Last updated at 15:49, Friday, 02 November 2012

LEARNING some basic first aid – pressure on a wound or a slap on the back – can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved. St John Ambulance, the nation’s leading first aid charity, has teamed up with the North-West Evening Mail to bring you some simple, but life saving, first aid tips. This week: dealing with anaphylactic shock.

REACTION: Anaphylactic shock is a severe allergic reaction which affects the whole body

ANAPHYLACTIC shock is a severe allergic reaction which affects the whole body. In susceptible individuals it may develop within seconds, or minutes, of contact with the trigger factor and is potentially fatal.

Possible triggers can include skin or airborne contact with particular materials, the injection of a specific drug, the sting of a certain insect or the ingestion of a food such as peanuts.

To help recognise anaphylactic shock in a casualty, look for the following symptoms:

• Impaired breathing – this may range from a tight chest to severe difficulty;
• Wheezing or gasping for air;
• Signs of shock;
• Widespread blotchy skin eruption;
• Swelling of the tongue and throat;
• Puffiness around the eye;
• Anxiety.

To help, follow these simple steps:

• Dial 999/112 for emergency help;
• Give the operator any information you have on the cause of the casualty’s condition;
• Check whether the casualty is carrying any necessary medication. If they are, help them to use it.

If the casualty is conscious:

• Help them to sit up in a position that most relieves any breathing difficulty, this is usually sitting up and leaning forward slightly.

If the casualty becomes unconscious:

• Open the airway and check breathing;
• If the casualty is breathing normally, place them in the recovery position;
• If the casualty is not breathing, begin CPR.

For more information or to order a free, pocket sized first aid guide text HELP to 80039 or visit www.sja.org.uk. You can also get advice on your iPhone or iPad with the free St John Ambulance first aid app, available through iTunes.

First published at 16:23, Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk

Last updated at 16:43, Monday, 16 July 2012

Elaine Stringer, from Brampton

Congratulations to everyone who ran or walked the race for life. I couldn't resist posting this picture of Elaine Stringer, just so we could share it on our local facebook pages. Special wishes go out to Sandra Jones & the 'Boobette's', Sandra, who owns Wigsense in Carlisle is a great supporter of Health Issues on Brampton Local and will be working with us to produce a special suppliment magazine in September.

If you have stories and pictures you would like to share please email brampton.local@cnmedia.co.uk and we will try to post anything of local interest.

First published at 16:41, Monday, 16 July 2012
Published by http://www.bramptonlocal.co.uk

By Pamela McGowan Health reporter

Last updated at 13:01, Monday, 09 July 2012

A group of friends brought together by breast cancer are raising money to help others by taking part in this weekend’s Race For Life.

From left, Sandra Jones, Lynda Muir, Sally Budd and Christine Hetherington

Christine Hetherington, 52, Lynda Muir, 44, Sandra Jones, 46, and Sally Budd, 46, nicknamed themselves ‘the Boobettes’ after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy.

They have formed their own social group and have found it a lifeline during the toughest parts of the treatment.

Now they are turning their energy to something positive, signing up for the 5km charity event, on Sunday in Carlisle, for Cancer Research UK.

Christine, of Carleton, said she had wanted to take part in last year’s event but her health wouldn’t allow it.

“My friend was doing it but I was smack bang in the middle of my chemotherapy. I said I’d do it this year instead.

“Since then us Boobettes have formed so I suggested it to the girls,” she said.

The women were brought together almost by accident during their cancer treatment.

Christine and Lynda, of Belle Vue, Carlisle, had known each other for years. But by coincidence they came to be diagnosed with breast cancer on the very same day.

“We were sat next to each other waiting for our results. I said it’s not looking good for me and she said the same,” said Christine.

After starting treatment they got in touch with Sandra, also of Belle Vue, following an article in the News & Star.

She had set up her business, Wigsense, to help chemotherapy patients after being made redundant and diagnosed with cancer in the same month.

Immediately they hit it off and they became friends rather than just clients.

Through Sandra the others met Sally, of Low Hesket. They now meet up regularly, together with fellow breast cancer fighter Lesley Winter, who isn’t able to take part in Race For Life, for social events and outings.

Sandra, who had also wanted to take part last year but couldn’t due to her chemo, said that when the subject of Race For Life came up they were all keen to get involved.

Lynda added: “It’s great to be part of the massive fund raising scheme for Cancer Research, to raise money for their life saving research.

“All of the women doing the Race for Life have someone’s name on the back of their T-shirt, saying who they are running for. They are doing it for personal reasons, having been affected themselves or they know of someone affected by this horrible disease.

“The feeling you get when you see all the women, dressed in pink and having a fab time, is second to none. It’s a time when we all come together, united by the same reason.

“I am doing it with friends I have made during my battle with breast cancer – we are the lucky ones, we are still here.”

Sally said being part of the Race for Life has given her a new lease of life. “It jolted me back into living again and motivated me to do something positive,” she said.

First published at 11:27, Monday, 09 July 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk

Published at 11:27, Monday, 11 June 2012

Caroline Scott stresses that everyone is different. Men and women cannot be pigeon-holed according to their gender.

Caroline Scott

But having said that... Caroline has noticed certain trends in her role as Slimming World consultant for Brampton and Gretna.

How do men and women react if they put on weight?

“If a woman goes to the wardrobe and her favourite pair of jeans doesn’t fit, she thinks she needs to lose weight.

“If a man’s jeans don’t fit, he’ll buy a bigger pair of jeans.”

There’s a serious point here. Caroline says women aim to lose weight as soon as they notice minor changes.

Men wait until something drastic has occurred.

They often put off losing weight until a health scare, having ignored or denied the problem until their body shocks them towards reality.

This confirms the popular image of men as reluctant to seek medical advice.

Perhaps it’s fear. Maybe it’s a refusal to accept that there’s a problem.

Or possibly a feeling that their masculinity would be compromised by seeking help.

This is Men’s Health Week, which aims to address all these issues and persuade the male of the species to live more healthily.

The stats suggest men need all the help they can get.

If you’re a man, read ’em and weep.

In the UK women live an average of four years longer than men. Smoking is the biggest single reason.

Then there’s alcohol. In 2008, average weekly alcohol consumption in England was nearly twice as much for men as women.

More men than women are overweight.

The rate of premature death – classed as people under 65 – is one and a half times higher among men.

Forty per cent of men die before the age of 75.

Heart disease is British men’s biggest killer. Men are three times more likely than women to die early from it.

Prevention is better than cure, and good ways to prevent heart disease include a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Colin Lawrence, 67, is proof of how well this policy can work.

Since enrolling in Caroline’s Slimming World class at Brampton Community Centre at the end of January, Colin has lost almost four-and-a-half stone.

Many of Caroline’s male clients arrive after being told to lose weight by their GP, often because they have become diabetic or are at risk of developing diabetes.

Joint and back problems, caused by weight gain or made worse by it, are another common reason for men to try and lose weight.

Four years ago Colin had his left hip replaced. He is now on the waiting list for a knee replacement, which is one reason why he resolved to lose weight.

“I’ve had a lot of trouble with my joints,” he says.

“I was just too big. I was 20 stone and five-and-a-half pounds.

“At my age it is dangerous to weigh so much.”

Colin had been putting on weight since leaving the Army in 1984.

He then used to breed dogs and he’d walk them every day.

But when his hip went he couldn’t walk or work, and the weight piled on until it began affecting his movement.

Colin agrees that he could have faced up to the situation earlier.

“But men put off going to the doctors until the last possible moment.

“When I’m really under the weather I go and see the doctor straight away.

“With little niggles, there’s a tendency to think it will go away. You think it won’t happen to you.”

Colin has changed his lifestyle entirely this year.

As well as joining Slimming World he has also started swimming at The Pools in Carlisle five days a week.

His brother-in-law has also become a Slimming World regular and has lost a stone in a couple of months.

“I feel a lot fitter and I have a lot more energy,” says Colin.

Caroline wishes men would seek help sooner. She feels another reason for delay can be the fear that their new way of life will be worse than it actually is.

“Men think they’re going to have to eat tiny portions and live off salad. It’s not like that at all.

“With women, the support I give is more emotional.

“With men it’s logical. Make things simple and straightforward. They don’t want to be spending hours in the kitchen counting calories.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. About 37,000 men are diagnosed every year and approximately 250,000 men are currently living with the disease.

Roger Robson from Ivegill, near Carlisle, was diagnosed about six years ago.

The former teacher and Cumberland wrestling champion says: “It was loss of libido which led me to seek medical advice. I went to the doctor for that. That started the tests and they discovered I had prostate cancer.

“I felt sort of numb. I’m quite a fatalistic sort of person. I don’t know if there’s part of you that doesn’t quite believe it – it’s not going to happen to you.

“I think it affected my wife more than me. She was terribly upset at the thought of me dying, I suppose.

“I was given hormone tablets, which gave me the menopause. I had hot flushes.

“I also had seven weeks of radiotherapy.

“I still have blood tests once a year but everything has been all clear for a while now.”

Roger, 70, agrees that men are often reluctant to seek medical advice.

When he has consulted his GP it has often been after encouragement from the fairer sex.

“I don’t sprint to the doctors but I have tended to get bossed around by the womenfolk in my life.

“About 15 years ago I was diagnosed with a blood condition called polycythaemia.

“It means your body is producing too many red blood cells.

“Your blood becomes like treacle and doesn’t flow properly.

“I was fainting and bruising very easily, which are both symptoms.

“I had a bruise on my arm and my sister said ‘You need to go to the doctor.’ I’d resisted my wife, but my big sister is made of sterner stuff.

“I still have to take capsules every day to limit the production of blood cells.

“The other main medical thing has been an artificial hip.

“You might say I’m unlucky to get these things in the first place. But I’ve been lucky with treatment.”

The medical profession tells us that men can make themselves lucky, in their lifestyle and their willingness to confront their fears and seek advice.

Published by http://www.bramptonlocal.co.uk

Last updated at 14:23, Tuesday, 12 June 2012

A group of professionals dedicated to providing extended care for their patients and clients have joined together with Wigsense founder Sandra Jones to provide help and advice to be distributed throughout a campaign to increase health awareness through publications, social media and information websites.

One of those involved is optician Eric Hagan.
Eric qualified at Bradford University in 1979 before joining a practice in the ‘cosmopolitan’ Walthamstow area of East London for his pre-reg year. From there he moved to Newcastle for 3 years before joining Steven Rowe in 1984.

After opening his first business at Longtown in 2003 he then returned to Brampton to open his second business in 2004.
Eric has always provided extra care and advice; recently he passed his Diploma in Therapeutic Prescribing and is now a Non-Medical Prescriber. Having spent two years working part time at the Ophthalmology Department of the Cumberland Infirmary he has worked with a variety of conditions, some of which could have been prevented.

Regular eye examinations can raise concern for many problems from cataracts, glaucoma and dry eye, to tumors ( which are quite rare), macular degeneration and some neurological problems.
Optic neuritis is the first symptom noticed in 15% – 20% of people who develop multiple sclerosis.

We asked Eric what advice he would like to give to our readers.

“Come regularly” he said “and bring your children from an early age, we start tests from 3 years old, hopefully enhanced services such as post-cataract assessment, glaucoma monitoring and treatment of minor eye conditions will be an extended service we could offer in the future.”

So it’s not all about designer frames, although they are one benefit of wearing glasses.

www.erichagan-opticians.co.uk

18 High Street Longtown 01228 791664 / Market Place Brampton 016977 42703 

First published at 13:26, Thursday, 03 May 2012
Published by http://www.bramptonlocal.co.uk