Three in four people with asthma are at risk of ‘fatal attacks’

More than three quarters of asthma sufferers could be susceptible to having a fatal asthma attack because they incorrectly assume their asthma is under control, according to new research.

A survey conducted by Allergy UK and funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK, discovered this finding and many other things to raise alarm bells about the serious lung condition which afflicts around 5.4 million in Britain. Moreover, asthma costs the NHS an estimated £1 billion per year for the treatment and care for asthma patients.

464 participants with asthma were involved in the survey, and 78% who stated their asthma as being mild or moderate go through up to four blue reliever inhalers each month. “In reality they shouldn’t even need to use one per month if their disease is well controlled,” the charity says.

This finding backs up what Medical Specialists® Pharmacy said back in May, how a good proportion of asthmatics and not realising the massive importance of the brown preventer inhalers in building up a long-term resistance to triggers for asthma attacks.

Allergy UK adds that of the respondents who wrongly believe their condition is adequately under control, 16% have had six or more days off from work or school in the past 12 months because of their asthma.

The charity also discovered that up to 60% of asthma attacks are caused by allergens such as animal dander, house dust mites, pollen, mould and foods. Only 37% of those surveyed had been tested for allergies and the charity says that a drive to provide allergy tests could reduce the number of asthma attacks as patients would be more aware of their specific triggers.

Lindsey McManus, the Deputy CEO of Allergy UK, said: “Asthma is a killer, with three people dying of it every day in the UK. These shocking survey results reflect what we hear time and time again from the people that call our helpline. People ‘put up with’ their asthma symptoms and continue to use medication that isn’t treating the inflammation, rather than seeking help to get their asthma under control. They just don’t realise they are putting themselves in danger and could soon find themselves in A&E.”

More than one in five sufferers (22%) involved in the survey had not had an asthma review for at least a year it was discovered.

Ms McManus added: “Our biggest piece of advice is to talk to your doctor or asthma nurse. They will conduct a thorough asthma review and may refer you to a specialist who may conduct an allergy assessment and review your asthma management. This is the only way to ensure that the asthma crisis doesn’t worsen.”

Dr Monica Nordstrom, Respiratory Physician at Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust commented: “Doctors, nurses and patients themselves often fail to recognise whether asthma is moderate or severe, leading to life-threatening attacks that could have been avoided with appropriate diagnosis and management.

“There are three warning signs for patients to look out for; if you use more than one reliever inhaler a month; if you’ve been prescribed one or more courses of oral corticosteroids in the past 12 months or if you are consistently missing work or school because of your asthma – these can all be signs that your asthma may be more severe than you think and you should seek more help from your doctor or specialist nurse.”

Man jailed for 16 weeks for selling dangerous ‘herbal’ male impotence drug

On Friday a 58-year-old man was slapped with a 16 week prison sentence at Wood Green Crown Court for selling an unlicensed and dangerously potent erectile dysfunction (ED) drug which contained more than four times the recommended dose.

The man, from Barnet, became of interest to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as far back as 2009 following a caution for possession with intent to supply ‘Jia Yi Jian’.

Jia Yi Jian is a so-called ‘herbal’ male impotence medicine that was actually discovered to contain a shockingly high dose of tadalafil – the active ingredient in prescription-only ED drug Cialis – in addition to over four times the common dose of sibutramine, a slimming treatment that is no longer available.

Sibutramine was pulled from circulation back in 2010 due to widespread fears about health risks associated with the drug. However, mixed with tadalafil, there is the risk of serious health problems such as increased heart rate, heart attack and stroke.

Following that 2009 caution, the man was stopped in his tracks at Heathrow Airport in 2010 after inspectors discovered an incredible 51,600 tablets of ‘Herbal Viagra’ which he had been bringing into the country from China.

The herbal tablets were anything but that, and again comprised of prescription-only medicine tadalafil. A private prescription or a doctor’s consultation with a registered pharmacy such as Medical Specialists® Pharmacy is absolutely essential to ascertain a patient’s health and suitable for that, or indeed any medicine. Counterfeiters or those selling unlicensed drugs do not follow any procedure like this and are breaking the law and putting lives at risk.

Following an MHRA investigation, the man was given a 32-week suspended prison sentence. Then, after MHRA officers searched the man’s home, in excess of 5,000 tablets were unearthed disguised in boxes labelled as ‘Diet tea’. The haul included the aforementioned Jia Yi Jian.

The recent 16 week sentence was imposed after the man was found to have breached his suspended sentence, for which resulted in an 8 week sentence, which was added to another 8 weeks for selling unlicensed drugs without any authorisation. He was also hit in the pocket, incurring a £600 court change to be paid within 12 months.

MHRA Head of Enforcement, Alastair Jeffrey commented: “We will continue to seek out and prosecute the kind of criminals who recklessly endanger public health by selling illegal unlicensed medicines. Products such as these which are adulterated with high levels of pharmaceutical ingredients present a real health risk. It is vital that people who are suffering a medical condition don’t take shortcuts buying online, speak to your doctor to get the appropriate treatment.”

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the majority of counterfeit or unlicensed drugs would contain very little – if any – of the primary active ingredient, in this case tadalafil from ED medication cialis. However, this case goes to show that not only are some dubiously sold medicines containing the active ingredient, they may even contain potentially fatal high doses, and why patients should only go to a legitimate and fully-registered pharmacy.

If taken in excess, tadalafil overdose symptoms can include chest pain, irregular heartbeat, feeling lightheaded, fainting or nausea. In addition, patients suffering with male impotence should never combine Cialis with other ED medication like sildenafil (Viagra) or vardenafil (Levitra).

The poor health and wellbeing of the UK is exposed!

Let’s face it…many of us probably have at least some awareness of what it means to be healthy. Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, engage in regular exercise, do not smoke – or quit smoking if already doing so, limit alcohol intake to 2-3 units each day for women and 3-4 for men, and keep a healthy body mass index (BMI).

But is the nation sticking to their health guidelines and are  all the numerous national health campaigns actually doing their job?

Discovering these things was the aim of The National Health Report 2014 conducted by Benenden Health; a healthcare provider that work in tandem with the NHS, boasting almost a million members to its products.

Benenden’s study involved 4,000 adults from around the UK, assessing the ‘emotional and physical wellbeing of the nation by delving into their lifestyle habits’, seeing how the public perceive health and wellbeing, as well as their opinions on the NHS.

The analysis primarily utilised eight factors as indicators to judge just how well Brits are taking care of themselves. These eight health indicators were: sleep; portions of fruit and vegetables eaten; water consumption; cardio exercise per week; muscle workouts per week; alcohol consumed per week; cigarettes smoked per day and BMI.

A comprehensive comparison of different areas was able to be reached, and determined the health of ‘Mr & Mrs Average’ in the UK. Unfortunately the average male and female Brit appear to be disregarding just about all health and wellbeing advice, guidelines, etc, and it seems we are a nation that are overweight, unfit, tired and dehydrated.

To be ‘healthy’, adults are generally advised to be consuming five portions of fruit and veg every day, have a BMI that is somewhere in the range of 18 and 25, drink 1.6 – 2 litres of water each day and get 7 – 8 hours of sleep each night. This table demonstrates what we should be aiming for:

When it comes to the obvious ‘bad’ vices, smoking is clearly totally a no-no due to the absurd amount of toxic cancer-causing chemicals in cigarettes, whilst according to government guidelines, men should not be drinking over 21 units of alcohol each week and for women it is just 14.
However, the following table shows that many of us are not taking any notice of what is good for our bodies and sticking to what is recommended for us:

It is apparent that we aren’t stupid and we’re fully aware we are unhealthy, we just don’t bother to rectify the situation.

The thousands of people in the study were asked how healthy they believe the nation to be, and a staggering 71% replied ‘not very healthy’ or ‘not at all healthy’. Interestingly, only 29% provided negative answers when asked the same question about the state of the nation’s health 50 years previously.

Speaking about the findings, medical director of Benenden Health, Dr John Giles, said: “At a time when modern medicine is making consistent major breakthroughs to give us longer lives and treat illnesses that even 20 years ago were fatal, the UK population appears to be doing everything in its power to make those extra years as unhealthy and miserable as possible. We cannot continually rely on the NHS to pick up the pieces of our below average approach to looking after ourselves: this laissez-faire approach is massively overburdening our country’s health service. An ageing population and advances in medical science, alongside the surge in complex chronic illnesses, mean the NHS as it was originally conceived is becoming increasingly threatened.”

Tiger Woods says his hair loss is a “no-win fight”

Former world number one golfer Tiger Woods has lost his prestigious top spot in recent years with the emergence of Rory McIlroy, and maybe that together with turbulent problems in his personal life could have accelerated Woods’ hair loss.

Woods, 38, gave an interview to Colleen Dominguez of Fox Sports to speak about various subjects, which included the possibility of appearing in this year’s Ryder Cup, and offered his thoughts on the young stars of today such as McIlroy.

Woods first came to prominence with his incredible record-breaking win at the 1997 Masters, in what was his first victory at a major, becoming a dominant figure in golf for well over a decade until the collapse of his marriage and allegations of repeated adultery.

Throughout his rise to the top, it has been quite noticeable that Woods has been suffering with thinning hair and a receding hair line, leading to Rory McIlroy poking jibes at this friend a few years ago for “getting old, getting bald”.

In the interview for Fox Sports, Dominguez asked current world number 10 Woods about whether he was content with his advancing years, bearing in mind the golfer is now pushing 40 and no longer the baby-faced phenomenon that burst onto the scene in the 1990s.

“I’m comfortable with it, but my hairline isn’t. I have a nice skylight [at home] and I’m at the point where if I don’t wear a hat, I can feel the heat.”

Woods was asked if he would shave his head eventually, to which he replied: “I think I will, but I’m fighting the cause, and I’m fighting it hard. It’s a no-win fight, but I’m hanging in there.”

Unfortunately for Tiger, his hair loss has been left to develop to the extent that an expensive hair transplant is probably out of the question. This is because of the severe thinning at the top (recipient area) and more crucially, the sides and back (donor region) where the hair is taken from to be re-planted where it is required. That particular region needs to be strong, but it seems for Woods, Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) has hit this area too.

DHT is a chemical (hormone) that naturally occurs in the male scalp and is present in higher levels in men who suffer from male pattern baldness. In genetically predisposed people, DHT latches on to the hair, deteriorating it and causing the subsequent hair loss. If the follicle is damaged too much, it dies and cannot generate any further hair.

However, there are various treatments known as ‘DHT Blockers’ that can prevent those hormones from working to eventually cause hair loss.

Three proven treatments to not only halt the hair loss, but in many cases can re-grow hair. These are Minoxidil (contained in Regaine Foam – as seen on TV), Propecia and Nizoral Shampoo. All are available today from Medical Specialists™ Pharmacy at fantastic prices, so there is no reason whatsoever to let hair loss drive you ‘round the bend!

Medical Specialists™ Pharmacy explore the catastrophic health risks of alcohol abuse

It’s been a long, stressful day at the office, and for many people this means one thing – having a drink to ‘unwind’. Maybe a few pints at the pub with work mates is appealing after a gruelling day, or perhaps a few glasses of wine in the evening each night with a meal is how others choose to relax.

One or two drinks each evening may seem innocent enough and simply a customary part of one’s evening. After all, there is no harm in kicking back with a few beers each night after work right? Wrong…

There are multiple hidden dangers of long-term alcohol consumption, and what seems like a few harmless drinks every night is actually disastrous for the body – both inside and out.

Everybody knows about the staggering number calories contained in most alcoholic drinks. Simply put, those who consume alcohol are consuming empty calories with no nutritional value.

It may be shocking to learn that just a single glass of wine contains around the same number of calories contained in four cookies, and a pint of lager is roughly as calorie-laden as a slice of pizza.
For the heavier drinkers, it will be frightening to learn that the NHS Livewell website’s alcohol page states that just drinking five pints of lager each week can tally up to 44,200kcal over the course of a year – or eating about 221 doughnuts. This may go some way to explaining Homer Simpson’s rotund belly. After all, the Springfield native has a penchant for both beer and doughnuts!

It is suddenly easier to understand the role alcohol plays in the increasingly problematic UK obesity crisis and why the health problems linked to being overweight or obese are costing the NHS over £5 billion each and every year.

And alcohol plays a part in helping people to easily gain weight with its calorific nature. Maybe lager isn’t your preferred choice of tipple and surely wine is kinder on the waistline? Wrong again! Just two large glasses of white wine takes up about fifth of the recommended daily calorie intake for a woman. That could force people into a rethink before opening that second bottle of wine in the future.
In addition, alcohol is fat-sparing. This means that the body will look to burn it for its fuel source before fat. This means when alcohol is drank to excess of the body’s daily energy requirements, it suddenly becomes much more difficult for the body to burn up fat. Thus, more fat is stored, and weight is gained.

As well as weight gain, alcohol – in particularly alcohol abuse – is associated with a whole host of serious health problems. The NHS Change 4 Life’s alcohol’s hidden harms page provides both an excellent, and alarming list of health risks associated with alcohol.

For instance, regularly consuming alcohol above the lower risk guidelines can lead to cancers of the throat, oesophagus or larynx, breast cancer in women, high blood pressure, heart attack, a stroke, liver disease such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, pancreatitis and impaired fertility.

The impact to health extends beyond the deadly diseases. ‘Brewers droop’ may be a term laughed off amongst friends, as purely an isolated occurrence of male impotence from the result of drinking too much. However, alcohol usually always results in sexual problems in a relationship. For men, this equates to difficulty getting and sustaining an erection – even when sober. This is because short and long term of drinking too much alcohol can damage the body’s tissues. Most commonly affected are those in the brain, liver and nervous system, and often leaving the male with erectile dysfunction.
Male impotence can be disastrous for relationships and leave the man with a huge loss of self-esteem, confidence and can even lead to anxiety and depression. Depressed people often turn to alcohol to cope, but this is completely inadvisable.

Not only is alcohol a depressant, meaning you are probably going to end up more miserable than you started off, but then the potential weight gain and sexual dysfunction will only further increase the mental anxieties. Medical Specialists™ Pharmacy provide treatments for both weight gain (Xenical, XLS-Medical), and erectile dysfunction (Generic Sildenafil, Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, Vitaros Cream, etc.) will can help to regain confidence in your social and private life.

The good news is there are many wonderful benefits to reap from cutting down on alcohol intake. Reducing – or even giving up altogether – alcohol will leave the skin looking clearer, suddenly those previously waking up tired every day may have more energy, and there is the financial aspect of course.

Alcoholic drinks can be incredibly expensive and by cutting down, this will save possibly hundreds of pounds each year. The most important reason for cutting back on the booze is obviously the major health benefits to be had, but surely the thought of being able to treat yourself to things that were previously unaffordable is tempting enough to cut back or even banish the booze completely!

Asthma patients are missing vital annual reviews

A new review of GP data conducted by Asthma UK makes for an alarming reading, showing that over a million people suffering with the lung condition are not having vital annual check-ups – important in assessing if asthma medicine is being used in the correct way, to see if lung function has got better or worse, and to check if patient’s asthma inhalers are the most appropriate ones for them.

The new research conducted by Asthma UK discovered that 31% of asthma patients had not received an essential annual review to look at the suitability of their prescribed asthma medicine.

The charity analysed GP statistics from 2012/13 and found that 3,359,612 people in England were scheduled for an asthma review, however 1,025,539 patients had not attended.

Guidance published by the NHS advises all asthma patients to attend their yearly checks as well as keep an asthma action plan and have their inhaler technique looked at. For instance, GPs and asthma nurses need to see if the patient ‘test’ the device first, if the patient shakes the inhaler before using, is breathing out normally, holding the inhaler upright with lips sealed around it, using one actuation only per inhalation, and if the patient is holding their breath for 10 seconds (if possible).

Patients who aren’t using their inhaler correctly may find they are overusing the blue reliever inhaler because they are not sufficiently ingesting the drug to start with. Others find they may be using their relievers far more frequently than previously, and more often than not, these people are not bothering to use the brown preventer inhalers which are massively important in building a long-term improvement.

For example, it can take between 7 to 14 days for the brown preventer to build up its effect, or sometimes as much as six weeks, and will not give immediate relief of symptoms like the blue inhaler offers. The benefits of the brown inhaler build up over time and will decrease the chance of an asthma attack/symptoms occurring by slowly building resistance to triggers.

A recently conducted UK-wide National Review of Asthma Deaths found prescribing mistakes in almost half (47%) of asthma deaths and the quality of care could have been improved in a staggering 83% of the deaths.

The National Review also discovered that only 57% of these patients had received an annual asthma review in the last year of their life. From the other 43% that did have a review, many of these had not even included key components.

Dr Samantha Walker, Deputy Chief Executive of Asthma UK, was speaking on the finding that a quarter of people with asthma in the North of England had not had a review of their condition.

She said: “The fact that over a quarter of people with asthma in the North of England are not getting their medicines checked at their annual review is no doubt contributing to the rising NHS spend on asthma and putting people’s lives at risk. With the worrying scale of prescribing errors identified by the National Review of Asthma Deaths, it’s vital that doctors and nurses do everything they can to follow up with patients to review their medicines, especially as asthma can vary hugely over the year. We’re keen to understand where further improvements can be made to asthma care in the North of England so urge people with asthma to complete our survey www.asthma.org.uk/compareyourcare to find out how their care compares to national standards”.

World’s first Malaria Vaccine on target for 2015

Health experts are adamant that the the world’s first malaria vaccine will be available on the market by 2015 as another option for malaria prevention, after a hugely encouraging study showed that thousands of deaths could be prevented from the deadly disease.

Publishing their findings in PLOS Medicine, researchers involved in clinical trials of the drug RTS,S, reported that for every 1,000 children who receive the vaccine, around 800 cases of malaria could be prevented.

In follow-up trials 18 months after the initial injections, researchers found RTS,S was remarkably able to offer protection even at that stage.

The vaccine’s manufacturer is pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the company who produce popular cold sore treatment Zovirax (aciclovir) and weight loss treatment Alli, and they have now requested regulatory approval, meaning this is the first vaccine of its kind to arrive at this milestone.

Several African countries were involved in the trials, mainly as around 90% of deaths from malaria occur in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and shockingly 77% of the deaths are children under the age of 5.
An estimated 1,500 infants and children were administered the new RTS,S vaccine and researchers analysed them all again after 18 months, discovering that cases of malaria declined by half in youngsters. For infants (at six to 12 weeks of age when first vaccinated) RTS,S managed to reduce malaria cases by a quarter.

GSK commented: “Over 18 months of follow-up, RTS,S was shown to almost halve the number of malaria cases in young children (aged 5-17 months at first vaccination) and to reduce by around a quarter the malaria cases in infants (aged 6-12 weeks at first vaccination).”

Quite commendably, GSK have pledged to offer their RTS,S vaccine at cost price plus 5%, stating such a move would help to provide the funding for continued research into prevention and treatments for various tropical diseases.

Despite the effectiveness of the malaria vaccine appearing to decline somewhat over time, the report claims it could be highly beneficial to areas where there are high rates of malaria.

For instance, trials demonstrated that in certain Kenyan cities where people are at risk of repeated infection of the deadly disease, around 2,000 cases of clinical malaria were averted for every 1,000 children that were given the vaccine.

GSK say that the vaccine combined with other preventative measures like bed nets and insect repellents (i.e. Jungle Formula), may offer a massive step forward in the battle against malaria. According to the latest estimates into the disease, released in December 2013, there were a staggering 207 million cases of malaria during 2012 and in Africa a child dies every minute because of it.
Scientists are also conducting investigations to determine if a booster may offer even more chances of success.

Professor Sanjeev Krishna of St George’s University of London, did not participate in trials of the vaccine, but did offer a review of the paper for the journal. He said: “This is a milestone. The landscape of malaria vaccine development is littered with carcasses, with vaccines dying left, right and centre. To get to this stage is very encouraging indeed. We eagerly await the next results to see how long-lasting protection is and whether a booster adds further potential. We need to keep a watchful eye for adverse events but everything appears on track for the vaccine to be approved as early as next year.”