Medical Specialists® Pharmacy inundated for Selincro requests for Dry January

Now that the festive work office party, Black Friday, Christmas and New Year’s Eve are firmly out of the way, many will now be taking stock of exactly how much alcohol they have drank during the last few weeks, with some people undoubtedly thinking about cutting down on drinking.

With the beginning of a New Year, there is never a better time than now to put into action the process of reducing alcohol intake, or even stopping drinking for good, and much of the country will no doubt have ‘cut down on boozing’ near the top of their list of resolutions. Another popular choice of resolution is ‘lose weight’ and reducing alcohol intake can actually help to reach this goal due to the high amount of calories in alcohol.

In addition to January being the month when the nation usually kick-starts their resolutions, the first month of the year is also known as ‘Dry January’ due to the annual campaign of the same name, pioneered by the small national charity Alcohol Concern, who challenge all drinkers to abstain from booze for the entire 31 days of January.

Yes, that means no quick cheeky pint after work with colleagues, or an ‘unwinding’ glass of wine with an evening meal, or a heavy session out on the town with mates. It should be remembered though that this is an awareness raising campaign and a fundraiser for Alcohol Concern. It is not a medical detox programme and those with severe drinking problems may need to go to a hospital or clinic to detox as the withdrawal symptoms will be severe and probably require specialist treatment.

For those that do undertake the Dry January challenge, there will be plenty of benefits to be felt in the short-term. Abstainers could look forward to better sleep, weight loss, a boost in skin and hair quality, and let’s not forget all the money saved from not spending it on alcohol – just think of all the other things that can be bought with the extra pennies! As it is only a month off the booze, it is unlikely that any major change in liver function will occur in the 31 days though.

However, everybody needs a break at times, and the human body is no different. Therefore, Medical Specialists® Pharmacy encourage the nation to get on board with Dry January and it may even have a positive effect to future drinking habits. Research has shown that those who successfully complete the challenge actually manage to cut down on their drinking in the future, drinking less alcohol each day, getting into a drunken state less frequently and having more willpower to be able to say “no” to having an alcoholic drink.

It is not just members of the general public though that are seemingly embracing Dry January. One famous face has surprisingly decided to test himself and see if he go 31 days without any alcohol. UKip leader Nigel Farage is the famous face in question, deciding to go teetotal for the first month of the year.

Farage is possibly the most surprising celebrity banishing the booze for a month considering the controversial politician – even during campaigning – is often snapped joyously at the pub with a glass of ale in his hand, perhaps helping his image as a more approachable and jolly party leader. However, like many of us, Farage has admitted to a season of overindulgence and has now temporarily given up drink. Speaking to Sky News, he said: “I started before the New Year. I’m not being particularly virtuous, it’s just I need a break. It does us all good to have a break now and then.”

Medical Specialists® Pharmacy are fully behind the Dry January campaign, and have already witnessed a huge surge in the requests for alcohol dependency treatment Selincro during the last few weeks especially, as thousands around the country prepare for a dry month. However, we understand that this can be difficult for some to achieve without some motivation, which is why Alcohol Concern have provided a unit calculator on their website. All people need to do is tally up the number of drinks they have consumed, say on a typical Friday or Saturday night out, and see the probable alarming number of units and calories this equates to. As many look to lose weight in the New Year following the Christmas excesses, seeing the shocking total calories that drinking adds will no doubt provide the final motivation to truly achieve a completely dry January!

www.medical-specialists.co.uk

Banish the booze for Dry January!

With only days until the start of Dry January, Medical Specialistsׅ® Pharmacy are urging as many of the nation’s drinkers as possible to take part in the annual month-long awareness event.

By giving up alcohol for 4 weeks during the first month of the year, drinkers will hopefully be able to change their habits for the long-term, similar to the premise of October’s Stoptober smoking campaign, where some participants manage to quit smoking altogether after the month of abstinence.

For Dry January 2015, more than 2 million people managed to reduce their alcohol intake for the month, and it is expected that 2016 will be bigger, better, with more people getting on board, so join in and reap the rewards of giving up booze for the 31 days of January.

There are simply countless benefits from either cutting back on alcohol or stopping entirely, from weight loss to a better night’s sleep and more energy in general, to more cash to spend on other things – there is nothing to lose by taking part in Dry January 2016! The sense of achievement to be had from completing the month will be huge, and the chances will be much greater of drinking less alcohol in the future even after Dry January is over.

But don’t take it from us, NHS Choices have published the experiences of a woman named Joanna, who previously was drinking glasses of wine every night, but managed to abstain from alcohol for the entire month of January.

She says: “…After two weeks the cold turkey wore off, and the first benefits kicked in. I was in bed snoring shamelessly before 10 and was awake before the alarm at 6.15am. My skin was looking better. I had more energy, and was proud of myself for sticking at it.

“Although weight loss wasn’t a decisive factor for me, I lost 5lbs (2.3kg) in the first month and I have now lost nearly 10lbs and banished three inches (7.5cm) of muffin top from my waistline. Like many other people on Dry January’s page, my problem was the inexplicable desire to replace my evening dose of wine with snacks in front of the TV.

“Yet in the long run, less wine meant less nibbles. I realised how alcohol opened up my appetite and made me reach for those salty nibbles…”

Joanna’s weight loss is perhaps unsurprising, considering the often under-estimated calories contained in some of the most popular alcoholic beverages:

Pint of 4% beer: Equates to about 182 calories and 2.3 units of alcohol, rising depending on alcohol strength.

Small glass of 13% wine: A 175ml glass equals 159 calories and 2.3 units, varying depending on the strength of the wine (this can be anything from 11% to 16%).

Bottle of beer: A 330ml bottle contains about 159 calories and 2.3 units.

Pint of 4.5% cider: 216 calories and 2.6 units of alcohol.

A single 40% spirit: A Standard English 25ml measure has 61 calories and 1 unit. However, in Northern Ireland, a single measure comes in at 35ml and in 1.4 units.

At Medical Specialists® we understand how difficult it can be to giving up alcohol, but hopefully after a heavy festive period of over-indulgence of both food and alcohol, it should make it that little bit easier to participate in Dry January.

For example, the Friday before Christmas – often dubbed ‘booze Black Friday’ or ‘Mad Friday’ is one of the busiest, hectic drinking nights of the year as Emergency Services prepare for a chaotic night. Last year saw alcohol takings surge in pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels across the country by a whopping 142%, and that’s not taking into account sales from shops and supermarkets.

Then there is Christmas Eve, Christmas Day itself, Boxing Day…and finally, New Year’s Eve! By the first day of January, some people are truly feeling the effects of the alcohol excess over the festive period and wanting to take a break for January.

For those deciding to take the plunge, here are some top tips for giving up the booze:

Avoid temptation

Initially, it is wise to avoid situations where alcohol is involved. Perhaps opt out of the weekly quiz at the pub, or persuade friends to meet up for a trip to the cinema or bowling during January instead of the usual drink at the pub.

Clear the house

Not of everything in it! Just the booze. Hide away those bottles of beer or the filled-up wine rack. By removing the temptation this will help stick to not drinking. Nobody during Dry January wants to come home from a stressful day at work and see alcohol staring back of them. Out of sight, out of mind!

Encourage a friend

Being the only one in a social circle that isn’t drinking for the first month of the year can seem daunting. Considering asking a friend if they want to take on the challenge too will make it easier to complete, don’t forget to remind them of the wonderful benefits of not drinking!

Make others aware

If someone is taking part in Dry January, they should tell friends and family about it, with the reasons for getting involved. This way, that person can share successes with the friends and family, and they will understand why that person is rejecting drinks or trips to the pub. This may even encourage someone else to give up or cut down too.

Treat yourself

It’s amazing how much healthier a bank balance and wallet can look when there is no alcohol to be bought. A typical pint of beer can cost upwards of £4…just 5 pints in an evening can set someone back around £20! That money could be put to better use, whether it’s saving up for a holiday or an expensive pair of shoes, the extra cash will help loads!

Medical Specialists® Pharmacy are fully behind the Dry January campaign, already seeing an increase in enquiries about alcohol dependency treatment Selincro during the last few weeks, as thousands of people around the country prepare for an alcohol-free month.

So why not sign up today for Dry January, receiving useful and fun hints and tips throughout the month to help completion right through to the end of the month.

www.medical-specialists.co.uk

Radical new Symprove drink could help millions win the fight against IBS

Today we at Medical Specialists Pharmacy are thoroughly delighted to offer a brand new, revolutionary treatment option for the estimated 12 million people in the UK who are caused misery by the painful and inconvenient stomach condition, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Some of the most common symptoms for sufferers include highly discomforting stomach cramps, bloating and diarrhoea or constipation, or sometimes even bouts of both.

The IBS treatment in question is a non-dairy, gluten-free probiotic food supplement produced by Symprove Ltd, named simply ‘Symprove’. Those with sharp memories will recall that we first mentioned about this fantastic IBS treatment wayback in May. In fact, its effectiveness at combating the common stomach and bowel complaint is so exceptional that even national media has picked up on Symprove, subsequently being featured in newspapers such as the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, as well as HELLO! magazine.

Therefore the opportunity to offer our patients this brilliant solution to help with IBS was one we could not refuse, and proudly working together with Symprove Ltd, we now have the delicious 500ml mango and passion fruit flavoured version in stock and available from the Medical Specialists chemist shop for the low price of £19.93.

So, what exactly is Symprove you may wonder, and how does it work? Well, it is a water-based barley drink that is taken once daily – ideally prior to breakfast. With every batch produced being independently tested to ensure the highest standard of quality, each 50ml serving contains approximately 10 billion live bacteria.

However, here is where it gets interesting; Symprove’s 4 species of live bacterial cultures (L. rhamnosus, planatarum, acidophilus and E. faeciumbacteria), are fully alive and activated from the moment Symprove is swallowed. What sets Symprove apart is the fact that unlike other everyday probiotic products, the probiotics within Symprove manage to reach the gut and get to work in a mere 20 minutes without triggering the digestion process.  This may sound strange and something you would expect and want to happen. However with other probiotics, digestion results in stomach acid and bile salts being released in order to break down food. The stomach acid means that probiotic bacteria struggle to survive in this environment and any that do, will be ineffective inside the gut.

Symprove is successful at travelling straight through the stomach without triggering digestion, meaning its probiotics are able to reach the gut and then establish a more healthy balance of  ‘normal bacteria’. It is the existence of ‘bad’ pathogenic bacteria that initially causes digestive and other problems. Symprove’s revolutionary method of fighting the symptoms of IBS means that the bacteria are not freeze-dried like many other products out there. Basically with its ‘Unique Delivery System’, the bacteria are ready to start working from the moment they pass your lips!

At Medical Specialists we fully understand that IBS can be a deeply distressing condition to live with, especially when trying to manage it whilst at your job. Many underestimate the psychological impact that IBS can have from trying to cope with the pain and discomfort. It is even thought that three out of every four people who suffer from it, will have at least one bout of depression, with half experiencing some varying degree of anxiety. You should not let it control your quality of life though, and with appropriate treatment you can live a normal and happy life. In addition to Symprove, there are other available options to help with the symptoms of IBS such as Buscopan IBS relief, Imodium and Mebeverine. All are available from the stomach and bowel area of the Medical Specialists website.

www.medical-specialists.co.uk

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The story of how one woman refused to be irritated by IBS…

You know the feeling…you are sat in a crowded room and your stomach groans with peculiar sounds, accompanied by excruciating cramps. You don’t know whether to sit it out or make a dash to the closest toilet and hope nobody is already occupying the adjacent cubicle.

This might sound like a humorous situation for a sitcom, but it is a fairly common experience for millions of people who have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and it is certainly far from a laughing matter. In particularly, IBS at work can be a deeply distressing thing to try and fight, but can be managed with a proper understanding of the condition and what can be done to ease/avoid an occurrence of symptoms.

The gut disorder can result in a variety of symptoms, but common symptoms generally include: bloating, wind, stomach cramps, and most people with IBS have bouts of diarrhoea and/or constipation.

Evidence suggests that the majority of people with IBS first begin to develop their symptoms between the ages of 20 and 30. Symptoms often appear and disappear in bouts, commonly after eating certain foods and during times of stress.

For one sufferer however, the problems began at a much earlier age. Medical librarian Vicky Grant, 43, has been trying to cope with IBS symptoms since the age of 13.

Vicky, then in her 30s, was in a work meeting when she was struck down with the all too familiar feelings of the condition.

She recalls: “I didn’t know whether to make a dash to the bathroom or just sit it out and hope it would pass. I was coping with up to seven bouts of diarrhoea a day and it was really taking its toll on me. I decided to risk it and stay put, but I was concentrating so hard on staying in control that everything being said in the meeting passed over my head.”

Vicky’s life was severely restricted by her IBS. She adds: “I felt bloated, tired and fatigued. My weight was below 7st (I’m 5ft 3in). I’d lost so much weight and looked terrible – I’m sure people thought I had anorexia. It was also making me depressed. I’d tried every drug, complementary therapy and diet under the sun, some things helped a little but nothing made my symptoms manageable. I was just so fed up with being ill all the time.”

Vicky is not alone though and a tenth of all doctors’ appointments are for symptoms related to IBS, which many doctors find difficult to treat. After all, the exact causes are still unknown and even though patients suffer with uncomfortable and sometimes distressing symptoms, unlike other bowel diseases IBS does not leave the gut with any noticeable damage.

Treatments are often a case of trial and error; changes in diet are often advised and IBS patients are usually instructed to keep a food diary. This can pinpoint the main triggers, i.e. are dairy or wheat products causing a flare-up of symptoms? Psychological therapy is another option for patients, and a lot of people find relief with antispasmodic medicines such as Buscopan IBS Relief and Colpermin 100 Capsules.

It took years for Vicky to find the courage to see her GP, finally going to see him in her early 20s. “He told me I did have IBS and that in my case it was due to stress and advised me to tackle the stress,” she says.

“I didn’t think I was any more stressed than any of my friends and thought the stress I was under was at least partly due to coping with my IBS. I tried meditation, but it made no difference. Over the years my IBS left me feeling totally drained.”

Nothing seem to have much effect for Vicky’s symptoms so three years ago she took to the internet to search around for stories of other people’s experiences and what worked for them.

One thing that kept being mentioned was vitamin D. Vicky recalls: “One thing that kept cropping up online was how high-dose vitamin D supplements could help. I read one blog then reports from patients on forums talking about this – it was generating a lot of interest.”

From things she had read on the internet, Vicky decided to try taking vitamin D2 – a dose of the nutrient (1,000 international units), but she had little success.

“Then a work colleague who has multiple sclerosis mentioned that vitamin D3 from fish oils is closer to the type the body makes naturally and was more effective and should be taken at a higher dose,” says Vicky.

“So I switched to 4,000 international units a day of D3, which is a safe dose. Within days, my symptoms eased and progressively improved over the months. After years of symptoms, my diarrhoea, cramps, pain and bloating disappeared. I started to feel well, put on weight and my depression lifted. It was amazing. My symptoms would flare up again though, if I forgot to take it.”

It is believed vitamin D might work by boosting the immune system as well as the gut’s barrier. Dr Nick Read, chairman of the IBS Network’s medical advisory group, says there is evidence some types of IBS involve a low level of inflammation in nerve endings in the gut.

He comments: “Inflammation around the gut’s nerve cells may make the intestine more sensitive to food and stress. We can’t say vitamin D works as a treatment for IBS yet. Only a properly designed trial will establish whether it works or not.”

Julian Walters, professor of gastroenterology at Imperial College, London, says it could be ‘plausible’ that vitamin D has a role to play in IBS treatments, although warns: “We shouldn’t assume it will work. It could just be the power of placebo.”

www.medical-specialists.co.uk 

Did Kurt Cobain suffer with irritable bowel syndrome before his death?

Last month saw the 20th anniversary of Nirvana singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain’s death from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

However, fans who participated in tributes at his home city of Seattle, US, claim the grunge icon may still be alive today if doctors had properly diagnosed and treated the stomach problems that had blighted him in the years leading up to his untimely death, and a source of clear distress for Cobain – evident in his published journals.

One theory being suggested is that the blonde rocker was suffering with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – an umbrella term that spans several gastrointestinal disorders, but many of which involve similar symptoms such as stomach cramps, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea.

Other IBS symptoms people may experience include: loss of appetite, nausea, tiredness, backache, headache, belching, quickly feeling full after you have eaten food, heartburn, and bladder problems due to an associated irritable bladder.

Although IBS unfortunately does not have an absolute cure, there are a number of over-the-counter and prescription-only treatment options that can ease symptoms for some sufferers and these include: Mebeverine,Buscopan IBS Relief and Colpermin.

Overall, IBS diagnoses and treatments are much more advanced in the present day compared to back in 1994 when Cobain died. His suicide was estimated to have occurred on 5 April 1994 after an electrician had found him slumped in the greenhouse at his cabin by Lake Washington on 8 April.

Toxicological tests concluded he had a massive amount of heroin in his system when he died, and many people are speculating if Cobain had been given a proper diagnosis and received effective treatment for his debilitating stomach ailment, he may not have been driven to that tragic end at the age of just 27.

By choosing to end his life at that age, Cobain joined the “27 Club”; members of the music industry who had passed away at the tender age. In addition to Cobain, this group now includes: Jimi Hendrix, Janis ­Joplin, ­Rolling Stone Brian Jones, Jim ­Morrison of the Doors and Amy Winehouse.

A TV interview recorded only months before Cobain’s death is now attracting renewed interest. In the interview Cobain angrily hits out at the doctors he says have failed him “during six years of being in constant pain”.

Cobain adds: “They never figured out what it was. Most gastro-intestinal doctors don’t know anything about stomach diseases. They just have PhDs, get paid a lot of money for ­pretending and prescribing drugs. It’s a total scam.”

Los ­Angeles-based Dr Morris Mesler, who has treated countless famous faces, is one of the many who believes Cobain was suffering with IBS and even pointed to study that connected IBS-associated pain with an increased risk of suicide.

Dr Mesler said: “While IBS is a grab-bag term that covers a multitude of symptoms and conditions, there is a great deal we can do today that we couldn’t do then.

“Tests could have established if he had a genetic condition such as coeliac ­disease. Or it could have been something much more simple like lactose or gluten intolerance that we just weren’t really aware of 20 years ago.

“Endoscopies are also much more advanced, so we can actually see what’s going on in the stomach much more clearly now. I believe we could have established pretty quickly if he was ­suffering from something physical, organic or even psychiatric.

“It might merely have been a ­question of slightly altering his diet.”

www.medical-specialists.co.uk

IBS at Christmas: A Survival Guide

Let’s face it, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is difficult to live with at the best of times. Trying to tackle this chronic and debilitating disorder of the gut can prove a difficult task…It can be frustrating for IBS sufferers trying to pinpoint the food, drink and other triggers responsible for the symptoms which include: diarrhoea or constipation, alternating bowel habits, abdominal cramps and heartburn too.

However, IBS at Christmas time can be even more of a nuisance. There are numerous factors over the festive period that can all combine to create a perfect storm to heighten the severity of the IBS symptoms.

Before the big day itself, there is the stress and anxiousness involved with making sure everyone’s presents are bought, not to mention getting all the decorations, wrapping paper and food for Christmas Day. Stress is commonly recognised as one of the primary causes/triggers for IBS and its subsequent symptoms.

Then there is all the Christmas parties, fatty grub on offer and plenty of flowing booze. Simply put, this time of year can be catastrophic for the estimated 1 in 5 people around the UK that have IBS. Fear not, Medical Specialists® Pharmacy are at hand with some tips to try and avoid festive flare-ups:

Control portion sizes

As tempting as it is to pile up the plate with festive grub, party goers don’t have to stuff themselves like the Christmas turkey. Remember, the more food eaten, the harder the digestive system has to battle to process the volume of food…which will inevitably lead to excess gases.

Don’t ditch the exercise

It can be tempting to slack off over the festive period. The TV is usually good, the nights are cold and dark, and the last thing anyone probably wants to do is haul themselves to the gym for a strenuous workout. However, it is wise to try and keep up with the usual exercise routine. Digestive symptoms tend to become more sluggish when we aren’t as active, plus exercise helps to relieve stress too!

Minimise stress where possible

As mentioned previously, stress is a primary cause of IBS, and there is never a more stressful time of the year than Christmas time. The expense of shopping for presents and food can cause havoc for the gut. Where possible, try and plan ahead. This could involve buying the majority of presents and other essentials way in advance of the typical late-December rush. Yoga, relaxation tapes and massages may also keep stress at bay.

Be careful what goes on the plate

Try to avoid gorging on stodgy, fatty foods as this will only increase the risk of diarrhoea. The biggest culprits and definite must-avoid foods include: chocolate, fried foods (i.e. crispy wontons, spring rolls and samosas), mince pies and pastry-based products (i.e. quiche, vol-au-vents, sausage rolls and pork pies). Healthier buffet options would be fresh prawns, salmon and lean meat, chicken satay sticks and egg sandwiches.

Limit the booze

Alcohol and IBS are never an ideal combination. Alcohol may lead more severe IBS symptoms due to the fact that alcohol acts as an irritant on the bowel. Beer is particularly one culprit that often exacerbates a sufferer’s symptoms. Those who want to avoid feeling gassy this Christmas are advised to severely limit all bubbly drinks, such as beer, champagne, Prosecco and soft fizzy mixers.

Anyone suffering with moderate or severe IBS where constipation is the main problem, there is now a treatment option available named Constella.

Constella is available from Medical Specialists® Pharmacy today and can help to subside IBS symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation and bloating. To obtain this treatment, all patients must first undergo an online consultation with one of the GMC-registered doctors at Medical Specialists®, or send in a private prescription by post, obtained from the patient’s own doctor.

www.medical-specialists.co.uk 

Male hair loss DNA test can open the way for early preventive action

After renowned hair transplant surgeon Dr Bessam Farjo made headlineslast month by performing what is believed to be the world’s first streaming of a hair transplant, he is now in the news again. Dr Farjo, who has clinics in Manchester and London, and boasts ex Manchester United footballer Clayton Blackmore as one of many celebrity clients, is offering the chance for men to take a simple test to see if they are likely to lose their hair.

The pioneering new idea that is carried out at Dr Farjo’s clinics is a £195 DNA test which involves taking a sample of saliva from inside the cheek. The sample then gets sent to a specialised laboratory in the U.S. where it is analysed for the presence of a gene that results in follicles to stop growing, thus resulting in hair loss. After just ten days, men can find out whether they are at risk of losing their hair.

Dr Farjo commented on the procedure and who could benefit, saying, “This test is useful for someone very young who has not yet started losing their hair but wants to have peace of mind or to do something about it if there’s a family history. A positive result means you have a 70 per cent chance of being significantly bald by the age of 40. That means you’d look in the mirror and say, “I’m bald”, not just thinning a little bit.”

Losing their precious locks is one of the biggest worries amongst the current generation of young males.  After leading celebrity figures such as Wayne Rooney and Louis Walsh openly admitted to undergoing hair transplant procedures last year, this has helped to shed some of the embarrassment-factor previously associated with the sensitive subject of male or female hair loss.

However, hair transplants are not a viable option for everybody in the current financial climate and can set you back thousands of pounds.  Other effective, inexpensive hair loss solutions include the medication Propecia. This therapy treats genetically inherited male pattern hair loss and works most effectively on the top of the head and the mid-scalp area. Propecia can slow down the hair loss on vertex and the anterior mid-scalp area, prevent further hair loss or in some cases, even re-grow hair. It is available from Medical Specialists Pharmacy working out from as little as £47.58 per month.

Other options include the increasingly popular Regaine Foam. Obtainable from Medical Specialists Pharmacy from as little as £46.45, this product contains the active ingredient Minoxidil which is clinically proven to help prevent further hereditary hair loss, showing success in 4 out of 5 men. It works by increasing the blood supply to the hair follicles which helps to strengthen existing hair and stimulate secondary hair growth. For most men, using Regaine even reverses the process, resulting in regrowth.

There are also emerging over the counter products that have been released in recent times. Alpecin Caffeine C1 Shampoo stimulates hair growth directly at the roots, strengthens weakened hair roots and prevents hereditary hair loss. In just in 2 minutes, the active ingredient travels along the hair shaft directly into the hair follicles. If the shampoo is left on for longer, the caffeine will also penetrate into the scalp.

Overall, it could be in men’s best interests to take Dr Farjo’s revolutionary test. For just £195 you will be able to have a much better idea of your chances of experiencing hair loss in the future, and take preventive action today through a number of different options such as those mentioned earlier.

www.medical-specialists.co.uk

Smoking ban for cars due October 2015

From October 2015 it will be illegal to smoke in cars with children present under the biggest crackdown on smoking from the Government since the introduction of the 2007 ban on smoking in public places.

The Department of Health (DoH) said the tighter regulations laid before Parliament to make private vehicles carrying under-18s smoke-free were formulated with the aim to “protect young people from the serious health harms of smoked tobacco”.

The new plans will result in a fixed fine of £50 being given to people who smoke, or those who fail to prevent others from lighting up within private vehicles also carrying children.

Early in the New Year there will be a vote on the subject, involving both MPs and peers. Following this, there will be a period of three weeks for them to thoroughly assess the proposals put forth by the Department of Health.

This appears to be a formality though following a majority approval by MPs earlier in the year. Back in February MPs voted 376 to 107 – a majority of 269 – in favour of the ban, first suggested by Labour as an amendment to the children and families bill. The majority vote even eclipsed that which resulted in the smoking ban from July 2007, forbidding smoking in areas such as pubs, restaurants and nightclubs.

Most of the country could be behind the ban according to a YouGov poll for the anti-smoking group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), which discovered that 77% of adults – including 64% of those who actually smoke – were behind the plans to make it illegal to light up in cars carrying anyone under the age of 18.

The legislation would criminalise smoking from parents, carers or other adults in a car where there is anyone present under 18. According to the British Lung Foundation, there are about 430,000 children that are exposed to second-hand smoke each week in a family car.

Dr Penny Woods, the charity’s chief executive, raved about the Government’s plans, saying she was “delighted” by the proposals.

She said: “We are now closer than ever to helping protect the hundreds of thousands of children exposed to dangerous concentrations of second-hand smoke in cars every week.”

ASH were also happy with the plans to ban smoking in cars with children, but said the legislation should go one step further and stretch to a blanket ban which would also comprise of adults in vehicles too.

ASH chief executive Deborah Arnott said: “We are delighted that the Government is to press ahead with regulations to prohibit smoking in cars containing children.

“As with the smoke-free public places law, this is a popular measure that will largely be self-enforcing. However, second-hand smoke is just as harmful to adults as children and it makes it more difficult to enforce if it only applies to some cars, not all. Seatbelt laws don’t just apply to children, why should smoke-free car laws?”

www.medical-specialists.co.uk

Plans to ban smoking in prisons – riots predicted

Smoking looks set to be banned in all prisons across England and Wales following the ministry of justice confirming a pilot scheme will be rolled out next year that will forbid smoking in every part of a prison, including cells and exercise yards.

Instead, inmates will be offered nicotine patches in an attempt to help them beat any cravings. The pilot scheme will commence in the spring of 2014, starting in Exeter and Eastwood Park Women’s Prison, before gradually introduced in more prisons over the course of a 12-month period.

The plans have been formulated out of fear that those inmates and prison officers who do not smoke may decide to launch compensation claims against the Prison Service because of the secondhand/passive smoking they are being subjected to. The dangers of secondhand smoking  is a topic that Medical Specialists Pharmacy have previously highlighted.

However, the issue of forbidding prison inmates from smoking could be viewed as a human rights issue and cause a string of legal challenges. Some even fear there is a very real prospect of inmates rioting in prisons all across England in Wales. If some criminals have a violent nature to begin with, denying them a highly addictive substance such as nicotine could cause total pandemonium.

Not only are cigarettes addictive – and about 80% of the 84,300 prison inmates smoke – but it is also seen as a valuable prison currency that is regularly traded on the prison wings. Not being able to light up as they see fit, will probably not go down too well.

Prisoners are currently given the freedom to smoke outside in the exercise yards and within their cells due to the fact it is deemed to be their “permanent or temporary home”. Bad behaviour can already result in a temporary smoking ban but the universal ban will anger the more exemplary, well-behaved inmates who look forward to cigarette breaks as an escape from the tedium of prison life.

Steve Gillan, general secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association, agrees with the proposed smoking ban but told The Times it would be difficult to implement.

He said: “There is no pretending otherwise. It could cause disturbances but they have done it successfully in Canada and in young offender institutions in England and Wales. We welcome this move. It is our policy to have smoke-free prisons for our members. We will work with the ministry to make sure it works effectively.”

In addition, there are those who say that prisoners already have a cushy life. It seems it is a weekly occurrence for stories to emerge of inmates posting pictures to their Facebook accounts showing just how cushy their life actually it.

Dee Edwards, of the R and K Foundation, a crime victims’ group, said: “Prisoners are already better fed and cared for than pensioners so why should they be treated any different to the rest of society? It’s getting to point where you can’t even smoke outside a building now so I don’t see why prisoners shouldn’t be banned. If you have a low level criminal who smoke 20 a day may be it will even act as a deterrent if they think they could do to jail and not be able to smoke.”

However, Mark Johnson, chief executive of the prisoner charity User Voice, says that smoking is a “human right” and believes that prisoners who smoke may decide to take legal action if it is banned.

www.medical-specialists.co.uk 

Passive smoking linked to infertility and earlier menopause

With the end of another year almost up, many of us will be thinking about our New Year’s Resolutions for 2016. Perhaps they could include losing weight, cutting down on alcohol, giving up chocolate…but the most common resolution is usually quitting smoking.

This is not such a bad thing though; smoking is linked to numerous forms of cancer, in addition to heart disease, stroke and many more serious health problems, and a new study has demonstrated that even passive (second-hand) smoking could be the cause of infertility and an earlier menopause in women.

Published online in the Dec. 15 edition of the journalTobacco Control, the new study reports that women with exposure to high levels of tobacco – either smoking themselves or passively – could have a menopause that occurs 1 or 2 years earlier compared to those who have never smoked or have been exposed to passive smoking.

For the study, researchers assessed data on 79,690 women in the age range of 50 to 79 that had completed the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI OS) – a large study began in 1991 to monitor the health of over 160,000 healthy, postmenopausal women.

All of the women had experienced a ‘natural’ menopause – meaning the woman had not had a period for 12 consecutive months and they had not had surgery to remove their ovaries.

Previous research has identified a connection between smoking and higher rates of infertility and earlier menopause. However, “second-hand smoke is less researched,” especially among never-smoking women, commented the study author Andrew Hyland, chair of health behaviour at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, in Buffalo, N.Y.

Researchers discovered that smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke were found to be associated with fertility problems and an earlier onset of menopause (i.e. prior to the typical age of 50).

Current or ex-smokers were found to be around 14% more likely to be infertile and 26% more likely to experience an earlier menopause in comparison to those that had never smoked. Hyland stressed that early menopause has been linked with a higher risk of death from all causes.

The study also found that for the never-smokers exposed to the highest levels of second-hand smoke – such as living with a smoker for a decade or more – they were an estimated 18% more likely to have fertility problems and early menopause.

Women who had previously smoked, reached the menopause on average about 22 months before the women that had neither smoked or been exposed to smoke. Moreover, it was found those exposed to the highest level of passive smoke reached menopause 13 months earlier than those not exposed.

This latest study is just one of many important reminders that we should avoid all smoke, said Patricia Folan, director of the Center for Tobacco Control at North Shore-LIJ Health System in Great Neck, N.Y.

“This study provides additional motivation and incentive for women of all ages to avoid smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke, as well as to quit smoking,” she said. Both are associated with premature birth, low birth weight, infant death and certain birth defects, she added.

“This evidence, in addition to the data from the current study, offers health care providers, particularly ob-gyn practitioners, the information needed to counsel women about the hazards of smoking and second-hand smoke, and to encourage cessation,” Folan said.

www.medical-specialists.co.uk