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Chairman's speech at consultants conference 2004

Put patients first. That's what Mr Reid says. That's fine. Consultants do this every day. We don't need a politician to say it, like it's something we never thought of. When a consultant is working 50 hours a week despite only being paid for 35, that is putting the patient first. When a consultant is operating on an emergency patient in the middle of the night, that is putting the patient first.

12 Jun 2004

People in Washington are living longer but not necessarily better

People in Washington are living longer but not necessarily better, although there are simple steps that people can take now to improve their long term health and independence.

11 Jun 2004

High-fiber diet may reduce your risk of diabetes, some gastrointestinal disorders, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease and obesity

The low-carb craze is everywhere, but the truth is, there are good carbs and bad carbs. Fiber ranks among the good ones. A high-fiber diet may reduce your risk of diabetes, some gastrointestinal disorders, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease and obesity.

11 Jun 2004

Cholesterol isn’t all bad

Cholesterol gets lots of bad press, and for good reason. An estimated 24 million women and 18 million men have total cholesterol levels of 240 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher increasing their risk of heart attack and stroke.

11 Jun 2004

Nearly a quarter of all UK's violent crimes are committed by the 2% of people who seriously misuse alcohol or drugs

Nearly a quarter (23%) of all violent crimes are committed by the 2% of people who seriously misuse alcohol or drugs, found a study by Oxford and Swedish researchers in the British Medical Journal.

11 Jun 2004

Strong evidence treatment for drug abuse can work says Kofi Annan

One of the most damaging misconceptions about drug use is that it is a permanent problem. The truth is that treatment for drug abuse can work, and can restore value and dignity to a person’s life.

11 Jun 2004

65 percent of America’s adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases

Government and private sector health experts now estimate that 65 percent of America’s adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The link between obesity and hypertension is well known, but the exact nature of the association between the two disorders remains unclear.

11 Jun 2004

Survey finds aflatoxins in nuts and nut-based products below legal levels

A survey carried out by the Food Standards Agency has shown that aflatoxins in nuts and nut-based products were either absent or below legal levels in 95% of the samples tested. Overall, fewer samples were found to exceed the legal limits than the previous survey.

11 Jun 2004

World Blood Donor Day

The world today honours voluntary blood donors for their priceless contribution to their communities. However, while celebrations take place in many cities around the world, numerous patients and trauma victims in those same cities will be dying or suffering unnecessarily because of a shortage of blood.

11 Jun 2004

The Population Health Complex to improve the health of all New Zealanders

Research teams dedicated to improving the health of all New Zealanders now have a new home at The University of Auckland’s Population Health Complex. The new purpose-built complex is located at the University’s Tamaki Campus, which is distinguished by its collaborative, inter-disciplinary, and research-intensive profile.

11 Jun 2004

15 of Sydney’s 24 hospitals could accept only life-threatening cases last night

Reports that ambulances had to bypass or wait almost three hours at 15 overloaded Sydney emergency departments last night will become even more common, particularly as winter approaches, warns AMA (NSW).

11 Jun 2004

UK pharmacists to become more hands on

Pharmacists already help in areas such as stopping smoking, sexual health advice and substance misuse. The government would like them to do even more and get involved in aspects of care such as checking people's blood pressure and even measuring blood glucose.

11 Jun 2004

American alchohol abuse continues to rise

The number of American adults who abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent rose from 13.8 million (7.41 percent) in 1991-1992 to 17.6 million (8.46 percent) in 2001-2002, according to results from the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a study directed by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

10 Jun 2004

Joint framework for partnership action on disability

The Partnership Framework will help the NHS comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995. The Act requires that service providers must not discriminate or provide a poorer quality of service to disabled people because of their disability.

10 Jun 2004

Schering-Plough has reached an agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Schering-Plough Corporation today reported that it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to settle issues related to compliance with the books and records and internal accounting control provisions of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by a Schering-Plough subsidiary in Poland.

10 Jun 2004

Drink that enhances the effectiveness of medication given to treat psychiatric illnesses

Scientists funded by the UK's largest biomedical research charity, The Wellcome Trust, have developed a drink that enhances the effectiveness of medication given to treat psychiatric illnesses such as mania and schizophrenia.

10 Jun 2004

New British guidelines to protect the safety of frozen sperm, eggs and embryos

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, UK has announced strict new guidelines to protect the safety of frozen sperm, eggs and embryos stored at fertility clinics throughout the UK.

10 Jun 2004

Russian doctors appreciate benefits of natural remedies

"It would appear that American doctors have a long way to go compared to Russian doctors who are, after recognizing the limited results with traditional drugs, are now successfully testing natural remedies," according to nutritional researcher Peter Gillham.

10 Jun 2004

World-first avalanche prediction technology could save hundreds of lives each year

World-first avalanche prediction technology developed in his spare time by ANSTO scientist Dr Warwick Payten could save hundreds of lives each year. Heli-skiing expert Roddy Mackenzie and retired ANSTO physicist John Tendys collaborated with Dr Payten on the project.

10 Jun 2004

New UK government plan aims at helping disabled people

The joint framework for partnership action, announced today by the Health Secretary and the chair of the Disability Rights Commission, will help the NHS to meet the requirements set out in the Disability Discrimination Act.

10 Jun 2004