http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/father-drops-objection-to-switching-off-babys-life-support-1817981.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/father-drops-objection-to-switching-off-babys-life-support-1817981.html <p> The father of tragic "right to life" baby RB today withdrew his opposition to a High Court plea by doctors and the little boy's mother for permission to switch off his life support. </p> Health News Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:11:26 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/watchdog-admits-error-in-baby-p-childcare-chiefs-case-1817982.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/watchdog-admits-error-in-baby-p-childcare-chiefs-case-1817982.html <p> Childcare regulator Ofsted has admitted making a "serious and deeply regrettable error" in failing to disclose potential evidence during the high-profile Sharon Shoesmith High Court case related to the death of Baby P. </p> Health News Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:17 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/life-and-death-decisions-with-a-disabled-child-1817674.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/life-and-death-decisions-with-a-disabled-child-1817674.html ]]> <p>My eldest daughter, Emmy, was epileptic in the womb. This means that the abnormal foetal movements during the last two months of my pregnancy were actually epileptic seizures. She had her first seizure outside the womb at three months, followed by many months in hospital, before being discharged into my completely untrained hands. </p> Features Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/how-to-beat-depression-with-the-right-diet-1817675.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/how-to-beat-depression-with-the-right-diet-1817675.html ]]> <p>It will come as no surprise to hear that what we eat can have a big impact on how we feel, mentally as well as physically. After a hectic week, with too much fast food and hastily consumed coffee, or a couple of nights on the make-mine-a-double-and-a-doner diet, we may well feel what we've put into our bodies punishing our mind and mood. </p> Features Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-has-no-data-on-80-per-cent-of-hospital-bugs-1817722.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-has-no-data-on-80-per-cent-of-hospital-bugs-1817722.html <p>The Government has no idea how many people are dying from hospital bugs other than MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C. diff) despite evidence they are on the rise, an MPs' report says.</p> Health News Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/pandemic-what-flu-pandemic-1817715.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/pandemic-what-flu-pandemic-1817715.html ]]> <p>The 2009 swine flu pandemic may turn out to be the weakest in history. It is spreading more slowly than expected and the latest figures show a flattening, or even a dip, in new infections. It is mild in most people but severe in a few and, while it readily infects children, it appears to spare the elderly. With the vaccine being rolled out, its impact should be further curbed. </p> Health News Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/righttodie-case-mothers-view-paramount-says-paediatrician-1817800.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/righttodie-case-mothers-view-paramount-says-paediatrician-1817800.html <p>A mother's wishes for her child's care outweigh a father's opinion, a right-to-die trial was told yesterday. Hospital doctors favour a mother's views on the treatment of her child and give them "particular weight", a leading paediatrician told the High Court. </p> Home News Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/women-deprived-of-health-care-at-key-moments-of-life-who-1817887.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/women-deprived-of-health-care-at-key-moments-of-life-who-1817887.html ]]> <p>Women are often deprived of health care in the crucial years of puberty and old age due to social inequalities with men, the World Health Organisation said Monday.</p> Health News Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/swine-flu-death-toll-crosses-500-in-india-1817908.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/swine-flu-death-toll-crosses-500-in-india-1817908.html ]]> <p>More than 500 people have died from swine flu in India since the first fatality was reported in August, the health ministry said Monday.</p> Health News Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/gsk-reveals-gift-of-50m-swine-flu-jabs-to-developing-world-1818026.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/gsk-reveals-gift-of-50m-swine-flu-jabs-to-developing-world-1818026.html ]]> <p>British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said on Tuesday it will donate 50 million doses of its swine flu vaccine to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to distribute to developing countries.</p> Health News Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/report-forecasts-global-fitness-trends-for-2010-1817983.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/report-forecasts-global-fitness-trends-for-2010-1817983.html ]]> <p>Experienced and trained fitness professionals are still in high demand around the world and the trend is likely to continue, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), which released projected fitness trends based on a global survey in the November/December issue of its bi-monthly journal.</p> Health News Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/virginia-ironsides-dilemmas-will-i-ever-be-free-from-bouts-of-severe-depression-1817168.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/virginia-ironsides-dilemmas-will-i-ever-be-free-from-bouts-of-severe-depression-1817168.html Healthy Living Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:48 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/rosehip--make-your-skin-zing-1817174.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/rosehip--make-your-skin-zing-1817174.html ]]> <p> A few miles south of Chile's capital, Santiago, vats of oil tower over the dusty, potholed road. This is the pressing plant where one of skincare's truly magical ingredients is processed: Rosa Mosqueta rosehip seed oil. Chilean gold. </p> Healthy Living Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:28 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/early-test-found-for-alzheimers-1817265.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/early-test-found-for-alzheimers-1817265.html <p>A multi-tasking test can help avoid confusion between symptoms of depression and early Alzheimer's, research suggests. </p> Health News Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/obesity-is-the-cause-of-many-types-of-cancers-us-researchers-say-1817398.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/obesity-is-the-cause-of-many-types-of-cancers-us-researchers-say-1817398.html <p>Over 100,000 types of cancers are caused by excess body fat, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research, which Thursday released comprehensive data on cancer cases in the United States and reaffirmed its message that people should maintain a normal body weight and remain physically active throughout life.</p> Health News Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/canadian-scientists-develop-pesticidedetecting-dipstick-1817594.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/canadian-scientists-develop-pesticidedetecting-dipstick-1817594.html ]]> <p>Scientists from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario have developed a dipstick test that can detect minute amounts of toxins and pesticides in foodstuffs that is slated to be less costly than current pesticide testing methods and can produce results within minutes, the American Chemical Society (ACS) reports.</p> Health News Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/fda-warns-tobacco-companies-about-selling-illegal-flavored-cigarettes-1817655.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/fda-warns-tobacco-companies-about-selling-illegal-flavored-cigarettes-1817655.html ]]> <p>The US Food and Drug Administration has issued warning letters to tobacco companies that sell illegal flavored cigarettes via their websites to customers in the United States, it announced Friday.</p> Health News Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/ios-graphic-child-character-1817014.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/ios-graphic-child-character-1817014.html Health News Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:01:45 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/tough-love-the-good-parents-guide-1817010.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/tough-love-the-good-parents-guide-1817010.html ]]> <p>A generation of liberal parents has striven towards a utopian ideal: raising their children in a non-confrontational household, unfettered by strict rules. But a new study of 9,000 households found that children whose parents favoured this laissez-faire style of parenting were less likely to develop vital life skills – such as empathy, self-control and application – by the age of five than those whose parents took a traditional "tough love" approach. </p> Health News Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/academics-attack-professor-nutt-over-incorrect-statements-on-drugs-1817012.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/academics-attack-professor-nutt-over-incorrect-statements-on-drugs-1817012.html ]]> <p>Some of Britain's leading drug experts yesterday launched an attack on Professor David Nutt, who was sacked as chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) after he argued that alcohol and tobacco were more dangerous than cannabis.</p> Health News Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/global-swine-flu-toll-passes-6000-mark-1817058.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/global-swine-flu-toll-passes-6000-mark-1817058.html ]]> <p>The number of swine flu deaths has grown by more than 370 over a week to pass 6,000, as the pandemic spread into more than 199 countries and territories, World Health Organisation data showed.</p> Health News Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/saudi-begins-flu-vaccination-ahead-of-hajj-1817087.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/saudi-begins-flu-vaccination-ahead-of-hajj-1817087.html ]]> <p>Saudi Arabia began vaccinating its population against swine flu on Saturday, with priority going to government employees working on the annual hajj pilgrimage that takes place later this month.</p> Health News Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/indias-potbellied-males-hit-gym-for-bollywood-buff-look-1817211.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/indias-potbellied-males-hit-gym-for-bollywood-buff-look-1817211.html ]]> <p>For Raghu Ghai, the day begins and ends at the same place -- a gym in New Delhi where he pursues his quest for bulging biceps, a "six-pack" stomach and slab-like chest muscles.</p> Health News Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/obesity-causes-100000-us-cancers-every-year-1817339.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/obesity-causes-100000-us-cancers-every-year-1817339.html ]]> <p>Obesity causes more than 100,000 incidents of cancer in the US every year, the American Institute for Cancer Research said in estimates published Friday.</p> Health News Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/gene-therapy-beats-back-brain-wasting-disease-1817226.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/gene-therapy-beats-back-brain-wasting-disease-1817226.html ]]> <p>A breakthrough mix of stem cell and gene therapy halted a lethal brain-wasting illness in two young boys, and could prove effective against other genetic disorders, researchers reported.</p> Health News Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/russian-leech-grower-taps-into-rising-demand-1817139.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/russian-leech-grower-taps-into-rising-demand-1817139.html ]]> <p>Natalya Lepyoshkina smiled as she fed her three-week-old "children" a meal of warm cow's blood, rinsed them off with water and poured them into an array of glass jars.</p> Health News Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/east-german-nudists-let-it-all-hang-out-20-years-on-1817164.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/east-german-nudists-let-it-all-hang-out-20-years-on-1817164.html ]]> <p>"It has nothing to do with sex," insisted Udo Schumacher, 64, as he stood, stark naked, on a beautiful but bracing beach in Prerow in what was once communist East Germany.</p> Health News Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/hong-kong-orders-three-million-swine-flu-shots-1816832.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/hong-kong-orders-three-million-swine-flu-shots-1816832.html ]]> <p>Hong Kong has ordered three million doses of swine flu vaccine -- enough for nearly half the city's population -- as it braces for more outbreaks of the virus this winter, officials said.</p> Health News Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/ruth-spellman-managers-not-businesses-must-play-a-key-role-in-alleviating-workrelated-stress-1816188.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/ruth-spellman-managers-not-businesses-must-play-a-key-role-in-alleviating-workrelated-stress-1816188.html <p> Feeling stressed out at work? According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), your manager is to blame. </p> Health News Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:57:42 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/victims-champion-seeks-justice-reform-1815740.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/victims-champion-seeks-justice-reform-1815740.html ]]> <p>Crime victims suffering acute stress as a result of their ordeal are being "woefully" failed by the National Health Service, the Victims' Champion Sara Payne warned yesterday.</p> Home News Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/beware-of-foetal-heart-monitors-parents-warned-1815742.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/beware-of-foetal-heart-monitors-parents-warned-1815742.html <p>They are marketed as "one of pregnancy's essentials" but they could be death traps for the unwary, according to doctors.</p> Health News Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nicotine-lozenge-and-patch-combined-help-to-quit-smoking-faster-1815867.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nicotine-lozenge-and-patch-combined-help-to-quit-smoking-faster-1815867.html ]]> <p>No matter how many times you try, quitting smoking is never easy. But new research shows that the nicotine patch combined with a nicotine lozenge is the most effective method of kicking the habit.</p> Health News Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/danish-firm-launches-vitaminrich-gum-for-3rd-world-kids-1816008.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/danish-firm-launches-vitaminrich-gum-for-3rd-world-kids-1816008.html ]]> <p>A Danish firm has launched Vitamin A-packed chewing gum in Nairobi to help fight malnutrition among children in developing countries, the company said in a statement Thursday.</p> Health News Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/new-pathway-for-dna-damage-from-nanoparticles-1816048.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/new-pathway-for-dna-damage-from-nanoparticles-1816048.html ]]> <p>Scientists reported Thursday that nano-particles used in medical applications can indirectly damage DNA inside cells by transmitting signals through a protective barrier of human tissue.</p> Health News Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/sales-of-hand-sanitizers-surging-ahead-of-flu-season-1816547.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/sales-of-hand-sanitizers-surging-ahead-of-flu-season-1816547.html <p>As H1N1 threatens to sweep the western hemisphere, or so consumers in the United States believe, they're taking preventive measures by slathering on copious amounts of germ-killing hand sanitizers and stocking up on the antibacterial gels.</p> Health News Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/fda-issues-warning-about-sexual-enhancement-supplements-1816100.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/fda-issues-warning-about-sexual-enhancement-supplements-1816100.html ]]> <p>The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday warned consumers about a sexual enhancement product sold online as a dietary supplement because it contains undisclosed prescription drug ingredients that could have potentially dangerous side effects.</p> Health News Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/win-pound200-worth-of-bicycle-safety-gear-1815401.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/win-pound200-worth-of-bicycle-safety-gear-1815401.html ]]> <p> According to official government statistics, we are entering the deadliest time of year for children on our roads – with daylight saving ending, days are suddenly shorter, it's darker earlier and drivers aren't yet used to the poor light. Add to this the autumn half term break, Halloween trick or treating and fireworks night, it means children are out on the streets and in potential danger – especially if they are not wearing high visibility gear. </p> Healthy Living Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:33:48 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/minister-gives-warning-over-strong-cannabis-1815384.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/minister-gives-warning-over-strong-cannabis-1815384.html <p> A Home Office minister today pointed to the effect of strong cannabis on friends of his son as he defended the Government's policy on drugs. </p> Health News Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:15:57 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-ultimate-herbal-remedy-can-cannabis-improve-autism-1814756.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/the-ultimate-herbal-remedy-can-cannabis-improve-autism-1814756.html ]]> <p>My son, J, has autism. He's also had two serious operations for a spinal cord tumour and has an inflammatory bowel condition, all of which may be causing him pain, if he could tell us. He can say words, but many of them – "duck in the water, duck in the water", for instance – don't convey what he means. For a time, anti-inflammatory medication seemed to control his pain. But in the last year, it stopped working. He began to bite and to smack the glasses off my face. If you were in that much pain, you'd probably want to hit someone, too.</p> Features Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/the-positve-mental-attitude-project-could-you-quit-complaining-for-48-hours-1814761.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/the-positve-mental-attitude-project-could-you-quit-complaining-for-48-hours-1814761.html ]]> <p>A t the start of the week, I was an upbeat, healthy young woman with a thirst for conversation. Now I am a venomous mute with a heart murmur and a scalded tongue. How has it come to this? Allow me to explain.</p> Healthy Living Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/hospital-staff-fail-patients-in-dying-days-1814788.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/hospital-staff-fail-patients-in-dying-days-1814788.html ]]> <p>Four out of 10 patients admitted to hospital close to the end of their lives received poor care from the NHS, a report says today. </p> Health News Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/doctors-rate-nhs-as-best-in-the-world-1814790.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/doctors-rate-nhs-as-best-in-the-world-1814790.html <p>Britain's family doctors, not noted for their optimism about the NHS, delivered a boost to the Government yesterday by rating the health care delivered in the UK as equal to the best in the world. </p> Health News Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/free-drugs-advice-body-from-ministers-ndash-nutt-1814794.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/free-drugs-advice-body-from-ministers-ndash-nutt-1814794.html <p>The Government's drug advisory body is "fatally flawed" and should be rebuilt from scratch along the lines of the Bank of England, Professor David Nutt said yesterday.</p> Health News Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/to-meet-rising-demand-for-organics-usda-awards-19m-to-organic-research-1815116.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/to-meet-rising-demand-for-organics-usda-awards-19m-to-organic-research-1815116.html ]]> <p>Organic agricultural research in the United States is getting a boost from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) with a $19 million investment into the initiative "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" and that's to be awarded to research programs in universities around the country.</p> Health News Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/high-spending-but-lagging-quality-in-us-health-care-study-1815468.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/high-spending-but-lagging-quality-in-us-health-care-study-1815468.html ]]> <p>Despite spending more than twice as much as other developed countries, the United States still lags behind in terms of access and quality, an international survey said Wednesday.</p> Health News Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/swine-flu-infection-and-vaccine-out-of-sync-official-1815536.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/swine-flu-infection-and-vaccine-out-of-sync-official-1815536.html ]]> <p>Swine flu infections in the United States will be past their peak when (A)H1N1 vaccine becomes readily available, a top health official said Wednesday.</p> Health News Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/new-shoe-tones-legs-thighs-and-buns-1815219.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/new-shoe-tones-legs-thighs-and-buns-1815219.html ]]> <p>Reebok have come up with a new series of ladies' shoes that target and tone the calves, hamstrings, and glutes. With celebrity endorsements from actress Regina King, ex-Spice Girl Mel B, socialite Kim Kardashian, and DJ Samantha Ronson, the shoe looks set to catch the attention of women wanting a secret, walkabout workout from a well-known brand name.</p> Health News Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/confused-try-our-az-of-conflicting-health-advice-1814189.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/confused-try-our-az-of-conflicting-health-advice-1814189.html ]]> <p>Every week, it seems a scientific study appears disproving what last week's study showed. Yesterday saw a classic medical volte face: aspirin, which has been prescribed to millions of people over the decades as a protective measure against heart disease, may have more drawbacks than benefits, according to a review in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.</p> Health News Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/extra-millions-for-baby-units-denied-1814192.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/extra-millions-for-baby-units-denied-1814192.html ]]> <p>Ministers last night pulled the plug on funding to bring the care of the sickest babies up to the standard for adults, in a sign of the impact of the credit crunch on the NHS.</p> Health News Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/who-assumes-ukraine-gripped-by-swine-flu-1814111.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/who-assumes-ukraine-gripped-by-swine-flu-1814111.html ]]> <p>The World Health Organisation said Tuesday that it was valid to assume that most of the cases of influenza reportedly sweeping through Ukraine were caused by the pandemic A(H1N1) virus.</p> Health News Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/one-swine-flu-shot-enough-for-pregnant-women-two-for-kids-1814367.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/one-swine-flu-shot-enough-for-pregnant-women-two-for-kids-1814367.html ]]> <p>A single dose of swine flu vaccine produces a robust immune response in pregnant women, one of the groups at high risk of dying from (A)H1N1 influenza, but young children need two shots, US clinical trials have shown.</p> Health News Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/australian-study-links-folic-acid-intake-to-asthma-1814654.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/australian-study-links-folic-acid-intake-to-asthma-1814654.html <p>Women who take folic acid supplements during the later months of pregnancy may be increasing their baby's risk of developing asthma, according to an Australian study released Wednesday.</p> Health News Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/frugal-americans-cutting-back-on-bought-lunches-bottled-water-and-morning-coffee-1814534.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/frugal-americans-cutting-back-on-bought-lunches-bottled-water-and-morning-coffee-1814534.html ]]> <p>With lean economic teams still expected, Americans are adjusting their habits accordingly and making such lifestyle changes as buying generic food brands, brown-bagging their lunches and refilling their water bottles with tap water. A Harris Poll released last week surveyed 2,293 random US adults in early October to see how they were spending -- or trying not to spend -- their money -- and found that habits varied across generations.</p> Health News Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/german-consumer-guide-urges-sustainable-living-eating-1814428.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/german-consumer-guide-urges-sustainable-living-eating-1814428.html <p>The German Council for Sustainable Development has updated its <em>Sustainable Shopping Basket</em> (published in 2003), a guide developed by the Institute on Market, Environment and Society in Hanover to help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions.</p> Health News Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/in-the-us-vitamin-sales-booming-especially-among-baby-boomers-1814319.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/in-the-us-vitamin-sales-booming-especially-among-baby-boomers-1814319.html ]]> <p>Recent US government statements that the economic downturn is officially over could spell good news for most people, but vitamin supplement manufacturers might want the recession to last a little longer.</p> Health News Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/tests-show-bisphenol-a-in-a-range-of-us-canned-food-products-1814708.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/tests-show-bisphenol-a-in-a-range-of-us-canned-food-products-1814708.html ]]> <p>Nearly 19 brands of canned foods have tested positive for containing measurable levels of the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) in their containers, according to US-based magazine <em>Consumer Reports'</em> latest tests of canned foods.</p> Health News Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/older-people-most-likely-to-die-of-swine-flu-study-1814899.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/older-people-most-likely-to-die-of-swine-flu-study-1814899.html ]]> <p>Tiny infants are most likely to be hospitalized with swine flu, but people over the age of 50 are most at risk of dying in hospital from the disease, US researchers said Tuesday.</p> Health News Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/19-out-of-20-young-women-would-change-bodies-1813551.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/19-out-of-20-young-women-would-change-bodies-1813551.html ]]> <p> Girls as young as seven would like to change something about their appearance and half of 16 to 21-year-olds would consider surgery to achieve their perfect body, a study has revealed. </p> Health News Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:02 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/jeremy-laurance-scientists-can-be-as-irrational-about-drugs-as-the-rest-of-us-1813574.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/jeremy-laurance-scientists-can-be-as-irrational-about-drugs-as-the-rest-of-us-1813574.html <p>The war of Nutt's mouth is warming up nicely. The Professor of Psychopharmacology from Bristol University – who until Friday was the Government's chief adviser on drugs – insisted on opening it, while Home Secretary Alan Johnson was determined to shut it. </p> Features Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/child-obesity-has-peaked-1813636.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/child-obesity-has-peaked-1813636.html <p> The 30-year rise in child obesity may have peaked, researchers report. The increase in overweight and obesity among children which has continued without pause since the mid-1970s is now on a downward trajectory, according to latest figures. </p> Health News Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/mother-dies-after-catching-swine-flu-1813692.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/mother-dies-after-catching-swine-flu-1813692.html <p>A woman who contracted swine flu died less than three weeks after giving birth to her first child, a health authority has confirmed.</p> Health News Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/what-does-your-gp-really-think-of-his-patients-1813575.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/what-does-your-gp-really-think-of-his-patients-1813575.html ]]> <p>There is, says Phil Hammond, something missing from medicine. It is pleasure. Pleasure gets just two mentions in the Oxford Textbook of Medicine, and none whatever on the website of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). Doctors rarely tell patients to pleasure themselves, for fear of getting struck off, but something a little less directive might actually improve all our lives.</p> Features Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/un-launches-plan-to-fight-pneumonia-among-children-1813853.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/un-launches-plan-to-fight-pneumonia-among-children-1813853.html <p>The World Health Organisation and UN child agency on Monday launched a global action plan to fight pneumonia, which kills some 1.8 million children under five every year.</p> Health News Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/burkina-to-hand-out-66m-mosquito-nets-in-2010-1813865.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/burkina-to-hand-out-66m-mosquito-nets-in-2010-1813865.html <p>Burkina Faso health authorities plan next year to hand out 6.6 million mosquito nets in a bid to tackle malaria, the main cause of death in the poor west African country, officials said Monday.</p> Health News Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/sneeze-makes-americans-back-government-health-spending-1813998.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/sneeze-makes-americans-back-government-health-spending-1813998.html <p>A timely sneeze made Americans more likely to back substantial government spending on health care than on job creation, a study concluded Monday.</p> Health News Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/too-much-white-wine-could-ruin-teeth-researchers-say-1814054.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/too-much-white-wine-could-ruin-teeth-researchers-say-1814054.html <p>Drinking white wine regularly could do damage to your pearly whites -- more so than drinking red wine, says a team of German researchers reporting in the journal <em>Nutrition Research</em>.</p> Health News Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/drinking-diet-sodas-could-harm-kidneys-over-the-long-term-1813950.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/drinking-diet-sodas-could-harm-kidneys-over-the-long-term-1813950.html <p>Women who think sugar-free beverages are a "safe" food  might want to think again when popping open another can of diet soda.</p> Health News Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/living-in-western-societies-more-likely-to-trigger-depression-1813858.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/living-in-western-societies-more-likely-to-trigger-depression-1813858.html <p>People who are genetically inclined towards depression are more likely to become depressed in western societies and they are better off in East Asian cultures where there is greater tolerance and support for the condition.</p> Health News Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/virginia-ironside-next-weeks-dilemma-774154.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/virginia-ironside-next-weeks-dilemma-774154.html <p> <b>Dear Virginia,</b> </p> <p> <b>I had a hard childhood. My mother was an alcoholic, my father beat me, and my only friend, my brother, died two years ago. I have managed to become a teacher, and enjoy my job, but suffer bouts of severe depression and I think my immune system is very low. I get every cough and cold going. My therapist says that until I experience the trauma of my past, I'll never feel really well, but it seems an impossible task. I know you've been depressed in the past. Can you help? </b> </p> <p> <b>Yours sincerely, Rodney</b> </p> Healthy Living Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:13 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/virginia-ironsidersquos-dilemmas-my-son-of-eight-is-doing-badly-at-school-1813059.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/virginia-ironsidersquos-dilemmas-my-son-of-eight-is-doing-badly-at-school-1813059.html <p> <b>Dear Virginia, </b></p> <p> <b>My son of eight is doing badly at school. I know he's clever, but he just can't be bothered. He's so lazy. I have told him he won't get a birthday party this year unless he tries harder, and his stepfather sometimes gets really angry when he sees his marks. His teachers are getting fed up, too. His own father says we should be more encouraging, but there's no point. He can do the work, it's just that he won't. Is there anything we can do? </b></p> <p> <b>Yours sincerely, Pippa</b> </p> Healthy Living Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/beach-body-babylon-cosmetic-surgery-on-the-queensland-coast-1813060.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/beach-body-babylon-cosmetic-surgery-on-the-queensland-coast-1813060.html ]]> <p>Breast implants are arrayed in neat rows on top of a cabinet in Pamela Noon's sun-drenched office on Australia's Gold Coast. She picks up two and weighs them, one in each hand, like a market trader showing off a couple of ripe melons. One, now obsolete, contains saline liquid; the other, a contemporary model, is filled with silicone gel.</p> Features Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/lung-cancer-treatment-in-uk-is-woefully-inadequate-1813188.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/lung-cancer-treatment-in-uk-is-woefully-inadequate-1813188.html <p>Key areas of lung-cancer treatment are still "woefully inadequate" and could be costing up to 3,000 lives a year, leading researchers said today.</p> Health News Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/change-law-on-organ-donation-doctors-say-1813167.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/change-law-on-organ-donation-doctors-say-1813167.html ]]> <p> Every adult in the UK would be legally required to decide whether to donate their organs after death, under a radical solution to the critical shortage of organs for transplant put forward by the country's oldest royal medical college. The ethics committee of the 500-year-old Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has called for an examination of "mandated choice" as a means of boosting the supply of organs, the shortage of which is leading to more than 1,000 avoidable deaths a year. </p> Health News Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/father-fights-bid-to-switch-off-babys-lifesupport-1813009.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/father-fights-bid-to-switch-off-babys-lifesupport-1813009.html <p> A father is fighting a hospital's attempt to withdraw the support keeping his baby son alive, it emerged today. </p> Health News Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:59:45 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/blunder-at-top-clinic-sparks-fresh-ivf-fears-1812908.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/blunder-at-top-clinic-sparks-fresh-ivf-fears-1812908.html ]]> <p>A serious blunder at one of Britain's top fertility clinics dramatically increased the risk its patients would suffer a miscarriage or give birth to a child with serious health problems, sparking fresh fears about how IVF centres are run in the wake of a series of scandals.</p> Health News Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-is-paying-millions-to-gag-whistleblowers-1812914.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-is-paying-millions-to-gag-whistleblowers-1812914.html <p>NHS whistleblowers are routinely gagged in order to cover up dangerous and even dishonest practices that could attract bad publicity and damage a hospital's reputation. </p> Health News Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/families-call-for-hospital-inquiry-1812912.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/families-call-for-hospital-inquiry-1812912.html <p>The Government will this week come under further pressure to hold a public inquiry into deaths of elderly patients at Gosport War Memorial Hospital in the 1990s, as relatives and lawyers meet Norman Lamb MP, the Lib Dem health spokesman.</p> Home News Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/waiting-list-patients-will-get-right-to-go-private-1812514.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/waiting-list-patients-will-get-right-to-go-private-1812514.html <p> Patients forced to wait 18 weeks for treatment on the NHS will be given a new legal right to receive it from the private sector. </p> UK Politics Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:55:16 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/sacked-ndash-for-telling-the-truth-about-drugs-1812255.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/sacked-ndash-for-telling-the-truth-about-drugs-1812255.html <p>The Government's drugs tsar was forced to resign last night for stating his view that cannabis, ecstasy and LSD were less harmful than the legal drugs tobacco and alcohol. </p> Health News Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/action-on-britains-epidemic-of-pill-addiction-1812269.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/action-on-britains-epidemic-of-pill-addiction-1812269.html ]]> <p> The Department of Health has launched a review of the million-plus patients addicted to prescribed drugs in the UK in a tacit admission that attempts to control the problem over the last two decades have failed. </p> Health News Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/rise-in-youth-hyperactivity-prescriptions-1811850.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/rise-in-youth-hyperactivity-prescriptions-1811850.html <p> The number of prescriptions for drugs to treat hyperactivity in children is on the rise, figures suggested today. </p> Health News Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:34:50 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/healthy-sweetener-linked-to-high-blood-pressure-1811848.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/healthy-sweetener-linked-to-high-blood-pressure-1811848.html <p> An ingredient in processed foods and soft drinks could be a recipe for high blood pressure, research suggests. </p> Health News Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:30:45 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/moments-in-medicine-podcast-the-500year-old-medicine-chest-1811428.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/moments-in-medicine-podcast-the-500year-old-medicine-chest-1811428.html ]]> <p> In this edition of Moments in Medicine, reporter Dylan Winter joins Rear Admiral John Lippiet and Andy Elkerton from the Mary Rose Trust in Portsmouth to investigate a 500 year old medicine chest. </p> Features Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:47 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/cause-of-death-it-depends-what-you-do-for-a-living-1811717.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/cause-of-death-it-depends-what-you-do-for-a-living-1811717.html ]]> <p>Work can be very bad for your health if you are in the wrong job. If you are a carpenter, fitter, electrician, plumber or gas fitter, you run an above average risk of dying from an asbestos-related disease.</p> Health News Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/trying-for-a-baby-let-gravity-do-the-work-1811720.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/trying-for-a-baby-let-gravity-do-the-work-1811720.html <p>The old wives' tale turns out to be true: lying with your feet up after sex improves your chances of having a baby (if you're a woman, that is).</p> Health News Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/hajj-pilgrims-may-be-told-to-take-swine-flu-vaccine-1811722.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/hajj-pilgrims-may-be-told-to-take-swine-flu-vaccine-1811722.html ]]> <p>British Muslims may be required to provide flu vaccination certificates if they want to participate in the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca at the end of November, Saudi Arabia has warned.</p> Health News Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/jennie-bristow-stand-up-to-supernanny-1811427.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/jennie-bristow-stand-up-to-supernanny-1811427.html <p> Before I had children, I was bothered that politicians today have an unhealthy interest in lecturing people about how they conduct their personal lives – what they eat, how much they drink, whether they take enough exercise, and so on. </p> Features Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:07:16 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/sophie-morris-how-much-more-evidence-can-the-antidrugs-brigade-take-1811395.html http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/sophie-morris-how-much-more-evidence-can-the-antidrugs-brigade-take-1811395.html <p> No doubt there were some cross faces at the Home Office this morning. Its very own drugs tsar has rubbished the existing classification system for illegal substances, saying that alcohol and tobacco are far more harmful than many drugs. </p> Commentators Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:35:11 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/many-girls-damaged-by-their-mums-dieting-1811258.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/many-girls-damaged-by-their-mums-dieting-1811258.html <p> Girls whose mothers are on a diet are almost twice as likely to have an eating disorder, a poll of more than 500 teenagers found today. </p> Health News Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:47:18 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/the-big-question-is-depression-increasing-and-what-is-the-best-way-to-treat-it-1810944.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/the-big-question-is-depression-increasing-and-what-is-the-best-way-to-treat-it-1810944.html Health News Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/sharp-rise-in-admissions-for-obesity-1811134.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/sharp-rise-in-admissions-for-obesity-1811134.html <p>There has been a dramatic rise in the number of people admitted to hospital for problems caused by obesity, new figures have shown.</p> Health News Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/wealthy-west-london-tops-caesarean-table-1810507.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/wealthy-west-london-tops-caesarean-table-1810507.html ]]> <p>Popular prejudice about the demanding women of west London, with their busy lifestyles and high-profile careers, is confirmed today with figures showing the local NHS trust is the Caesarean capital of Britain.</p> Health News Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/link-between-migraine-and-stroke-1810508.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/link-between-migraine-and-stroke-1810508.html <p>Young women who suffer from migraines with visual disturbances and who smoke and take the contraceptive pill are at a higher risk of stroke, research suggests.</p> Health News Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-trust-tried-to-gag-doctor-who-spoke-out-1810515.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/nhs-trust-tried-to-gag-doctor-who-spoke-out-1810515.html <p>An NHS trust tried to impose a gagging clause on a consultant as part of a deal to terminate his employment, to prevent him speaking out about issues of patient safety, it is alleged today. </p> Health News Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/halloween-pumpkins-packed-with-healthy-goodness-1810667.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/halloween-pumpkins-packed-with-healthy-goodness-1810667.html <p>With Halloween just around the corner, carved pumpkins are making their way onto many a front porch. But the distinctive orange-colored household item can do more this time of year than fend off evil spirits; its crisp seeds and nutty flesh have many under-reported health benefits.</p> Health News Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/us-up-to-55-million-swine-flu-vaccine-doses-short-1810688.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/us-up-to-55-million-swine-flu-vaccine-doses-short-1810688.html ]]> <p>The United States will face a swine flu vaccine shortfall of 45 to 55 million doses by the end of the year but half of the population could still be vaccinated, a senior US official said.</p> Health News Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/football-players-given-spitting-swine-flu-warning-1810709.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/football-players-given-spitting-swine-flu-warning-1810709.html ]]> <p>Footballers were warned on Tuesday spitting could increase the risk of catching swine flu as Bolton joined English Premier League rivals Blackburn in saying squad members had contracted the virus.</p> Health News Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/swine-flu-warning-to-spitting-soccer-stars-1810290.html http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/swine-flu-warning-to-spitting-soccer-stars-1810290.html <p> Footballers were today warned that spitting could increase the risk of spreading swine flu as players at two Premier League clubs were struck down by the virus. </p> News & Comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:59:23 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/yohei-sasakawa-leprosy-also-requires-a-social-cure-1810151.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/yohei-sasakawa-leprosy-also-requires-a-social-cure-1810151.html <p> Earlier this month, Father Damien was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome. This religious and spiritual ceremony was an opportunity to reflect on Father Damien's life and the lives of those with whom he is most closely associated - people affected by leprosy. </p> Features Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:40:35 +0000