Quitting smoking – not ‘cutting down’ – improves life expectancy

Do you think you are being healthy by cutting down on cigarettes? Think again…New research suggests that smokers who merely cut down on their smoking instead of actually fully quitting, are unlikely to extend their lifespan.

The claims emerge from a huge study conducted by researchers from both Glasgow and Stirling Universities, spanning an incredible four decades.

Approximately 5,200 smokers from Scotland’s ‘central belt’ were involved in two smoking studies from the early 1970s. Despite the name, the central belt is not exactly central Scotland, but is actually the Scottish Highlands to the north and the Southern Uplands to the south; the area of highest population density in Scotland.

The participants were then asked about their smoking habits several years later. For instance, about whether they had managed to quit, had reduced how many cigarettes they smoked daily, or kept a similar level of smoking habit up, or even increased.

Data was compiled between the 1970s and 2010, documenting each death during this time from those in the two studies. The researchers noted that people who had successfully stopped smoking had lower mortality rates in comparison to those who had kept up the deadly habit. Moreover, there was no massive difference discovered in mortality rates between the smokers who had cut down their intake and those who had not.

Professor Linda Bauld, one of the report’s authors from Stirling University, commented: “Our results support the view that reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke is not a reliable way of improving your health in the long term. However, what we do now know is that it may have a valuable role as a step toward giving up altogether, through cutting down to quit, an approach that has been recommended in recent guidance in the UK.”

The findings however do not correlate with a similar long-term study conducted in Israel, whereby the results seemed to suggest that decreasing the number of cigarettes smoked can reduce mortality rates, although the results of the Scottish study back up the findings from larger studies of a shorter time period carried out in Denmark and Norway.

Regardless though, what we can be certain of is that smoking is an incredibly dangerous habit for long-term health reduces your lifespan by many years and can impact those around you via secondhand smoke. Medical Specialists Pharmacy and almost every other health body across the world advise smokers to quit smoking rather than just ‘cutting down’. One cigarette per day is still one too many in many people’s eyes.

Let’s not forget that smoking is directly the cause of numerous types of cancer, stroke and heart attacks, can cause male impotence, is terrible for the skin, but the habit is an incredibly expensive one to have to maintain.

The British Heart Foundation have listed the staggering amount of money that can be saved over the duration of a year by giving up smoking, in addition to more appealing things that the cash can be spent on.

They say the financial gains of stopping smoking are:

1 day (£7): Two movie rentals or a new lipstick.
1 week (£49): A family cinema trip or a meal for two.
1 month (£210): A shopping spree or premiership football tickets.
3 months (£630): A new laptop or the latest flat screen TV.
6 months (£1,260): A leather suite or a home cinema.
1 year (£2,555): A new kitchen or a holiday of a lifetime.

Medical Specialists Pharmacy is able to help you quit smoking with the aid of the smoking cessation medication Champix, meaning you will both protect your health and save huge amounts of money in the future as the government continually look to raise tobacco prices.

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. The medication equates to just £75.00 per pack – inexpensive in comparison to the £2,555 you can save over a year by quitting smoking!

Do you have the stomach for a fight? How to combat IBS…

At Medical Specialists Pharmacy we deal with tens of thousands of patients each and every year, many of whom are suffering with a varying range of health problems such as: male impotence, acne, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), obesity, asthma etc.

Therefore, in addition to the huge number of different prescription medications we provide such as Viagra (for male impotence), Aknemycin Plus (for acne), Valtrex (for STIs), Xenical (for weight loss) and Ventolin Evohaler (for asthma), we like to provide all our new and existing patients with knowledge and information.

This knowledge and information can be about reasons/possible causes behind their particular ailment, tips and advice on how best to manage their condition, discussing some common myths that are rife (especially across the internet) in regards to a certain condition, and what foods are good or bad for a health problem.

Just some of the informative articles we have published in the previous year include 6 foods for stronger erections, debunking some of the common myths about erectile dysfunction, the best foods for great skin and the common culprits for acne, the best foods for healthy hair and information about important and often ignored key factors in how to lose weight.

Today, Medical Specialists put the digestive system into the spotlight, focusing on the common digestive disorder irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). So common in fact, that there are believed to be a staggering 12 million sufferers of IBS just within Britain alone – and around twice as common in women than men.

Some of the usual symptoms for sufferers include highly discomforting stomach cramps, bloating and diarrhoea or constipation, or sometimes even bouts of both. Exact reasons for the development of IBS in those who suffer with it are still unknown, but it is believed to be one or a combination of factors like bacterial gastroenteritis – an infection of the stomach and intestines, genetics – i.e. it may run in families, psychological factors such as stress or depression, or food sensitivity – i.e. symptoms are induced by consuming foods high in carbohydrates, foods high in fat, spicy foods, alcohol, fizzy drinks and caffeinated drinks.

We hope the majority of the 12 million people who have IBS in Britain are aware of effective treatments available to them such as Mebeverine, Colpermin and Buscopan IBS Relief, but also that there are a number of steps to be taken to reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms rearing their ugly head.

There has never been a ‘one size fits all’ rule in regards to diet for people with IBS. Certain diets might lessen the symptoms for one person, but be relatively ineffective for somebody else. Many find it beneficial to maintain a food diary for a period of around two to four weeks in order to pinpoint the particular food or drink that are causing or worsening symptoms. You should always seek the advice of your GP before making drastic changes to your diet as advice could differ with different symptoms.

However, people with IBS are commonly recommended to alter the intake of fibre in their diet. There are two types of fibre; soluble fibre – which the body is able to digest, and insoluble fibre – which the body is unable to digest.

Soluble fibre is contained in:

. Flaxseeds.
. Barley.
. Rye.
. Oatmeal.
. Fruit, such as apples, bananas, pears and strawberries.
. Vegetables, such as carrots, celery, cucumber and potatoes.
. Golden linseeds.

Insoluble fibre is contained in:

. Brown rice.
. Wholegrain bread.
. Wholemeal pasta.
. Wholegrain cereals.
. Wholewheat flour.
. Popcorn.
. Lentils.
. Beans.

Those who suffer with IBS and often episodes of diarrhoea may find it helpful to reduce the amount of insoluble fibre in their diet and avoid the skin, pith and pips from fruit and vegetables, whilst people who suffer from IBS with constipation can usually find benefits by increasing the soluble fibre in their diet and drinking more water.

There are also numerous other dietary and lifestyle choices you can take which may prove successful at easing your symptoms. These include:

. Have regular meals, evenly spaced out, making sure not to go long periods without eating and pace yourself whilst eating.
. Try to drink around eight cups of fluid each day – preferably water. Limit drinks containing caffeine as well as alcoholic drinks.
. If you can’t bear to give up tea and coffee, restrict your intake to three cups each day at the very most.
. Restrict fruit intake to three portions each day.
. Those suffering with diarrhoea should avoid artificial sweeteners such as sorbitol. This is contained in some sugar-free sweets, chewing gum, and certain diabetic and slimming products.
. Vigorous exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes each day, at least three times a week, is beneficial to most IBS sufferers. Discuss with your GP which exercise is most suited for you.
. If stress, depression, or anxiety is the main cause of your IBS symptoms, relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises or meditation may help, in addition to more physically-involved activities such as pilates or yoga.

If you are one of the 12 million people around Britain who have IBS, or one of the millions of others around the world who are also suffering, you do not have to live in misery or let your symptoms majorly affect your day-to-day activities. We have previously discussed IBS at work, and why not browse around the ‘Stomach and Bowel’ area of the Medical Specialists website.  We offer an ever-growing range of effective medications for IBS such as the previously mentioned Mebeverine, Colpermin and Buscopan IBS Relief, plus you can find treatments such as Lansoprazole and Omeprazole for acid reflux.

Children’s poor diets lead to rise in rickets and scurvy

Doctors in the United Kingdom are becoming increasingly concerned about just how poor our children’s diets have become and have warned that youngsters’ diets are now even worse than those seen during the previous world war – almost 70 years ago, when food was rationed.

After war was declared in September 1939, the British government strategized a rationing plan as German submarines began attacking British supply ships. There was a huge worry of a mass food shortage in shops, and that people would hoard food – leaving none for others.

Food rationing in Britain began in 1940 and meant that each person was only permitted to buy a set amount of certain foods per week, exchanging coupons from a ration book, as well as money, in return for your goods.

After the wartime rationing began, the typical allowance each week for one person was: one fresh egg; 4oz margarine and bacon (about four rashers); 2oz butter and tea; 1oz cheese; and 8oz sugar.
However, because of a sparse supply of fresh fruit and veg during the Second World War, there were outbreaks of rickets and scurvy; both bone-related diseases.

Scurvy is a rare condition that develops with an insufficient amount of vitamin C in your diet. Vitamin C is crucial for the body to produce collagen – a protein within different types of tissue, such as: skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage (which cover the surface of joints). Without vitamin C, collagen can’t be replaced, resulting in a breakdown of tissue. This then causes symptoms of scurvy, which include:

. Joint and muscular pain.
. Feeling tired and weak a lot of the time.
. Small red-blue spots appearing on the skin.
. Swollen gums, which then soften up and bleed.
. Teeth may feel loose or fall out.

Rickets is a disease that hinders bone development in children, causing their bones to soften and become weak and may result in bowed or curved bones. A deficiency of calcium and vitamin D from foods such as oily fish and eggs is usually the cause of rickets. The symptoms include:

. Soft skull bones or skull deformities.
. Teeth taking a long time to come through.
. Weak tooth enamel, eventually leading to tooth decay.
. Growth problems – children shorter than expected for their age.
.  Painful bones that are affected by the disease so the child may become tired or reluctant to walk.

Health chiefs are now concerned that the typical modern day diets of UK children are so poor that these two diseases, common during the food rationing period nearly 70 years ago, are on the increase. A lack of fruit and veg, high intake of fast foods and microwave meals are all being blamed.

Dr Mark Temple, chairman of the British Medical Association’s public health medicine committee, warned: “Food standards in the UK are worse now that they were during the rationing during the war. That’s a strong indictment on the food industry. Obesity is a major health threat and we ought to be doing something about it.”

Dietician Sioned Quirke, who works in the Rhondda Valleys in South Wales, commented on the issue, saying: “For some population groups diet and nutrition has reverted back to being as poor as it was 100 years ago. The difference between now and then is that this is out of choice. People say that fruit and vegetables are not affordable when in fact they are. Rickets and scurvy are coming back. When I was training 10 years ago we were told about these as past conditions and thought we would not come across them. These conditions are long-term. If the bones are affected by vitamin deficiency then they are affected for life.”

Lack of sleep may be dangerous for the heart

Scientists claim that getting less than seven hours of sleep per night could lead to fatal heart attacks and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and getting enough sleep could just as beneficial as not smoking with regards to heart problems.

The claims come from a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Researchers in the Netherlands analysed the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke for over 14,000 men and women in their 20s over a 12-year period.

There were four lifestyle factors that were identified as being ‘positive’ – engaging in exercise, adhering to a healthy diet, only drinking alcohol in moderation, and not smoking. On top of these four key factors, the team of researchers wondered if sleep was also similarly important.

By the end of the study, it was found that the participants who had stuck to all four healthy factors  were actually at a 57% reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease and had a 67% lower risk of death from events such as suffering a heart attack.

Interestingly, sufficient sleep was found to boost these figures even more. Researchers discovered that with seven or more hours of sleep each night increased the benefit of these  healthy behaviours; now standing at a 65% lower risk of cardiovascular disease  and 83% lower risk of fatal events from occurring.

The researchers state that previous studies have demonstrated a connection between insufficient/poor sleeping habits and cardiovascular disease, however theirs is the first to analyse if sleep – in addition to the other four healthy lifestyle factors – can help to decrease a person’s risk even more.

“If all participants adhered to all five healthy lifestyle factors, 36% of composite cardiovascular disease [heart disease or stroke] and 57% of fatal cardiovascular disease could theoretically be prevented or postponed,” say the researchers, from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, and Wageningen University.

They added: “The public health impact of sufficient sleep duration, in addition to the traditional healthy lifestyle factors, could be substantial,” whilst Lead researcher Dr Monique Verschuren commented: “The importance of sleep should now be mentioned as an additional way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.”

However, before this study causes panic, Doireann Maddock, of the British Heart Foundation, alleviated worries to some extent and says: “This research shows combining a good night’s sleep with other healthy lifestyle choices can reduce your risk of heart disease. But troubled sleepers should not be alarmed – this study doesn’t mean sleepless nights cause heart disease.”

New lung cancer campaign warns not to ignore a persistent cough

The latest phase of the NHS ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign kicked off yesterday in an attempt to promote awareness of the common signs and symptoms of lung cancer so that people can seek medical assistance at an early enough stage to receive appropriate treatment and lessen the risk of dying from the disease.

Lung cancer has the unwanted title of being England’s biggest cancer killer, claiming around 28,000 lives each year from approximately 33,800 people that are diagnosed with the deadly disease.

The campaign will be primarily targeted at those over the age of 50 as they are the group who are most vulnerable and at risk. Almost a fifth (19%) of over-50s admit they have not previously been to see their doctor when suffering with a persistent cough as they assumed it would go away by itself eventually and not anything serious.

The campaign will involve TV advertisements showing real-life doctors, in addition to print and radio lasting until the middle of August. In several shopping centres there will also be face-to-face events taking place.

One important message from the new campaign is: If you are suffering from a cough that is still prominent after three weeks then go to see your doctor immediately and no not simply disregard your symptoms.

Health chiefs want to make more people aware of this because of the fact that each year around 24,000 people across England are diagnosed with lung cancer when the disease has progressed to a late stage. Unfortunately, only 15% of cases are caught at an early enough stage whereby treatment is likely to prove successful.

Reasons behind the failure in getting help at an early stage for treatment may be linked to a widespread lack of knowledge about lung cancer and the early signs and symptoms of it. In fact,  the latest figures – extracted from an omnibus survey conducted with a representative sample of 1,045 adults aged 16 and above in England between 7 and 10 June 2013 by TNS England BMRB – show that nearly three-quarters (73%) of people do not realise that lung cancer is England’s biggest cancer killer. Moreover, 40% of people are unaware a cough lasting three weeks or more could be a sign of lung cancer.

However, there are other symptoms to be aware of in regards to lung cancer, such as:

. Coughing up blood.
. A long-standing cough that gradually gets worse.
. Persistent breathlessness.
. Persistent chest infections such as bronchitis or pneumonia.
. Inexplicable weight loss.
. Aching/pain in your chest and/or shoulder area.

Although smoking causes an estimated 85% – 90% of all lung cancer cases, non-smokers can still develop the disease so if you do not smoke and still show signs of the above symptoms, do not assume you cannot possibly have lung cancer as you don’t smoke. Although the fact remains that smokers are still 15 times more likely to die from the disease compared to those who have never smoked.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt spoke about the importance of spotting lung cancer as early as possible, saying: “More people die from lung cancer than any other cancer in England, but many people don’t know the signs and symptoms that could save their lives. The message from this campaign is clear – if you have a persistent cough, go and see your doctor. The earlier lung cancer is diagnosed, the more likely that treatment will be successful. I am committed to improving cancer survival rates and have set out an ambition to save an extra 5,000 lives every year by 2014 – getting people diagnosed early is one part of our drive to have the best cancer services in the world.”

Sean Duffy, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, added: “Awareness campaigns like this are especially important in getting people with potential symptoms into doctors’ surgeries. During the regional pilot, trusts within the campaign area saw a 14% increase in lung cancer cases diagnosed compared with a year earlier, whereas there was only a 4.7% increase in trusts outside the pilot area. However, more needs to be done for our survival rates to be as good as the best in Europe. If they were, it is estimated that around 1,300 deaths could be avoided each year.”

Andy Murray and Lionel Messi join campaigns to combat malaria

Famous sporting figures from around the world have offered their help in the battle against the potentially-deadly disease malaria.

Tennis star Andy Murray, who yesterday defeated Russian Mikhail Youzhny to reach the quarter finals of Wimbledon, has lent his support to charity Malaria No More UK.

Since their inception in 2009, Malaria No More UK have successfully pushed the coalition government to guarantee malaria is one of the key factors of its international development agenda and have secured a major coup in getting Andy Murray on board for their ‘Be The Net’ campaign – an interactive digital campaign to raise awareness about fighting the disease.

Murray, 26, spoke about malaria to the Huffington Post, saying: "In the past year I’ve won some of the biggest matches of my career but I’m still striving for the world to win the fight against malaria. Every minute a child dies unnecessarily from this disease, yet it is easy to prevent and costs less than a pack of tennis balls to treat. Be The Net is an easy way for us to come together and show our support for this winnable fight, something I am proud to support."

Members of the public are able to insert their face onto a virtual mosquito net via social networking sites Twitter and Facebook, or email and share the activity with their friends or family. Users can also develop their understanding about malaria and the huge challenges there are in combating the disease, in addition to being able email their local MP to show support in the UK’s help in battling malaria and decreasing the risks and deaths caused by it.

Arabella Gilchrist, Director of Communications for Malaria No More UK says: “This campaign is all about getting the public involved and empowered in a democratic movement to fight malaria – one of the best humanitarian investments on the planet. Andy’s the perfect fit for this campaign, he’s tenacious and persistent – Be The Net promotes the message that united we can win.”


However the tennis superstar is not the only sporting figure who is united in fighting malaria. On Thursday 27^th June, Barcelona and Argentina footballer and current FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi arrived for a humanitarian trip to the West African country Senegal.

Messi, 26, was there in conjunction with Qatari football academy ASPIRE Football Dreams to help promote mosquito nets for a new anti-malaria program.

The organisations new initiative – Football Combating Malaria – hopes to distribute an initial 400,000 medicated bed nets across 10 countries in Africa, but aims to have over 1,000,000 to people across the continent each year in the very near future. Nearly 1,000,000 people are thought to have cheated death over the past 12 years by sleeping under nets coated with insecticide.

Despite this, according to the World Health Organization, during 2010 malaria was still responsible for an estimated 660,000 deaths around the world.  The 660,000 deaths emanated from a staggering approximate 219 million cases of the disease, which is preventable and treatable through medicines such as Doxycycline, Malarone and Paludrine.

Around 91% of those fatalities occur in Africa, where most of the deaths are children under the age of 5. Tragically, about 180 children die because of malaria every 90 minutes – the same time duration as a football match.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Messi opened up about the plight of malaria, saying: “I am really delighted to come to Senegal. My commitment to be part of this battle against malaria is relentless. Whenever I have the opportunity to help, I will not hesitate. There is no doubt that I’ll co-operate with organisations involved in this initiative to trim out the pernicious effects of malaria.”

1,677 websites shut down for selling counterfeit medication

It has emerged that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week seized a haul of over $41 million (£26.9 million) worth of counterfeit or substandard medication in their latest battle to shut down the thousands of websites plaguing the internet that offer low-priced unlawful drugs. The crackdown is part of Operation Pangea VI; a drive to stamp out illegal medicines and which involved more than 100 countries working together, according to Interpol.

In addition to the $41 million worth of illegal medicines obtained, FDA officials have also confirmed they have arrested 58 people and have shut down 1,677 websites that were offering fake or poor quality medication, or for offering drugs without required safeguards. For instance, if a website offering prescription-only medication for male impotence such as Viagra or Cialis does not provide a doctors’ consultation, this is immediately a red flag and should raise suspicion.

In an attempt to dupe the unwilling public into parting money for the dangerous fake drugs, many of the websites the FDA shut down had sophisticated-looking interfaces and were successful in masquerading as a legitimate pharmacy. One of the websites found by the FDA – Walgreens-Store.com – was clearly trying to trick people into believing this was affiliated with the popular chain. However, their website is actually Walgreens.com.

The FDA says the seized drugs included erectile dysfunction pills called ‘Levitra Super Force’ and ‘Viagra Super Force’, in addition to schizophrenia drug Clozaril (clozapine). This medication however has been known to have serious side effects and is only usually prescribed to patients who undergo regular assessments whilst on the treatment.

Speaking to CNN about the problem of counterfeit drugs, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg commented: “It impacts consumers every day. These products can have none of the active ingredient that people need for the treatment of their disease. They can have too much or too little (of the ingredient); they can have toxic ingredients, and they can prevent patients from getting the actual medications that they badly need to treat their disease.”

During some of the raids last week, FDA and customs agents used handheld scanners with ultraviolet and infrared radiation to spot the presence of falsified packaging or questionable drug ingredients. Fake drug ingredients are still confirmed following the conduction of lab tests however. Los Angeles International Airport is one such place where the scanners are utilised due to the huge amounts of imports arriving at the airport.

Also as part of the Pangea VI Operation and happening closer to home, investigators from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last week arrested a man operating from a housing estate in Kings Langley near London.

MHRA officials exited the property with two large bags of Viagra-like erectile dysfunction drugs and his laptop for further analysis of his illegal activities.

The man’s apprehension followed the MHRA tracking his website and system for taking payments, and purchasing some drugs themselves to test. Lab analysis showed the presence of illegal ingredients inside the tablets.

This haul was just one of several across the UK last week and in total an incredible £12.2 million worth £12.2 million of illegal drugs were seized. In addition to erectile dysfunction drugs, they were fake slimming and hair loss tablets.

The MHRA’s Acting Head of Enforcement, Nimo Ahmed, said: “During one week we have seized £12.2 million worth of counterfeit and unlicensed medicines. These were being stored in unacceptable conditions and supplied through illegal internet websites without prescriptions by people who are not qualified to dispense medicines.”

He added: “When people buy medicines from an illegal website they don’t know what they’re getting, where it came from or if it’s safe to take. The dose could be too high or too low, or the ingredients could break down incorrectly in the body which makes the medicine ineffective. They could also become victims of credit card or identity fraud as well as downloading computer viruses.”

Medical Specialists Pharmacy are fully aware that there are thousands of illegal websites plaguing the internet that offer ‘discounted’ and ‘genuine’ medicines. We speak to many patients who are clearly very reluctant to obtain medicines online. With this in mind, here are some important factors to be alert of when browsing through different websites:

. No requirement of a doctors’ consultation for prescription medication.
. Long delivery times, sometimes up to several weeks. This is due to the drug being imported from a foreign country before it gets to you.
. The price of the medication is a lot cheaper than what would be expected, sometimes by as much as 70%.
. The website does not list any contact details, e.g. a telephone and fax number, email address, company address or details of its pharmacists, doctors, etc.
. A registered Pharmacy such as Medical Specialists Pharmacy will have the GPhC green cross logo together with its Pharmacy number. This number can be checked to see if it does actually exist.
. The company registration and VAT number should both be clearly stated on the website. Both of these are a legal requirement.