halved the growth of bowel tumours.

Professor Brown, from the university’s cancer biomarkers and prevention group, commented on the study findings and said: “What has been amazing for us is to find that, in laboratory mice, a low dose of resveratrol, the equivalent of a big glass of red wine, was more effective than a larger dose in preventing tumours developing. However, we have also found it is most effective with a high-fat diet, and not a standard diet. We now need to do more work on how the chemical actually works in the body and how it works in human cells. It might be that it works differently in different people.”

John Mathers, Professor of Human Nutrition at Newcastle University, who was not part of the study, offered his views on the findings, saying: “There has been a lot of research carried out on resveratrol which has been tested using a variety of model organisms from yeast to mice. It has worked in some models but not in others. It is very difficult to translate model systems to humans which require a large amount of subjects to be convincing and it is very expensive. Resveratrol has a molecular and protective mechanism which helps cells to deal with damaged protein, such as ageing and cancer. It would be very nice to see this latest evidence, anything that can reduce cancer risk using a dietary molecule is potentially interesting.”

The next challenge for the researchers will be to conduct further laboratory tests in addition to a year-long clinical trial monitoring the effects of resveratrol being taken by patients most at risk of developing cancer.

Some clinical trials have shown that the compound is able to get to the prostate and bowel tissue, however further tests are required to determine what, if any, reaction occurs on patients and if it there are any interactions with other medications. In the trials, scientists will also decide appropriate doses of resveratrol when given in a tablet form.

Bowel cancer may also be known as rectal, colorectal or colon cancer, depending on where the cancer starts. In England it is the third most common type of cancer and in 2009 alone, it was reported there were 41,142 new cases of bowel cancer. Of these new cases, 18,431 cases were diagnosed in women and 22,711 cases were diagnosed in men. It is uncommon for those under the age of 40 to develop the cancer, with around 85% of new cases being diagnosed in people over the age of 65.

Factors that increase the risk of bowel cancer include: having an inactive lifestyle, smoking, heavy alcohol intake (over 4 units a day) and obesity. In addition, others at risk are those with a high intake of processed foods, red meat, low-fibre foods and high-fat foods.

Symptoms can be difficult to spot as they may be similar to less life-threatening conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. However, if you experience them for longer than a few weeks, it is recommended you seek medical attention as soon as possible. Symptoms include: Blood in your faeces, the appearance of mucus in the faeces, inexplicable weight loss, persistent abdominal pain lasting longer than two weeks, severe constipation or diarrhoea lasting longer than two weeks and tiredness as a result of becoming anaemic from microscopic bleeding from the bowel.

If you have any of these symptoms and they are causing you concern, Medical Specialists Pharmacy advise that you visit your GP immediately. Your GP may want to check for bowel cancer by conducting a rectal examination to check for any abnormal changes at the lower end of the bowel. Another test your GP may want to refer you to is one called ‘faecal occult bloods’ (FOBs). Here, many samples of your faeces are scanned for any possible microscopic amounts of blood lost from a tumour. If a diagnosis is made, a ‘Dukes’ staging’ is given to the cancer to determine how it is likely to progress or conclude which is the best course of treatment to go for the patient.

If you are suffering with other stomach and bowel problems such as the previously mentioned irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or heartburn and indigestion, or acid reflux, why not visit the ‘stomach and bowel’ area of the Medical Specialists website. We have a huge range of products for these conditions, including the revolutionary new Symprove drink, as featured in the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, as well as HELLO! magazine. Symprove is helping millions in the fight against IBS and the delicious 500ml mango and passion fruit flavoured version is available from the Medical Specialists chemist shop for the low price of £19.93.

Have you ever watched an American National Football League (NFL) game and wondered just where the players get all of their pumped-up excitement, energy and adrenaline from? Well, according to Chicago Bears’ wide receiver Brandon Marshall, it comes from an unlikely source indeed. The NFL star spoke recently saying that a potential performance enhancer comes in the shape of the little blue diamond-shape erectile dysfunction wonder medication known as Viagra.

UK audiences are only sporadically treated to the hard-hitting action of a live NFL game, with just a handful of matches being played on English soil in recent years. However Wembley Stadium will host an unprecedented two regular-season National Football League matches during 2013, giving Brits a chance to possibly see the effects of what Viagra can do to these buffed-up athletes.

Marshall sparked the Viagra furore last Wednesday when he was quizzed about an ever-growing number of player suspensions related to various amphetamines, including the ADHD drug Adderall. Marshall said he didn’t know about any players using Adderall or much about that particular drug, but interestingly claimed that Viagra has been used by NFL players as a way to boost energy-levels.

He said: “I know guys, it is such a competitive league, guys try anything just to get that edge. I’m fortunate enough to be blessed with size and some smarts to give me my edge. But some guys, they’ll do whatever they can to get an edge. I’ve heard of some crazy stories. I’ve heard guys using like Viagra, seriously. Because the blood is supposedly thin, some crazy stuff. So, you know, it’s kind of scary with some of these chemicals that are in some of these things, so you have to be careful.”

Maybe Marshall is getting confused with the high volume of dangerous Viagra counterfeits that are doing the rounds when he mentions about these scary chemicals. Genuine Pfizer-manufactured Viagra as supplied by Medical Specialists Pharmacy, contains an active ingredient named ‘sildenafil citrate’ that was once developed for the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) as well as angina pectoris (a symptom of ischaemic heart disease). Although proved largely ineffective for angina, it was noted in clinical trials that sildenafil citrate could greatly improve penile erections and then was subsequently approved for use in treating erectile dysfunction.

It is still open for debate though if Marshall’s comments do have some substance to them. Back in 2008 The New York Times published the results study funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency. For the study, Viagra was given to many of the Marywood University’s school lacrosse team to test for any possible health benefits.  Viagra was never added to its banned substance list by WADA as they believed that there was insufficient evidence that the drug would improve athletic performance, in spite of wide belief that an increased blood flow to the penis would also similarly work in other muscles actually needed on a football field.

In addition, Dr. Olivier Rabin, science director at the World Anti-Doping Agency in Montreal, says he does not believe Viagra manages to work at boosting performance in NFL players. In contrary to popular belief, he also said nothing exists to prove that Viagra is effective mask the use of steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.

Dr. Rabin continued and suggested that Viagra could prove beneficial for athletes competing at high altitudes as Viagra help to dilate blood vessels, with vessels in the lungs being quite constricted in high altitude climates.

This was a subject covered in great detail back in July by Medical Specialists, just prior to the London 2012 Summer Olympics. Here, we reported that Viagra was not banned from any of the competing athletes and summarised with: “In summary, then, Viagra is useful for the treatment of ED and PAH. Although there is some evidence of performance-enhancing effects on athletic performance (in some individuals) at altitude, there is no evidence that Viagra improves performance in typical athletic activities.”

So it seems the debate goes on as people around the world argue whether or not Viagra has any definite benefits for athletes. There are many studies that have shown benefits could be seen for high-altitude athletes such as cyclists and climbers. For now though, we can be certain that Viagra is hugely effective at combating erectile dysfunction and at least performance in the bedroom will see a boost. Genuine Pfizer Viagra is available to suitable patients after an online consultation with one of our in-house Doctors. It will then be dispensed by our in-house Pharmacy, and delivered to your required destination within just 24 hours.

NHS mistakes increase as more patients are needlessly dying

Damming statistics have been released that show errors by NHS staff are increasing each year, needless deaths are occurring due to misdiagnosis, and hospitals are full to the extent that nurses and doctors are struggling to maintain the safety and quality of patient care resulting in almost 3,000 deaths each year and 7,500 being wrongly diagnosed, administered with wrong drugs or poorly cared for.

Titled ‘How Safe Is Your Hospital?’, a documentary was screened last night on BBC1 at 8.30pm for  Panorama showing just how huge pressure from increasing demand, limited finances and the biggest reorganisation in its history, is leaving thousands of patients at huge risk.

BBC Reporter Declan Lawn was documented exploring numerous serious problems in trusts across England and the latest figures of death rates will be seen.  In particularly, during 2011/12 it has been revealed that a shocking 2,864 patients died after mistakes were made by NHS staff. During 2010/11 there were 2,726 deaths due to similar reasons, representing a 5% increase. Viewers last night were shocked to learn that some of the mistakes made included elderly patients being misdiagnosed as having cancer when they in fact had heart failure, and thus receiving unnecessary and pointless treatment as their health declined.

Other errors that have been made include nurses failing to notice chest infections in new-born babies that may have been cured with adequate treatment such as antibiotics.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt reacted to the worrying statistics and acknowledged that there could be ‘pockets’ of poor care, similar to that seen during the 2008 Stafford Hospital scandal which erupted after an investigation by the Healthcare Commission following the Commission receiving news that there was ‘apparently high mortality rates in patients admitted as emergencies’ between January 2005 and March 2009. Approximately 1,200 patients were believed to have died as a result of varying examples of incompetence and mainly due to the scandal, the mortality rates of every NHS hospital are now able to be viewed online.

In a statement given for the Panorama documentary, the Health Secretary said: “Whilst failings in care at Mid-Staffordshire  NHS Foundation Trust have shocked many, we cannot say with confidence that some of those failings do not exist in pockets elsewhere in the NHS. Whilst the majority of patients receive excellent care from the NHS, we still have much to do to ensure quality of care is considered as important as quality of treatment throughout the system.”

Dr Mike Williams, of the University of Exeter, has conducted recent studies regarding hospital safety and says: “Doctors, nurses, and managers do not realise the level of harm that’s going on hospitals. Most hospitals are now having more and more patients coming through the front door. The money is at standstill, if not reducing. The number of staff are therefore at the same level, they’re having to do more work – and work harder and faster. The research is very clear that where staff have to work extremely hard they are much more likely to make mistakes.”

The BBC documentary into the NHS comes in the same week it has been revealed that hospitals are fully crammed with patients, leading to a decline in the quality of care that is available. Healthcare information firm Dr Foster – partially owned by the government – shows that bed occupancy rates are well over 85% on many occasions. This is the limit that is recommended in order for patients to receive good care and also not exposed to health risks.

The NHS themselves have previously stated that 85% or above puts them in a difficult position to provide high-quality care and keeping the rate below this can help to limit the chances of patients  contracting an infection within the hospital as well as ensuring that staff do not make any errors when dealing with patient’s medication.

Worryingly, it seems the problems could get a lot worse. More and more hospitals are on ‘red alert’, meaning they do not have many beds to spare. Others are even worse off though, declaring themselves on ‘black alert’, having to refuse any new admissions and direct patients elsewhere.