Tag: Health

Are you planning a fresh start in 2015? Are you going to eat more healthily, exercise regularly or lose weight? Statistics vary, but most estimates put the success rate for New Year Resolutions at around 10%. That’s a depressing 9 in 10 chance of failure. So how can you make sure you’re one of the…

The Hospital for Special Surgery, based in the US, ran a weekly exercise programme of tai chi, pilates and yoga for 1,400 elderly arthritis sufferers. 204 of those participants completed a survey at the end of the programme, with 80% reporting less stiffness and improved balance. “The survey results indicate that the hospital’s exercise programs…

Eating bilberries diminishes the adverse effects of a high-fat diet, according to a recent study at the University of Eastern Finland. For the first time, bilberries were shown to have beneficial effects on both blood pressure and nutrition-derived inflammatory responses. Low-grade inflammation and elevated blood pressure are often associated with obesity-related diseases. The study focused…

The King’s Fund has published their ‘Women and medical leadership’ infographic: Full details Image: The King’s Fund

New research from the United States published in the BMJ Open (11.12.14); ‘Effects of dietary sodium and the DASH diet on the occurrence of Headaches’ [REF 1], has shown that when people reduce their salt intake, there is a big and significant reduction (31%) in the number of them suffering from headaches. The study was…

The Campaign to End Loneliness is calling for more support for older people all year round following new research that indicates they are more likely to feel lonely in the summer. A new study suggests that older people could be more at risk of feeling lonely in the summer months, contrary to popular views that…

NHS Choices looks at unfamiliar headache triggers and how to overcome them – from Alexander technique for poor posture, to yoga for relaxing after stress. You put in 10-hour days from Monday to Friday and you feel fine, only to wake up after a lie-in on Saturday with a pounding headache. Why is that? It’s…

From volunteering for an organisation to a simple phone call, NHS Choices offers ideas on how to help lonely or socially isolated elderly people in your community. Evidence suggests that giving your time in this way could be as valuable to you as the person you support. It’s likely to boost your self-esteem and sense…

In 1984, psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal coined the term Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Now 30 years later, BBC looks at the differences between SAD and the winter blues. Winter blues often involves a lack of sleep while SAD means people are permanently tired and spend longer in bed, she says. Jarvis estimates between 3% and 5%…

In the lead up to Alcohol Awareness Week, charity Alcohol Concern has published some useful information and resources to help those who are concerned about alcohol intake. Their theme for this year is, ‘Facing our alcohol problem: Taking back our health and high streets.’ Local authorities and other organisations, from pharmacies to treatment service providers,…

Can happiness be measured? The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire attempts to do just that. Developed by Michael Argyle and Peter Hills of Oxford Brookes University, and originally published in the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences, it’s one several measures of “subjective wellbeing” (aka happiness) constructed by scientific research psychologists. It may be helpful in charting…