Great North Forum – For Northerners & Ex-Pats

Health News

• Brain hub that controls how birds learn to sing could give insight into Parkinson's disease May 21, 2012
  Scientists from UCSF said once birds have learned a song they sing it 'automatically', much like we learn and perform movements. However, a key brain hub kicks into action if mistakes are made. […]
• Statins could be a miracle drug for preventing incontinence and kidney damage in older men May 21, 2012
  The study from Duke University suggest the drug could help the 90 per cent of men over 70 who have problems with an enlarged prostate. […]
• Jobseekers to care for patients in hospitals as part of unpaid work experience May 21, 2012
  Dozens of unpaid jobseekers are to deliver patient care at three hospitals in the Midlands, an NHS Trust has revealed. […]
• Dementia denial: Two out of three older people are worried¿ but most don¿t want to know more May 21, 2012
  The YouGov survey also revealed more women than men in the UK are anxious about dementia. Actress Carey Mulligan is campaigning for better awareness of the brain disease. […]
• Children exposed to passive smoking at risk of long-term lung problems May 21, 2012
  Researchers from the University of Arizona found even non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke when they were young had a higher risk of developing chornic chest infections. […]
• Why are doctors still not warning about the 'new Thalidomide'? May 21, 2012
  Emma Murphy's three children were irreversibly damaged in the womb by the anti-epileptic drugs she had taken since she was 12. […]
• Snorers may have higher risk of dying from cancer, study reveals May 21, 2012
  Scientists in the U.S. examined data from sleep studies carried out on 1,522 people over 22 years. They found there was an association with cancer death that increased sharply if the participants snored. […]
• Boy diagnosed with life-threatening illness on Facebook after worried mother posted footage of seizures online May 20, 2012
  Concerned mother Cerys Owens, 33, of Ystradgynlais, Swansea, South Wales, turned to her online friends to find what caused son Evans' frightening fits after doctors said he was holding his breath during tantrums. […]
• Kirsty Howard, 16, given weeks to live when she was 4 prepares for her GCSE exams May 20, 2012
  Kirsty Howard from Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, who suffers from a rare heart defect has defied all the odds and is now studying hard for her exams. […]
• A third of hay-fever victims lose control behind the wheel resulting in calls for suffers to be prosecuted if affected on the road May 20, 2012
  Sore, streaming eyes can impair vision, while constant sneezing due to the pollen allergy can force drivers to close their eyes, a survey from Halfords showed. […]
• Yes, YES... whatever! How the discovery of the G-spot probably won't make a difference to your sex life May 19, 2012
  A gynaecologist from the Institute of Gynaecology in Florida, said he had confirmed the ‘anatomic existence’ of the fabled body part. He said his study ‘may lead to a better understanding and improvement of female sexual function’. But will it really? […]
• Breastfeed a three-year-old? That's just selfish and wrong May 19, 2012
  The picture of Jamie Lynne Grumet and her three-year-old son illustrated an article about Dr Bill Sears, the American parenting guru who believes that if we all lived on a desert island, this is what women would do. […]
• 'If this is what it sounds like, I'd rather be deaf': Liz Jones found her new polyphonic world with hearing aids overpowering May 19, 2012
  The aids are put in. My head feels full, as though I’m under water. The audiologist’s voice sounds tinny. Faced with this I realise I quite enjoy quiet my world, in a way. […]
• Living alone raises risk of depression May 19, 2012
  With a third of Britons now living alone a new study shows that 80 per cent of them will be more likely to be depressed than those who co-habit. […]
• Dementia patient had 106 carers in a single year, reveals widow May 19, 2012
  Jeanette Maitland said Aberdeen City Council had given her the impression her husband would be cared for by a core group of 10 people so as not to unsettle him. […]
• Overweight pregnant women SHOULD be put on a diet say doctors as effects of obesity on childbirth are revealed May 19, 2012
  A new review of the evidence on how to tackle the obesity epidemic reveals, perhaps unsurprisingly, that going on a diet is the best way for pregnant women to stay in shape. […]
• Tiny 1lb 10oz baby Faith survives against the odds after being born four months premature May 18, 2012
  Faith Rebecca Langston's parents, Vikki and John Paul, said they experienced everything from elation to despair after their daughter was born following a breach birth. […]
• Umbilical cord blood test could reveal how susceptible your baby will be to colds May 18, 2012
  Doctors at Washington University have created a test that detects how strong a baby's immune system is at birth - and how likely they are to fall prey to colds in their first year. […]
• We still don¿t know how to brush our teeth despite years of advice, reveals study May 18, 2012
  Two separate studies from the University of Gothenburg revealed while almost all Swedes brush their teeth, only one in 10 does it in a way that effectively prevents tooth decay. […]
• Bring in 'Adrian's law' to teach students about organ donation, calls father who lost son, 27, to leukaemia May 18, 2012
  Keith Sudbury from Sheffield who lost his son to leukaemia has called for a new law to give school and college students lessons about donating blood, organs and stem cells. […]