Evening Chronicle

Brew Bashed

A BREWERY was branded 'irresponsible' by health campaigners after it launched what it claims is Britain's strongest beer, with an 18.2% alcohol content. A 330ml bottle of Tokyo, made by BrewDog, contains six units of alcohol, which is twice the recommended daily limit.

Make the Most of the Mind ; a New Exercise Therapy Gym Is Delivering a Groundbreaking Service for People Suffering Mental Illness. Victoria Page Reports

A NEW gym has opened for people living in Tyneside with a groundbreaking Exercise Therapy service for those who suffer mental illness. The service has been running successfully in Gateshead and is now available to people in South Tyneside. It is provided by the region's mental health and disability trust, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Trust.

Break-Up Blues

DIVORCE and widowhood have a crippling impact on health, which remains even after remarriage, a study has shown. The effects of separation and grief are even worse on those who do not remarry, the research suggests. Scientists studied 8,652 people aged 51 to 61, more than 95% of whom were or had been married. They found 20% higher rates of chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, among the divorced or widowed than among the continuously married. Divorcees and wido...

Dairy Lifesaver

CHILDREN who eat a lot of dairy products are less likely to die of strokes in adulthood than those who consume little, say researchers. Diets rich in calcium, including dairy, can cut the chance of a fatal stroke by 60%, they say. Scientists at Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia, and Bristol University examined results from a 1930s study on diets of mainly working-class families in Britain. Details were taken of family diet and health, growth and living conditions...

Exercise Boost

PEOPLE who exercise at high intensity are less likely to develop cancer, research suggests. Jogging, swimming, rowing and games such as squash or football all lead to a lower risk of developing cancer. However, the study found people must exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. Experts from the universities of Kuopio and Oulu in Finland, followed 2,560 men from eastern Finland with no history of cancer and asked them how often they exercised. The men, aged from 42 to 61, filled in questionnai...

'Two-Tier' System

MEN are facing a "two-tier" system of access to a test than can indicate prostate cancer, a health charity warned. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test can help in the diagnosis of the cancer which affects more men in the UK than any other.

'Rethink' Sperm Sales

A BAN on selling sperm and eggs needs to be reconsidered because of a shortage of donors, the head of the Government's fertility watchdog said. Prof Lisa Jardine, chairman of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, said allowing payments to donors could cut the number of childless couples travelling abroad for treatment.

Cell Research

NOT all cells are equal when it comes to rebuilding bones, research has shown. The discovery has important implications for attempts to grow implantable bone material in the laboratory. Scientists have already produced small "nodules" of bony tissue from different types of bone and stem cells.

Sex Helps Sleep

SEX before bedtime is one of the best ways to guarantee a good night's sleep, a survey revealed. Doctors suggested that those struggling to nod off should engage in a bout of nightly nookie. But, on a less romantic note, they also recommended sleeping in separate beds was the best solution to ensure couples enjoyed undisturbed, quality sleep.

Diabetes Affects More Poor People

THE poorest people in Britain are more than twice as likely to have diabetes than the average person, a report said. Those with the condition who live in the most deprived homes are also twice as likely to develop complications, the study by Diabetes UK said.

New Flu Director

A NORTH East woman has been appointed as flu director for Northumberland Trust. Barbara Scott is Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust's new director of flu resilience. Ms Scott, who lives near Alnwick, is tasked with ensuring the Trust, which manages three general hospitals and six community hospitals, responds effectively to the pandemic.

New Dialysis Unit a Boon for Patients ; Health Reporter Helen Rae Takes a Look at a New Dialysis Centre That has Opened Up in the Region

KIDNEY patients requiring life-saving dialysis will now have greater choice and more convenient access to treatment with the opening of a new local renal dialysis unit. As part of the recently opened Washington Primary Care Centre, a new satellite renal dialysis centre has been established there, providing an alternative to the main dialysis service available at Sunderland Royal Hospital.

Personal Success

Hygiene Sur Vey

GOVERNMENT campaigns to persuade people to wash their hands more frequently and prevent the spread of communicable diseases, appear to be falling on deaf ears, according to a survey released last week. Repeated warnings to wash hands more frequently are being ignored by a significant proportion of the population according to the research by SCA in their recent Hygiene Matters report.

Cramped Children

Sexual Infections Cause Concern ; Sexually-Transmitted Infections Is an Issue Still Being Tackled in the North East. Health Reporter Helen Rae Explains Why It's Important People Are Screened for Stis

THERE were more than 16,000 new diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections in the North East last year. Thousands attending Genitourinary Medicine (GUM) clinics in the region during 2008 were diagnosed with a new sexually transmitted infection (STI) according to figures published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Although this represents an increase of one per cent, it is a smaller increase than the previous year when new diagnoses increased by eight per cent.

Screening Could D D Have Prevented K My Heart Attack ; Health Reporter Helen Rae Finds Out Why a Tyneside Dad Is Welcoming an Nhs Cardiovascular Screening Programme

ASEEMINGLY fit and active father who suffered a heart attack has welcomed a new cardiovascular screening programme which aims to target people at risk of developing heart disease. Dinesh Rawlley, of Jesmond, Newcastle, suffered a heart attack without warning while he was cooking dinner for his two grown-up children.

Guide to Life

ON a regular, almost daily basis, I am asked to help motivate people, whether for individuals needing a little encouragement and inspiration, or for groups of people in a business environment. The thing about motivation is that we are all motivated for different reasons.

Infection Risk

HEART surgery blood transfusions can double the risk of infection and increase the chances of dying in hospital almost five-fold, a study has shown. Researchers in the US who looked at almost 25,000 heart bypass patients found strong evidence of infection from donor blood. Donor transfusions were associated with a doubling of hospital infection rates and a 4.7fold increased likelihood of in-hospital death. Infections were widespread across the urinary system, lungs, bloodstream, digestive tra...

Molecule Research

CUTTING off bacterial lines of communication could provide a new way of fighting infection, research published suggests. Scientists believe the strategy may offer an alternative to traditional antibiotics, without breeding resistant bugs. Bacteria use a process called "quorum sensing" to communicate information and help them act together like soldiers mounting an attack.