Doctors suffer in secret from a wide range of physical and mental health problems including addiction, according to the findings of a new health program in the United Kingdom.
The Practitioner Health Program (PHP) was set up in response to concerns that health professionals were self-medicating or avoiding treatment for serious health problems, out of fear of being stigmatized if they visited a colleague for help. The program provides confidential health services, and so far has been judged a success.
"From the number of patients accessing PHP during its first year, it's clear there is a need for this highly specialized service," said England's chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson.
Health & Wellness
There are a great many reasons to love America. For one thing, Freedom of Speech remains largely intact in the USA (although the FDA has struck a serious blow to the principle with its ongoing censorship of free speech about nutritional supplements). We also have a diverse culture of people who are by and large friendly people. This was brought home to me recently when I was traveling through the Gulf Coast region, talking to people on the street about the BP oil spill. Virtually everyone was friendly, and I found I could walk right up to all sorts of people -- from the country fisherman in Biloxi Mississippi to the street-drumming entertainers in New Orleans -- and they were all happy to chat.
America offers a lot to be thankful for, but there are also some serious problems that are eroding the very things that make America great. Those problems are the subject of my most recent CounterThink Cartoon called "America Today" which portrays six of the most serious problems threatening America's future.
Below, I explain each of these six big problems and why they threaten the future of America as we know it.
America offers a lot to be thankful for, but there are also some serious problems that are eroding the very things that make America great. Those problems are the subject of my most recent CounterThink Cartoon called "America Today" which portrays six of the most serious problems threatening America's future.
© NaturalNews
© ALAMY
The most significant findings were that being outside in nature for 20 minutes a day was enough to boost feelings of vitality
The most significant findings were that being outside in nature for 20 minutes a day was enough to boost feelings of vitality
Being outside in nature makes people feel more alive and could be important for mental and physical health, studies have shown.
A series of experiments conducted on college students in America has shown that the boost in well being comes from being outside, rather than the effect of physical exercise or socializing with others.
Researchers from Germany, Spain and London examined data from 50,000 children aged eight to 12, from 20 different countries, collected between 1995 and 2005.
Parents were asked about their children's usual diet and whether they had ever been diagnosed with asthma or suffered wheezing.
© Wikipedia Commons
A 3-d representation of a dioxin molecule
A 3-d representation of a dioxin molecule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving closer to its goal of releasing an updated estimate on the potential harm of dioxin exposure by the end of the year.
In May, in a long-stalled response to concerns raised by the National Academies of Sciences in 2006, EPA reaffirmed its position that dioxin causes cancer and other negative health effects even at extremely low levels of exposure and stated that most Americans are being exposed to unsafe levels of the chemical through the foods that they eat.
Stephen Lester, science director for the Center for Health Environment and Justice is in the process of reviewing EPA's 1,850 page document .
"EPA is standing behind its analysis that shows dioxin causes adverse health hazards at very low levels," Lester said. "We would say it is a serious public health hazard."
"Food is the primary means of exposure for the general public," he said, and "roughly 90 percent of general population is exposed to dioxin through food, primarily beef and dairy."
© Getty Images
In fact, background information in a just published study in CMAJ (the Canadian Medical Association Journal) notes the drugs are frequently used in pregnancy. Almost 4 percent of pregnant women take them at some point during the first trimester -- and the result can be tragic. The new research concludes expectant moms taking antidepressants have an astounding 68 percent increase in the overall risk of miscarriage.
Most previous studies on the use of these medications in pregnancy have been small and haven't looked as miscarriages as a main outcome. But this large study by researchers from the University of Montreal and the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center (CHU Ste-Justine) evaluated the association between antidepressant use in pregnancy in detail -- analyzing classes, types and doses of the drugs and the risk of miscarriage.
A hospital trust where conditions were so bad that more than 1,000 patients may have died due to negligence actively tried to stop employees from raising concerns about patient safety, according to an inquiry conducted by the British Health Department.
"Staff have known about the problems on the wards for many years, but there has been no means by which they can bring them up," said a health official close to the inquiry. "Those who have tried to do so have been shot down. Some have been ordered to withdraw or hide their allegations."
One egregious case occurred following the death of John Moore-Robinson, a 20-year-old who was admitted to the hospital following a mountain bike accident in April 2006. He was discharged with painkillers and died less than 24 hours later from a ruptured spleen that health workers had failed to detect.
"Staff have known about the problems on the wards for many years, but there has been no means by which they can bring them up," said a health official close to the inquiry. "Those who have tried to do so have been shot down. Some have been ordered to withdraw or hide their allegations."
One egregious case occurred following the death of John Moore-Robinson, a 20-year-old who was admitted to the hospital following a mountain bike accident in April 2006. He was discharged with painkillers and died less than 24 hours later from a ruptured spleen that health workers had failed to detect.
© Science Photo Library
Too much cholesterol leads to dangerous fatty build up in the arteries
Too much cholesterol leads to dangerous fatty build up in the arteries
It counters assumptions that levels are solely controlled by what we eat and by cholesterol production in the liver.
The US study in Nature Neuroscience found that a hunger hormone in the brain acts as the "remote control" for cholesterol travelling round the body.
Too much cholesterol causes hardened fatty arteries, raising the risk of a heart attack.
The research carried out by a US team at the University of Cincinnati found that increased levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin in mice caused the animals to develop higher levels of blood-circulating cholesterol.
© Science Photo Library
MRI scans are an established way of diagnosing brain conditions
MRI scans are an established way of diagnosing brain conditions
Scans can show a person's reactions by demonstrating if certain areas of the brain "light-up".
At least one US company is offering scans to employers recruiting staff but American courts have already rejected attempts to use scans in cases.
The subject is being discussed by experts from around the world at a University of Glasgow conference.
Burkhard Schafer, co-director of the SCRIPT Centre for Research in Intellectual Property and Technology at the University of Edinburgh's school of law, said there were issues over privacy and reliability of technology.
© Getty Images
Botox is the trade name for the botulinim toxin, which is produced by the botulism bacteria. Botulinim toxin blocks nerve signaling, leading to muscle paralysis, and has been called the single most toxic protein known. In small doses, it is approved for use to smooth away facial wrinkles. Although it is not approved in the United States for the treatment of muscle spasms such as those caused by cerebral palsy, U.S. law allows doctors to prescribe drugs for unapproved uses if they wish.
Kristen Spears began Botox treatment for cerebral palsy-related spasms at age six. In November 2007, Spears died from pneumonia and respiratory failure, which her family claims was caused when the botulinim toxin spread to her lungs and weakened her breathing muscles.
