http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1194947358374 This is the excellent Health Protection Agency chart that tells you when to send your kids to school (or not). Temperature references:   NICE guidance http://publications.nice.org.uk/feverish-illness-in-children-cg47/guidance “Detection of fever In children aged 4 weeks to 5 years, healthcare professionals should measure body temperature by one of the following methods: • electronic thermometer in the […]

feature articleand references   Aspirin http://www.bmj.com/content/340/bmj.c1805 Cough mixtures http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD001831/over-the-counter-otc-medications-for-acute-cough-in-children-and-adults-in-ambulatory-settings http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Safetyinformation/Safetywarningsalertsandrecalls/Safetywarningsandmessagesformedicines/CON038908   Osteoarthritis http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa013259   Statins for women http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20377811   homeopathy   http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(97)02293-9/abstract   http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8c29526a-d152-11e0-89c0-00144feab49a.html   tonsillectomy http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/37/1/9.full http://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2012/10/17/archdischild-2012-301755.full Proc R Soc Med. 1961 May; 54(5): 393–402.   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1562441/ http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/37/1/23.full.pdf   Tamiflu http://guidance.nice.org.uk/TA158 http://www.bmj.com/content/339/bmj.b5106 http://www.bmj.com/tamiflu Depression http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/198/1/11.full     http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21652081 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD003012.pub2/abstract http://www.bmj.com/content/339/bmj.b3999 http://www.bmj.com/content/339/bmj.b3999   Antibiotics for coughs http://press.thelancet.com/LRTI.pdf […]

The lack of evidence based discussion in Parliament is rather disconcerting. First, there was praise for Silverstar charity , who offer diabetes screening – which is not recommended in the NHS. Anna Soubry was also praising Boots for offering ‘diabetes checks’ – which is not recommended on the NHS, is likely to use NHS resources in dealing with unwarranted tests, […]

References for tonights’ Inside Health   http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1487292   http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/nkc/files/2013_pill_color_and_adherence_archives.pdf   http://usir.salford.ac.uk/7203/   http://www.npc.nhs.uk/merec/other_non_clinical/merec_bulletin_vol21_no3.php   http://www.genericsubstitution.com/ http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/0809/prescribing_savings_in_2008.aspx http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1547760   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/96086   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068890/ http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/13/5/336.full

Most recent Inside Health features the Yellow Card system, of which I am a big supporter. Anyone can flag up a concern about a side effect of medication – right here. 

These are two recent adverts for cervical screening. The first relies on fear, the second relies on promotion of screening as a lifestyle choice. It’s striking that neither relies on fair information to invite women for screening. What is the risk of missing a single smear and dying of cervical cancer? I don’t know, but […]

          http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2013/01/15/peds.2012-2592.abstract http://www.bmj.com/content/340/bmj.c2161 Click to access CD005992.pdf        

BEAT BLUE MONDAY Monday 21st January 2013 – The Most Depressing day of the year!   ‘Blue Monday’ is believed to be the most depressing day of the year according to calculations by psychologist Dr. Cliff Arnall in 2005. Blue Monday falls on the Monday of the last full week of January and this year […]

On Amitriptyline  – here is the very good information website we talked about http://www.painconcern.org.uk/2011/04/leaflets/amitriptyline Asthma, eczema and ‘junk food’ study http://thorax.bmj.com/content/early/2013/01/03/thoraxjnl-2012-202285.short?g=w_thorax_ahead_tab   Here’s the questionnaire as part of the ISAAC studies – lots of information here 

I find this wish to profit from the illness of another pretty appalling. Press release recieved this am.   Email follows: “Good morning, Following the news that self-proclaimed ‘fitness fanatic’ Andrew Marr has suffered a stroke, I wanted to get in touch to offer expert comment from Preventicum and Medical Director Dr Garry Savin. Preventicum offers […]