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#ThinkHand campaign could be a game-changer

I feel like Thursday 22nd February 2018 is going to be one of those days when in years to come I’ll look back and know that I was part of what will hopefully be a game-changer in the world of healthcare. It was the official launch for the #ThinkHand campaign by the MS team at Bart’s, led by Prof. Gavin Giovannoni and Dr. Klaus Schmierer.

As someone with MS who is still fully mobile, what worries me about the future isn’t necessarily that I might need to use a wheelchair, it’s that I won’t be independent. Retaining upper limb function is critical to avoiding that situation.

Why is the campaign needed? Well (and many people, even within the MS community, don’t know this), currently NHS guidelines state that once someone has developed secondary progressive MS and/or starts to use a wheelchair, their medication needs to stop. In addition, the primary outcome measure for testing the effectiveness of MS disease modifying therapies is currently walking ability. So essentially, once you develop progressive MS and/or start to use a wheelchair, you’re written off by the “system.”

The ThinkHand launch featured three MS patients, all of whom can demonstrate why hand function is so important. One is a musician, one is an artist and one is a jewellery maker. During the evening we had the chance to meet them and see/listen to their work. It wasn’t just important for me as an MS patient to see that a change is needed, it was also important for the other attendees who came from MS charities, pharmaceutical companies and the media. Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of the MS Society, was the guest speaker, and it’s incredibly important to have this visible backing for the campaign from the largest MS charity in the UK.

The campaign has achieved or is trying to achieve the following:

  1. Get the research community to study several hypotheses that underpin the science behind the preservation of hand function in MS and to design better trials for people with more advanced MS.
  2. Design, test and validate an environmentally friendly cardboard 9-hole peg test to allow people with MS (PwMS) to self monitor their arm and hand function.
  3. To survey UK MSologists’ attitudes on the importance of hand function in MS.
  4. To perform a clinical trial to study the effect of subcutaneous cladribine in MS wheelchair users (CHARIOT-MS study).
  5. To challenge NHS England guidelines for stopping disease modifying therapies when people with MS develop secondary progressive MS and/or start using a wheelchair.
  6. To get the pharmaceutical industry to do trials in more advanced MS, focusing on hand and arm function as the primary outcome.
  7. To validate the 9-hole peg test as a primary outcome measure in clinical trials.
  8. To develop a new personalised or humanised outcome measure to asses hand function in MS.

 

If you’d like to get involved in the campaign then follow the #ThinkHand hashtag on social media.

For more information about ThinkHand: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/lift-drugs-ban-on-ms-patients-who-can-no-longer-walk-say-doctors-a3772906.html

For a video of the launch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0HLSq3nzHQ

To keep up to date on the campaign subscribe to the Bart’s MS research blog: www.multiple-sclerosis-research.blogspot.com

The post #ThinkHand campaign could be a game-changer appeared first on talkhealth Blog.

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PHE launches Change4Life campaign around children’s snacking

Public Health England (PHE) has launched the first Change4Life campaign specifically promoting healthier snacks in order to help parents take better control of their children’s snacks.

Shockingly, half of children’s sugar intake, currently around 7 sugar cubes a day, comes from unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks, which can  lead to both obesity and tooth decay.

Every year, children in the UK are consuming almost 400 biscuits; more than 120 cakes, buns and pastries; around 100 portions of sweets; nearly 70 of both chocolate bars and ice creams; washed down with over 150 juice drink pouches and cans of fizzy drink.

The new Change4Life campaign encourages parents to look for ‘100 calorie snacks, two a day max’ to help them purchase healthier snacks than the ones they currently buy.

Parents can also get money-off vouchers from Change4Life to help them try healthier snack options, including malt loaf, lower-sugar fromage frais, and drinks with no added sugar.

Dr Alison Tedstone, Chief Nutritionist at Public Health England, said:

“The true extent of children’s snacking habits is greater than the odd biscuit or chocolate bar. Children are having unhealthy snacks throughout the day and parents have told us they’re concerned.”

“To make it easier for busy families, we’ve developed a simple rule of thumb to help them move towards healthier snacking – look for 100 calories snacks, two a day max.”

A staggering one-third of children are leaving primary school overweight or obese. Tackling obesity requires wider action and is not just limited to individual efforts from parents. PHE is also working closely with the food industry to cut 20% of sugar from the products children consume most by 2020, with work to reduce calories due to start in 2018.

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The success of the Stoptober 2017 campaign

For another year, a focus on quitting smoking swept the nation with the Stoptober campaign. This is a 28 day long event run each October during which smokers are inspired to stop smoking.

There is always a considerable amount of buzz on the run up to Stoptober, encouraging and supporting smokers across the UK to sign up. Stoptober events include focusing on celebrities who are taking part to rouse the UK to stand together to quit smoking and enjoy the numerous benefits of a smoke-free lifestyle.

Coronation Street actress Kym Marsh supported this year’s campaign as she has not only given up smoking, but she also encouraged her teenage daughter to swap smoking for vaping as well. Vaping uses an e-cigarette to allow you to inhale nicotine through vapour rather than smoke. E-cigarettes are a great way to help buck nicotine cravings at the fraction of the health risk of cigarettes.

The idea behind Stoptober is based the evidence that after twenty eight days without a cigarette, smokers are as much as five times more likely to give up smoking permanently.

It is easy to see why Stoptober offers such a winning formula. Giving up smoking can be a huge challenge, but there is an immense amount of support available during and after the campaign from sources including:

  • The NHS
  • Friends and family
  • The Stoptober mobile app
  • Stoptober emails
  • Social media group encouragement
  • The collective boost of other participants

This year’s campaign highlighted that vaping is now the most popular method of stopping smoking, with 53%of people using e-cigarettes to try and quit smoking.

For the first time, vaping officially featured within the NHS Stoptober campaign, including the Stoptober TV advertisement.

Following this advocacy from the NHS, Vape Club reported that they have seen e-cigarette starter kit sales increase by 37% year on year.

Director of Vape Club Dan Marchant says that this medical acceptance has provided a pivotal moment for public health in relation to vaping:

‘It’s fantastic to see the NHS finally backing vaping as a pathway to quit smoking.

The industry has been backing this alternative for a long time, but with the evidence provided by Public Health England, endorsements from the likes of Cancer Research UK and the figures which are produced by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), there can be no doubt that vaping is the most effective method to give up tobacco.

The NHS advocating vaping as an alternative to tobacco is an enormous breakthrough and will do an outstanding amount of good for public health and tobacco control in the UK.’

E-cigarettes are believed to be 95% less harmful than traditional tobacco and are officially included within the NHS’ Stoptober campaign as a way of gently phasing out tobacco. This is deemed much more realistic as opposed to the ‘cold turkey’ approach.

Through the adoption of this harm reduction strategy, the UK is fast becoming the European leader with success rates for quitting smoking at an all time high.

E-cigarettes are particularly powerful when combined with support from stop smoking services. People who choose to vape have some of the highest quitting success rates. E-cigarettes aren’t currently available on NHS prescription, but they can be bought in shops and online.

The yearly success of the Stoptober campaign is morale boosting. However, you don’t need a campaign to stop smoking. If you would like to quit you can set your own timeline, for example by trying to stop smoking before Christmas or the New Year. The key is that an event boosts your willpower – finding a reason to give up will always be advantageous.

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Anaphylaxis Campaign – Orange Wig Day Friday 19 May 2017

Living with severe allergies and being at risk of anaphylaxis (a severe and potentially fatal allergic reaction) seriously affects the lives of those at risk. There is currently no cure or treatment to prevent anaphylaxis – instead people must learn to manage their condition and carry adrenaline.

The Anaphylaxis Campaign is the only UK wide charity focused on supporting those at risk of severe allergies. We have been providing information and support to patients and their families for over 21 years.

They do not receive any government funding or grants and rely on support from people like you to create a safer and better life for those living with the fear of anaphylactic shock.

So, get ready to show your support to those living with severe allergies by donning your orange wig on Friday 19 May 2017 for Orange Wig Day

To sign up to fundraise for Orange Wig Day as an individual, school or business or to order your orange wig see the Anaphylaxis Campaign website here.

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Jo’s trust #smearforsmear campaign

Jo’s trust is the only UK charity which dedicates itself to women affected by cervical cancer and cervical abnormalities. Every year, Jo’s trust campaigns for women to be increasingly aware of the symptoms of cervical cancer and the need to have regular smear tests. This year the Cervical Cancer Prevention Week will take place between 22-28 January and Jo’s Trust will kick start the week with their successful #smearforsmear campaign.

The charity is encouraging people to put on their favourite lipstick, give it a good smear across your Jface and take a selfie – share your #smearforsmear across social media with the hashtag and nominate a friend. The campaign will begin at 11 am on Sunday and has successfully reached many thousands of women in previous years.

Why is it so important? Well the statistics speak for themselves;

‘Every year in the UK, around 3,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and cervical cancer is the most common cancer in women aged 35 and under.’

‘3 women will die a day from it yet 75% of cervical cancers are prevented by cervical screening (smear tests) and statistics show that 1 in 4 women do not attend this potentially life-saving test’.

The #smearforsmear campaign primarily aims to encourage women to attend their regular smear test, it also offers advice and support if they have any worries about the test or the result. Crucially and perhaps most importantly the charity is a huge support network for women who are facing the realities of a cervical cancer diagnosis.

So talkhealth community – share your #smearforsmear this Sunday

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talkhealth backs the new sepsis awareness campaign

Today (15th December 2016) a new campaign has been launched by Public Health England (PHE) to help raise awareness of Sepsis – a condition which has been blamed for approximately 37,000 deaths a year and arises as a complication of infection. It is part of the work of Melissa Mead who tragically lost her son to the condition when he was just a year old. Melissa has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the condition.sepsis-poster-for-blog

From now on doctors will be encouraged to consider sepsis in those who are displaying common symptoms and extra emphasis will be placed on informing parents of young children and new mothers about the common symptoms which can differ to that of an adult. Up to date information will also be included in the ‘red book’ given to mothers when their baby is born.

Jeremy Hunt has publically welcomed the campaign; ‘We need to get far better at spotting it across the NHS. By raising awareness and improving clinical practice, we can help save lives in the fight against this horrible illness’ and here at talkhealth we want to do our bit to promote awareness of this awful condition.

Common symptoms of sepsis in babies and young children are:

  • disinterest or difficulty feeding (when awake), or vomiting
  • fever (a temperature above 38°C)
  • irritability or increased bad temper
  • lethargy (not interacting and listless)
  • floppiness
  • changes in heart rate — either faster than normal (early sepsis) or significantly slower than usual (late sepsis, usually associated with shock)
  • breathing very fast or difficulty breathing
  • periods where there seems to be a pause in breathing for more than 10 seconds (apnea)
  • change in skin color — becoming pale, patchy, and/or blue
  • jaundice (when the skin and eyes look yellow)
  • rash
  • decreased amount of urine (in babies this will show as significantly fewer wet nappies)
  • bulging or fullness of the soft spot (fontanelle) on the baby’s head

For further information on sepsis and to read more about the campaign in the UK visit: http://sepsistrust.org/

Poster reproduced with kind permission from the UK Sepsis Trust

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Exciting new campaign SIX TIMES OPEN in association with the British Heart Foundation

Twins, Jonathan and David Stretton-Downes, have partnered with the British Heart Foundation to launch an exciting campaign called SIX TIMES OPEN. The official launch happened in November and was attended by representatives from the BHF.

The story behind the campaign – early next year Jonathan will undergo his sixth open heart surgery at the young age of 28, both twins will inevitably live through the physical and emotional trauma which surrounds such invasive surgery. The campaign SIX TIMES OPEN along with the support of the British Heart Foundation aims to increase awareness of heart conditions while raising money for the charity, they are hoping to raise a total of £100,000!

The 12-month campaign, running through 2016/2017, will intimately follow Jonathan and David as they prepare mentally and physically for the roller-coaster of a sixth heart operation, through the surgery itself and along the harsh road to recovery.

The campaign also aims to inspire others in similar situations that events such as this don’t have to define who you are or dictate your life!

We aim to raise 100K for the British Heart Foundation through numerous events, activities and corporate partnerships. Events are already being planned to take place both nationally and internationally by talented and committed friends, corporate partners and key sponsors who are all passionate about this cause.

Watch this space for further updates!

www.sixtimesopen.com

Jonathan and David - SIX TIMES OPEN

Jonathan and David – SIX TIMES OPEN

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