The Firs Medical Centre

News:

Announcements

Marie Curie is asking everyone to paint the UK yellow this March by making a donation and wearing a daffodil pin for the Great Daffodil Appeal.

01 Mar - 31 Mar
Prostate Cancer Awareness

We want men, the general public, and health professionals, to be more aware of prostate cancer. Our awareness month helps raise vital funds for much needed support and information for men who have been diagnosed and their families.

01 Jan - 31 Mar
Ovarian Cancer Awareness

Ovarian Cancer Action will be raising awareness in a variety of communities throughout March to ensure we are doing everything we can to inform women about the disease and its symptoms

BBC Health

Call to halt NHS medical database

Doctors leaders urge ministers to halt the development of a medical records database for patients in England.

'No proof' IVF aided by acupuncture

There is no evidence acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine boost the chance of IVF success, fertility experts warn.

Street actress reveals depression

Coronation Street actress Beverley Callard reveals she has been receiving treatment for depression.

Social care deal 'dead in water'

Hopes of reaching a cross-party deal on funding social care appear to be dead in the water.

MP writes to police over hospital

An MP writes to police to ask if there is a basis for a criminal inquiry into activities at Stafford Hospital.

'Problem kids' risk future pain

Children with behavioural problems are twice as likely to suffer chronic pain as adults than others, say researchers.

Illegal cord blood sample warning

Parents, hospitals and private firms are being warned over risky and illegal collections of umbilical cord blood

'London bomb stress' recognised

Psychologists say they have treated hundreds of survivors of the 2005 London bombings for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Patients 'get care in cupboards'

Patients are being treated in mop cupboards, storerooms and kitchens due to wards being full, a survey suggests.

Women who drink wine in moderation stay slim, says study

Women can enjoy a tipple and stay slim, according to a study showing moderate drinkers gain less weight than teetotallers.

Yahoo Health

CDC uses shopper-card data to trace salmonella (AP)

In this photo taken March 9, 2010, Raymond Cirimele, 55, displays his Costco membership card outside his home in Chicago. Cirimele is one of at least 245 people in 44 states who have been sickened by a recent salmonella outbreak. Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention successfully used the shopper cards that millions of Americans swipe every time they buy groceries and followed the trail of grocery purchases to a Rhode Island company that makes salami, then zeroed in on the pepper used to season the meat. He said no one asked for his shopper card data, but he would have provided it if someone had. 'I don't have any secrets, so I'm not worried about it,' he said. 'It's kind of like the whole airport security and all that. I'd rather fly on a safe plane.' (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

AP - As they scrambled recently to trace the source of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds around the country, investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention successfully used a new tool for the first time — the shopper cards that millions of Americans swipe every time they buy groceries.

Hoped-for drop in childbirth deaths not happening (AP)

This Oct. 2007 family photo provided by Clare Johnson shows Linda Coale holding her son Benjamin in Crownsville, Md. Eleven days after her son Benjamin's birth by C-section, Linda Coale awoke in the middle of the night in pain, one leg badly swollen. Just as her doctor returned her phone call asking what to do, she dropped dead from a blood clot. (AP Photo/Family Photo)

AP - Eleven days after her son Benjamin's birth by C-section, Linda Coale awoke in the middle of the night in pain, one leg badly swollen. Just as her doctor returned her phone call asking what to do, she dropped dead from a blood clot.

Researchers: AIDS virus can hide in bone marrow (AP)

AP - The virus that causes AIDS can hide in the bone marrow, avoiding drugs and later awakening to cause illness, according to new research that could point the way toward better treatments for the disease.

Brazil's Silva quits smoking after 50 years (AP)

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, gestures during an interview with The Associated Press, in Brasilia, Tuesday, March 9, 2010. Lula da Silva warned that U.S.-proposed sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program could lead to war in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

AP - Brazil's president said Tuesday that he kicked the smoking habit he had for 50 years after a recent health scare sent his blood pressure soaring.

WHO: over 85M African kids get polio vaccination (AP)

A child is given an oral polio vaccine in Angola camp, southern Khartoum in 2007. A campaign to immunize over 85 million children under five against polio will kick off March 6 in west and central Africa in a bid to halt a year-long epidemic, health bodies said in a joint communique.(AFP/File/Isam al-Haj)

AP - The World Health Organization says more than 85 million children under 5 in west and central Africa will be vaccinated against polio.

Gene test claims to show what diet works best (AP)

AP - Diet not working? Blame your genes. That's the pitch behind a new test that claims to show whether people will do better on a low-fat or a low-carb weight loss plan.

Health Tip: What's Behind Childhood Obesity (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Obesity is a major problem in the United States, and children are no exception. Today's kids are spending more hours watching TV, sitting at the computer or playing video games, and less time being active.

As You Age, Better Health Means Better Sex (HealthDay)

HealthDay - TUESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Better health translates into better sex lives, with healthy people more likely to engage in sex (and good sex at that) and to express an interest in sex, new research finds.

Clinical Trials Update: March 10, 2010 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

Jump in Kids' Sports Injuries Due to Overuse (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Orthopedic surgeons warn that sports injuries in children are rising dramatically, creating a "silent epidemic."

WHO Swine Flu

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 90

As of 28 February 2010, worldwide more than 213 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 16455 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 89

As of 21 February 2010, worldwide more than 213 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 16226 deaths.

Director-General statement following the seventh meeting of the Emergency Committee

The Emergency Committee held its seventh meeting by teleconference on 23 February 2010. The Director-General sought the Committee's views on the determination of the pandemic status.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 88

As of 14 February 2010, worldwide more than 212 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 15921 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 87

As of 7 February 2010, worldwide more than 212 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 15292 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 86

As of 31 January 2010, worldwide more than 211 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 15174 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 85

As of 24 January 2010, worldwide more than 209 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 14711 deaths.

Statement of the World Health Organization on allegations of conflict of interest and 'fake' pandemic

22 January 2010 -- Providing independent advice to Member States is a very important function of the World Health Organization (WHO). We take this work seriously and guard against the influence of any improper interests. The WHO influenza pandemic policies and response have not been improperly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 84

As of 17 January 2010, worldwide more than 209 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 14142 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 83

As of 10 January 2010, worldwide more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 13554 deaths.

Announcements

BBC Health

Yahoo Health

WHO Swine Flu

Practice Information