Blood Pressure Association ‘Newly Diagnosed' Appeal | 0 replies since Jul 22, 2008, 11:11 AM
John Kaduwanema:

Blood Pressure Association ‘Newly Diagnosed' Appeal

As research shows around 50% of blood pressure patients stop their recommended treatment within the first twelve months, the Blood Pressure Association has launched the ‘Newly Diagnosed' appeal to provide information to newly diagnosed patients to assist them in their continuing treatment. In light of this, First Aid Warehouse is offering great prices on BHS validated blood pressure monitors.

The Blood Pressure Association has released figures stating that over 70% of high blood pressure sufferers do not have their condition under control and that 50% of patients stop following their recommended treatments within 12 months of diagnosis. Not treating or monitoring your blood pressure if you're a sufferer of hypertension is of course, unadvisable and even deadly, so the Blood Pressure Association wants to reach people as soon as possible after diagnosis with clear information and direct support to ensure more people realise the importance of controlling their condition.

The BPA are preparing the ‘newly diagnosed' information packs to be issued to new patients at the point of diagnosis. It is believed that a lot of the information provided during consultation is not absorbed fully by the patient, possibly due to shock or perhaps because there is simply so much to take in. The packs will help to ensure patients have the tools and skills they need to monitor and control their condition and also give them the ability refer back to the information at any time.

BHS validated blood pressure monitors can be purchased online from First Aid Warehouse, the leading online supplier of first aid and medical products and equipment including blood pressure monitors. The First Aid Warehouse range is from leading manufacturers and all are available to purchase at great prices with delivery made direct to your door.

RESOURCES:

This Press Release is brought to you by First Aid Warehouse, UK's premier supplier of the omron m7 blood pressure monitor as well as medical equipment, first aid kit , blood pressure monitors , medical plasters, medical furniture, burnshield dressings and stethoscopes.

Availability of First Aid at Home | 0 replies since Jul 22, 2008, 11:10 AM
John Kaduwanema:

Availability of First Aid at Home

RoSPA are preparing for the 2888 National Home Safety Congress to be held on the 11 th and 12 th of November 2008 and the main question for the conference is; ‘Can regulation provide a solution to a reduction in home injury, or are people becoming reliant on the safety equipment now available for home use?'.

It is a very fair and valid question, but given the amount of accidents that occur in the home environment, what percentage of those accidents could actually be prevented through tightened or increased regulation? Perhaps the provision of first aid at home should be further promoted, as adequate treatment has got to be the next best thing to accident prevention.

Errol Taylor, RoSPA Deputy Chief Executive, said: “The home is where people want to let go and enjoy their leisure time, but sadly it is the place where they have most accidents” . It is true that the safe haven of home is where the most accidents occur, the last statistics published identified that approximately 2.7 million domestic accidents per year resulted in a visit to accident and emergency departments for treatment.

It isn't clear how many of those injuries could have been effectively treated at home if there were adequate first aid items available, but it's likely that the numbers would be reasonably substantial. There are specific first aid kits available for use in the home and domestic environment and a good selection of these can be found at www.firstaidwarehouse.co.uk . The first aid kit selection at First Aid Warehouse is comprehensive and well considered, and includes a varied range of domestic and commercial first aid kits and other essential first aid items. As the premier supplier of medical equipment and accessories, First Aid Warehouse are able to offer high quality products at low cost prices.

http://www.rospa.com

RESOURCES:

This Press Release is brought to you by First Aid Warehouse, UK's premier supplier of the omron m7 blood pressure monitor as well as medical equipment, first aid kit , blood pressure monitors , medical plasters, medical furniture, burnshield dressings and stethoscopes.

The Secret Migration | 0 replies since Jul 17, 2008, 09:18 AM
John Kaduwanema:

Fears over Bisphenol A presence in Baby Feeding Products

In 2008 we have seen another rise of concern over the safety of Bisphenol A (BPA) plastics being used for the manufacture of food and liquid carrying products. Whilst it is still a subject of considerable debate, some retailers and consumers have already decided that any risk, no matter how minimal, is too much.

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been used in the production of certain plastics for over half a century and is a key monomer in the production of polycarbonate, a popular thermoplastic polymer used for a range of houseware products due to its temperature resistance, impact resistance and optical properties. However, since the 1930's, there have been concerns that the substance may be hazardous to humans and these concerns have resurfaced again 2008.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of a number of 'endocrine disrupter' substances that might have the potential to interact with human hormones, particularly the reproductive hormones. Whilst evidence of this has only been shown in some wildlife species that have come into contact with endocrine disrupter, there is still no conclusive evidence that these substances have a direct harmful effect on human reproduction health.

There has been, and continues to be a considerable amount of debate over the health risks involved in the use of BPA containing products such as food containers, plastic bottles and tableware. Scientific studies on the subject have been carried out and differences in opinion have also arisen from the results of these studies. For instance, the Environment California report concludes that BPA is hazardous at low doses although American, European and Japanese government agencies conclude that the exposure to most people is negligible.

In Europe , the acceptable amount and level of migration of BPA is limited to 0.6mg/kg which is considered safe and within the TDI (tolerable daily intake). The UK Food Standards Agency have published details of a study carried out to identify the levels of BPA migration from polycarbonate food contact products under the ‘ worst foreseeable conditions' and the report concluded all migration results were very much less than the specific migration limits for BPA. The report can be found at http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/researchinfo/contaminantsresearch/contactmaterials/a03prog/a03projlist/a03036proj/

The mixed messages are very confusing for the consumer. Parents may be especially for concerned as BPA polycarbonate is used to produce most plastic food and liquid containing products including baby bottles, tableware and toys. Concern has even been so great that in the city of San Francisco , a ban has been enacted on toys and other plastic products containing Bisphenol A for children under three years old - Possibly as a result of the Environment California report. Either way, specified migration limits and detection levels have been deemed safe by official government research agencies in the US , UK , Europe and Japan .

For parent's in the UK who may still be worried about the content of their baby feeding products, Babyway International have developed and launched a range of BPA free baby feeding products. The Little Wonders BPA free range is the first of its kind available in the UK and includes bottles, table wear and dummies.

RESOURCES:

This Article is brought to you by First Aid Warehouse, supplier of the Little Wonders Baby Products range. They supply a comprehensive range of Baby Products including Baby Bottles, Baby Teats, Baby soothers, Baby Tableware, Baby Baths and Baby Medicine. First Aid Warehouse is also the UK 's premier supplier of first aid and medical products or accessories and is the one-stop-shop for great products at great prices, with delivery direct to the door.

References

http://www.food.gov.uk/foodlabelling/packagingbranch/foodcontactmaterialsbpa/

http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/researchinfo/contaminantsresearch/contactmaterials/a03prog/a03projlist/a03036proj/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/environmental-health/stop-toxic-toys/bisphenol-a-overview

Blood Pressure Out of Sight Out of Mind | 0 replies since Jul 17, 2008, 08:21 AM
John Kaduwanema:

So concerned about recent statistics, the Blood Pressure Association has launched the ‘Newly Diagnosed' appeal which aims to provide all newly diagnosed high blood pressure patients with informative support packs.

According to the statistics, over 70% of high blood pressure sufferers do not have their condition under control and 50% of new patients stop following their recommended treatment plan within their first twelve months of diagnosis. It does seem crazy that people with such a potentially life threatening condition should choose to ignore the dangers of leaving their high blood pressure untreated. There could be many reasons for not continuing treatment or for not sticking to lifestyle changes… It could be a case of ‘out of sight out of mind' as after all, high blood pressure rarely shows any symptoms and only rears its ugly head when playing its part in more serious and possibly fatal instances. Most people also have difficulty in believing that anything bad could happen to them. The ‘it won't be me' attitude is common amongst people and is a perfectly natural belief, but when you are diagnosed with a condition that can lead to heart attack, stroke and kidney disease amongst others, surely this is the time to realise that the threat is very real.

It is possible that the dangers of untreated high blood pressure have not been effectively communicated to this group of patients and this may the reason for their failure to stick to lifestyle changes and prescribed treatment. However, that is not a criticism to medical professionals who are delivering the initial diagnosis. It's likely that a lot of the information provided during consultation is not absorbed fully by the patient, possibly due to shock or perhaps because there is simply so much to take in.

The Blood Pressure Associations ‘newly diagnosed' information packs are designed to be issued to new hypertension patients at the point of diagnosis. The packs will help to ensure that patients have all of the necessary information, tools and skills they need to effectively monitor and control their condition. The added benefit of the packs is that patients will have the ability to study them in their own time and refer back to them at a later time, acting as a constant reminder of the importance of monitoring and controlling their condition.

Owning a personal blood pressure monitor can also assist in controlling the condition. Whilst blood pressure is measured during doctor's visits, it is often beneficial to monitor blood pressure in between appointments to give a more consistent and accurate reading. Monitoring blood pressure at home also gives more frequent updates on pressure levels and allows the patient to see the effects of persevering with medical treatments and lifestyle changes, making the condition and pressure readings more tangible.

The British Hypertension Society (BHS) have conducted studies on blood pressure monitors to make the process of purchasing a quality monitor easier for the home user. A range of BHS validated blood pressure monitors can be purchased online from First Aid Warehouse, the leading online supplier of first aid and medical products and equipment including blood pressure monitors from leading manufacturers such as Omron, A&D and Microlife. As the premier online supplier of BP monitors, First Aid Warehouse can offer excellent prices with secure online ordering and delivery direct to the door.

RESOURCES:

This Article is brought to you by First Aid Warehouse, UK's premier supplier of the omron m7 blood pressure monitor as well as medical equipment, first aid kit , blood pressure monitors , medical plasters, medical furniture, burnshield dressings and stethoscopes.

Home is Where the Heart is But is also Where Most Accidents Occur | 0 replies since Jul 16, 2008, 02:26 PM
John Kaduwanema:

For most, the home is a pleasant and comfortable space, it's a personal sanctuary from the chaos and interference of the outside world. It's yours. It's where you can relax, where you can have fun, it's where you feel safe.

This word ‘home' evokes so many pleasant thoughts and emotions but despite the safety that is felt within its walls, that very same ‘home' can be a dangerous treacherous place.

The parallel reality is that almost 4000 people in the UK each year die in accidents that occur in the home environment, and approximately 2.7 million domestic accidents result in a visit to accident and emergency centres for treatment. Going by the 2007 population figures, that 2.7 million people is the equivalent of 4.5% of the UK population sustaining injuries at home that result in visits to accident and emergency departments. We can only guess at the figures of injuries that occur within the home environment that don't result in visits to hospitals.

The somewhat scary statistics were collated by the Home and Leisure Accident Surveillance System in 2002. Exact numbers for following years are unfortunately not available as funding was withdrew by the DTI following the 2002 release, although estimates indicate that accident levels have remained broadly the same.

These accidents rarely attract pubic and media attention and RoSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) is one of the few national voices speaking out on the issue of safety within the home environment . Safety in the home is often overlooked and the majority of people may be guilty of cutting corners when carrying out tasks within the home, for instance when carrying out DIY work. A lot of people also don't recognise the need to own and keep suitable first aid items such as a first aid kit and antiseptics in the home, when really such items should always be stocked, especially if there are children in the house.

Of the 2.7 million that visited accident and emergency after a domestic accident, just short of a million were children. Children are, by nature, prone to sustaining minor injuries, but the injuries that resulted in visits to accident and emergency must have been reasonably substantial. But could some of these have been instances where the parent could have, but did not know how to deal with the injury themselves? Or perhaps that they did not have any suitable first aid items to treat the injury stored at home?

http://www.rospa.com/

http://www.rospa.com/

RESOURCES:

This Article is brought to you by First Aid Warehouse, UK's premier supplier of the omron m7 blood pressure monitor as well as medical equipment, first aid kit , blood pressure monitors , medical plasters, medical furniture, burnshield dressings and stethoscopes.

Johnk has joined the group | 0 replies since Jun 6, 2008, 10:48 AM
John Kaduwanema: Hi guys, I have just joined the group but there do not seem to be any health related posts or any posts on the group for that matter. Is something wrong? I am particularly interest in first aid products and as matter of fact I have opened up my own health discussion forum on mediapost. Please feel free to browse, or even better to post a relevant comment. Regards Johnk