Health

As reported this month in the national press, sneezing caused by hay fever is a danger to motorists as they can travel up to 300ft with their eyes closed. The study found that hay fever has caused 7% of drivers (2.35 million drivers) to have a crash or a close shave. A further 2% (670,000 drivers) say they have been distracted by passenger exhibiting violent hay fever symptoms.

Approximately one in four of the UK population will suffer from an allergy at some point in their lives, according to the British Allergy Foundation and the number of people affected is increasing by five per cent each year.

This National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (11-17 May 2008) the Department of Health is encouraging young mothers from low-income backgrounds to access support that will help them to breastfeed for longer. Breastfeeding is a major public health issue in today's society with significant inequalities in infant feeding practices.

Hers is the voice that aspiring songsters up and down the country can only dream off, but Katherine Jenkin’s - the award winning, Welsh opera singer - has let us in on the a secret ingredient she uses to help warm up her vocal chords. Katherine revealed on the Paul O’Grady show that she swears by a glass of warm pineapple juice with grated ginger and Manuka Honey before a show.

As many famous musicians head towards the make or break period of the year where festivals are taking place, a leading celebrity Life Coach, hypnotherapist and motivator has warned that celebrities are increasingly losing their confidence due to incidents such as being verbally assaulted in the street and being “bottled off” the stage by crowds.

At least 1.7 million UK adults are overweight or obese but don’t know it – and millions of others can’t work it out. So says a shocking survey today from weight loss experts LighterLife to launch BMI 4 Life Fortnight – a campaign to highlight the life-and-death importance of Body Mass Index.

Surrounded by images of stick-thin and toned women such as Madonna, Teri Hatcher and Jane Fonda (who has admitted to suffering an eating disorder herself), women are exposed to increasingly unrealistic images of how they should look as they age and are working harder than ever to counter the effects of getting old.

Mental health charity Rethink has today branded findings released by the Department of Health on attitudes towards people with mental health problems as “shocking, ignorant, and unacceptable in today’s society.”

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith confirmed the reversal of the downgrading of cannabis to Class C, which took place under Tony Blair in January 2004. The announcement came in the wake of concerns that the more potent skunk form of the drug is contributing to mental illness.

Every local authority in England will be able to appoint a dedicated Stroke Care Coordinator to support stroke survivors and their carers thanks to millions of pounds of extra funding for stroke services, Health Minister Ann Keen announced today.