Writing in the British Medical Journal, an Australian team say giving people a cuff to wear for 24 hours is a better way of checking blood pressure, as it heps to reduce the stress and anxiety of the examination.

The researchers monitored over 8,500 patients who were being assessed at 11 blood pressure clinics around Australia. They compared ambulatory blood pressure measurements with those taken by doctors and nurses and found that there can be a difference of as much as 29 units if a doctor checked it, compared with a rise of 17 units if a nurse took the measurement.

The differences also varied depending on the sex and age of the patient.

However, the study also found that the closer the patient’s blood pressure to normal levels, the less of a difference between measurements taken by ambulatory monitoring and those taken by a nurse or doctor.

Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of the Blood Pressure Association, said: “This is interesting research which clearly illustrates how external factors such as environment and who is checking blood pressure can have a significant impact on blood pressure readings.

“Many people feel slightly anxious when going to see a doctor, which is why we have always encouraged blood pressure measuring at home as well as in the clinic, and promotes the use of home blood pressure monitors and ambulatory testing where indicated.

Read the full article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8667638.stm

To find out more about the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer, visit the NHS Choices website.

We’ve recently been contacted by The National Self Harm Network who are looking for Nottingham-based volunteers to help man their new national freephone helpline for those who self harm, their friends, family and carers.

It is initially operating between the hours of 7pm and 11pm seven days a week. They require volunteers to commit to one shift per week. Volunteers will receive extensive training from both NSHN and external partners. The helpline is well supervised. All travel expenses within the Nottingham area will be refunded.

Volunteers will be asked to attend an informal interview and recruitment day prior to being offered a place. All volunteers will be required to provide an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check which will be paid for by NSHN. As well as listening volunteers they’re also looking to recruit several volunteer supervisors who will be required to have undergone previous relevant training.

If you think you have what it takes to offer a supportive and empathetic listening ear to individuals who may be in crisis and can commit some of your time then they’d like to hear from you.

For further information and an application form for all posts please contact the NSHN on info@nshn.co.uk or phone 01158 524027 and leave your name, number and email address.

Find out more at the Change4Life website.

Osteopathic manipulation may particularly benefit pregnant women seeking medication-free back pain relief, note Dr. John C. Licciardone and colleagues at University of Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.

The study  included 144 otherwise healthy pregnant women, about 24 years old on average, with moderate levels of back pain and related movement difficulties during late pregnancy. The women were randomly assigned to one of three groups: usual obstetric care only, usual obstetric care plus weekly 30-minute osteopathic manipulation treatments from the 30th week of pregnancy through delivery, or usual obstetric care plus sham ultrasound skin stimulation sessions.

Over the course of the study, women in the osteopathic group reported improved back pain and related symptoms, Licciardone noted. The sham ultrasound group reported no pain improvement and those in the standard care group reported increased pain. However, none of these differences were statistically significant.

Late pregnancy back-related movement problems generally worsened until delivery, but did so to a lesser degree in the osteopathic manipulation group.

Overall, these results suggest osteopathic manipulation may compliment conventional obstetric care, Licciardone and colleagues conclude. They call for further, larger investigations to assess the benefits and costs of this form of combined care.

Source:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100210/hl_nm/us_osteopathic_care

Some highlights of last night’s programme included a rather unfortunate chap suffering from Peyronie’s Disease, a young lady with tubular breasts and a look at flatulence.

Peyronie’s Disease is a condition which causes the penis to bend on erection. It can be very painful and affect a man’s performance in bed which brings with it all kinds of psychological problems. It typically first appears around age 55 and is said to affect approximately 1 – 3 out of 100 men. First appearing as a lump on the shaft of the penis, this can develop into an area of hardened tissue which causes the bend. Treatment is by medication or surgery which remove the immediate ‘plaque’ but may not offer a long-term solution. Find out more about Peyronie’s Disease at http://www.peyronies.org/.

Tubular breast syndrome is a congenital deformity of the breast that manifests at the onset of puberty, caused by the incomplete development of the breast’s mammary gland. The breasts have a characteristic tubular shape and are often asymmetrical. Here’s a clip from the show:

Here the contraception ad:

The accompanying Worth Talking About website can be found here.

Dr Sharon McKenna said: “Scientists have known for a long time that natural compounds have the potential to treat faulty cells that have become cancerous and we suspected that curcumin might have therapeutic value.”

Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: “This is interesting research which opens up the possibility that natural chemicals found in turmeric could be developed into new treatments for oesophageal cancer.

Oesophageal cancer is the 6th most common cause of cancer deaths and accounts for around 5% of total cancer deaths. It is thought to be linked to rising rates of obesity, alcohol intake and acid reflux. Each year around 7,800 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in the UK.

The full research can be read here.

A recent presentation was made as part of TED, where he speaks about new research into ‘mirror neurons’ and what implications to could have on healthcare and society in general. Fascinating stuff.

Easier said than done, stopping smoking is seen as a very positive step to a healthier life and is something that the NHS is doing it’s best to encourage. For general help and advice about stopping smking, you can visit http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/smoking/Pages/Betterlives.aspx which all kinds of links to online resources, advice and tools to help you.

If you’re based in Nottingham, the New Leaf service could help you immediately. Call 0800 561 2121 or Text NEW to 80800 to make use of this free service which has over 50 support groups, one-on-one sessions and drop-in sessions throughout Nottingham. You cam find out more at http://www.stopsmokingnotts.nhs.uk/.

One such group meets at Cotgrave Leisure Centre on Wednesday evenings from 6.30 to 8.30. Run by a New Leaf advisor, if you’d like to know more contact the centre on 0115 989 2916 or visit at Woodview, Cotgrave, Nottingham NG12 3PJ. Further details are also available at www.leisurecentre.com