Women with embarrassing medical problems are misdiagnosing themselves after consulting search engines.

They have bought the wrong medication after misdiagnosing themselves on the internet and one in ten has suffered unpleasant side effects as a result, research suggests.

Half of women have diagnosed themselves online and bought a treatment without checking with pharmacists if it is the correct product.

A similar proportion said they would seek to treat medical problems themselves before consulting doctors.

A quarter said they “dread” speaking to doctors.

The online world is just as bad as the offline world for misleading people with snakeoil potions.

The moral of the story is to make sure that you only deal with professionals who you can trust.

For medical news we suggest only using websites such as Health Direct which are regularly reviewed by independent experts:
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.
Remember that Dr Google can’t do anything for you, except make you feel bad and paranoid

Dr Google can’t write prescriptions- nor even examine you verbally or in person.

Also, search engines can’t actually think- though they may be programmed very cleverly.

Common sense should prevail online as well as offline.

If your symptoms are bothering you that much, you should go to a qualified practitioner which in the case of medical issues is a GP.

Fears are being raised that new 5p and 10p coins which are being introduced into circulation could cause skin problems.The coins are made from steel but plated in nickel, replacing the current cupro-nickel version which contains 75% copper and 25% nickel.

Dermatologists told the British Medical Journal the move could cause problems for people who have nickel allergies, including some people with eczema.

But the Royal Mint said the change would not have an adverse impact.

The new coins, which come into circulation in the next few months, are being introduced because of the rising cost of copper.

The Treasury believes it could save £10 million a year, although millions more have been spent changing vending machines and parking meters as the new coins are slightly thicker, causing anger among councils and industry.

Up to 10% of the population, predominantly women, are thought to be affected by nickel allergy.

The latest controversy has been raised by dermatologists from St John’s Institute of Dermatology in London and the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.

The authors warned that there had been no health assessment of the new coinage.

In comparison in Sweden its central bank, the Swedish Riksbank, has recently concluded that nickel-plated coins “pose unacceptable risks to health”, the BMJ reported.

In a letter to the BMJ, the dermatologists said there was the potential for more skin problems, which could have financial implications for the NHS.

They said: “Considerable evidence supports these concerns, which have not been assessed by the Treasury or Royal Mint.”

They have called for Sir John Beddington, the government’s chief scientific adviser, to look into the matter.

The global war on drugs should be abandoned and they should be legalised an establishment think tank has declared.A study by the International Institute of Strategic Studies found that the global war on narcotics had failed to contain the scourge of illegal stimulants.

The drugs trade has spread to Africa and Eastern Europe in recent decades and entrenched its standing in its traditional strongholds of Asia and the Americas.

Nigel Inkster, the former assistant chief of MI6 and author of the study, said there was a growing revolt against the cost of the fight in developing countries.

Only “vested interests” in countries where illegal drugs are consumed stood in the way of a change in approach, he said.

Research indicated that the authorities would need to stop 70 per cent of all drugs shipments to disrupt the trade. While no figures for the proportion of the trade stopped are available, the figure is almost certainly far below that threshold.

Therefore ramping up the security services fight against drugs is almost certainly doomed to failure.

“As any doctor is told on his first day, you should not just double the dose,” said Mr Inkster, who is the most senior figure to have worked within the fight against narcotics to openly call for a review. “If your initial diagnosis doesn’t work don’t just double the dose.”

The corrosive effects on security of the narco-economy also weighs as an argument for ending the war. “You can’t do counter-insurgency and counter-narcotics simultaneously,” he said. “Our investigation has shown us that the so-called war on drugs fundamentally undermines international security.”

The report, Drugs, Insecurity and Failed States, highlights two alternative systems.

Either decriminalisation of all personal possession, as Portugal instituted a decade ago- or a licensing scheme such as that which brought the gin trade under control in London in the 1700s.

Licensing would also allow states to begin to apply the lessons of antismoking campaigns which have curtailed tobacco use.

Taxation, public health messages and social legislation could marginalise drug use.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has asked the Competition Commission to launch an investigation into the UK’s £5.5 billion private healthcare market.Following a public consultation in January, the OFT said that it suspected competition was being restricted.

It said it “continues to hold the view that the private healthcare market could work better for patients”.

The market is of growing importance due to an ageing population and improved medical outcomes, according to the OFT.

Among the concerns raised by the OFT are:

• a lack of information about the pricing and quality of services that would enable patients to compare healthcare providers
• the small number of healthcare providers and insurers nationally, which limits choice and competition
• practices that make it harder for new competitors to break into the market, such as loyalty payments to consultants.

The Competition Commission has the power to demand that firms change business practices and spin off specific business interests, if it deems these to be harmful to market competition.

The investigation could take up to two years to complete.

A third of older people are at an increased risk of dying because they do not fully understand the instructions on medicine labels, a study has found.Researchers at University of College London asked almost 8,000 adults over 52 to take part in a test of how well they could read and understand a basic medicines label, for a mocked-up aspirin product.

It comprised of four simple comprehension-style questions, such as ‘What is the maximum number of days you may take this medicine?’ and ‘List three situations for which you should consult a doctor’. The answers were on the bottle’s label.

A third failed to answer all four questions correctly. One in eight got two or more answers wrong.

The academics then followed the health of the volunteers for five years, all of whom were part of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing project. Over that period 621 died.

They found those with poorer literacy – who got more answers wrong – were more likely to have died, the research published in the British Medical Journal found.

Specifically, 16 per cent of those who got two or more answers wrong died, nine per cent of those who got one wrong died, while only six per cent of those who answered all questions correctly did so.

Sophie Bostock, a research associate at UCL’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, said: “You can’t say the higher death rates are due to these people not reading medicines labels – the reasons for them dying early are complex – but poor literacy is certainly an indicator that they are more vulnerable.

“We do think there’s something specific about underlying literacy that has an impact on mortality.”

She noted that failing eyesight and dementia were not reasons for people being unable to read or comprehend the labels, and that the study was designed to examine fundamental literacy.

Despite poor literacy usually being a lifelong, intractable problem, she said there were ways to ensure such people lived longer, by targeting them with campaigns to make them understand their health problems better.

The team’s research chimes with recommendations made by Sir Michael Marmot, a Government advisor on health inequalities. He has said that improving children’s literacy is one of the most powerful ways of bettering public health.

Poor underlying literacy has long been known to be related with premature death, partly because those who fail to develop their reading skills at school are more likely to take up unhealthy habits like smoking and over-eating as adults.

However, there have been few attempts to quantify the scale of the problem or how it impacts on life expectancy.

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/Misreading-medicine-labels-puts-elderly-at-risk-of-dying

The first pill for MS sufferers is set to be approved for use on the NHS.The National Institute for Curbing Expendtiture (NICE) has overturned previous draft guidance on the drug Fingolimod after the price was discounted and has now ruled that a proportion of people with multiple sclerosis should be treated with it.

MS is a neurological condition that can cause symptoms from dizziness and fatigue to tremors, memory and speech problems. Some patients lose mobility and are wheelchair-bound.

It is often characterised by periods of stability followed be relapses.

Nice has recommended in new draft guidance that people with highly active relapsing remitting MS be treated with fingolimod, also known as Gilenya, made by Novartis.

Studies have shown it can reduce relapses by between 50 and 60 per cent.

It costs around £20,000 per patient per year and thousands of people may benefit.

The qualify patients will have to have unchanged or increased relapse rate or ongoing severe relapses compared to the previous year, despite them taking other drugs such as beta interferons.

Professor Carole Longson, Director of the Health Technology Evaluation Centre at NICE said: “The latest draft guidance from our committee recommends the NHS-use of fingolimod for a specific group of adults who have highly active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

“Following new information provided during the consultation, the analyses show that for these people, treatment with fingolimod will be a cost effective option for the NHS in this group of people with multiple sclerosis, if Novartis provides the drug at a discounted price, as proposed in its patient access scheme.

“We have published the latest version of our draft guidance on our website so that interested parties can highlight any factual errors or appeal against our final draft recommendations.”

In MS the body’s own immune system attacks the protective coating around nerve fibres which carry signals between the brain and the rest of the body.

The drug prevents the immune cells from attacking the nerve coating.

The Scottish equivalent of Nice, the Scottish Medicines Consortium has not approved the drug.

Nick Rijke, Director of Policy & Research at the MS Society, said: “We are delighted; this decision signifies a major step forward in the treatment of this devastating condition.

“Gilenya has been found to be highly effective in trials and taking a daily tablet will come as welcome relief from frequent, often unpleasant, injections.

“Making this new treatment available will increase patient choice for thousands of people with MS across England and Wales, but we’re deeply disappointed by the SMC’s decision in Scotland – and urge them to reconsider.”

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/New-drug-hope-for-thousands-of-MS-sufferers

Worries about the breast implants made by PIP have emerged since news of a major investigation into the France firm.Initially it was thought that around 40,000 women in the UK had the implants but yesterday the Department of Health said new evidence meant a further 7,000 women in the UK might have them. About 95% of the implants were provided privately for purely cosmetic reasons.

The French implants caused global concern after it was revealed they contained industrial silicone rather than medical-grade fillers and that they may be more prone to rupture and leakage.

Initially reports also linked the implants to a rare form of cancer known as ALCL. This cancer link has been now been firmly discounted by medical experts here and in Europe.

It isn’t currently known whether the rupture rate for PIPs is higher than for other types of implant.

From the implants that have been tested, there appears to be no risk of dangerous toxic effects in the event of a rupture.

The implants involved are called Poly Implant Prosthèse (PIP) and were made by a French company of the same name.

In a Medical Device Alert in March 2010, the Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said: ” … most breast implants manufactured by the company since 2001 have been filled with a silicone gel with a composition different from that approved”.

That alert was based on advice from French regulators. However, after an investigation by the MHRA, the French authorities reported in March 2012 that PIP implants made before 2001 may also contain unauthorised silicone gel.

PIP gained approval to market its silicone implants in 1997 but it is not clear when it began using a cheap type of silicone gel intended for making mattresses.

The marketing, distribution and use of the PIP implants was suspended in March 2010.

About one breast implant in five needs replacing within 10 years, whatever the make, so it is unlikely that all the 7,000 women who had PIP implants before 2001 still have the same implants.

An expert committee was set up recently to examine the specific risks associated with PIP implants. It concluded that there was not enough evidence to recommend their early removal. That advice has not changed.

However, the committee said the NHS would remove and replace the implants without charge if patients that the NHS had operated on remained concerned. The government expects the private sector to follow suit.

Women who received a PIP implant from the NHS will be contacted to let them know they have one. If you are worried, you should book a consultation with your specialist or GP.

Some private clinics have said they will replace PIP implants free if clinically necessary.

The expert committee has commissioned further work on the health risks and will meet again in May 2012 to review the findings and update its earlier advice as needed.

Also, the Department of Health has set up two reviews to look at how the PIP situation occurred and the issue of regulating the cosmetic surgery industry as a whole.

The first report is due to be submitted to the health secretary by the end of March 2012.

More than half of elderly and disabled people in care homes are being denied basic health services while staff are failing to to do enough to preserve their dignity, according to an official review.Some older people routinely have to wait up to three months for formal checks for painful conditions such as bed sores, according to figures from the health care watchdog.

A quarter were not given a choice of male or female staff to help them use the lavatory and more than a third of care homes surveyed admitted delays in getting medication to residents.

Campaigners blamed NHS bureaucrats showing a “lack of interest” and failing to provide expert assessments for conditions as basic as incontinence.

The findings emerged after almost 1,000 elderly people yesterday descended on Parliament to lobby their MPs calling for a radical overhaul of the social care system.

Paul Burstow, the care minister, signalled that a widely anticipated white paper of the future of social care had been delayed until next month insisting: “Getting it right is better than rushing it out and getting it wrong.”

Among those who addressed the crowd was the actor Tony Robinson, an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society, who said it was an “undeniable fact” that the system of social care is now in crisis with millions of people faced with paying large sums for care unlikely to meet their needs in old age.

The Archbishop of York also threw his support behind the lobby. Speaking during a visit to a care home he called for an overhaul of the care system to provide “dignity and peace of mind” to older people.

Fresh evidence of the failings in the system was detailed as a raft of previously unpublished data gathered by the health care regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was released.

It was drawn from the first ever nationwide review of how the needs of needs of care home residents across England are met.

The CQC report discloses that people suffering from incontinence have to wait more than two weeks for an assessment of their condition in almost 40 per cent of homes for the elderly surveyed.

But a separate detailed analysis of the CQC data carried out by the British Geriatrics Society, also found that more than 40 per cent specialist providers set themselves a target as long as 90 days to carry out such assessments.

Such delays have led to elderly people being denied the treatment they need or forced to wear incontinence clothing when they do not need it.

The CQC research also says that 30 per cent of nursing homes investigated had no clear policy on when to attempt to resuscitate patients who suffer a serious deterioration in their health.

In a quarter of homes, staff admitted they were unsure about the health care needs of those in their care.

The Geriatrics Society study showed that only 57 per cent of Primary care trusts ensure that all elderly people under their responsibility have access to key services including continence assessments, physiotherapy, pressure sore checks and mental health services.

In 40 per cent of cases trusts set no specific targets to ensure the services were being delivered.

The society concluded that this showed the PCTs had “limited interest” in services for care homes.

Its president, Prof Finbarr Martin, said: “What it shows is that there is a massive disconnect between what the NHS aspires to and what it actually delivers to people in care homes and they are the most vulnerable group of people.

“The issue is there is a negative about people in care homes. There is a nihilism about care homes that is completely unreasonable and unjustified.”

Michelle Mitchell, director of Age UK, said: “The majority of people living in care homes have profound and complex health care needs.

“The British Geriatrics Society’s CQC data analysis reveals that many thousands of residents are failing to receive basic geriatric and community health care from the NHS.  Older people who live in care homes should have the same rights to NHS care as anyone else.”

In a letter to The Daily Telegraph today, the heads of a string of charities including Age UK voice their support for a move in the House of Lords to protect the human rights of all elderly people receiving care.

The Daily Telegrpah publishes a free Guide to Long and Short Term Health Care, you can order one here.

A new pill costing only £1.40 a day that could save the lives of thousands of heart failure patients every year has been approved by European regulators.New data on Ivabradine suggested it could cut death rates by up to 39 per cent, while experts said it could prevent between 5,000 and 10,000 deaths a year.

The drug was also found to reduce the need for patients to be treated in hospital for heart failure, which affects about 900,000 people in Britain, by 30 per cent.

The drug has been approved by European regulators but has yet to be assessed for widespread use on the NHS as the killer quango NICE has yet to approve it.

It costs £1.40 a day and is already prescribed for patients in this country with angina.

It could reduce the risk of death from all types of cardiovascular disease by 17 per cent and the risk of death from all causes by 17 per cent.

In addition, the drug, which slows down the heart rate, was found to cut the risk of heart failure patients requiring treatment by 30 per cent. The study involved 6,505 people in 37 countries, including Britain.

Heart failure occurs when the organ becomes too weak to pump blood efficiently round the body, leading to fatigue, breathlessness, a higher heart rate and other problems.

Prof Martin Cowie, a consultant cardiologist and specialist in heart failure at the Royal Brompton Hospital in central London, and the British lead investigator for the study, said: “Heart failure is a very common problem, affecting approximately 1 per cent of the population.

“The decision to approve this new indication for ivabradine is great news for both doctors and patients, and is a significant step forward in the management of heart failure.”

Prof Cowie added: “While Ace inhibitors and beta-blockers remain very important in the treatment of this condition, the results of the trial demonstrate the value that a reduction in heart rate with ivabradine can bring both in terms of improving symptoms and preventing disease progression, but also in helping patients return to normal daily activities and increasing their enjoyment of life.”

Carers are to be given legal rights under government plans to increase the assistance available to the six million Britons who look after other people.Ministers want to ensure that carers are given support to continue working or studying and to receive time off.

The rights of carers are expected to be put on the same legal footing as those of the people they look after.

There are estimated to be about six million people caring for husbands, wives, children, parents or neighbours, but the Government admits that “many do not get the emotional, financial and practical support they need”.

Paul Burstow, the care services minister, said: “Without the support of relatives and friends, many people who aren’t able to look after themselves would not be able to stay at home. Carers should have their needs looked after as much as the person they are caring for.

“A carer’s health often suffers because they don’t have time to look after themselves. Some often don’t have time to eat properly. So it’s vital we support them to look after their health and well-being.

He added: “None of this is rocket science. It is about the NHS seeing beyond the patient to support family carers. Carer stress is one of the biggest triggers for admission to care homes. That’s why we’ve given the NHS the clearest ever direction to make carers a priority.”

The details of the new rights for carers will be set out in the spring when the Government publishes its plans for reforming the social care system.

They are expected to include safeguards to ensure carers can work flexible hours and are not discriminated against in the workplace. Carers who are studying are likely to be able to ensure they receive state help at school or college.

A scheme that allows carers to take a break is also likely to be strengthened to protect leisure time.

“Caring is for many a full-time job,” said the Department of Health, “but many carers don’t realise they can get help and support from their community.”

A simple programme of assessing carers’ needs and providing tailored help to address them is expected to be introduced.

Ministers have promised to publish a white paper on elderly care reform in April next year.

From:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/Carers-to-get-legal-rights-and-support-in-reforms