Avoidable diabetes will bankrupt the NHS

Diabetes may ‘bankrupt’ the NHS within 20 years, according to a new study which was released today in the Diabetic Medicine journal. Treating diabetes-related conditions currently costs £9.8 billion, 10% of the entire NHS budget and it is set to rise to 17% within the next 25 years. The most shocking part of the report, however, was that four fifths of this money was spent on avoidable complications which can arise if the disease is not treated correctly or...

Government crusade is not the way to end smoking

The increase in price on tobacco products announced last week as part of the new budget seems to be just the beginning of an anti-smoking crusade launched by the new government. The latest tactic involves a media campaign warning about the dangers of second-hand smoke.

How stress can shave years off your life

Everyone has had a stressful period in their life followed by an unexplained illness. Whether it was the flu during the summer after your final exams, a crippling stomach ache during your driving test or a three-day migraine after your wedding, we all accept that our bodies react negatively to excessive bouts of worry and stress.

The potential health costs of that extra hour

We’ve all done it. Faced with just 24 hours in a day, sometimes it just doesn’t seem worth it to spend eight of these precious hours in bed. Think of all the things you could be doing instead. Those reports you need to write, the laundry that needs ironing, the programme you wanted to watch. It’s easy to forget or underestimate the harm that sleep deprivation can do, both short and long term, to your health. That extra hour you delay going to bed may seem...

No Smoking Day - Why we are so emotionally reliant on cigarettes

I recently spoke to a friend who revealed that they were still smoking because they needed it to stabilise their mood and help them deal with stress and, unsurprisingly, this is the case with many of us who smoke. But surely there has to be other ways in which one can stay happy and stable without the need of smoking? Obviously there are people who manage to do so quite successfully after they give up smoking. The key, it would seem, could be to deal...

How much does asthma affect our daily lives?

Though there is no cure for asthma, this doesn't have to mean that the smooth running of day-to-day life for its sufferers should be prohibited. With a greater awareness of the condition, including the causes, symptoms and treatments, and encouragement to manage it, alongside suitable medication, asthmatics can look forward to living as normal lives as possible.