Information about health matters

News:

Out of Hours
Calls out-of-hours should be restricted to medical problems that cannot wait until normal office hours. Please telephone 0345 6059999. Calls are answered by a trained nurse. You may be asked to attend the GP centre at Airedale Hospital to see a GP. Home visits can be done for housebound patients, even out of hours.
If you have had an accident or have an emergency, please attend A&E. Patients with less severe problems may have a long wait and would be better calling the number above.

Weight Watchers Vouchers
We can supply free vouchers for 12 weeks for eligible patients. Please see under "clinics and services".

Extended Hours
We now offer evening appointments on Monday and Tuesday evenings for those working away or who find it difficult to attend during the day. These are pre-bookable appointments.

Cancelling your Appointment
If you are unable to attend an appointment with one of the doctors or nurses, please telephone the surgery in good time.

Swine Flu

If you think you have swine flu (fever, cough, aching, headache) please visit www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu
or call
0800 1 513 513.

History of the Practice

New section - see right hand menu.

Announcements

01 Sep - 01 Oct
NHS Smokefree

Find out about all of the free NHS services available to support you as you go try to give up smoking.

01 Aug - 01 Oct
NHS Summer Health

Stay safe in the sun, including sunscreens, sunburn relief, heat exhaustion, eczema and moles. Summer holidays are great fun for children, but can bring risks. Find out more

01 Jul - 01 Oct
Change for Life

Would you like loads of tips and help to make changes for a healthier future? As part of Change4Life, you will receive tons of helpful information, recipes, tools, tips, and games for the kids.

BBC Health

Stem cell medic misconduct ruling

A doctor who offered controversial stem cell treatments to multiple sclerosis patients faces being struck off by the General Medical Council.

Plea to save MS respite centres

Volunteers are calling on the MS Society not to abandon four respite care centres in York, Surrey, Warwickshire and East Lothian

Stress hormone heart death link

High levels of the stress hormone cortisol are closely linked to death from cardiovascular disease, a Dutch study has found.

'Sponge checks' for cancer risk

Swallowing a sponge on a piece of string could help prevent a deadly form of cancer, experts claim.

Firm handshake link to long life

The strength of your handshake could be a clue to how long you'll live, say UK scientists.

Speed of ageing is 'slowing down'

The cost burden of ageing populations in industrialised nations may not be as much as feared because of improved health, a study suggests.

Scan to 'track brain development'

Scientists say they can quickly and accurately map a child's brain development using an MRI machine and a maths programme.

Trust plans to stop IVF treatment

A primary care trust in Greater Manchester is planning to suspend funding for IVF treatment, to try to cut costs.

Legionnaires' source hunt narrows

Doctors say they are narrowing down the potential source for a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in south Wales after the deaths of two people.

Prostate tests call for 'at risk'

Screening men with a family history of breast and ovarian cancer can lead to early diagnosis of prostate cancer, says a study.

Yahoo Health

Cholera stalks West Africa as rains spread disease (AP)

In this Monday, Sept. 6, 2010 photo, a doctor treats a child suffering from cholera, at a village health clinic in Ganjuwa in Nigeria's rural Bauchi State. Health officials, some with surgical masks covering their faces, sprayed anti-bacterial solution on muddy paths in this village, and patients jammed into rudimentary clinics as the government struggled to contain a cholera epidemic that has killed nearly 800 people in two months. The worst epidemic in Nigeria in 19 years is spreading to Cameroon, Chad and Niger, where it has killed hundreds more people.(AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

AP - Patients jammed rudimentary clinics and health workers in surgical masks sprayed anti-bacterial solution on muddy paths as the government struggled to contain a cholera epidemic that has killed nearly 800 Nigerians in two months.

AIDS doctors, activists call for more health funds (AP)

Graca Machel, an International advocate for children and the poor, and wife of former South African Presdient Nelson Mandela, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Johannesburg Friday, Sept 10, 2010. Machel said that the debate over food in her impoverished homeland did not end with the government's reversal on bread prices. (AP/Tawanda Mudimu)

AP - Doctors and AIDS activists on Friday urged African governments to fulfill a decade-old pledge to spend more of their own money on health if they want international help in fighting AIDS.

FDA warns of deadly side effect with imaging drugs (AP)

AP - Federal health regulators are warning doctors that a class of injectable drugs used in MRI medical imaging scans can cause a rare and sometimes fatal condition in patients with kidney disease.

CDC: Adults eating less fruit, not enough veggies (AP)

AP - An apple a day? Apparently not in the United States.

Study: Flamboyant male dancing attracts women best (AP)

FILE- This is a file photo of John Travolta and Karen Gorney dance in a nightclub scene to disco music in Paramount Pictures 1977 film 'Saturday Night Fever', which explores the restless generation growing up in the 70's. John Travolta was onto something. Women are most attracted to male dancers who have big, flamboyant moves similar to the actor's trademark style, British scientists say in a new study. (AP Photo/HO, File)

AP - John Travolta was onto something. Women are most attracted to male dancers who have big, flamboyant moves similar to the actor's trademark style, British scientists say in a new study.

Doctors see eye hazard in powerful laser pointers (AP)

AP - A 15-year-old boy damaged his eyes while playing with a laser pointer he'd bought over the Internet, say doctors who warn that dangerously high-powered versions are easily available online.

Risks of old, new diet drugs face U.S. scrutiny (Reuters)

Reuters - The risks of a potential new diet pill and a 13-year-old weight-loss medicine face U.S. scrutiny next week as medical experts consider if the drugs' benefits outweigh possible side effects.

Doctors alarmed by HIV risk for European gays (AFP)

Homosexual men in Europe are increasingly failing to adhere to safe sex, according to two new studies. In France, transmission of the AIDS virus

AFP - Homosexual men in Europe are increasingly failing to adhere to safe sex, according to two new studies. In France, transmission of the AIDS virus "seems to be out of control" among men who have sex with men, said a paper published on Thursday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Clinical Trials Update: Sept. 10, 2010 (HealthDay)

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

Clearing Kids for Sports Participation Sparks Conflicts (HealthDay)

HealthDay - THURSDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Most teenagers think they're invincible, and that goes double for talented teenage athletes. They're young, immortal, at the top of their game, the envy of their friends.

MedPage Today

More Body Fat May Up Death Risk With Colon Cancer (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Among postmenopausal women who have colon cancer, those carrying extra weight before their diagnosis appear to have an increased risk of dying, researchers found.

Score Predicts Morbidity Risk in Preterm Infants (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Physiologic data from the first three hours after birth integrated into a computer model predicted premature infants' morbidity risk with greater than 90% accuracy, as demonstrated in a study of 138 preterm infants.

HHS Workers Owe a Bundle in Back Taxes

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) owed a total of $37.3 million in back taxes at the end of 2009, according to a report published online Thursday in the Washington Post.

FDA Adds Warning to Some Diagnostic Drugs

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- The FDA is requiring the makers of some gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) to add new warnings to the drug label to minimize the development of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in some patients with kidney dysfunction.

Palliative Care Training Program Ineffective (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- A hospital-based training program designed to improve end-of-life care in the intensive care unit had no effect on quality of dying or quality of care, researchers found.

Hospital Trauma Transfers Not Common, but Costly (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Transferring trauma patients from one hospital to another, only to discharge them that day or the next, is a relatively infrequent occurrence but is still a costly burden on the medical system, researchers said.

Dose Increase Little Help with Anti-TNF Drugs (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Increasing the dose of an anti-tumor necrosis factor drug in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is unlikely to increase the therapeutic response, an observational study found.

Teen Weight Problems Predict Overweight Adults (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Dramatic shifts in the prevalence of overweight and obesity occur between adolescence and young adulthood, a prospective cohort study of Australian youths showed.

Carotid Stenting Too Risky for Older Patients (CME/CE)

(MedPage Today) -- Carotid stenting should be avoided in symptomatic patients ages 70 and older but may be as safe as its surgical counterpart in younger patients, researchers determined.

Money for ESC Research Flows Again, for Now

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- A federal appeals court has ruled that government funding of embryonic stem cell (ESC) research can resume while it mulls a federal district court judge's ruling blocking the funds.

Stroke - act FAST

What is a stroke?
A stroke is a brain attack. It happens when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted. Most strokes occur when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain. Some strokes are caused by bleeding in or around the brain from a burst blood vessel.

What are the symptoms of stroke?
To help people recognise the symptoms of stroke quickly, The Stroke Association has funded research into FAST - the Face Arm Speech Test - which is used by paramedics to diagnose stroke prior to a person being admitted to hospital. By diagnosing the possibility of stroke before reaching hospital, it is possible for appropriate referral to a stroke unit to be made as quickly as possible.

What is FAST?
FAST requires an assessment of three specific symptoms of stroke.

Facial weakness - can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
Arm weakness - can the person raise both arms?
Speech problems - can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
Time to call 999

If the person has failed any one of these tests, you must call 999. Stroke is a medical emergency and by calling 999 you can help someone reach hospital quickly and receive the early treatment they need. Prompt action can prevent further damage to the brain and help someone make a full recovery. Delay can result in death or major long-term disabilities, such as paralysis, severe memory loss and communication problems (aphasia).

Reference:

http://www.stroke.org.uk/campaigns/raising_awareness/act_fast.html accessed 16/4/9

Practice Information

For quick medical advice online or on the telephone contact NHS Direct