News
General Health
National: Food sold in recycled cardboard packaging 'poses risk',
BBC News, 8 March 2011.
Leading food manufacturers are changing their packaging because of health concerns about boxes made from recycled cardboard, the BBC has learned. Researchers found toxic...
National: Cereal box health risk after recycled cardboard study,
Telegraph, 8 March 2011.
Jordans has already stopped using recycled cardboard, while Kellogg's and Weetabix say they are taking steps to reduce the risk to human health. The alert was sparked when...
National: Women's lung cancers has doubled since 1970s in over-60s,
BBC News, 7 March 2011.
Lung cancer rates have more than doubled for women over 60 since the mid-1970s, figures show. Cancer Research UK figures say the rate rose from 88 per 100,000 in 1975 to 190...
National: Lung cancer rates double in women over 60 since 1970s,
Telegraph, 7 March 2011.
Lung cancer rates for retired women have more than doubled since the mid-1970s because of an increase in the number of female smokers, new figures have shown. Rates for British...
National: Gene that predicts risk of heart attack identified by scientists,
Telegraph, 6 March 2011.
Scientists from all over the world, including Britain, studied the genetic make up of more than 140,000 people to find DNA faults in those susceptible to coronary heart disease...
National: 'May cause drowsiness' too confusing for modern medicine labels,
Telegraph, 4 March 2011.
Warning labels on medicines should be simplified because words such as "drowsiness" and "avoid" are too confusing for modern patients, experts claim. Research by the British...
National: Medicine labels to be made clearer,
BBC News, 4 March 2011.
Familiar phrases on medicine labels are likely to change after a report claimed some of them were confusing. The study was commissioned by the British National Formulary, the...
National: One in 10 take medication for a good night's sleep,
BBC News, 4 March 2011.
One in 10 people in the UK take medication to help them sleep, research has suggested. Analysis of the sleeping habits of 14,000 households by the University of Surrey also...
National: One in ten Britons 'taking pills to get to sleep',
Telegraph, 4 March 2011.
One in ten people is taking pills to get to sleep at least three times a week, according to research that suggests a lack of rest is storing up serious health risks for millions of Britons...
National: New post-mortem method developed,
BBC News, 2 March 2011.
A non-surgical autopsy technique which could remove the need to open up the body to determine a cause of death has been developed. It involves a scanner and a small incision...
National: New prostate cancer test shows promise,
NHS Choices, 2 March 2011.
"Thousands of lives could be saved by a new cancer test," the Daily Express reported today. It said that the new test for prostate cancer "detects twice as many cases as the current...
Local: Regulation of herbal remedies is aimed to increase safety,
Wales Online, 28 February 2011.
IF YOU, like many others across Wales, regularly use herbal remedies, you may be aware that May will see changes in how herbal products are registered. It is hoped that these changes...
Local: Yo-yo dieter’s life is transformed – by gastric band,
Wales Online, 27 February 2011.
AFTER more than 30 years of yo-yo dieting, mum-of-two Jayne Kirner paid £8,500 to have a gastric band fitted. But incredibly a local clinic told the 46-year-old she had to put on...
Local: Patients denied obesity surgery because they're not fat enough,
Wales Online, 27 February 2011.
HUNDREDS of overweight patients are being refused life-saving obesity operations on the NHS because they aren’t fat enough. Wales on Sunday understands up to 1,000 people...
National: Education reduces blood pressure,
BBC News, 28 February 2011.
Despite exam stress, a long stint in education is good for people's blood pressure, according to researchers in the US. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is linked to heart attacks...
National: Body Mass Index - BMI - 'misses obesity risks',
BBC News, 25 February 2011.
In this week's 'Scrubbing Up', nutrition expert Dr Margaret Ashwell OBE argues that using BMI alone could be missing some patients at risk of the diseases associated with obesity...
National: Study looks at hot flushes and heart risk,
NHS Choices, 25 February 2011.
"Hot flushes may be a blessing," according to The Daily Telegraph. The newspaper reported that women who experience the menopausal symptom may have a reduced risk of heart...
National: Fertility treatment 'unaffected' by stress,
NHS Choices, 25 February 2011.
"Stress and tension does not prevent women undergoing infertility treatment from becoming pregnant," reported The Daily Telegraph. This news story is based on a review of previous...
National: Mouse heart 're-grows when cut', study shows,
BBC News, 25 February 2011.
Scientists in the United States have found newborn mice can re-grow their own hearts. The mice had a large chunk of their heart removed a day after birth, only for the heart to...
Local: Poll results: Which Cardiff issues are most important to you,
Guardian Cardiff, 25 February 2011.
Travel in Cardiff, planning issues and the impact of public sector cuts came out top of our Guardian Cardiff readers poll. We asked you to vote on which issues in the city you felt...
National: Pollution heart risk is unclear,
NHS Choices, 24 February 2011.
Cycling is "one of the biggest triggers of heart attacks", claimed the Daily Mail. The newspaper said that pollution and spending time in traffic can also bring on heart attacks...
National: Most locked-in patients 'happy',
BBC News, 24 February 2011.
The majority of people with locked-in syndrome are happy, a small French study suggests. The disease "traps" people in their own body, able to think, but incapable of moving or...
National: The rise and rise of allergies,
BBC News, 23 February 2011.
Research published in 2007 showed the number of hospital admissions for food allergies had increased by 500% since 1990. Meanwhile, cases of hay fever, asthma and eczema have...
National: NICE warns of alternative allergy tests,
NHS Choices, 23 February 2011.
The Guardian reports that "alternative tests for children's food allergies - such as hair analysis or muscle weakness - must be avoided because there is little evidence they work." The...
National: Food allergy kits 'don't work' warn doctors,
Telegraph, 23 February 2011.
Experts from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) said many parents resorted to food allergy tests that can be bought online for about £60, because getting...
National: Alternative allergy test offers 'mislead parents',
BBC News, 23 February 2011.
There is no scientific evidence that complementary therapies or kits sold through websites can identify allergies, the NHS watchdog NICE says. It said sites for services such as hair...
National: Blocking enzyme cut cancer spread,
BBC News, 22 February 2011.
Scientists at the UK's Institute of Cancer Research have prevented breast cancer spreading to other organs in mice by blocking a chemical. In their experiments, they showed that...
National: NICE to update blood pressure guide,
NHS Choices, 22 February 2011.
New approaches should be used to treat and diagnose high blood pressure, according to draft guidelines today published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence...
National: Call for home blood pressure tests to curb misdiagnosis,
BBC News, 22 February 2011.
Patients suspected of having high blood pressure will get another check at home because of fears that nerves from being at a GP surgery may be leading to too many people being...
National: Blood pressure device performs well,
NHS Choices, 21 February 2011.
A watch-like device "could revolutionise blood pressure monitoring", BBC News has reported. According to the website, the monitor can be used to measure pressure in the wrist...
National: Device 'could revolutionise blood pressure monitoring',
BBC News, 21 February 2011.
A device which can be worn like a watch could revolutionise the way blood pressure is monitored in the next few years, scientists say. Researchers at the University of Leicester...
Local: Research shows how sleep helps youngsters,
Wales Online, 21 February 2011.
RESEARCH has already highlighted that poor sleep quality has a negative impact on health for adults. But a new study shows this applies to children too. The US research found children...
Local: Do patients want longer GP opening hours?,
Wales Online, 21 February 2011.
Welsh Labour last week pledged to extend GP hours if it wins power in May. Health Editor Madeleine Brindley examines whether Wales wants late-night opening and Saturday...
National: Cholesterol 'does not predict stroke in women',
BBC News, 21 February 2011.
High levels of cholesterol do not predict the risk of stroke in women, according to researchers in Denmark. They did detect an increased risk in men, but only when...
National: Scottish researchers to seek cure for forgetfulness,
BBC News, 21 February 2011.
Scottish academics have launched a study in a bid to find a cure for forgetfulness. Doctors at CPS Research said people were becoming increasingly forgetful as a result of modern hectic...
National: Therapies 'moderately improve' CFS,
NHS Choices, 18 February 2011.
The Daily Telegraph reported that "exercise and therapy can help ME sufferers". Several other news sources reported on research which has shown that behavioural therapy and...
Local: Cardiff University medical dean earns ‘gold medal’,
Wales Online, 18 February 2011.
A LEADING Cardiff expert has been honoured for his outstanding achievements in developing “world-class” medical education. Professor John Bligh, Cardiff University’s Dean of medical...
National: Key breast cancer 'driver' gene found,
BBC News, 18 February 2011.
Cancer experts have identified a gene which can cause a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer to develop. ZNF703 is the first "oncogene" to be discovered in five years...
National: Brain and body training treats ME, UK study says,
BBC News, 18 February 2011.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as ME, should be treated with a form of behavioural therapy or exercise, say British scientists. Writing in The Lancet, they argue that the...
National: New thinking on meningitis vaccines,
NHS Choices, 17 February 2011.
The Daily Mail has hailed the possibility of a "universal vaccine" that could be "the key to beating all forms of meningitis". The news is based on scientific research in mice, which...
National: Negative experiences can stop painkillers working,
BBC News, 16 February 2011.
A patient's belief that a drug will not work can become a self fulfilling prophecy, according to researchers. They showed the benefits of painkillers could be boosted or completely wiped...
National: Zinc for the common cold,
NHS Choices, 16 February 2011.
"Zinc supplements can reduce the severity and length of cold symptoms," reported the Daily Express. It said that taking zinc syrup, lozenges or tablets within a day of developing...
National: Baldness prostate cancer link unclear,
NHS Choices, 16 February 2011.
"Going bald early 'sdoubles prostate cancer risk'," The Daily Telegraph reported. The newspaper said a study has found that men who develop a pronounced "widow's peak"...
Local: Cancer screening services ‘could be reduced’,
Wales Online, 15 February 2011.
LIFE-SAVING cancer screening services could be cut in Wales because of a £1m reduction in funding. Young women with a strong family history of breast cancer could no longer be...
Local: ‘Surgeries to open evenings and at weekends’,
Wales Online, 14 February 2011.
GP SURGERIES will be forced to open weekday evenings and on Saturday mornings in Wales, Labour will pledge today. Outlining the party’s key election health pledges Carwyn Jones...
Local: ‘Annual health MoTs’ for over-50s in Wales,
Wales Online, 14 February 2011.
EVERYONE over 50 in Wales will be offered an annual health MoT to prevent “hundreds” of deaths, Labour pledges today. The promise to instigate the programme of health checks...
National: Watching your injection 'eases the pain',
NHS Choices, 11 February 2011.
"Injections are less painful if you don't look away," The Daily Telegraph reported. The news is based on a study that tested pain responses in 18 people by applying heat probes to...
National: Child worker checks to be reduced, say ministers,
BBC News, 11 February 2011.
Millions of people in England and Wales who work or volunteer with children and vulnerable adults will no longer need criminal record checks, ministers say. Deputy Prime Minister Nick...
National: Spice drug fights stroke damage,
BBC News, 10 February 2011.
drug derived from the curry spice turmeric may be able to help the body repair some of the damage caused in the immediate aftermath of a stroke. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical...
Local: 300 on clinic obesity list,
Wales Online, 10 February 2011.
BLAENAU Gwent is the second- worst obesity hotspot in Britain. The Assembly’s health minister Edwina Hart heard the worrying news on a visit to Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan’s weight...
National: Prostate cancer mutations identified,
NHS Choices, 10 February 2011.
The genetic map of prostate cancer has been "cracked", The Daily Telegraph reported. The newspaper said that new research into prostate cancer has provided a "breakthrough that...
Local: City’s health divide is laid bare,
Wales Online, 8 February 2011.
BY ROAD, it is just six miles from the detached streets of Radyr to the Loudon Square tower blocks in the middle of Cardiff. Yet health statistics show the invisible gap between the...
National: Pain reduced by changing what you look at,
BBC News, 10 February 2011.
What you look at can influence how much pain you feel, a study has revealed. Contrary to many people's compulsion to look away during a painful event such as an injection...
National: Male sex hormone testosterone 'interferes with empathy',
BBC News, 10 February 2011.
Giving women a small dose of the male sex hormone testosterone makes them less able to empathise with others, say UK and Dutch researchers. Their findings, in journal PNAS...
National: Botox 'little help' for migraines,
BBC News, 9 February 2011.
There is "limited evidence" for using botox to treat migraine, say experts. The anti-wrinkle jab, which costs about £276 per injection, has been licensed in the UK and US as a...
National: Study highlights medical split on breast cancer surgery,
BBC News, 9 February 2011.
Removing cancerous lymph nodes from some women with breast cancer has no benefit, US scientists have revealed in a new study. But while the findings may have been hailed in...
National: Prostate cancer 'gene test' hope,
BBC News, 9 February 2011.
Experts believe they can develop a genetic screening test that can tell doctors which men with prostate cancer need aggressive treatment. Early trial results for Cancer Research UK...
National: Europe cancer deaths 'may fall in 2011',
NHS Choices, 9 February 2011.
"Smoking to get slim puts UK women at top of Europe's lung cancer table", reported the Daily Mail. The BBC and Independent covered the same story but with a different focus...
National: Cancer deaths across Europe 'tipped to fall in 2011',
BBC News, 9 February 2011.
Experts are predicting a fall in overall cancer death rates for men and women across Europe in 2011. Using data from the World Health Organization, they say cancer deaths should fall...
National: Sleep and heart risk link is uncertain,
NHS Choices, 9 February 2011.
"Lack of sleep is a 'ticking time bomb'," The Independent reported. The newspaper said that people who regularly sleep less than six hours a night "have a 48 per cent greater chance...
Local: Say goodnight to sleeping problems,
Wales Online, 9 February 2011.
Most of us have little trouble sleeping but for the one in four of us who do, life can become a bit of a nightmare. Clare Hutchinson asks the experts for their advice. Have you ever...
National: Sleepwalking 'linked to chromosome fault',
BBC News, 8 February 2011.
Scientists believe they have discovered the genetic code that makes some people sleepwalk. By studying four generations of a family of sleepwalkers they traced the fault to a section...
National: Too many late nights causes health 'ticking time bomb',
Telegraph, 8 February 2011.
The growing trend for burning the candle at both ends and sleeping too little at night is causing a "ticking time bomb" of health problems, heart doctors have warned. While the...
National: Warwick scientists say lack of sleep 'bad for health',
BBC News, 8 February 2011.
The risk of developing heart disease can increase by as much as 48% if a person does not get enough sleep, University of Warwick scientists say. A long period of sleep shortage...
National: Study examines peanut allergies in England,
NHS Choices, 7 February 2011.
"Middle-class children 'face twice the risk of nut allergy' than those from poor families," reported the Daily Mail. Covering the same story, BBC News said that "boys are more likely...
Local: Lifestyle choices are vital in cutting cancer,
Wales Online, 7 February 2011.
THOUSANDS of cases of Wales’ most common cancers could be prevented by simple changes to people’s lifestyle, it has been claimed. The World Cancer Research Fund...
Local: The World Cancer Research Fund has drawn up 10 recommendations, which include the best advice for reducing the risk of cancer,
Wales Online, 7 February 2011.
Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight. Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk of cancer. Be physically active...
National: Universal flu vaccine 'could protect from all virus strains',
Telegraph, 7 February 2011.
A universal flu vaccine that could protect people from all strains of flu - a "holy grail" for scientists - has been successfully tested on humans for the first time. The vaccine targets...
National: Unscrupulous parents seek ADHD diagnosis for benefits,
BBC News, 6 February 2011.
Head teachers claim stimulants are being over-prescribed to young children, who they suspect are not sufferers of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They say...
National: Child safety vetting scheme 'to be scrapped',
BBC News, 5 February 2011.
scheme for vetting people who work with children is to be scrapped, the government is preparing to announce. The Daily Telegraph reports that following a review of the Vetting...
National: Children are at risk of getting rickets, says doctor,
BBC News, 4 February 2011.
We are all aware of the dangers of too much sun, especially for children. But has the safe sun message inadvertently created vitamin D deficiencies, resulting in a resurgence in...
National: Library users 'become better readers',
BBC News, 4 February 2011.
Children who use their local public library are twice as likely to be above average readers, a report has said. A survey of 17,000 children in Great Britain for the National Literacy Trust...
National: Diabetes link to virus boosted,
NHS Choices, 4 February 2011.
Children with type 1 diabetes are nearly 10 times as likely to have a particular viral infection than children without diabetes, BBC News has reported. This news is based on a high...
National: Diabetes and virus link confirmed,
BBC News, 4 February 2011.
Children with Type 1 diabetes are nearly 10 times as likely to also have a viral infection than healthy children, Australian research suggests. Childhood diabetes has been linked to...
National: 'One in eight' will get breast cancer,
NHS Choices, 4 February 2011.
Breast cancer is now the UK's most common form of cancer, according to new figures released by Cancer Research UK. The charity has chosen to highlight the scale of the...
National: One in eight women will get breast cancer, charity says,
BBC News, 4 February 2011.
A woman's risk of developing breast cancer has risen to one in eight from one in nine, according to Cancer Research UK. The charity's figures show that breast cancer rates in...
National: How obesity is reshaping our world,
BBC News, 3 February 2011.
Ambulances are the latest vehicles to face up to one inarguable fact - as a nation, we are getting bigger and that poses a huge design headache. You can't move nowadays for...
National: Genes 'play key role in classroom performance',
BBC News, 3 February 2011.
Politicians may be keen to measure schools' effectiveness, but the quality of the school environment is only half of the story, researchers have found. Academics at King's College...
National: Artificial blood vessels keep in fridge until heart op,
BBC News, 3 February 2011.
US scientists believe they can produce a ready made supply of blood vessels for use in heart bypass surgery. A study on baboons and dogs in Science Translational Medicine suggests...
National: Ambulances adapted to cope with increasing number of obese patients,
Telegraph, 3 February 2011.
Every ambulance service in the UK has started buying the specialist equipment, according to data obtained by the BBC from freedom of information requests. Standard ambulances are...
National: Fat patients 'prompts ambulance fleet revamp',
BBC News, 3 February 2011.
Some patients are getting so fat that ambulance bosses are having to revamp their fleets to cope, the BBC has learned. Every service in the UK has started buying specialist equipment...
National: Blood test for vCJD 'could identify carriers',
BBC News, 3 February 2011.
A blood test for variant CJD has been developed by British scientists. Currently patients suspected of having the human form of BSE have to undergo a series of tests, including a...
National: Herbal weight loss pill warning,
BBC News, 2 February 2011.
People are being warned to stop using a weight loss pill sold over the internet and in Chinese medicine shops. The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has...
National: Dog that can 'sniff out bowel cancer',
NHS Choices, 1 February 2011.
"Dogs can be trained to sniff out bowel cancer, even when the disease is in its early stages," reported The Guardian. It said researchers have claimed that a specially trained labradors...
National: Home DNA kits to test paternity go on sale in shops,
BBC News, 1 February 2011.
Until now, the paternity packs have only been available online and in a few independent pharmacies. The chemist says it is the first High Street shop to sell the kits, which let...
National: Increase in male breast reduction surgery,
BBC News, 31 January 2011.
The numbers of men having breast reduction surgery is increasing, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). The association said male breast...
National: Garden weed extract 'fights skin cancer',
NHS Choices, 28 January 2011.
A common weed called "petty spurge" may be a treatment for skin cancer, BBC News has reported. It highlights new research suggesting that the sap from this common garden...
Local: Woman ‘too embarrassed to go for smear test’,
Wales Online, 26 January 2011.
A MUM of four who put off having a smear test for eight years because she was embarrassed about her weight has urged other women to get tested. Laila Saif was diagnosed with...
National: Cancer spread mechanism probed,
NHS Choices, 25 January 2011.
We will soon have a "cure for most cancers", the Daily Express has reported. The newspaper claims that scientists are close to providing the "holy grail" of cancer cures, which will be...
National: Common weed petty spurge 'could treat' skin cancer,
BBC News, 25 January 2011.
Sap from the common garden weed petty spurge appears to treat non-melanoma skin cancers, experts are reporting in the British Journal of Dermatology. But they tell patients...
National: Researchers launch mobile device 'to spot paedophiles',
BBC News, 24 January 2011.
A mobile phone application which claims to identify adults posing as children is to be released. The team behind Child Defence says the app can analyse language to generate an age...
Local: Women urged to have life-saving smear test for cervical cancer,
Wales Online, 24 January 2011.
WOMEN will this week be urged to have a regular smear test as part of an annual European campaign to increase uptake of the life-saving screening programme. Experts want women...
Local: Why handwashing is so important in the fight against illness,
Wales Online, 24 January 2011.
Wales’ chief medical officer Dr Tony Jewell explains why it’s important we wash our hands regularly – and properly. The beginning of a new year is always a good time to start on...
National: New approach to weight loss debated,
NHS Choices, 24 January 2011.
"The Daily Mail says that "staying fat may be better for your health". The newspaper reports that there is evidence that "overweight people live longer than normal" and that...
National: Blood sugar and a protein combine to increase bleeds,
BBC News, 24 January 2011.
One reason why people with diabetes can suffer more damage during strokes has been discovered by US scientists. The study on rats, published in Nature Medicine, found a...
National: Blocking a gene stops cancer cells spreading,
BBC News, 24 January 2011.
A gene which encourages cancer to move around the body has been discovered by the University of East Anglia. Experiments on tissue cultures, published in Oncogene, suggest...
National: Patients could contact doctors by email,
Telegraph, 24 January 2011.
Under plans being considered by ministers, patients would be told to electronically submit a description of their condition which would be answered by doctors later on in the day...
National: 'My type 2 diabetes was cured after gastric bypass op',
BBC News, 23 January 2011.
Steven Greggains is looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of his HGV. Just a few weeks ago, his licence was under threat because of his type 2 diabetes. He wasn't allowed...
National: TB vaccine protects before and after exposure,
BBC News, 23 January 2011.
A new vaccine that can fight tuberculosis (TB) before and after infection has been developed by Danish scientists. It could offer protection for many years more than is now...
National: Genetic clue to kidney cancer,
NHS Choices, 20 January 2011.
A faulty gene has been linked to more than a third of all kidney cancers, The Daily Telegraph has reported. The newspaper says that the discovery may help researchers understand...
National: Pill slows spread of skin cancer in half of cases,
BBC News, 20 January 2011.
A new drug for skin cancer can slow the spread of the disease in half of patients, thereby extending their lives, a study says. A trial of 680 patients at the Royal Marsden Hospital...
National: Malaria risk warning to last-minute holidaymakers,
BBC News, 19 January 2011.
Travel websites offering late deals to destinations where malaria is a risk should carry clear warnings, say experts. The call comes from doctors who had to treat three patients in a...
National: Menopause symptoms and breast cancer risk,
NHS Choices, 18 January 2011.
"Menopausal women with hot flushes are half as likely as others to develop breast cancer," reported the Daily Mirror. It said that the "sweating attacks are caused by a lack of the...
National: Antibiotic link to bowel problems unclear,
BBC News, 18 January 2011.
Giving children antibiotics can increase risk of irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease later in life, the Daily Mail has reported. The newspaper article says that "scientists believe...
National: Children prescribed antibiotics are twice as likely to develop digestive problems, scientists claim,
Telegraph, 18 January 2011.
The study, published in the health journal Gut, looked at the medical and prescription records of 580,000 children over an eight-year period. It found that youngsters who...
National: Legal aid cuts 'deprive drug claimants of day in court',
BBC News, 18 January 2011.
Legal aid cuts will make it impossible to challenge pharmaceutical companies in the courts, the BBC has been told. The Law Society fears the proposed withdrawal of funding in...
Local: £10 million for new breast test Wales,
Wales News, 17 January 2011.
The Health Minister Edwina Hart has announced that new digital equipment will be used to screen women in Wales for breast cancer. The £10million Welsh Assembly Government...
National: Veronica German: Our communities offer highly-skilled health experts – let’s start using them,
Wales Online, 17 January 2011.
WHAT do you do when you or one of your family feels unwell? Do you try to treat yourself? Ring NHS Direct? Book an appointment with your GP? You may even decide the only...
National: Children as young as 10 'groomed for sex by gangs',
BBC News, 17 January 2011.
Children as young as 10 are being sexually exploited by organised gangs of men in cities across the UK, a leading charity says. Barnardo's says it is working with more than 1,000...
National: Herbal remedies face licence rule,
BBC News, 15 January 2011.
Hundreds of traditional and imported remedies on the shelves of health food shops and herbalists are set to be banned under new licensing rules. The EU directive aims to protect...
National: Melatonin production falls if the lights are on,
BBC News, 14 January 2011.
Having the lights on before bedtime could result in a worse night's sleep, according to a study to be published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism. The research shows...
National: High blood pressure combination pill 'better than one',
BBC News, 13 January 2011.
A combination of drugs is better than a single one in treating high blood pressure, a UK study has suggested. The study in the Lancet involved 1,200 people and found starting...
National: Gene test 'predicts 448 child diseases',
NHS Choices, 13 January 2011.
Scientists have created "a genetic test that allows couples to be checked for incurable inherited diseases before they think about starting a family", the Daily Mail has reported...
Local: Plans to modernise breast screening services approved,
WAG, 13 January 2011.
The £10million Welsh Assembly Government-funded plan will see analogue machines replaced by the digital equipment in the mobile Breast Test Wales units and breast assessment...
National: NSAID painkillers linked to increased heart risk,
BBC News, 12 January 2011.
Taking certain painkillers daily for some years carries a small increased risk of heart attack and stroke, research has suggested. The findings relate to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory...
Local: Legislation on presumed consent for organ donation laid,
Wales Online, 11 January 2011.
LEGISLATION was laid in the National Assembly yesterday, which would see Wales the first country in the UK with an “opt-out” organ donation system. Currently, people in Wales...
National: Who, What, Why: How do you overcome a stammer?,
BBC News, 11 January 2011.
King George VI's battle to overcome his stammer is the focus of a major film. How do modern-day stammerers tackle the condition? It has won the praise of critics and earned...
National: Television heart risk needs more study,
NHS Choices, 11 January 2011.
"Watching TV for four hours a day doubles the risk of a heart attack," The Sun has reported. "The reason is thought to be that simply sitting for so long causes coronary problems,"...
National: Group urges action for long-term pain sufferers,
BBC News, 11 January 2011.
Action is needed to help people who suffer long-term pain, the Patients Association says. The survey of more than 4,400 people found while many had suffered chronic problems...
Local: Stephen Fry backs Cardiff University,
Guardian Cardiff, 10 January 2011.
Stephen Fry has shown his support for Cardiff University today as he became a patron of its research into mental health disease. The tweeting British actor, writer and all-round...
Local: Celebrities to champion cutting-edge Welsh research,
Wales Online, 10 January 2011.
Stephen Fry and Griff Rhys Jones and billionaire businessman Sir Terry Matthews have been named patrons of three new research institutes in Wales. The multi-million pound institutes...
National: Hidden male victims of domestic abuse,
BBC News, 10 January 2011.
As many as four percent of men have been victims of domestic abuse according to crime statistics for England and Wales, and charities say an increasing number of victims are...
Local: Pregnant women warned to avoid lambing,
Wales Online, 10 January 2011.
PREGNANT women are being warned about the risk of contracting an infection during the early lambing season. Private clinic Innermost Secrets, which is based in Cardiff, has issued...
Local: Better medical service will improve prisoners’ health and management,
Wales Online, 10 January 2011.
Lucy Merredy explains why a comprehensive forensic medical service in Wales will mean a better service for prisoners and benefit the wider society. In the increasingly complex...
National: Device 'cancels out the sound of the dentist's drill',
BBC News, 10 January 2011.
An invention which cancels out the noise of a dentist's drill could help people overcome their fear of a check-up, researchers say. For many, the sound of the drill is a big cause of...
National: Splitting tablets 'may mean patients take wrong doses',
BBC News, 6 January 2011.
Splitting pills could lead to patients taking the wrong doses, a study suggests. Researchers from Ghent University in Belgium said there could be "serious clinical consequences" for...
National: Cause of male baldness discovered, experts say,
BBC News, 5 January 2011.
Experts say they have discovered what they believe is the cause of male pattern baldness.
It is not simply a lack of hair, but rather a problem with the new hair that is made. A...
