Croft Medical Centre

News:

Cancelling your Appointment
If you are unable to attend an appointment with one of the doctors or nurses, please telephone or use the link at the bottom of this page to cancel your appointment.

By giving us as much notice as you can you are helping us to make sure that someone else is given your slot.

Home Visits
Home visits are made in emergencies or when the patient is too unwell to attend the surgery. Whenever possible please try to request home visits before 10.30am and be prepared to give some indication of the urgency of the problem. This enables your doctor to plan his or her day more efficiently.

BBC Health

Females 'less physically active'

Females are less physically active at all ages than their male counterparts, two studies suggest.

Stress hormone 'a marker for ME'

Low levels of the stress hormone cortisol marks out children at higher risk of developing chronic fatigue syndrome as adults, experts believe.

Scientists dismiss 'detox myth'

Products that claim to help the body "detox" are often based on meaningless claims, scientists warn.

Warning over youth mental health

Young unemployed adults need more help to deal with mental health problems, the Prince's Trust charity warns.

Cancer cells 'cheat suicide call'

Cancer cells are able to escape death by reversing a process which triggers suicide in normal cells, scientists have shown.

Appeal to preserve Braille press

A £2m appeal is launched to rehouse the nation's leading Braille printing press and protect its future.

Supermarket offers blood tests

Shoppers at an Asda store in the West Midlands are now able to get a hospital blood test taken as they shop.

Nano device 'times drug release'

Researchers say they can harness the power of gold nanoparticles to devise a better way of delivering drugs to patients.

Health group angered by 99p pint

A pub chain is cutting the price of a pint to 99p but an alcohol charity fears it could have damaging health effects.

Why playing golf may damage your hearing

Keen golfers are being warned by doctors that they could be risking their hearing for their sport.

Yahoo Health

Shaping good health as teens outgrow pediatrician (AP)

AP - Ever watched a teen skulk in the corner of a toddler-packed pediatrician's waiting room, obviously wishing to be anywhere else?

MySpace is research place for busybody 'Dr. Meg' (AP)

AP - Many teenagers cleaned up their MySpace profiles, deleting mentions of sex and booze and boosting privacy settings, if they got a single cautionary e-mail from a busybody named "Dr. Meg." The e-mail was sent by Dr. Megan Moreno, lead researcher of a study of lower-income kids that she says shows how parents and other adults can encourage safer Internet use.

Nursing industry desperate to find new hires (AP)

Registered nurse Pat Boodoo reviews patient data during a shift last month at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield, Oct. 22, 2008. While other industries are shedding jobs, nursing recruiters are frantically trying to hire new workers to address a nationwide nursing shortage expected to worsen as the population ages.(AP Photo/ Dinesh Ramde )

AP - Please, please accept a high-paying job with us. In fact, just swing by for an interview and we'll give you a chance to win cash and prizes.

Cell phone soap operas deliver safe-sex message (AP)

Rutgers College of nursing professor Rachel Jones talks in her home office in Boonton Township, N.J., Saturday Jan. 3, 2009. Jones who has dedicated her career to reducing HIV/AIDS among young, urban black and Latina women, recently received a $2 million National Institutes of Health grant to test the effectiveness of using short videos to go beyond pamphlets on safe sex and deliver the message to women who might otherwise tune it out. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

AP - "Hey baby, you OK?" Mike asks his girlfriend as she sits down next to him.

Danny's heart: College swimmer faces mortality (AP)

Danny Thrall, 19, a sophomore on the swim team at Fordham University in New York, forms his hands in the shape of a heart over the scars from open heart surgery he had about six weeks earlier during workouts at a downtown Chicago health club Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008. A routine physical in September revealed a problem with a valve in his heart that required the surgery. Six weeks later he is back in the pool and hopes to get back to competitive form. In January, he will return to Fordham and hopes to practice with his teammates, even if he can't compete this season. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

AP - This time, when the lanky young man stepped into the pool, his chest was tight. His muscles ached. He pushed off to take his first strokes, and grimaced at the pain.

Obesity Linked to Ovarian Cancer (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Obese postmenopausal women who have never used hormone replacement therapy may face an increased risk of ovarian cancer, compared to normal-weight women, a new study suggests.

Viagra May Shield Heart From Blood Pressure Damage (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Tests in mouse hearts show that sildenafil, the key ingredient in Viagra, may shield hearts from damage caused by high blood pressure, a new study suggests.

Clinical Trials Update: Jan. 5, 2009 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:

Health Tip: Help Prevent Toy Injuries (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Toys are associated with thousands of injuries every year, mostly because of misuse or because the toys are too advanced for the children playing with them.

Diabetes Epidemic Now Poses Challenges for Nursing Homes (HealthDay)

HealthDay - MONDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- More and more people with diabetes are living to older ages, thanks to medical advances. But the long-term facilities, such as nursing homes, that care for aging Americans may not be ready for the additional challenges that come with treating patients with diabetes.

MedPage Today

Apple CEO Cites 'Hormonal Imbalance' in Puzzling Weight Loss

CUPERTINO, Calif. (MedPage Today) -- With the future of one of the nation's most glamorous companies riding on a prognosis, Steve Jobs, the co-founder and chief executive of Apple, announced today that he is not dying -- rumors and appearances to the contrary.

Hepatitis Outbreaks Growing Issue in Non-Hospital Settings

ATLANTA (MedPage Today) -- Outbreaks of viral hepatitis are a growing problem in non-hospital healthcare facilities, such as nursing homes and hemodialysis clinics, the CDC has warned.

Breast Cancer Metastasis Gene Identified

PRINCETON, N.J. (MedPage Today) -- A gene associated with poor-prognosis breast cancer has been identified by genomic profiling studies that may point to a new therapeutic target, investigators here reported.

Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia Called More Deadly

ROME (MedPage Today) -- Pneumonia linked to healthcare contacts tends to be more complicated and more lethal than if it is acquired in the community, researchers here said.

Diabetes' Effect on Cognitive Function Spans Age Groups

EDMONTON, Alberta, Jan. 5 (MedPage Today) -- Cognitive functioning for adults with diabetes begins slowing down early in the disease process and persists for decades, suggested a longitudinal study.

Social Networking Sites Provide Insight into Risky Teen Behaviors

SEATTLE (MedPage Today) -- Teenagers freely post personal information about sex, substance abuse, and violence on social networking sites, researchers here reported.

Bulimia Linked to Neural Abnormalities Regulating Impulsivity

NEW YORK (MedPage Today) -- Women with bulimia nervosa have self-regulatory neural abnormalities that aren't seen in healthy controls, researchers here said.

Childhood Trauma Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Later in Life

ATLANTA (MedPage Today) -- Patients who experienced emotional or physical trauma during childhood appear to be at increased risk of developing chronic fatigue syndrome as adults, researchers here found.

Appropriateness Criteria Offered for Revascularization

TEMPLE, Tex. (MedPage Today) -- Revascularization is not always indicated in the face of coronary occlusion, although when it is appropriate, bypass surgery is more often the best choice, according to criteria released today.

Silencing of a Single Gene May Trigger Lung Cancer

LYON, France (MedPage Today) -- Cigarette smokers' susceptibility to lung cancer may be traceable to the silencing of a single gene, results of an international study suggest.

Daily Mail

Teenager died of brain haemorrhage... after doctors denied her a vital scan

Medical staff thought the 16-year-old simply had a stomach infection and did not offer a brain scan. A week later she died of a brain haemorrhage.

Miracle of woman who fell pregnant - despite having TWO reproductive systems

When Lindsay Hasaj found out she was pregnant, she and her husband Tony were thrilled. But just five weeks later, she was told she had a dual reproductive system.

Obesity 'increases the risk of ovarian cancer in older women by 80 per cent'

Obesity can put older women at higher risk of ovarian cancer, researchers have found.

Asda offers customers blood tests to beat hospital queues

Patients are being offered blood tests at a supermarket in a bid to cut hospital waiting times.

Surgeons who leave equipment inside patients cost NHS £9m

Patients who leave operating theatres with surgical equipment accidentally left inside them are being awarded millions of pounds in compensation.

THE FOOD DOCTOR: How to be a super-eater

IAN MARBER explains how we can increase our energy levels by improving diet.

'I've had hiccups for 22 months': The singer whose affliction has ruined his career

Hiccups are usually nothing more than a minor inconvenience for most of us. But for musician Christopher Sands, they are ruining his life.

Cell discovery may reveal why some cancers bounce back after chemotherapy

A key tumour survival mechanism may help to explain how some cancers return after chemotherapy.

Why hard work leads to a healthier, happier you

All work and no play may make Jack a dull boy ... but it seems his diligence will pay off in the long run. Researchers have found that hard work and self-discipline are linked to a long life.

Feeling stressed? You ought to have a tantrum, scientists say

The end of the holidays, cold weather and economic gloom will make today one of the most stressful days of the year for returning to work. But experts have come up with an unlikely remedy - throwing a tantrum.

BBC Health

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