Get your flu jab
now
If you haven’t
received a reminder from your doctor, you might need a memory jog. Anyone over 60 can get a free jab to give protection
against earlier editions of influenza, though it won’t help with new strains that may
evolve through the coming winter season. Younger
age groups thought to be at risk will also qualify for a flu jab, so ring your surgery
now.
And now the DoH has launched another one
The Department
of Health has launched a pneumococcal immunisation programme for people over 80 years.
Older people
over 80 are particularly at risk of pneumococcal disease, and the vaccination programme is
a simple way of reducing this risk. Talk to the GP on behalf of any elderly person who
concerns you, or for yourself if you think you are at special risk.
If you want to know more about
schizophrenia…
The Schizophrenia Association of Great Britain has been
campaigning for many years to put nutrition on the agenda as a way to treat this type of
mental illness. Their view is that certain
foods may trigger schizophrenia, and the nutritional imbalance can be corrected with other
foods.
The association have developed special nutrition packs
containing fish oils and various vitamin and mineral supplements. A
recent questionnaire among members suggests that they really made a difference.
To find out
more about the supplements, you can email the association at info@sagb.co.uk or see their website
www.sagb.co.uk
Fewer glorious mornings for obese men
A report from the Annals of Internal Medicine’s Health
Professionals study has found that obese men over the age of fifty have a sharp decline in
erectile function. It seems that overweight or
obese men have a much higher risk of erectile problems than those who are slimmer,
healthier and have more active lifestyles.
More than 31,700 men participated
in the study ranging in age from 53 to 90. The results clearly showed that weight as well
as other factors such as smoking, limited physical exercise and age play a major part in
erectile problems.
Men are much less likely to think about dieting than women, according to
the Cambridge Health Plan, an organisation that uses accredited counsellors who help
dieters with advice, support and motivation. The
company claims that its weight management programmes work especially well for men.
Counsellors usually give a one-to-one service, which many men have commented they prefer
to larger group sessions.
The Cambridge Diet is a
formula food that can be used as sole source or as part of a balanced weight management
programme.
Cambridge Diet home page
85 per cent of patients worry about
their depression returning
New
research from the Depression Alliance reveals that 85 per cent of patients who have
experienced depression are worried about suffering further bouts of the illness. The
results of the survey of 1010 patients found that about a third of the people who had
experienced depression reported overt fear or anxiety that their depression would return.
Unfortunately for many this fear becomes a reality with around nine out of 10 of those
with depression experiencing at least one repeat episode.
The Alliance considers that this
is not acceptable when there are treatments that have been shown to prevent depression
returning. They point out that it is essential to ensure that people are treated with such
medicines appropriately.
Around two-thirds of patients
in the survey admitted to having stopped taking their medication on at least one occasion.
Guidelines from the British Association for Psychopharmacology recommend that treatment
should be continued for at least six months from the point that mood is the same as it was
before the patient became depressed. It is
from this point that between one quarter and one-third of patients will relapse into
depression.
The
Alliance says that only about 5 per cent of GPs follow the BAP guidelines. Just over a third of GPs treat for up to six
months, and only 13 per cent say they would treat for more than six months. Time, it
seems, for GPs to update their knowledge in treating depression, a move that would help
themselves as well as their patients.
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New for chronic
heart failure
While the incidence of most
cardiovascular disease is stabilising, chronic heart failure remains a serious and costly
condition with patients at risk of early death.
There have been major advances in
the treatment of heart failure in the last ten years, but chronic heart failure remains a
serious risk. Researchers for the CHARM programme, a
project focussing on a new drug, candesartan, an Angiotensin Receptor Blocker (ARB), have
reported recent success.
This drug, under its proprietary name of Atacand, was reported at the European Society of
Cardiology (ESC) annual meeting last August as being the first proven one to reduce cardiovascular death and
hospitalisation in chronic heart failure when given together with conventional therapy.
In patients who were not taking
ACE-inhibitors due to previous intolerance, Atacand also significantly reduced the risk of
cardiovascular death or hospitalisation for chronic heart failure.
Atacand is unlikely to be available yet within the
NHS, but a discussion with a specialist or GP should put any patients in the picture.
Nation of scatterbrains?
Nearly a third of us put things in the fridge
which aren't supposed to be there, for example our mobile phones or house keys.
Women forget more that men do: over 85 per cent of
women in the survey said there were times when they had no idea what they went in for when
they entered a room, compared to only a quarter of men. Surprisingly
(and reassuringly for those in later life) the
biggest female culprits are those between 25 and 34 years old.
Women, however, have much better memories when it comes to the personal touch; 37 per
cent of men often forget someone's name, while only 28 per cent of women do. Over 60 per
cent of men forget birthdays and anniversaries compared with only 16 per cent of women. It
is interesting to note that the male memory for anniversaries improves with age - perhaps
as a result of years of nagging.
This being a survey from the DHA Food Campaign,
they are keen to tell us how to boost brain power - by ensuring that our diet is rich in
DHA, an Omega-3 fatty acids which is said to improve brain function.
DHA
(docosahexaenoic acid) makes up about 25 per cent of the fatty acids in grey matter cell
membranes, and ensures that the messages between the brain cells are sent quickly and
clearly. A lack of DHA can cause a slower message transmission which can affect brain
development in babies and mental agility and memory in adults.
Levels of DHA in adult men and women have declined
by up to 50 per cent over the last fifty years due to changes in diet. The government
(COMA 1994) recommends a 0.2g daily intake of DHA/EPA combined. Average UK intakes are
0.1g per day.
DHA can be found naturally in oily fish such as fresh tuna, salmon, herring, mackerel
and sardines, and small amounts are found in some vegetables. There are also DHA-enriched
functional foods available. Warburtons produce
a DHA-enriched Good Health Loaf for Women, available from supermarkets, and Stonegate Eggs
are producing Intelligent Eating, Healthy Eggs, with added DHA, exclusive to Waitrose.
Log onto www.DHA-in-mind.com for more
information.
If in any doubt about any of the
information covered in healthwise articles and it's relevance for you, consult your GP.
In edition 42:-
Asthma:
how to cut down on steroids
Asthmatics
can dramatically reduce levels of corticosteroids without any danger of their asthma
worsening
Fruit and veg reduces stroke risk
Eating
lots of fruits and vegetables can give a lower risk of stroke
Change in BP definition
The
definition of high blood pressure has changed
Alternatives to HRT
HRT
is not the only drug...
Good diet during
menopause
Get
into a healthy eating habit...
Index to
all previous Healthwise editions
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laterlife, you generate money for Charity.
 Maximise your memory
This work provides detailed instructions, illustrations and
sample exercises that show the reader how to build a system of personalized
frameworks for storing and recalling information on demand
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