Category: Health

Chronic pain can be extremely debilitating, causing significant emotional distress, but could emotions play a far bigger role in how and why we experience pain? The FHT recently attended the SIRPA (Stress Illness Recovery Practitioners Association) Conference 2017, entitled Chronic Pain: the role of emotions, to find out more about this fascinating topic. The conference…

One in five attempts to quit smoking are now successful, according to recent research from University College London, funded by Cancer Research UK. The research revealed a 19.8% success rate for those who attempted to quit smoking in the first half of 2017, showing a significant improvement from an average of 15.7% over the past…

Frequent sauna bathing reduces the risk of elevated blood pressure, according to an extensive follow-up population-based study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland. The risk of developing elevated blood pressure was nearly 50% lower among men who went to a sauna four to seven times a week, compared to men who used a…

People who regularly use public transport generally walk faster and this brings with it health benefits that could be particularly beneficial for older people, according to a recent study published in BMJ Open. The study looked at the potential health benefits of public transport and scientists sought to investigate whether public transport use prevented declines…

A study led the University of Warwick suggests that people are reluctant to use public access defibrillators to treat cardiac arrests. The analysis of existing international studies, which has been published in the European Heart Journal, suggests that there are a number of factors that prevent members of the public from using them and potentially…

Life satisfaction in the UK is improving year-on-year, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics. In addition, people in the UK are also slightly happier on average than they were last year, with those in Northern Ireland reporting the highest average well-being ratings, across the countries. These findings form part of…

Middle-aged and older men are more at risk of cardiac arrest and sudden death during triathlon races, according to a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study was conducted to raise questions regarding athlete safety, looking at participants who had competed in U.S. triathlon races from 1985 to 2016. Scientists examined…

An accord between National Parks England and Public Health England explains how the two organisations plan to take joint action on improving health and wellbeing through England’s national parks. England has 10 national parks: the Broads, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lake District, New Forest, Northumberland, North York Moors, Peak District, South Downs and Yorkshire Dales. These parks…

Many of us feel that we just don’t have time to do all the things we would like to. This can be overwhelming and detrimental to your health. It may also leave you feeling that you are not in control of your life. The NHS (via Twitter) has recently highlighted how good time-management can address…

International evidence and the UK Chief Medical Officers’ (CMOs) guidelines support the idea that general health benefits will be achieved with 150 minutes of physical activity each week, equating to just under 22 minutes of exercise each day. While supporting these guidelines, researchers from Public Health England recently looked at the benefits of brisk walking…