Refillable Water Bottles Are Crawling With Germs, Some Known To Cause Pneumonia, Blood Infections And Antibiotic Resistance

Is Mobile Phone Use Linked To Cancer?

A health boss who used his Blackberry phone for six hours a day has died of a brain tumour.
Ian Phillips, 44, spent his last months warning about the risks of long exposure to radiation from mobiles.
The hospital diagnostics chief claimed his tumour developed because his high-pressure job meant he spent more than 100 hours a month on his cellphone.
( Martin Fricker, 21.05.2016 )

There is no solid evidence to suggest a link between cancer and mobiles.
The problem is they are now so widely used that if someone develops a brain tumour it’s almost certain they have been using a mobile.
That’s not to say that the phone caused it.
Very large studies around the world have not proved a link.
However, the flip-side of this is that there is no evidence there is not a link.
( Professor Malcolm Sperrin, 21.05.2016 )

Humiliation Of Mixed-Sex Hospital Wards.

The number of patients enduring the humiliation of mixed-sex hospital wards has soared by almost 50% under Theresa May.
More than 8,500 patients were put in such wards during the Prime Minister’s first year at No 10, up on 5,700 the year before.
Hospitals are fined £250 per patient per day for breaching rules on keeping patients on single-sex wards.

The Tories vowed to eliminate mixed-sex wards completely in both their 2010 and 2015 manifestos but the pledge had vanished when it came to this year’s election.
From July last year, when Mrs May first moved to Downing Street, until June this year there were 8,546 instances of mixed-sex ward use, up 49% on the 5,720 in the year before.

Shadow Health Minister Justin Madders said, “Patients expect dignity and respect in hospital but this Government is letting them down.”
Norman Lamb, the Lib Dem health spokesman, added, “It’s an utter scandal and an affront to basic human dignity. We need to make sure the Tories start properly funding the NHS to end this intolerable practise.”
( Andrew Gregory, 22.07.2017 )

Taking Statins May Help Cancer Survival.
Taking statins to cut cholesterol may slash the risk of dying from four common cancers, a study claims.
Scientists discovered ‘striking’ reductions in death rates among cancer patients who also had a high cholesterol diagnosis.
They think treatment with statins is the most likely explanation.
The study found high cholesterol was associated with a 43% lower risk of dying of breast cancer, 47% from prostate cancer, 30% from bowel cancer and 22% from lung cancer.
Dr Paul Carter, of Aston University, Birmingham, who presented the study at a conference in Florence, Italy, said, “We think there’s a very strong possibly that statins are producing this effect.”
Researchers analysed the health records of almost a million cancer patients admitted to UK hospitals between 2000 and 2013.
( Andrew Gregory, 09.07.2016 )

Duty NHS Doctors Treating Private Patients.
A surgeon claims his NHS Trust spent £1million fighting him after he blew the whistle on malpractice.
James Akinwunmi, 52, said emergency cases were turned away as duty doctors treated private patients and that some staff fraudulently claimed double pay.
But he was fired, his marriage collapsed and his kids became estranged.
The neurosurgeon at Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, spent £100,000 clearing his name.
Now the Trust has lost an appeal against an unfair dismissal ruling.
( Sunday Mirror, 23.07.2017 )

Advantage Lentil-Munchers.
For the past few years I’ve been a veggie, leading to raised eyebrows from some carnivores, and abuse from others, who think you are trying to claim moral superiority.
Even though you’re not.
And then there’s the taunts: “Don’t you think carrots feel pain” is a favourite, often followed with “If not eating meat is so good for your body, how come you never see a top sports star living off only vegetables?”
To which I’ve just discovered the perfect two-word riposte: Serena Williams.
Not just a veggie but a vegan.
And clearly the weakest, sickest-looking tennis player ever to batter her way to 22 Grand Slam titles.
Advantage lentil-munchers.
( Brian Reade, 16.07.2016 )

Study Shows That Vegans And Vegetarians Are Smarter Than Meat-Eaters.

It’s official: vegans and vegetarians are more intelligent than meat eaters says a study made by scientists of the Southampton University in England, UK.
According to the results, people who were vegans or vegetarians by the age of 30 had a higher IQ than meat eaters.

The initial IQ tests were completed in the 1970s and the results of the today’s studies showed that the children with a higher IQ were more likely to become vegans or vegetarians as adults.
The researchers on this study tracked over 8,000 volunteers for almost 20 years, and around 45% of them came out to be vegetarians or vegans at the age of 30.

They were also the smartest ones among those 8,000.
The study also showed that most of the vegans and vegetarians gained degrees and got high-powered jobs, unlike others whose IQ was lower and they haven’t changed their diet and lifestyle.
( Dream Humanity, 10.08.2017 )  ..  dreamhumanity.com

Insulin Pill May Be Available Soon.
An insulin pill for diabetics could be on the market within a few years.
The capsule, set to do away with daily injections, is the first oral insulin treatment to reach the last stage of trials before being granted a licence.
Delivering insulin in tablet form is considered ‘the holy grail of diabetes research’.
Experts from Israel and the U.S. have developed a coating to protect the pill from digestive juices in the stomach and mouth together with an ‘acid neutralising’ chemical released once the pill hits the intestines.
Insulin is then absorbed into the bloodstream directly.
Injected insulin takes a more roundabout route through the blood stream making blood sugar difficult to control for some.
( Martyn Halle, 01.08.2016 )

Lives Are being Lost.
The former head of the Army has blasted defence chiefs for failing troops with post-traumatic stress disorder, leaving them to rely on a charity helpline instead.
General Sir Richard Dannatt said, “Lives are being lost. We cannot penny pinch or seek efficiencies where the lives of our people are at stake. The Government’s failure to support our troops is a breach of the Armed Forces Covenant. In 1917, they didn’t understand shell shock, but in 2017 we do understand PTSD.”
A major study has found recent wars, including Iraq and Afghanistan, left 83,000 British troops physically or mentally scarred.
( Sean Rayment and Dan Warburton, July 2017 )

Germs In Refillable Water Bottles.

Refillable water bottles are crawling with so many germs they are a worse risk than licking your dog’s toy, a study has found.
Tests on four types of bottles used for a week without being washed found those with slide tops had the highest bacteria count, more than 900,000 per square centimetre.
And half the bugs had the potential to harm.

Squeeze tops had 162,000 units and screw tops just under 160,000.
Some held germs known to cause pneumonia, blood infections and antibiotic resistance.
The authors said drinking from refillable bottles can be ‘worse than licking your dog’s toy’ or ‘eating a meal from your pet’s dish’.

Straw tops fared far better at 25 units, with most bacteria harmless.
Researchers said: “Water drips to the bottom of the straw rather than sticking around to attract moisture-loving germs.”
After the tests, on athletes’ bottles, Treadmill Reviews suggested washing them every time in a mild bleach solution.
( Nicola Bartlett, 12.08.2016 )