The Advertising Standards Authority have announced that they are upholding my three complaints against a leaflet about Lifescan. You and Yours are doing a piece about it at noon today. More on this later.
Continue Reading →The two-tier NHS
Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, has announced that patients will now be allowed to buy and be treated with medicines not available on the NHS – but without affecting that person’s entitlement to NHS care. Previously, the rule had been that if a patient was having additional treatment in the private sector, they lost their […]
Continue Reading →Dealing with the fall-out
In the wake of the subprime crisis and the stock market slide, counselling and psychotherapy services have been quick with offers of help for those dealing with the fall-out. A generation or two ago, discussion of one’s personal problems was more commonly done in the public house, with a priest or parson, or with friends […]
Continue Reading →Lonlieness and social cohesion
Help the Aged have released details of a survey today. They conclude that 1.4m older people in the UK feel socially isolated and that 1.25m are often or always lonely. I am often dubious about the way in which surveys are interpreted. However, the findings of this survey do bear out many of the sadder observations made in general […]
Continue Reading →Praise of songs
One of my favourite things in life is music. There is nothing quite like making music en masse, and Glasgow City Chorus is performing the Missa Solemis on Sunday 3oth November in the City Halls. The second soprano section in particular is quite marvellous (not that I’m biased). There have been various studies reporting the effect of […]
Continue Reading →Placebo power
There is an interesting study this week in the BMJ. The study was a mailed survey to US internists and rheumatologists about their use of placebo treatments. The response rate wasn’t great (57%) but about half said they regularly prescribed placebo treatments. Most also said they thought it was ethically permissible. Placebos do work and the […]
Continue Reading →Vaginal cosmetic surgery
Hail the designer vagina. While I was busy thinking that cosmetic surgeons were still sucking fat from hips and erasing bags from under eyes, I have missed the latest money-making trend. Two professors of uro-gynaecology at King’s College London recently observed that women are seeking surgical procedures to improve their intimate aesthetic appearances. Writing in […]
Continue Reading →Shared experiences
I had been meaning to mention Dipex for ages, but I was recently told that it had just changed its name to Healthtalkonline , which seems a good opportunity to write about it. It’s a compilation of interviews with people describing their experiences with illness. I think it’s a fabulous resource for patients, and for also friends and relatives. No […]
Continue Reading →How should GPs be paid?
The dirty semi-secret that GPs get paid per item of what they do – for example, immunisations, cervical smears, blood pressure checks – has been making me uncomfortable for years. I still do not know what the best way of paying GPs is. The Sunday papers this weekend are full of stories about GPs being paid […]
Continue Reading →Second Opinion: Rehabilitation through exercise
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a blight on British health, estimated to cause 20 per cent of medical hospital admissions. Primarily caused by cigarette smoking, it is a condition that damages the airways and obstructs the flow of air from the lungs, leading to breathlessness, a chronic cough and wheezing. The symptoms are distressing and, […]
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