Cancer patients who exercise could HALVE their risk of death, claims study.

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Men who beat cancer and who burned more than 12,6000 calories a week exercising, almost halved their risk of death, a new study found

We all know exercise is good for us but now scientists have found that physical exercise significantly increases the life expectancy of cancer survivors.
Men who beat cancer and who burned more than 12,600 calories a week exercising, almost halved their risk of death, a new study found.
The research supports a previous study that found the most physically active cancer survivors are much less likely to die of cancer and heart disease.
Scientists from the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine studied 1,021 men with an average age of 71 who had been previously diagnosed with cancer.
They found that men who burned more than 12,600 calories per week by exercising, were 48 per cent less likely to die than those that did little exercise and expended less than 2,100 calories a week, Medical Express reported.
Co-author of the study, Dr Kathlee Wolin explained that many cancer survivors are living longer because of early diagnosis and better treatment.

 

‘Physical activity should be actively promoted to such individuals to enhance longevity,’ she said in the study, which was published in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health.
While there has been plenty of research that shows regular exercise boosts the life expectancy of healthy people, this study is among very few that show exercise also extended the life of cancer survivors.

Scientists from the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine studied 1,021 men with an average age of 71 who had been previously diagnosed with cancer. Magnified human prostate cancer cells are pictured

THE STUDY IN NUMBERS

Male cancer survivors who burned more than 12,600 calories per week by exercising were 48 per cent less likely to die than those that did little exercise and expended less than 2,100 calories a week.
Scientists studied 1,021 men with an average age of 71 to come up with their findings.
A previous study found that the most physically active cancer survivors were 38 per cent less likely to die from the disease if it was to strike again.
They were also 48 per cent less likely to die of cardiovascular disease after their cancer treatment.

Scientists used data from Harvard’s Alumni Health Study, which surveys male alumni who attended the university between 1916 and 1950.
In 1988, participants detailed their exercise habits in a questionnaire that quizzed hem how often they went walking, climbed stairs and participated in sports.
The exercise of the same men was updates in 1993 and they were followed until 1998.
The study found that men who burned more than 12,400 calories per week were 48 per cent less likely to die of any cause following cancer treatment and their findings were adjusted for age, weight, smoking and early parental mortality.
A previous study revealed that the most physically active cancer survivors were 38 per cent less likely to die of cancer and 48 per cent less likely to die of cardiovascular disease after their cancer treatment.

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Humans can SMELL disease: Nose can detect when a person's immune system is fighting illness.

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eople are able to smell if someone is ill, new research suggests.
Scientists claim humans can smell if someone’s immune system is highly active.
They say people can smell that the immune system has gone into overdrive within just a few hours of exposure to bacteria.

People are able to smell if someone is ill, Swedish researchers claim. They say humans can detect when a person's immune system has gone into overdrive after exposure to bacteria

The researchers, at the Karolinska Institute, in Sweden, say there is even anecdotal and scientific evidence to suggest that different diseases have particular smells.
For example, scrofula, an infection of the lymph nodes, is reported to smell like stale beer, and a person who suffers from diabetes is known to sometimes have breath that smells of acetone.

 

‘In this current study we have studied the ability of humans to detect disease by smell’, said Professor Mats Olsson, who led the study.
‘Being able to detect these smells would represent a critical adaptation that would allow us to avoid potentially dangerous illnesses.

WHAT CAN PEOPLE SMELL?

Humans can smell if someone’s immune system is highly active because they have been exposed to bacteria.
Scrofula - a lymph node infection - smells like stale beer.
Diabetes makes the breath smell of acetone.

‘The question we asked ourselves in this study was whether such an adaptation might exist already at an early stage of the disease, thereby reflecting a biomarker for illness.’
Professor Olsson and his team asked eight healthy people to visit their laboratory.

The people were injected with either a form of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) - a toxin made from bacteria and known to ramp up an immune response - or a saline solution.
The volunteers wore tight t-shirts to absorb their sweat over the course of four hours.
A separate group of 40 volunteers were then asked to smell the sweat samples.
Overall, they rated t-shirts from the LPS group as having a more intense and unpleasant smell than the other t-shirts.
They also rated the LPS shirts as having an unhealthier smell.

The researchers say different diseases smell different - for example, they say there is a lymph node infection that makes people smell of stale beer

The association between immune activation and smell was accounted for, at least in part, by the level of cytokines present in the LPS-exposed blood.
That is, the greater a participant's immune response, the more unpleasant their sweat smelled.
‘Interestingly, in a chemical assay the researchers found no difference in the overall amount of odorous compounds between the LPS and control group,’ said Professors Olsson. ‘This suggests that there must have been a detectable difference in the composition of those compounds instead.’
While the precise chemical compounds have yet to be identified, the fact we give off some kind of aversive signal following shortly after activation of the immune system is an important finding, the researchers argue.

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The rise and rise of MALE hair removal.

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Pulling, plucking, shaving and waxing - it’s safe to say women go to great lengths to stay smooth and hair-free.
But at a time when men everywhere are taking more of an interest in their appearance, it seems they too are worrying about how best to get rid of their unwanted hair. 
One London clinic, in fact, has reported that the number of men undergoing laser hair removal rose by 86 per cent between 2012 and 2013. 

Men now make up 17 per cent of all laser hair removal patients. One such man is Louis Kearton, 21, who sought treatment for his excessively hairy back (pictured)

The Private Clinic on Harley Street claims male patient numbers are soaring, with men now making up 17 per cent of all laser hair removal patients.

 

Excessive hair growth in men is often caused by excessive levels of testosterone.
But this is not always the case as genetics, age and ethnicity can also all play a part. 

Mr Kearton had eight sessions of laser hair removal and say the results (pictured) have made him far more confident and enabled him to feel comfortable taking his shirt off in public

And while for some women a hairy chest is a sign of a ‘real’ man, today it seems more and more women prefer their men’s chests to look silky smooth. 
Louis Kearton, a 21-year-old customer services advisor, suffered with excessive hair on his arms, back, chest and shoulders from the age of 12.
He said: ‘I was bullied as a child because of the hair and life as a teenager certainly wasn’t easy.

Mr Kearton (pictured since his treatment) said: 'Now I can look in the mirror and feel proud of myself'

‘As I grew up I wasn’t able to do things other guys my age did, like swimming or going to the gym. I felt trapped in my own clothes and I absolutely hated taking my top off.
‘The problem also put my dating life and my sex life on hold. It stopped me from wanting to go out and find someone and I lacked confidence.
‘I didn’t want to talk to anyone about the problem though and I just went into my own little world and closed myself off. I didn’t feel attractive and I certainly didn’t think anyone else would find me attractive.
‘As much as I waxed and shaved my chest, it didn’t seem to make any difference -the hair would actually just grow back ten times worse.’
Eventually, he decided to undergo hair removal treatment.
The treatment involved targeting the hairs with pulses of heat from a laser.
The heat is attracted to the pigmentation in the hair follicle, damaging it until the hair stops growing.
Over time, and after a series of sessions of laser hair removal, hair growth will significantly slow or even stop altogether.
After a series of eight sessions, Mr Kearton’s hair removal procedures had removed the unwanted hair.
‘Now I can look in the mirror and feel proud of myself,’ he said. ‘I can wear what I want for the first time now and I’m not scared of taking my top off at all. I finally feel like a normal 21-year-old.’
Rachel Nugent, senior laser practitioner at The Private Clinic, said: ‘The number of male patients we treat has grown steadily over the years.
‘Men are now displaying a far more open attitude towards undergoing beauty treatments and cosmetic procedures, which they know will improve the way they look.

Experts say laser hair treatment is becoming increasingly popular among men as women become less keen on 'manly' hairy chests. Mr Kearton is pictured before his treatment

‘Now, not only is it more important than ever for men to look their best, but it is also important for them to feel good about themselves.
‘Very often, having a lot of hair on the body is something that gets in the way of men feeling at their most attractive or confident. Because of this, laser hair removal is now a popular treatment among men from their early twenties through their fifties.’
She added: ‘Today it is completely acceptable for men to invest in such treatments in order to improve their appearance and ultimately increase their levels of self-confidence.’

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The great e-cigarette debate rages on: Experts clash over their safety as more pubs and restaurants ban them.

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McDonald’s, Wetherspoons and The Slug and Lettuce have all banned e-cigarettes as the debate about their safety rages on.
While some people maintain that electronic cigarettes are infinitely preferable to traditional cigarettes, others are deeply concerned about the long term effects they could have on people’s health.
This debate is the subject of ITV’s Tonight programme this evening.
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There is heated debate about the safety of e-cigarettes as some people believe them to be a safe alternative to traditional cigarettes while others are deeply concerned about them

It shows that on one side some cancer experts think the electronic alternative to cigarettes could save millions of lives, while other people are seriously worried about them.
An estimated 1.3 million people in the UK are thought to use e-cigarettes.
The majority of them buy products that are manufactured in China where there is very little regulation of their production.

 

Long Xiaobing, CEO of an e-cigarette company in Shenzhen, Southern China, makes ten million e-cigarettes a year.
He told the programme: ‘Currently, lots of products in this market are not regulated and products vary in quality.’
Another e-cigarette maker, Hua Ou, added: ‘There is no standard available to regulate them. So the market is in a bit of chaos now.

 

The E-Cigarette advert with over 900 complaints

 

The Rise of the E-Cigarette on ITV Tonight

A poll revealed that 33 per cent of British people think it is socially unacceptable to smoke e-cigarettes in public

‘Currently many e-cigarettes are quite made similar, with low quality. These are very serious problems.’
Both manufacturers insist their own products are good quality, yet they are well placed to make judgements on the wider market.
The World Health Organisation is also extremely concerned about the growing popularity of e-cigarettes.
Glenn Thomas of the WHO told Tonight: ‘We still need more research to know and understand what sort of impact on health and people these e-cigarettes are having.
‘We know that a lot of the toxins which are consumed through e-cigarettes have not been adequately researched.’

Some experts think millions of lives could be saved each year if all smokers swapped traditional cigarettes for e-cigarettes

The WHO looked at 85 countries and discovered that, currently, more than a third have a total ban on e-cigarettes, almost 40 per cent won’t allow them to be sold to children and only 15 per cent of countries have conducted scientific research into them.
Despite so many countries showing concerns about the devices, some experts believe they are a lesser evil when compared to traditional cigarettes.
Professor Robert West, from Cancer Research UK, said: ‘Cigarettes at the moment are killing in the region of six million people every year.
‘Can you imagine if every one of those cigarette smokers used an electronic cigarette instead - we would see the death toll drop.
‘You are talking about potentially saving millions of lives a year - a public health benefit we could hardly have dreamed of years ago.’
He added: 'While you get people say that we don’t know yet whether e-cigarettes are safe, the answer is we know what the ingredients are that are within them and we know that those are, nothing is perfectly safe, but compared with a cigarette they are 100 times safer if not more.'
Kingsley Wheaton from British American Tobacco said: 'We agree there needs to be more long term studies of the use of e-cigarettes.
‘We believe that as they are today - and we believe that there are various part of the scientific community that would agree with us - that they provide a substantially safer alternative to smoking a traditional cigarette.'
Regardless of the health impacts, many of Britain’s biggest companies have felt required to ban e-cigarettes because they look too similar to the tobacco versions.
Kate McGown from McDonalds said: ‘Owing to the fact that e-cigarettes can be very realistic and customers may naturally assume that someone is actually smoking on our premises, we do not permit use of e-cigarettes in our UK restaurants.’
Newcastle's Metrocentre and Lakeside in Essex have the same policy.
Karen Can, of Metrocentre, said: ‘We made this decision to avoid any confusion to shoppers and security staff as they can look very realistic from a distance.’

Many leading pub and restaurant chains have banned e-cigarettes to avoid confusion because they look too similar to traditional cigarettes

The Slug and Lettuce pub chain has recently followed Wetherspoons in a ban, saying: ‘Given their remarkable likeness to cigarettes, their use can cause concern amongst other customers and staff.’
The vast Mitchells & Butlers pub chain, which includes Harvester, O'Neills, All Bar One and Browns, told the Tonight programme: ‘Although we realise that the fumes are just vapours and non-harmful this is not clearly understood by everyone and can lead to confusion.’
It seems the position of these companies is in keeping with the views of many Britons.
Some 33 per cent say that it is not socially acceptable to smoke an e-cigarette in public while 42 per cent think they set a bad example.
Furthermore, 45 per cent of people say e-cigarettes should not be allowed in indoor public places and 12 per cent say they do not really know what an e-cigarette is.

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'I have everything to fight for'

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A mother-to-be was diagnosed with terminal cancer just a few weeks after discovering she was pregnant.
Emma Grandison, 31, was delighted when she was told she was expecting her first child with her husband, Ian, last June.
But the couple's joy soon turned to heartbreak after Mrs Grandison was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer.

Emma Grandison (pictured with her husband, Ian, and baby Erin) was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer just weeks after learning she was pregnant with her first child

Ms Grandison, from Preston, was told that without chemotherapy her life expectancy was as little as six months.
She was left with no choice but to risk starting chemotherapy while she was pregnant, and baby Erin was delivered 15 weeks early on November 5 - she weighed just 1lb 10oz.
Erin is still in the neonatal unit at the Royal Preston Hospital 80 days after she was born but is making good progress - her due date was actually February 16 this year.

 

Her mother has vowed to fight the disease.
She said: ‘I have my bad days, but I always look for the golden nugget in every day. There is always something that makes me smile.
‘Today is a good day, I am not in pain, my medication is working, I've started a brand new drug. They are doing everything to keep me going.

A scan revealed she had bowel cancer which had spread to her liver and was now not cureable

Mr and Mrs Grandison became engaged shortly after her diagnosis and they were married three weeks later

‘I have always loved a challenge, I just see this as a challenge.
‘I have always surprised myself by what I can do. This is a curve ball that I would never have expected to happen to me but it is happening.
‘You can either sit in the corner and cry or get on with it. I've got a baby, a new husband, a new home, what is there not to fight for?’
She added: ‘Becoming a wife, mother and dealing with my diagnosis in such a short space of time has been very surreal.
‘Marrying Ian was the most perfect day and becoming a mother I wouldn't change in the world, the added challenge of cancer is unfortunate but it's one bad thing in my life off-setted by all the other amazing things I have to.

Erin was born 15 weeks early weighing just 1lb 10oz and three months later is still in hospital

Mrs Grandison was initially told she has six months to live without chemotherapy or two years with it

‘Why focus on the one bad thing? Someone has to beat the odds, why can't it be me? I have everything to live for and fight for.
‘I was originally told I wouldn't survive Christmas without chemo, with chemo two years.
‘These are just numbers to me. I think having a positive attitude and a glass half full attitude can only benefit me and those amazing people around me.
‘Doctors tell me they don't know where I get my strength from, that's easy: my rock that is my husband, and my own little inspirational fighter, my daughter Erin.
‘I've got my fight, she's got hers... like I said, I have everything to live for.’

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Does even Diet Coke make you FAT?

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Many dieters opt for sugar-free drinks in a bid to shed some excess pounds, but new research suggests this tactic is not effective.
U.S. researchers found that overweight and obese adults who drink diet fizzy drinks consume more calories from food than those who drink regular fizzy drinks.
The researchers, at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, examined national patterns in adult drink consumption and calorie intake.

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Overweight people who drink diet fizzy drinks eat more meaning they do not consume fewer calories overall

They discovered that those who opt for diet drinks do not end up consuming fewer calories overall.
‘Although overweight and obese adults who drink diet soda eat a comparable amount of total calories as heavier adults who drink sugary beverages, they consume significantly more calories from solid food at both meals and snacks,’ said Dr Sara Bleich, associate professor with the Bloomberg School’s Department of Health Policy and Management and lead author of the paper. 

WHY DO DIET DRINKS MAKE PEOPLE EAT MORE?

Artificial sweeteners, which are present in large quantities in diet soda, are associated with a greater activation of reward centres in the brain.
In other words, among people who drink diet soda, the brain’s sweet sensors may no longer provide a reliable gauge of energy consumption because the artificial sweetener disrupts appetite control. 
As a result, consumption of diet drinks may result in increased food intake overall. 

Using data from the 1999 to 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers looked at national patterns of drink consumption and caloric intake.

 

More...

• Which country has the healthiest diet? Netherlands takes the number one spot – while the U.S. doesn’t even make the top 20
• What's YOUR 'body age'? Average Briton's body is four years OLDER than its real age because of poor diet and lack of exercise

Consumption of diet drinks has increased considerably in the past few decades from three per cent in 1965 to 20 per cent today.
Individuals who drink diet soda typically have a higher BMI (Body Mass Index) and consume more snack food than those who drink sugary beverages.    
Earlier research may explain why the investigators found higher consumption of food among heavy adults who drink diet beverages.

Artificial sweeteners, which are present in large quantities in diet soda, are associated with a greater activation of reward centres in the brain.

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It is thought the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks affect the brain's ability to control appetite meaning people are more likely to snack

In other words, among people who drink diet soda, the brain’s sweet sensors may no longer provide a reliable gauge of energy consumption because the artificial sweetener disrupts appetite control. 
As a result, consumption of diet drinks may result in increased food intake overall. 
‘The results of our study suggest that overweight and obese adults looking to lose or maintain their weight - who have already made the switch from sugary to diet beverages - may need to look carefully at other components of their solid-food diet, particularly sweet snacks, to potentially identify areas for modification,’ said Dr Bleich. 

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Fat fathers-to-be 'have overweight daughters who are at greater risk of diabetes and premature ageing'.

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Fat fathers-to-be could end up with overweight daughters who are at greater risk of diabetes and premature ageing, new research warns.
A father's diet, weight and health at the time of conception affects the baby’s genes and health.
The link is most pronounced in baby girls.

Overweight fathers-to-be could end up with fat daughters who are at greater risk of diabetes and premature ageing, new research suggests

The impact of a mother's health on her children has been well documented but the effect of the health of fathers is new.
The study found that if male rats ate a high fat diet, had diabetes, and were obese, their offspring had altered gene functions in the fat and pancreas.
Two groups of male rats, one diabetic and on a high fat diet, and the other thin and on a normal diet, mated with thin female rats.

 

Researchers looked at their female offspring and found that the rats with obese fathers had trouble breaking down glucose, even while on a healthy diet.
Specifically, they showed gene function changes in the pancreatic islets, which are responsible for making insulin to control the blood glucose and fat tissue.
This altered gene function may increase the risk of future obesity and premature ageing.

A father's diet, weight and health at the time of conception affects the baby's genes and health. The link is most pronounced in girls

Other genes that were different were those that have been linked to premature ageing, cancer and chronic degenerative diseases.
Dr Margaret Morris, a researcher for the Pharmacology School of Medical Sciences at the University of New South Wales in Sydney said: ‘While scientists have focused on how the maternal diet affects children's health, this study is part of exciting new research exploring the impact of paternal diet on offspring risk of obesity.
‘The fact that similar gene markers were affected in pancreas and fat tissue tells us that some of the same pathways are being influenced, possibly from the earliest stages of life.
‘It will be important to follow up these findings, and to learn more about when and how to intervene to reduce the impact of poor paternal metabolic health on offspring.’
Gerald Weissmann, editor of The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal added: ‘For a long time, we've known that the nutrition and health status of women who are pregnant or who want to get pregnant is critical to the health of her offspring, and we've also suspected that the same is true for fathers to a lesser degree.
‘This report is the first step in understanding exactly how the nutrition and health of fathers affects his children, for better or worse.’
The research was published in the FASEB Journal.

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At seven weeks old isn't Albie just too little for antacids?.

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Almost all babies bring up small amounts of milk after feeds and  my son Albie, our first child, was  no different. My midwife called it posseting, which is harmless regurgitation, and said it was perfectly normal. B
ut when at seven weeks Albie began to bring up at least half the contents of his bottle, often more – and sometimes projectile-vomiting – my husband Jon and I became understandably concerned.
We made an appointment to see our much trusted GP, who diagnosed reflux. The problem is similar to reflux in adults – also called heartburn – which happens when an overproduction of stomach acid leads  to small amounts leaking up into the oesophagus, causing pain.

Comfort: Sadie Nicholas and her young son Albie, giving him gripe water through a syringe

In babies, unlike with normal posseting, it also causes pain – and almost half of all infants suffer.
Adult reflux is usually due to poor diet or other lifestyle factors. But infant reflux is caused by the natural immaturity of the ring of muscle (sphincter) around the valve that forms a seal between the oesophagus and the stomach. When the muscle hasn’t fully developed, milk and gastric acid can be forced back up the food pipe, causing baby’s feed to be regurgitated.
Albie is bottle-fed with formula milk, but reflux affects breast and formula-fed babies equally.
Our GP suggested that we add Infant Gaviscon to Albie’s milk – small sachets of powder containing two active natural ingredients, sodium alginate and magnesium alginate. They react with the stomach contents to form a thickening gel, making it more difficult for food to be refluxed back into the oesophagus and regurgitated.

 

The infant version of Gaviscon is not strictly an antacid, as it doesn’t primarily work by altering the pH of the stomach contents. Even though it’s made for infants, I was alarmed at the idea, and then our  GP warned it can make babies constipated, so we could be swapping one problem for another.
Since Albie was gaining weight nicely despite the sickness, we waited to see if the reflux would settle down as he approached three months old.
Unfortunately it hasn’t, even though we’ve been keeping Albie upright during feeds and for 20 minutes afterwards, and propping his cot mattress at 45 degrees with  a foam reflux wedge to aid his digestion. He’s begun to squeal before being sick, clearly in discomfort and, ironically, he’s now also very constipated, presumably because not enough fluid is getting through his system. So, what can we do?

Reflux happens when an overproduction of stomach acid leads to small amounts leaking up into the oesophagus, causing pain, and can be treated with antacids

THE ADVICE
The baby guru
Alison Scott-Wright is a baby sleep guru and recognised expert on reflux, which is covered in her book The Sensational Baby Sleep Plan.
She says: ‘Many people think that crying and being sick is simply  what babies do, but reflux – silent or otherwise – is a nasty condition that should be treated. The long-term regurgitation of acid and milk can lead to ear, nose and throat problems in the future in some babies.
‘I’d be inclined to seek a consultation with an infant gastroenterologist to check that baby’s reflux isn’t caused or made worse by a sensitivity, intolerance or allergy to cow’s-milk protein and or lactose.
‘A dairy-free diet for breastfeeding mums or a hypoallergenic milk could help if this is the case.
‘A medicine that reduces gastric acid could help lessen the burning pain experienced during a reflux attack. And adding a thickening agent to milk, or using a pre-thickened formula, can help keep the feed in baby’s tummy.’
The maternity nurse
Nicki Pope, 36, is a nanny and maternity nurse with Tinies childcare agency. She says: ‘I’d advise Sadie to go back to her GP as baby may now benefit from taking medication such as Infant Gaviscon to try to help settle his digestion.
‘I’ve worked with lots of babies  for whom this has worked brilliantly under the supervision of their doctor, enabling them to feed comfortably until their tummy matures.
‘Many have also reaped results from an alternative treatment called craniosacral therapy. Practitioners claim that by using gentle but static touch to ‘‘read’’ the body, they can identify areas of stress or discomfort. It doesn’t work for all babies but it’s so gentle that it certainly won’t do any harm.’
The older generation
Sadie’s cousin, Sonia Cutts, 55, says: ‘My son Thomas weighed almost 10 lb when he was born  and was feeding constantly. Our grandma – whose advice had never failed me – suggested that adding a raw egg yolk to the last bottle of the night would fill up a hungry baby and also help settle a sickly infant by thickening the milk. It did the trick with Thomas, who began sleeping for eight hours or more at night.
‘Alternatively, why not give craniosacral therapy a try? I have a friend who credits it with eradicating her baby’s reflux symptoms where everything else had failed.’
What Sadie did next
I was struck by what Alison said about the long-term impact of reflux and by Nicki’s reassurance about baby peptides, so I took Albie back to our GP. She prescribed a low dose of Infant Gaviscon. By ensuring he keeps more fluid down, this should actually help loosen his bowels. The sickness has reduced dramatically as a result, but he still vomits after some feeds so I’m very open to alternative treatments.
I won’t give Albie raw egg because it carries a risk of salmonella, which is highly dangerous to babies.
I researched craniosacral therapy and took Albie to see therapist Philip Humphreys at the Wellbeing Clinic in West Bridgford, Nottingham.
While Albie was propped up on a couch, Philip gently placed his hands under Albie’s back, head and neck, and then on his tummy and diaphragm, sensing tension. This was reflected in Albie becoming restless when he was touched there.
Philip then gently supported Albie’s body with his hands to allow his joints and muscles to relax. That night he wasn’t sick at all at his  last feed and slept for ten hours without waking. He’s vomiting considerably less and sleeping for between eight and 11 hours a night.
It’s impossible to know whether this is due in part to therapy. But the most important thing is that my little boy is keeping more milk down and seems comfortable.
If symptoms return, I’ll take Alison’s advice to seek specialist medical help.
My health visitor recommended we give Albie gripe water, which can be mixed in with milk or squeezed into his mouth with a syringe. It contains sodium bicarbonate to help neutralise excess acid and dill seed oil to warm and relax baby’s tummy and break down trapped air.

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'You'd never know there was anything wrong with her' .

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A toddler who has spent almost all of her life battling cancer has received a special award.
Grace Elvidge, one, was diagnosed with a very advanced form of leukaemia when she was just 11 weeks old.
She has had to undergo months of chemotherapy treatment and has spent almost all of the first year of her life in hospital.

Grace Elvidge (pictured with mother, Alexandra) was diagnosed with leukaemia when she was 11 weeks old

Now she has received a Little Star Award from Cancer Research UK in recognition of her struggle for life.
Grace was so poorly that she was placed in intensive care, but she has since made a full recovery and is now in remission.
Her mother, Alexandra Elvidge, 34, from Mobberley, Cheshire, said: ‘The painful memories are still so raw, but to look at Grace now, you'd never believe there is anything wrong with her, she's full of life - an absolute chatterbox.’

 

Just weeks after her birth in July 2012, Grace came down with a cold which would not go away.
Her mother took her to a GP who thought Grace may have a viral infection.
But her condition worsened and when Mrs Elvidge took her back to the doctor Grace was sent straight to Wythenshawe Hospital by ambulance.

After a series of tests, Mrs Elvidge and husband Mark, 35, were told Grace's white blood count was very high.

After months of chemotherapy, Grace is now in remission and has been allowed home

Grace was transferred to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital where she was placed in intensive care.
Doctors then broke the devastating news that she was suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive cancer of the white blood cells.
Mrs Elvidge said: ‘By then Grace needed oxygen to breathe.
‘We were so concerned about how ill she was then that the leukaemia diagnosis almost seemed secondary to our worries.’
After two weeks Grace was well enough to leave intensive care but was immediately placed on a four-month cycle of intensive chemotherapy followed by further treatment.
She was not allowed out of hospital for months but is now going from strength to strength.
Mrs Elvidge said: ‘We are so proud of Grace. Although she's only small she's been extremely brave and tolerant of all the pain, sickness, prodding and probing. She is amazing.’
She has now been presented with one of Cancer Research UK's Little Star Awards.
The awards, in partnership with TK Maxx, acknowledge the unique challenges faced by youngsters who encounter cancer.
The charity is calling on the public to show their support for children with the disease by nominating a Little Star.
The awards are open to all under-18s who have cancer or who have been treated for the disease in the last five years.
Each child nominated receives the accolade. There is no judging panel because Cancer Research UK believes that every child who faces cancer is extra special.
Siblings of Little Stars also receive a special certificate in recognition of the support they give.
Jane Bullock, Cancer Research UK's spokeswoman for the North West, said: ‘Grace has been through such a lot at a very young age and is more than deserving of a Little Star award.’

WHAT IS ACUTE MYELOID LEUKAEMIA AND WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells.
Acute leukaemia is leukaemia that progresses rapidly and requires immediate treatment.
Acute leukaemia is classified according to the type of white blood cells affected.
There are two main types - lymphocytes and myeloid cells.
The myeloid cells, which are affected in acute myeloid leukaemia, fight bacterial infections, defend the body against parasites and prevent the spread of tissue damage.
The early symptoms include having pale skin, tiredness, breathlessness and contracting repeated infections.
Acute leukaemia affects about 7,600 people a year in the UK.
Of those people, about 2,300 have acute myeloid leukaemia.
It is most common in people over the age of 65 and is more common in men than women.
People who have been exposed to radiation and the chemical benzene are at higher risk.
The prognosis tends to be better for younger patients than older ones.

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A touch really is soothing.

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Touching a sore point actually eases the pain, suggests new research, which found brushing the skin within an inch or two  of the site of pain can reduce its intensity and sharpness.
It is thought the effect comes from the nerve fibres that process touch interfering with those that deal with pain, resulting in ‘tactile analgesia’.
Volunteers were blindfolded and wore headphones to block out other sensory information.  A laser was then briefly directed on to their forearms, to cause pain. Some volunteers also had a touch sensation applied 1cm away at the same time, by nylon hairs from a robot.

Healing touch: It is thought the soothing effect comes from the nerve fibres that process touch interfering with those that deal with pain, resulting in 'tactile analgesia'

The results showed that  when the laser and touch were applied simultaneously, people were less likely to report ‘high’ pain. Without the added touch, the laser was described as pricking 93 per cent of the time; with touch applied, that dropped to 28 per cent.

In a second experiment, the distance between the laser and tactile sensation was increased up to 9cm. Results showed that the greater the distance, the less the painkilling effect.
‘Our experiments demonstrate that touch can inhibit pain,’ say the researchers from University College London.

Stodgy food is now 'band'

No binging: The Malory band is designed to stop you overeat

If you need to watch your waistline at all times, you might like a new weight-loss device called the Malory Band.
It sits round your waist and bites into your stomach when you eat too much.
The band is not, however, a high-tech gadget but an adjustible polyester cord costing £24.95 (maloryband.com).
The company claims it harks back to the ancient art of  belly-binding for losing weight.
The band is designed to create a constant awareness about what you are eating and the size of your stomach.
A new scheme plans to help elderly patients feel more dignified in hospital by displaying a photograph of themselves in good health next to their bed.
There would also be three interesting facts about them, to help nurses and clinicians interact with them on a more personal level – for example, by asking about hobbies as they take their blood pressure.
Forte Medical has set up a pilot of the ‘Face to a Name Campaign’ at Yeovil District Hospital in Somerset and wants it introduced nationwide.
The ultimate hope is for a website for online uploads which hospitals can access on admission.

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Cancer patient, 74, left paralysed after doctors failed to realise she had an abscess in her neck until it was too late.

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A woman was left paralysed and unable to feed herself after doctors failed to realise she had an abscess in her neck.
Jean Warne, 74, was left partially paralysed and unable to lift her arms shortly before her death in March last year.
Her family say by the time doctors realised what was wrong, it was too late to save her.

Jean Warne was paralysed after doctors failed to diagnosed an abscess in her neck until it was too late

They claim she was also left sitting on a soiled chair and that no one responded when she cried out in pain.
They have instructed solicitors to sue Colchester General Hospital, Essex, claiming the lack of dignity Mrs Warne was treated with amounted to a breach of the Human Rights Act.
Her son-in-law John Snowden, 64, said: ‘Jean was strong, she was feisty and her brain was working 100 per cent.

 

‘If she had been given the right treatment and care, she wouldn’t have gone the way she went.’
Shortly after Mrs Warne retired in 2000, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy.
But the cancer returned and spread to her spine, leaving her prone to suffering falls.

Mrs Warne was admitted to Colchester General Hospital after a fall. She had breast cancer that had spread to her spine

Mr Snowden, of Braintree, Essex, said she would usually be checked over in hospital after a fall and released within a day.
But after she was taken from her Gosfield home to Colchester General Hospital in mid-January 2013, her family decided to start looking at care homes she could move into.
However, he claims the lack of care and attention his mother-in-law received at the hospital meant she deteriorated rapidly and was never able to leave.
He said: ‘She was put in a seat in the mornings and just left there. Throughout that period, she was getting worse and worse.
‘She complained of a pain in her neck and in that time of sitting there an abscess formed in her neck, which eventually paralysed her.
‘She couldn’t even raise her arms to eat her food and they would just take it away.
‘She was left in her bed soiled and she was left in her seat soiled. You wouldn’t treat a dog like she was treated.’
Mr Snowden, a retired AA director, and his wife Melody, 51, visited every day and said they would have to feed her themselves.
He added: ‘Melody went up there one day with a friend.
‘They walked in and Jean was in such neck pain, she was screaming out. The lady opposite said she was crying out all through the night and no one came.
‘All they used to do was put her in a private room because she was keeping the other patients awake. It was disgraceful.’
On March 5 2013, Mr and Mrs Snowden were told Mrs Warne had a suspected abscess.
Doctors told them she was too frail to survive treatment and had only days to live.
However, that night they received a call telling them Mrs Warne was being taken to Romford’s Queen’s Hospital for surgery.

Ms Warne's family say staff at the hospital left her sitting in soiled clothes, that they didn't help her to eat when she was too ill to feed herself and that they did not respond when she cried out in pain

Mr Snowden contacted Queen’s and was told when she arrived they almost immediately realised she was too weak to deal with the anaesthetic.
Mrs Warne was sent back to Colchester General Hospital, where she died that afternoon.
Mr Snowden said they had an initial meeting with doctors who admitted they should have spotted the abscess sooner and should not have sent her to Queen’s.
Afterwards, he wrote to former chief executive Dr Gordon Coutts to express his anger, and received a letter back offering a meeting. He refused and got in touch with Leigh Day solicitors.
Ten months on, Mr Snowden said his wife, who has needed time off work, was still too upset and angry to speak about her mother’s care.

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Mrs Warne's family are now taking legal action against Colchester General Hospital

The couple are now pursuing legal action. He said: ‘We could just sit on this and let it go, but people should know about this.
‘At the end of the day, Colchester could go on doing exactly the same thing.
‘I hope the hospital gets its act together. It’s not going to happen overnight, but they must take some responsibility for the pain and suffering that they have given to patients and their families.’
A spokesman for Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We would like to pass on our sympathy and concerns to the family of this patient following her death in March last year, and are sorry and disappointed that they have concerns.
‘We received a complaint about this patient shortly after her death, which was investigated as a serious incident.
‘One of her consultants met the patient’s daughter and son-in-law and apologised to the patient’s family for some aspects of her care.’

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Women under 50 most likely to need help for depression.

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Nearly two thirds of patients seeking treatment for depression are women, NHS figures show.
Almost 475,000 women were referred for counselling or behavioural therapy last year, compared to only 274,000 men.
The figures, which for the first time reveal the numbers of patients receiving the so-called ‘talking treatments’, also showed women under 50, and especially those in their 20s, are most likely to seek help.

Revelation: Nearly two thirds of patients seeking treatment for depression are women, NHS figures show

Some experts say women are more prone to mental illness because they tend to bottle up their emotions, whereas men lash out if angry.
But female patients are also far more likely to admit they have a problem.

 

Only last month, the NHS’s annual health survey revealed that almost a quarter of women were depressed or very anxious.
According to the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s  figures, 761,848 patients were referred last year for counselling, psychological treatment or behavioural therapy for depression and anxiety.

Difference: Almost 475,000 women were referred for counselling or behavioural therapy last year, compared to only 274,000 men. Women under 50, and especially those in their 20s, are most likely to seek help (file picture)

Some 62 per cent were women, though in some cases the gender was not recorded.
Three quarters were aged 20 to 49, with the majority of those cases – 185,700 – in their 20s.
Because this is the first time the data has been published, it is impossible to know whether the numbers needing treatment for depression is on the rise.
However, separate NHS figures show there has been a surge in prescriptions for antidepressants with 50million handed out a year, a rise of 7.5 per cent compared to the year before.

The increase has partly been blamed on financial woes although there is also concern that patients are becoming addicted to the drugs, with GPs writing out repeat prescriptions too easily.

Expert: Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of mental health charity SANE, said: women 'feel more able to express their feelings and look for support'

Experts are divided over whether women are more susceptible to depression and anxiety or whether they are better at seeking professional help.
Beth Murphy, of mental health charity Mind, said: ‘While there is no gender difference in the prevalence of mental health problems, women are much more likely to seek help than men, and are more willing to talk about their own mental wellbeing. All the signs suggest that more and more people are seeking help for mental health problems.
‘Prescriptions for antidepressants have been rising steadily and recently topped 50million for the first time, while the numbers of people contacting organisations like Mind for help are also increasing.
‘We also know that people are really struggling at the moment, as unemployment, cuts to welfare and other pressures take their toll on the mental health of the nation.
‘It’s important that anyone struggling with their mental health speaks to their GP as soon as possible.’
Last month the NHS’s annual health survey involving 8,000 adults showed 23 per cent of women reported feeling anxious or had been diagnosed with depression.
Some experts argue that this is because women tend to want to share their feelings when they are at their lowest ebb, while men are more likely to turn to alcohol or physical violence.
Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of mental health charity SANE, said: ‘Previous research indicates that depression is around twice as common among women as men, as is self-harm and suicide attempts. But it is young and middle-aged men who are most at risk of actually taking their own lives.
‘The reasons may be in part because women feel more able to express their feelings and look for support.’

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Could mole rats hold the key to a cure for cancer? Scientists hail 'potentially life-changing' breakthrough.

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Scientists have made a 'potentially life-changing' breakthrough in the search for a cure to cancer.
Researchers believe that the cells of a cancer-immune rodent could hold the key to stopping the disease that kills eight million people worldwide each year.
A team, which spent 16 years studying blind mole rats and naked mole rats, have said that harvesting a substance secreted by their cells and making it digestible can destroy cancer in humans and other mammals.

Scientists believe a substance secreted from the cells of mole rats can destroy cancer in humans

According to the Daily Express, Professor Aaron Avivi, of Haifa University, Israel, will present his team's findings in London.
In 16 years of research, the scientific team never located a cancerous tumour on the rats, which outlive other rodents by at least 20 years.

 

The team discovered that the fact the rats live mostly underground has led to an evolution of their metabolism.
For their research, scientists tested ordinary rodents against the underground rats with potent carcinogens. While the ordinary mice and rats developed tumours, none were found in their underground cousins.

An Israeli research team believe cells from blind mole rats and naked mole rats could hold the key to destroying the disease, which kills eight million people worldwide each year

They concluded that the mole rats are ‘not only resistant to spontaneous cancer but also to experimentally induced cancer’.
Published in BMC Biology, they said: ‘Exploring the molecular mechanisms allowing mole rats to survive in extreme environments and to escape cancer as well as to kill homologous and heterologous cancer cells may hold the key for understanding the molecular nature of host resistance to cancer and identify new anti-cancer strategies for treating humans.’
According to the Express, cancer care specialist Professor Sam Ahmedzai hailed an ‘exciting new phase of research’, adding that it could lead to ‘potentially life-saving treatment’.

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Alternative 'tapping' therapy could be used by the NHS to treat anxiety and depression.

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A primary school teacher has died from a blood clot just four months after she got married.
Helen Thompson, 28, was told she had a clot on her brain, believed to have been caused by the contraceptive pill, and died within 24 hours of being diagnosed.
Her devastated widower, James, from Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire, said they were childhood sweethearts who had met when hey were 12.
'She has been my best friend since I was 12 years old, and my partner since we were 18,' he said.

Newlywed primary school teacher Helen Thompson died weeks after marrying her childhood sweetheart and just hours after discovering she had a deadly blood clot

Mrs Thompson, 28, (pictured with her husband James on their wedding day) was told that she had a clot on her brain - which may have been caused by the contraceptive pill - just four months after she married husband James

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Within 24 hours of her diagnosis, the teacher, from Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire, was dead. Her distraught widower James said: 'She has been my best friend since I was 12 years old, and my partner since we were 18'

'The doctors said she might have been at a higher risk of a blood clot because she was on the pill, but no-one knows for sure what caused it.
'When I left her one day she was fine and the next day she was dead, I still don’t believe it. We had just got married. She left me loving me, wanting me, with me wanting her and loving her. We loved each other so much.'

 

Mrs Thompson suffered a violent seizure at home after suffering hyper-sensitivity in her feet for several weeks.
After a brain scan on December 11, plans were put in place her to have emergency surgery at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital. But The blood clot had caused a haemorrhage.
Just two hours later, doctors told her family there was nothing more they could do for her and she passed away that day.
Mr Thompson, a bricklayer, said: 'The doctors said they had never seen a case like this before. It was just so fast. Because she was on the contraceptive pill, she was at a higher risk of clots, but this was very rare.
'It was a very scary situation. They hoped they could operate, but it had spread so much it was impossible to do anything. It was just so fast, literally a few hours. She never woke up again.'

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The couple pictured on their honeymoon. Mrs Thompson suffered a violent seizure at home after suffering hyper-sensitivity in her feet for several weeks

The childhood sweethearts had married at a festival-style wedding at Kingston Bagpuize House, Oxfordshire, in August, just four months before her death.
The couple had known each other since they were 12, meeting at Wallingford School, and were friends until beginning a relationship when they were 18.
Both had strong links to the charity International Disaster Volunteers, having volunteered for the organisation in Khao Lak in Thailand between 2005-2006, after the tsunami which devastated the country.
The teacher had been trying to raise a modest £200 for the charity when her life was tragically cut short. Now her family have been left astounded by the amount of money which has been donated in her memory.
In the past month, almost £16,000 has been raised on her JustGiving page for the charity’s work in helping with the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.
Mr Thompson said: 'Helen was such a wonderful person. She was my soulmate and I can’t believe I have lost her.

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The childhood sweethearts had married at a festival-style wedding at Kingston Bagpuize House, Oxfordshire, in August, just four months before her death

'I am stunned at how many people have donated money to her charity fund - it feels as though her spirit is being kept alive.
'This can never bring her back, but it means so much.'
A decision has not yet been made by him or IDV about how the money will be spent but it could be used to build a school.
And he said Helen, a teacher at Upper Basildon Primary School, Reading, would have been very proud of what has been achieved.
He said: 'Everyone loved Helen. It has been absolutely mad seeing how it has gone.
'We put a post on Facebook and a link to the site and friends of friends have been sharing it and more money just keeps being raised.'
'She wanted to become a teacher after helping in Thailand, that inspired her to train to be one when she came back. I think it would be really nice to do something like that.'
Andy Chaggars, a founder of IDV, said: 'Helen was such a happy person and when James comes over we are going to look at what we can do with the money. Using the money towards a primary school would be very apt.'

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'I was so fat I broke a TRAIN'.

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A mother who ballooned to 20 stone was shamed into shedding the pounds after she broke a miniature train because she was so fat.
Kerry Hill, 30, gorged on pizza and greasy takeaways which saw her pile on the pounds as a teenager.  
At her heaviest, she tipped the scales at 20 stone and was a hefty size 24.

Kerry Hill, 30, dropped from 20st to 12st 5lbs after her weight brought a miniature train to a standstill

The 999 call handler was too embarrassed to go shopping with friends or to celebrate her birthday with a party because she could barely walk.
She realised enough was enough when she brought an entire train to a stand-still while on a seaside family holiday in Exmouth, Devon, in 2010.
The mortified mother-of-two had climbed into the back carriage of the tourist train with her three-year-old son Archie when the carriage collapsed under her weight. 

 

She eventually joined Slimming World a year ago and ditched junk food and cooking with oil.
She lost an incredible 7st 6lbs to weigh a trim 12st 5lbs and lost seven dress sizes to become a svelte size 12.
Ms Hill, from Halesowen, West Midlands, said: ‘I had yo-yo dieted for most of my twenties but nothing ever seemed to worked and the slimmest I got down to was a size 18.

Ms Hill dropped from a size 24 to a size 12. She was so large that she could barely walk and was unable to play properly with her young sons as she was too unfit

Ms Hill (pictured before her weight loss) says she started piling on the pounds as a teenager because she became hooked on pizza and takeaways

‘I just ate loads of takeaways and pizza and also I went out a lot so I drank a lot of alcohol.
‘The main problem was I was not eating properly and would skip breakfast and then just eat packaged sandwiches for lunch and have takeaways in the evening.
‘There would always be that feeling of being the fat friend and if I was in a shop with friends they would be picking out all the nice clothes but there wouldn’t be anything in my size.
‘I used to have to buy all my clothes online and I would have to prepare outfits months in advance.

When she decided to lose weight, Ms Hill joined Slimming World and cut out junk food and pizza from her diet

She decided she had to lose weight after she brought this tourist train to a standstill during a family holiday to Devon in 2010. She says she was extremely embarrassed by the experience

‘I felt really isolated when I was overweight and I could barely walk, I was so unfit.
‘But the turning point was when I pretty much derailed a train in Exmouth.
‘It was mortifying, I just wanted to cry but I held it all in. The carriageway just gave way and I dislodged it. 
‘The driver called back when the train wouldn’t move and said “there is too much weight in the back” and it was obviously me.

Ms Hill (pictured before her weight loss) says she was so fat that she was embarrassed to go shopping with her friends and avoided parties as she could barely walk

Ms Hill said: 'Getting to a size 12 was amazing, I hadn't been a size 12 since I was a young teenager. Buying my first size 12 trousers and dresses was so good'

‘We then had to swap with a family who were sat in the middle of the carriage and he had to re-attach the carriage. 
‘It was terrible, I can remember people were sniggering and giggling as we moved but I just tried to ignore it.
‘It was in the middle of the holiday and for the rest of the week I just felt so self-conscious, it really affected me. I realised I had to lose the weight.’
She added: ‘When I joined Slimming World it all changed. It was a diet that broke the weight loss down into manageable stages.
‘Initially I just wanted to get down to 13 stone but when I got there I realised I could carry on.

Ms Hill has been named as a finalist in the Slimming World district Woman of the Year competition and has even set up her own Slimming World class, which she now runs once a week

‘Getting to a size 12 was amazing, I hadn’t been a size 12 since I was a young teenager. Buying my first size 12 trousers and dresses was so good.
‘Now I eat regular meals and following Slimming World’s plan I never feel hungry and I exercise regularly. I run two to three times a week.
‘I can easily play with my two boys and although my youngest Freddie is only two-years-old, Archie is five-years-old so he has encouraged me through the weight loss.
‘He would say things like “how many stones is mummy now?” and he is much more aware of what he eats and like to be healthy with me.’
Ms Hill has been named a finalist in the Slimming World district Woman of the Year competition and has even set up her own Slimming World class, which she now runs once a week. 

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