May 19th, 2011
A team of researchers of the Scottish coast have found fluorescent sea creatures that could help track cancer cells.
The team in St. Abbs have identified a fluorescent protein in sea anemones that they can use to view and track cancerous cells that otherwise would be too small to see. This has been done previously in other parts of the world using the proteins from fluorescent jellyfish but this now means that a solution is closer to home.
The BBC’s Britains Secret Seas programme showed the fluorescent sea anemones in their natural environment and highlighted the practical use for this protein in lighting up microscopic cellular activity that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye.
Cancer research is always a hot topic and huge gains are made by teams around the world on a regular basis. Cancer is a disease that affects one in three of us and insurance coverage is necessary to ensure that you can be treated if the worst should happen. Most health insurance companies cover cancer treatments, although it is always essential to check your policy and exclusions to ensure that you would be covered.
Tags: cancer
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May 18th, 2011
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development have released data that suggests costs for caring for the elderly could as much as treble by the year 2050.
The OECD says that 10% of people in industrialised nations will be over age 80 by 2050, up from 4% in 2010. It anticipates that the current 1.5% spending of GDP will have to double or even triple within the next 40 years to be able to cope with long term care costs of an ageing population.
The organisation encourages countries to abandon ‘piecemeal’ provision and policies and to get better value for money from their spending on long term care of the elderly.
This report follows on from our recent coverage of problems with elderly patients bed blocking the NHS.
Bed blocking is where hospital beds are taken up by elderly people who cannot be discharged due to lack of a care home bed or lack of support at home. In April, alone, there were 4640 ‘delayed discharges’ where this was the case. In addition to this, underfunding of the care home system; lack of places within residential care and nursing homes; and an ageing population means that there will be no option but to admit vulnerable people into hospital instead.
Tags: Elderly
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May 17th, 2011
Taking a selenium supplement every day does not ‘prevent’ cancer says the latest study.
The research, undertaken by The Cochrane Group, looked at over 1 million participants via 55 individual studies. It stated that there was ‘no evidence’ that a regular daily intake of selenium in those with healthy selenium levels would prevent cancer. Indeed, says the study, taking the supplement over a long period of time could actually have ‘toxic effects’.
Selenium has long been associated with cancer prevention and many do take it regularly to help protect them from skin or prostate cancer.
Small amounts of the supplement are essential for a healthy immune system to enable the body to fight infections and diseases. It is possible to ingest it naturally through a healthy diet which includes brazil nuts, tuna and pasta. As with many supplements, opinion is divided as to whether supplements actually provide a significant benefit.
Multiple studies have been done on Selenium and its role in cancer prevention. Some studies have showed it helps, some have not shown that. The Cochrane group’s overview study has pulled together all of these and drawn conclusions based upon the evidence within the different research papers.
Cancer Research UK has weighed in to the debate and indicated that vitamin and mineral supplements ‘are mostly ineffective in protecting against cancer, and can even increase the risk of cancer in some cases’. The advice is to eat healthily and get the range of vitamins and minerals from a balanced diet.
Tags: cancer, selenium
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May 16th, 2011
Mental Health Charity, MIND has competed a survey of 2000 workers regarding mental health issues in the workplace.
MIND’s study found that 1 in 5 people are frightened of losing their jobs if they admit to suffering from stress and 22% of people who had admitted to a mental health issue were fired or forced out of their jobs on disclosing mental health issues to employers.
The research into mental health found:
- 41% of workers are currently stressed / very stressed in their jobs
- Work causes more stress than money worries, marriage, relationship or health issues
- 2 out of 3 workers have been put under more pressure since the issues with the economy
- 1/3 are stressed because of a reduction in budgets
- 70% thought their boss wouldn’t help if they said they were stressed or had mental health issues.
- 1/4 thought they would be seen as less capable if they admitted to stress.
- 22% of those who admitted to having problems say that they were sacked or forced out of their jobs.
“Because it is seen as almost an invisible illness, it can be difficult for others to relate to what might be going on. ‘pull yourself together’ is one of the worse things that you can say to someone who has a mental health problem,” says Vicki Nash of Mind. “What people with mental health problems really need is the support and encouragement of staff to be able to create an open environment so they can talk about the problems that they are facing.”
Mental health issues, such as depression and stress could be covered under your health insurance policy as outpatient or inpatient cover for psychological therapies. Check your policy to see if you are covered.
Tags: mental health
Posted in Private Health Insurance, Psychological Therapies | No Comments »
May 15th, 2011
Company medical insurance for your employees is well worth considering. Some employers worry about costs and believe that its too expensive so they do not even look into the possibility. However, what is the cost of not insuring the people who make your business profitable?
Companies like Freedom Healthnet provide inexpensive medical cover for companies looking to cover their employees when they fall ill. But what are the benefits of getting cover for your staff?
1) Attract good staff
Attracting and keeping good staff is essential in any business: for continuity; for stability; for profitability. Health cover is considered to be a very valuable perk when people are looking for new jobs. People with families are often particularly attracted when companies include partners and children in their medical insurance provision. It can provide the practical as well as psychological security that people want for themselves and their family.
Providing health cover indicates that a company is stable and happy to invest in the health and wellbeing of their staff. This is attractive to people looking for work.
2) Protect key staff members
Illness is an inevitable part of life. Noone can guarantee good health at all times and all businesses suffer from work days lost due to sickness and ill health. The problem for all businesses is that when key members of staff fall ill it can have a very detrimental effect across the company. Staff have to be temporarily replaced or, most commonly, other employees have to try to cover their work, too. This is sometimes very difficult if the person who is ill has a significant role within the company. Sometimes their skills, knowledge and expertise can prove very difficult to replace.
Employment law quite rightly means that an employee’s job has to be held open until they are fit to return to work. What workers and their employees want is to get back to normal as soon as possible. Having health insurance means that you can help your staff to get seen by relevant specialists or consultants and commence their treatment as soon as possible.
3) Reduce Time Off & Retain Staff
Studies show that people who work in a caring environment are less likely to suffer from stress and illness. Responsible employers do everything within their power to make sure that their staff are as happy and comfortable in the workplace as possible. Having company medical cover can be part of this caring environment. It sends signals out to employees that the working environment is a two way thing.
Studies have shown that earning more money is not the only incentive for people to work for any particular company. One of the elements that motivate people and that retain employees is a feeling that they are ‘part of something.’ Having employee insurance in place shows that you are seeing your employees, not just as workers, but as individuals that have wider needs.
Tags: company medical cover
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May 12th, 2011
The World Health Organisation has released data that shows chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes are the biggest killers in the the world.
Their report, called the Global Status Report showed that these type of deaths accounted for in excess of 36 million deaths in 2008. And these chronic non-infectious diseases were a greater threat than HIV, malaria, TB and other infectious diseases. It is interesting to note that 80% of these deaths occurred in countries with a low or middle income.
The WHO report signals the enormous crisis looming for some countries, ‘a disaster for health, for society and most of all for national economies’ says the Director General Dr Margaret Chan. By this she means that these chronic conditions stop people from working, thereby losing revenue for the economy and potentially causing poverty or extreme poverty for the sufferers and their families.
Government campaigns and policies that encouraged healthy eating, stopping smoking, exercising etc. were encouraged by the report. Education of the population is essential to prevent the ‘impending disaster’.
The WHO report noted that nearly 6 million people die from smoking each year, with this growing to an anticipated 7.5 million people by 2020. This will account for 10% of all deaths worldwide. Additionally, 3.2 million people die each year from lack of exercise; 2.8 million people as a result of obesity and 2.5 million from alcohol abuse.
Chronic conditions are not usually covered under your health insurance policy, however there are some policies that allow you to add chronic conditions to ensure full private coverage should one of these diseases develop. Cancer is covered under most insurance policies, including Freedom Healthnet, although as with all insurances it is essential to read the coverage and documentation.
Tags: cancer
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May 11th, 2011
The World Health Organisation has gone head to head with the US Sugar Association and published a report saying that sugar is a major cause of chronic conditions and to limit intake.
The WHO’s report looks at evidence on sugar intake and its association with conditions such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, hyperactivity and tooth decay. It states that sugar should form no more than 10% of a person’s diet.
The US Sugar Association disputes these findings and says that sugar can safely form 25% of a person’s diet. It has called the report damaging and incorrect and has been threatening to lobby the American Congress to withdraw funding to the World Health Organisation unless it withdraws its sugar report.
Currently most governments support the World Health Organisation financially but the US Sugar Association is unhappy by this latest report. The Sugar Association includes members such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola who use sugar within some of their products.
The WHO’s director of non-communicable diseases, Dr Pekka Puska, commented “I don’t think this is a very wise strategy by the industry, because the evidence is so strong and the great public believes this message. I think it’s bit short-sighted to deny the facts and it would be better to collaborate. Food is different from tobacco. We always have to eat, so our aim is just to change consumption from unhealthy to healthy”.
Tags: cancer, diabetes, WHO
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May 10th, 2011
Overweight people who are middle aged, yet not obese, are more likely to develop dementia than those with a normal weight, a report says.
The Swedish research, published in the Journal of Neurology, states that overweight people are 71% more likely to get dementia. There has always been a correlation between obesity and dementia and this study firmly indicates that maintaining a healthy weight is important to keep a healthy mind.
- 1 in 20 people over the age of 65 has dementia
- those with a BMI of over 30 are classed as obese
- BMI of 25-30 means clinically overweight
- Those with a BMI of 25-30 are 71% more likely to develop dementia
Whereas the risks as not as substantial as those for obese people, those who are overweight must take heed says Dr Weili Xu from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. This means 1.6 billion adults worldwide.
The lessons learned from the study are to eat healthily, to exercise regularly and manage your stress to lessen your likelihood of gaining weight and of developing dementia.
Dementia is a condition that means a decline in brain functions including memory, language, general thinking and understanding and judgement and reasoning. In the UK there are over 570,000 people living with dementia and this number is anticipated to double within the next 30 years.
Tags: dementia
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May 9th, 2011
Government plans to change the NHS are still on track after a commons challenge to the shake up was defeated.
Labour called for the NHS proposals to be abandoned but were defeated when MP’s rejected it and voted to continue with the changes, although with a reduced majority. There has been much controversy over the proposed NHS changes as reported by Freedom Healthnet over the past few months and this shows no signs of abating.
The NHS reforms have come under fire from various bodies including the Royal College of GP’s who said that the changes risked ‘unravelling and dismantling the NHS’. The government, however, believe that the reforms will give GP’s more control over budgets and allow the private sector to help address patient care.
The parliamentary debate, which saw a smaller majority for the government, was held after the government agreed to stop the progress of the Health & Social Care Bill. The bill was paused in order for the government to listen to the various organisations and bodies and then see how plans could be improved.
Shadow Health Secretary John Healey asked the government to shelve the ‘high risk, damaging and unjustified’ reforms to the NHS that would drive hospitals ‘to the brink’.
A decision on how to proceed is anticipated in mid June.
Tags: NHS, nhs reforms
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May 6th, 2011
Private health insurance is the way for people to avoid the waiting lists of the NHS.
This is one of the main benefits of taking out health cover. You can be seen in a private treatment centre and at a time that is most convenient to them. Waiting lists are currently one of the main reasons for people to take out a private health insurance policy. They want the flexibility that comes with private healthcare, this means being seen outside of work hours, getting an appointment often within a week and not being subject to 16 week delays to see a specialist.
Even in the current financial environment where people are having to cut costs in every area of their daily expenditures, the takeup of health insurance remains constant. People cannot afford to be unwell for extended periods of time and understand the need to invest in and insure their health. They value health insurance as a means of getting them back to work swiftly should they become ill and need treatment.
The Department of Health has previously announced that most people (over 94 percent) would only have to wait eight weeks or less from the time they are referred by their GP to their outpatient slot. However, with reductions in budgets and staffing and wards closing, the NHS has been unable to keep to this target. It is worth noting also that in clamping down on waiting times, the NHS has classed a number of procedures as non-urgent. Non-urgent cases were outside the 8 week target. These treatments tend to have longer waiting lists as a result, and although they are not life threatening. Procedures such as cataract operations or shoulder operations can make a big difference to the condition of a person’s life. This means that people still need private cover to be able to be treated within a short space of time and with all waiting times potentially increasing due to lack of funding, private cover is all the more important.
Long term conditions can also keep people off work for lengthy periods, so employers could still be attracted to health insurance for their staff to help get them back to work as quick as possible, rather than having them wait for NHS care. Private health insurance is a good guarantee that a patient will be treated in the shortest time possible.
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