Monthly Archives: August 2016

New devices called stent retrievers have revolutionised the treatment of some stroke patients, according to experts.
Eighty-seven percent of strokes are ischaemic, meaning they are caused by clots that block blood flow to a portion of the brain. In some patients stent retrievers can be used to remove such clots.

A stent retriever is a self-expanding mesh tube attached to a wire, which is guided through a thin tube called a catheter. The surgeon inserts the catheter in an artery in the groin and guides it through various blood vessels all the way up to the brain.

Once the stent retriever reaches the blockage, the surgeon ‘deploys’ it. The device pushes the gelatinous blood clot against the wall of the blood vessel, immediately restoring blood flow. The stent retriever then is used to grab the clot, which is pulled out when the surgeon removes the catheter. Clever…

A clot-busting drug called tPA can restore blood flow and limit stroke damage if it is given within 4.5 hours of the onset of the stroke and the clot is small enough. But in many patients, tPA either would not be safe to take, or would not be sufficient by itself to restore blood flow.

You might be shocked to know that around 22,000 people with diabetes die early every year. Type 2 diabetes is a major contributor to kidney failure, heart attack, and stroke, and there are currently some 5 million people in England at high risk of developing the disease.

As well as the human cost, Type 2 diabetes treatment currently accounts for just under 9% of the annual NHS budget – that’s a whopping £8.8 billion a year!

Since the disease is largely preventable through lifestyle changes – having a healthy diet, maintaining a proper weight and getting enough exercise – the NHS Diabetes Prevention programme is primed to target these issues as it is rolled out.

If you live in one of the areas below you could be among the first to benefit from a referral that will give you tailored help to reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes:

Newham West London Oldham East Midlands
Camden Sefton Leeds Worcestershire
Cheshire/Wirral Cumbria Dudley St Helens
Lincolnshire East and North Herts Bury Berkshire
Norfolk and Norwich Rochdale Southwark Essex
The South East Birmingham Derbyshire Herefordshire
Cambridge Peterborough Co Durham Sheffield

It’s a big programme – serious stuff!

Look out for the next ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ public health campaign, which is running from July through to October. The campaign aims to alert people to respiratory symptoms that may indicate lung cancer, and is aimed particularly at those aged 50 and over.

Key messages are:

• ‘If you get out of breath doing things you used to be able to do, tell your doctor’

• ‘If you’ve had a cough for three weeks or more, tell your doctor’.

Early diagnosis of any type of cancer means treatment can be commenced earlier, and greatly increases your chance of survival. It also reduces the downstream burden on the NHS in treating someone with more advances disease, so a real win-win!

And in case you doubt whether these campaigns are effective, the first national lung cancer campaign in 2012 saw an increase of 32% in urgent referrals for suspected lung cancer in the campaign months, compared with the same period in the previous year.

A persistent cough can sometimes be a side effect of some medicines, so if you are not sure, check with your pharmacist before seeing your GP.

The government is committed to giving you greater choice over how you receive your NHS health care. A new NHS guide sets out some of the options available to you. It explains:

• when you have choices about your health care

• where to get more information to help you choose

• how to complain if you are not offered a choice.

In some situations you have legal rights to choice: in other circumstances you do not have a legal right, but you should be offered choices about your care, depending on what is available locally.

To find out what the options are, follow the links:

• My NHS care: what choices are available to me?

• Choosing your GP and GP practice

• Choosing where to go for your first appointment as an outpatient

• Asking to change hospital if you have to wait longer than the maximum waiting time

• Choosing who carries out a specialist test

• Choosing maternity services

• Choosing services provided in the community

• Choosing to have a personal health budget

With half term out of the way and the summer holidays looming you might be looking for travel advice? Your pharmacy can provide those essentials like sun tan lotion, wipes and plasters to cope with any minor disasters.

Your pharmacist should also be able to advise you on antimalarial medication, and any vaccinations you might need (and may even be able to administer them for you if they provide a travel clinic service).

If you can’t get to your local pharmacy for any reason, there are some good sites you can visit online:

• Nathnac.net is a site commissioned by Public Health England and contains the latest travel advice for UK travellers.

• www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk is the NHS Scotland travel site for people travelling abroad from the UK.

• NHS Choices also offers a variety of advice – stick ‘travel’ in the search box to see the options.

• Fitfortravel.nhs.uk

• wwnc.cdc.gov/travel is a US site, but that doesn’t stop it having some useful information – just be aware that UK guidance may differ in some respects.

With half term out of the way and the summer holidays looming you might be looking for travel advice? Your pharmacy can provide those essentials like sun tan lotion, wipes and plasters to cope with any minor disasters.

Your pharmacist should also be able to advise you on antimalarial medication, and any vaccinations you might need (and may even be able to administer them for you if they provide a travel clinic service).

If you can’t get to your local pharmacy for any reason, there are some good sites you can visit online:

• Nathnac.net is a site commissioned by Public Health England and contains the latest travel advice for UK travellers.

• www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk is the NHS Scotland travel site for people travelling abroad from the UK.

• NHS Choices also offers a variety of advice – stick ‘travel’ in the search box to see the options.

• Fitfortravel.nhs.uk

• wwnc.cdc.gov/travel is a US site, but that doesn’t stop it having some useful information – just be aware that UK guidance may differ in some respects.

Health and wellbeing begins between the ears
That’s the slogan for Men’s Health Week, which runs from 15th-21st June. This year it focuses on how you can beat stress.

Too much stress can damage your immune system and heart, and increase your chances of serious health problems. Stress can also cause mental health problems which, if unchecked, can also be serious. About three quarters of the people treated for depression are women, but about three quarters of the people who commit suicide are men.

A relentless build-up of pressure, without the opportunity to recover, can lead to harmful stress. The important thing is to recognise the warning signs and do something about it. Common signs are:

• Eating more or less than normal
• Mood swings
• Low self-esteem
• Feeling tense or anxious
• Not sleeping properly
• Feeling tired and lacking in energy
• Withdrawing from family and friends

You can find out more about how to beat stress at the Men’s Health Forum – www.menshealthforum.org.uk