Health news round up

There’s been quite a bit of interesting health news this week; from footballers and dementia, to artificial embryos and  ovarian cancer.

Blood tests and ovarian cancer – doctors have revealed that a blood test every 4 months could help women that are deemed to be at high risk of developing ovarian cancer. Currently there is no available screening test and so those at high risk are faced with looking for possible signs of ovarian cancer or having their fallopian tubes and ovaries removed. More about ovarian cancer can be found here.

You may also want to talk with an expert if you are concerned about any gynaecology issues as we are running an Online Clinic on Gynaecology this month (March 2017).

Artificial embryos – scientists have created artificial embryos in the lab using stem cells from mice. The hope is that this work will help scientists understand more about fertility treatments. More about fertility research and artificial embryos can be found here.

Football & brain injuries – at the start of the week the news that there is a link between footballers heading the ball and dementia continued. Gordon Smith, former head of the Scottish Football Association believes that professional footballers may have to sign a disclaimer preventing them from suing over brain injuries and dementia in later life. The story has escalated partly due to the news last weekend that the former Celtic captain Billy McNeill has dementia and is now unable to speak. What do you think? Should footballers be forced sign a disclaimer as part of their contract?

Buying medicines online – the news has reported concerns around buying medicines online. The story has come about because the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has carried out a review of  all online services registered with the CQC. CQC inspectors found that some services were potentially putting patients at risk of harm by selling medicines without carrying out enough to check they were appropriate. The findings have led to a set of recommendations produced by CQC which are:

  • Advice for patients considering using an online doctor.
  • A joint statement between the General Medical Council, the General Pharmaceutical Council, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to remind clinicians and service providers that they must continue to follow professional guidelines.

More information about buying medicines online can be found here.

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