Health & Beauty

Plymouth headteacher urges schools to protect against flu after outbreak left pupils in hospital last year

A Plymouth head teacher has urged teachers and parents across the county to do all they can to get pupils vaccinated after a flu outbreak forced her to temporarily close her school last winter.

Dozens of children and staff at Woodlands School in Plymouth, whose pupils have complex physical and sensory difficulties, were taken ill by the highly infectious virus in February 2018....

Cutting-edge eye technology comes to Plymouth city centre

Iconic Opticians, based in Cornwall Street, have invested in an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) machine which allows a very detailed view of the eye through 3D scanning technology.

Iconic Opticians’ optometrist Rupinder Gill explains: “This technology scans the different layers of the back of the eye. This allows us to examine the structure of the retina and the optic nerve in much...

Plymouth Argyle Community Trust supports patient’s post-op recovery

David Saunders, 66, from Plymouth has undergone successful ankle fusion surgery at Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre – and he has arranged with Plymouth Argyle Community Trust that he and others like him can use the club’s state-of-the-art astro turf for their recovery.

A number of fractures when he was younger left David with problems in his feet and ankles. He lived in the US for 15...

Portafina raises awareness and funds for diabetes research

Portafina is a pensions company based in Kent, and its staff are raising awareness and funds to support research into treatment for diabetes.

Managing director, Jamie Smith Thompson, is a passionate supporter of the cause, as his daughter has type one diabetes. Mr. Smith Thompson knows only too well the struggles that people with this condition face on a daily basis, and as head of a...

Children who spend more than half an hour online twice as likely to pester for junk food

YOUNG children who spent more than half an hour a day online were almost twice as likely to pester their parents for junk food, according to a Cancer Research UK report published today (Wednesday).

The study, which examines the associations between diet and advertising of junk food on TV and the internet, questioned children and their parents in the South West and across the UK....

When it’s urgent, call or visit NHS 111 this winter

Devon’s doctors are urging patients to use the NHS 111 system for health advice through the winter months as hospitals become increasingly busy.

The free to call service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and can provide patients with advice on any urgent issues that they may be facing.

The service is staffed by a team of fully trained medical advisers who are...

Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) and its Benefits

Lack of testosterone can cause many negative symptoms for both men and women, ranging from low energy levels, foul moods, increased body fat, and, of course, lacking sex drive. Maintaining adequate testosterone levels is an extremely important factor in ensuring good health, for both sexes. While testosterone is known as the “male hormone”, it is also an important hormone for females. However...

Evening and weekend appointments with Devon GPs now available

Patients across Devon will be able to make routine GP appointments in evenings and at weekends from this month.

The aim of the GP improved access service is to make it easier for people to get an appointment at a time that suits them.

This new scheme is an extension of the usual GP practice services that patients across Devon will be used to – it is not a walk-in service....

Bladder and Bowel event in Plymouth

The ninth Bladder and Bowel Event (BABE) is set to take place at on Friday 12 October 2018, featuring a guest talk by Paralympian Michael Kerr.

Michael Kerr with Annie and the BABE team BABEs are aimed at supporting people with bladder and bowel problems and are organised by staff from our colorectal, urological and gynaecological teams.

The event will take place at the Future...

Devon smokers offered quit support for Stoptober

Devon smokers will get extra help and support to quit their habit this month (October) as the national Stoptober campaign returns for its sixth year. Since the campaign first started in 2012, Stoptober has prompted over 1.7 million quit attempts. Research shows that if you can stop smoking for 28-days, you are five times more likely to kick the habit for good.

This year, the stop...

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