'Cure' Is Found for Skin Cancer, Claim Scientists
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Scientists believe that they have found a cure for skin cancer.

A vaccine being tested in the UK has helped been shown to help some patients fully recover from melanoma, even in its advanced stages.

It attacks tumour cells, leaving healthy cells undamaged and carries agents that boost the body's response to skin cancer.

Dr Howard Kaufman, of Chicago's Rush University Medical Centre, said: "Our study shows we may have a cure for some advanced melanoma patients and a drug which has real benefits for others.

"This will save thousands of lives a year."

Over the past 25 years, rates of melanoma in Britain have risen faster than any other common cancer and 2,000 die from the disease every year. >>> | Sunday, April 11, 2010

PC Alert! Council Considers Banning Word 'Obesity'* to Avoid Offending Overweight Children
THE TELEGRAPH: A council is considering banning the word “obesity” from its health campaigns for fear of offending overweight children.

Liverpool City Council believes the expression could stigmatise youngsters and wants to replace it with the phrase “unhealthy weight”.

If the idea goes ahead, the words “obese” and "obesity" would be dropped from all schemes and strategies aimed at improving children’s diets and health.

However, the plans have been opposed by anti-obesity campaigners who are concerned the new term could lead to the issue being trivialised.

Tam Fry, chair of the obesity prevention charity the Child Growth Foundation, said: “If you’re obese you’re obese. >>> Murray Wardrop | Monday, April 12, 2010

*Okay, Mr Councillor! Just call them ugly fat instead! That should do the trick. Fat, after all, is fat! – © Mark

Christopher Cazenove: Septicaemia, a Deadly Bacteria in our Midst
THE TELEGRAPH: The sudden death of 'Dynasty' actor Christopher Cazenove has put septicaemia back in the news.

Christopher Cazenove with Dynasty co-stars. Photo: The Telegraph
The death of former Dynasty star Christopher Cazenove from septicaemia last week is a reminder that, despite advances in medical treatment and standards of hygiene, septicaemia or blood poisoning – a common cause of death in childbirth until the mid-1930s – remains a fast-acting and extremely dangerous condition.

The 66-year-old actor contracted the infection at the end of February after complaining of migraines during a business trip to California. On his return to the UK, he was treated at St Thomas's Hospital, in London, where he died on April 7.

Septicaemia occurs as a result of bacteraemia, the proliferation of bacteria in the bloodstream. In many cases, the source of the infection is never clear but it may be due to a wound, internal bleeding after an accident, or it can arise from an infection within the body, in the intestines or urinary tract, for example.

"Septicaemia occurs when toxins produced by bacteria in the bloodstream hyper-stimulate the patient's immune system," explains infections expert Prof Mark Enright, formerly of Imperial College London. "Your body is trying to fight the infection by pumping more blood around, so you get far too hot, which can lead to organ failure."

Any type of bacterium can cause septicaemia, but the most common types of infection are streptococcal, staphylococcal – which includes the hospital superbug MRSA* – and meningococcal. Sometimes there is an obvious site of infection such as a wound or laceration, but not always.

"In 40 per cent of septicaemia cases, there is no obvious site of entry," says George Griffin, Professor of Infectious Diseases at St George's Hospital, University of London. "The infection generally progresses quickly, and early symptoms are usually low blood pressure, altered consciousness and high fever, sometimes accompanied by chills." >>> Tammy Cohen | Monday, April 12, 2010

*THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Muslim staff escape NHS hygiene rule: Muslim doctors and nurses are to be allowed to opt out of strict hygiene rules introduced by the NHS to restrict the spread of hospital superbugs. >>> | Sunday, April 11, 2010

Egyptian Priests Ate Like Gods – and Paid by Dying Young
A wealthy couple bring gifts to Osiris. After rituals, priests and their families ate the rich food offered to the gods. Image: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: The banquets offered by high priests to appease the gods of Ancient Egypt may have been welcomed as a perk of the job but they also increased their chances of cardiovascular disease and early death, research suggests.

The priests, a powerful bureaucracy under the pharaohs, would place vast plates of roast fowl and copious quantities of wine and beer before a god’s statue in a rite repeated three times each day. Then the food was divided up among the priesthood and taken home from the temple to be shared with their families.

Egyptologists and scientists at the University of Manchester have disclosed in The Lancet the cost of keeping the gods happy. By combining translations of hieroglyphic inscriptions on temple walls showing details of food offered to the gods with analysis of mummified remains, they have assessed their atherosclerosis, the build-up of fat and calcium in the arteries.

The findings show that cardiovascular disease affected the privileged of Ancient Egypt long before fried food and a sedentary life made heart attacks and strokes a modern killer. Rosalie David, of the university’s KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology, said that it was a telling message: “Live like a god and you will pay with your health.” >>> Russell Jenkins | Friday, February 26, 2010

Swiss Prostitutes Trained to Use Defibrillators in Brothels to Prevent Clients Dying
THE TELEGRAPH: Swiss prostitutes are being trained to use defibrillators to prevent clients with heart problems from dying on them, it has emerged.

Brothel owners in the Lugano area say electric shock treatment to restart customer's hearts is needed because so many elderly customers are using their services.

The most recent victim was a pensioner, thought to be having fun with the help of anti-impotence medication.

His death followed a series of other incidents, some fatal, in which heart attacks have claimed brothel customers in the area.

The owner of one sex club said: "Having customers die on us isn't exactly good publicity". >>> | Thursday, February 18, 2010

Have Sex, Be Healthy!
THE TELEGRAPH: Men who have sex at least twice a week can almost halve their risk of heart disease, according to new research.

It shows men who indulge in regular lovemaking are up to 45 per cent less likely to develop life-threatening heart conditions than men who have sex once a month or less.

The study, of over 1,000 men, shows sex appears to have a protective effect on the male heart but did not examine whether women benefit too.

Now the American researchers who carried out the investigation are calling for doctors to screen men for sexual activity when assessing their risk of heart disease.

Every year, around 270,000 people in Britain suffer a heart attack, and coronary disease remains Britains biggest killer.

Although sex has long been regarded as good for physical and mental health, there has been little scientific evidence to show the full benefits that frequent intercourse can have on major illnesses such as heart disease.

In the latest study, scientists at the New England Research Institute in Massachusetts, tracked the sexual activity of men aged between 40 and 70 who were taking part in a long-term project called the Massachusetts Male Ageing Study, which began back in 1987.

At regular points over a 16-year period, each man was quizzed on how often they had sex and then checked for signs of heart disease.

Researchers took into account other risk factors, such as their age, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

The results, published in the American Journal of Cardiology, showed men who made love at least twice a week were much less likely to have heart disease than those whose sexual encounters were limited to once a month or less. Having sex twice a week 'reduces chance of heart attack by half' >>> | Friday, January 08, 2010

Prophet Muhammad Couldn’t Have Known about the Therapeutic Effects of Pork
MAIL ONLINE: The traditional English breakfast is not normally associated with good health.

But scientists have found that eating a plate of bacon and eggs could help pregnant women boost the intelligence of their unborn child.

Women are usually given a list of foods to avoid during pregnancy and it is well documented that a pregnant woman's diet can affect her unborn baby.

But the new study suggests that a chemical in pork products and eggs can help the baby's growing brain to develop. Bacon and eggs could help pregnant women boost their baby's intelligence >>> Anny Shaw | Wednesday, January 06, 2010

MAIL ONLINE: Milk from the Boob No Better Than Milk from the Bottle >>> Fiona Macrae | Thursday, January 07, 2010

President Obama's Approval Rating Plummets to 50 Per Cent for First Time
TIMES ONLINE: President Obama’s approval rating fell to just 50 per cent for the first time today as a growing number of Democratic congressmen across the country contend with angry mobs decrying his economic policies.

The screaming groups, who have hung effigies of Democratic politicians on nooses and even issued death threats, are accused of being orchestrated mobs paid for by conservative groups.

Yet they have captured the spotlight and point to the raging national debate over Mr Obama’s increasingly desperate push to reform health care, the centerpiece of his domestic agenda. The clashes also come amid deep concerns about the exploding budget deficit, a ballooning debt which is threatening the president’s entire economic policies.

After a month in which his poll ratings suffered a significant slide, a new Quinnipiac survey had his approval rating down to just 50 per cent. As in other recent polls, and more ominously for Mr Obama, a majority of Americans now disapprove of his handling of the economy and the issue of health care. >>> Tim Reid, Washington | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Obama Talks to Indonesia, Saudi Leaders on Economy
THE WASHINGTON POST: WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama discussed the global economic crisis with his Indonesian counterpart on Friday and explained his commitment to forging better relations with the Islamic world, the White House said.

The U.S. president also discussed the economic crisis and the upcoming Group of 20 summit of developed and developing nations in phone calls with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines, the White House said in a statement.

In a wide-ranging conversation with Indonesian President Bambang Yudhoyono, Obama spoke of the need for close cooperation in confronting the economic crisis, it said.

"They agreed to advance our comprehensive partnership with a focus on issues, including education, health care, climate change and counterterrorism," the statement said.

"The two leaders also discussed regional and international issues, including the president's commitment to a new and different kind of relationship with Islamic communities around the world," it said. "They also discussed how to make progress on democracy and human rights in Burma."

Obama spent part of his childhood in Jakarta and attended school there. After a previous conversation, Yudhoyono told a local newspaper that Obama had greeted him in Indonesian. >>> Reuters | Friday, March 13, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)