Welcome to the Podcast of Another 15 Minutes, Health News from the Fade Library. Full links to the articles detailed can be found at www (dot) fade the blog 2 (dot) blogspot (dot)com

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New Section
UK Health News

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BBC NEWS | Health | Millions lost in NHS private fees 24th January 2008

Millions lost in NHS private fees NHS trusts are writing off millions of pounds in unpaid debts from private and overseas patients, a report suggests. An investigation into the finances of four trusts found by the end of the last financial year, they had written off more than £4.8m of private bills.

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BBC NEWS | Health | Dementia 'must be key priority' 24th January 2008

Dementia 'must be key priority' Dementia must be viewed as an urgent priority after years of woeful neglect by the NHS, says the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The disease deserves the same attention accorded to cancer and heart disease, given that so many of us are now set to develop the condition, the MPs said.

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Patients face paying £25 to visit a doctor as GPs threaten to quit NHS | The Daily Mail 24th January 2008

Family doctors are threatening to desert the NHS and charge patients £25 for an appointment. Union officials said Britain's 30,000 GPs - among the best-paid in Europe - should consider resigning en masse if the Government persists in trying to get them to work longer hours in the evening and at weekends.

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Cash carrot for obese people to lose pounds - Times Online 24th January 2008

Obese and overweight adults in England could be paid to lose weight under plans being considered by the Government. The new strategy to tackle poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyles includes the suggestion that people should receive financial rewards or shopping vouchers for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

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Additional Stories

Obese people will be paid to lose weight - Health News, Health & Wellbeing - Independent.co.uk 24th January 2008

Obesity crisis: get paid to lose weight - The Telegraph 24th January 2008

Supermarkets forced to use one health information label on foods to fight against obesity | the Daily Mail 24th January 2008

Supermarkets will be forced to use the same food labelling scheme to make it easier for consumers to know which options are the healthiest. They currently use three different schemes, such as a traffic light system or labels that show the percentage of the recommended daily intake of fat, salt and sugar.

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Sweetness and blight - Times Online 24th January 2008

Almost exactly two centuries before Tutankhamun died in 1352BC, Hesy-Ra, an Egyptian physician, had described diabetes and had understood its symptoms, if not the pathology that caused them. About one in 20 of the UK population, but a much higher percentage of older, plumper people, have diabetes. But a third of those with the condition, presumably including many attending the current Tutankhamun exhibition at the O2, London, won’t know that they have it.

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New Section
International Health News

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Global rise in breast cancer due to 'Western lifestyles' - Health News, Health & Wellbeing - Independent.co.uk 24th January 2008

Of all the exports from our modern world, breast cancer ranks as among the most dubious. Once thought to be a disease of the rich, it is now a global epidemic. The rise of the cancer in Europe and America – cases have jumped 80 per cent in the UK since the 1970s – is being mirrored across the world. And scientists say increasing prosperity and the “Westernisation” of traditional lifestyles is to blame.

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Vitamin E 'helps older people move' - The Telegraph 24th January 2008

A diet rich in olive oil, nuts and green leafy vegetables could help to slow physical decline in the elderly, scientists say. Researchers monitoring the health of almost 700 people over the age of 65 found that those who consumed low levels of vitamin E struggled more with moving. The lead researcher, Dr Benedetta Bartali of Yale University School of Medicine, said: "Our results suggest that an appropriate dietary intake of vitamin E may help to reduce the decline in physical function among older persons."

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New Section
Cumbria and Lancashire Health News

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High Blood Pressure In Northwest (from This Is Lancashire) 24th January 2008

THE proportion of people with high blood pressure in the North-west is above the national average, according to a new survey. A study by the Blood Pressure Association discovered that 41 per cent of North-west people had high blood pressure, while the English national rate was 40 per cent.

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New Section
Greater Manchester Health News

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Plight of the NHS 'victims' - News - Manchester Evening News 24th January 2008

NEARLY 30,000 people in Greater Manchester suffering from dementia are being neglected by the NHS, MPs have revealed. They are among 560,000 sufferers in England and, according to the Commons public accounts committee, the number of cases will soar over the next 15 years. It costs £14 billion to deal with the problem nationally - that is more than cancer, heart disease and strokes combined.

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Patient dies after superbug battle - News - Manchester Evening News 24th January 2008

A PENSIONER has died after battling against a superbug when he was admitted to hospital for a routine operation. Stan Whitehead, 77, from Sale, went into Trafford General for an operation to replace his knee. Just a couple of days after surgery, the former teacher appeared to be making a speedy recovery and was planning to return home.

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Full links to the articles detailed can be found at www(dot) fade the blog 2 (dot)blogspot (dot)com, This has been a Podcast of Another 15 Minutes ... Health News from the Fade Library.