Splashback causing waves for Leith Councillors

Source: Greener Leith

Leith local election candidates faced the voters last night at the Leith Links hustings.  On the menu were crucial issues for the port  including the biomass proposal and the tram project.  Leith Waterworld was also discussed and the closure of the family-friendly pool last January has not deterred campaigners, Splashback, from trying to reopen it.  Edinburgh Napier News [...]

Councillors pedalling fast to fight pollution

Gordon MacKenzie speaks to  Spokes supporters at the 2012 local election hustings.

It’s campaign time  and on May the 3rd  voters will  choose the future of the city transport.   Transport had been in the spotlight in recent years due to the troubled tram project.  Now Edinburgh faces another challenge with European Union strict standards on air pollution.  The Green party have highlighted the deadline for the city [...]

Chronic pain patients left waiting

Hospital Scene

An FOI request made by the Scottish Labour Party has revealed that some patients suffering from chronic pain are waiting for more than 6 months before their first appointment. The findings have revealed that 1,866 patients are waiting for their first appointment, whilst over 1,000 people are awaiting a follow-up appointment. The worst waiting times [...]

Video: Scotland’s health improves due to smoking ban

lungcancernews

Six years have passed since the implementation of the Scottish smoking ban and new evidence suggests the nation is healthier as a result of the change in legislation. The ban was introduced to protect people from the dangers of passive smoking in public areas. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has revealed that it has [...]

Gene linked to life threatening flu

sneeze

A lack or low content of the protein IFITM3 due to genetic mutation can change a harmless flu into a life-threatening disease. This information was announced in a collaborative study which included contributions from Edinburgh University and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute among others. While most people recover well from a flu, some have to [...]

Nurse suspended over child abuse claims

stethoscope

An experienced nurse has been suspended from her post after being charged with committing sexual offences against a minor. Rhona Sharman, 50, has been suspended from her position as a staff nurse in West Lothian by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The ban is expected to last 18 months while the accused faces the [...]

Cameron pledges boost to dementia care and research

oldhands

David Cameron is expected to pledge to double funding for dementia research by 2015 to £66 million. It is hoped that this funding increase will ensure that the UK will become “the world leader for dementia research and care”. With the figure of dementia sufferers set to rise to 1 million within the next decade [...]

10,000 to participate in Lung Cancer trial

lungcancernews

Ten thousand smokers will participate in a new lung cancer screening trial, according to Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer. Sir Harry Burns announced the trial will test the cost-effectiveness of EarlyCDT lung, a simple blood test used to detect the disease in its earliest stages.  Current screening methods only detect advanced lung cancer. The trial will [...]

Archbishop makes controversial claims to cut abortion rates

giles

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, has made controversial claims that women should be shown scans of their unborn child before proceeding with an abortion. The leader of Scotland’s Catholic Church said he thinks the NHS should introduce the measure which is currently used in America in order to reduce terminations in Scotland. In [...]

Daylight-saving time on the proof

clock

Every year we turn our clocks forward by an hour at the last weekend in March. This year the change to daylight-saving time, or summer time as many people call it, took place yesterday, on March the 25th. Summer time will reduce energy costs by aligning the time we spend awake and working with daylight. [...]

Major fire at Astley Ainslie hospital

DSC_0413

73 patients were forced to evacuate from Astley Ainslie hospital when a fire raged through the building yesterday evening. Fire crews received a call at 5.19pm, and seven appliances were sent from four stations across Edinburgh to tackle the blaze.

Murray to take on Falla in Miami

By: Pamela Paterson British Number One Andy Murray will be hoping to forget his early exit from the Indian Wells Masters when he takes on world number 71 Alejandro Falla in the second round of the Miami Masters later on today. Murray lost to Guillermo Garcia Lopez in the first round of the championship in [...]

“Hibernation” Could Help Stroke Recovery

A technique which cools the human body, inducing a kind of hibernation, is to be used to see if it will help the recovery of stroke victims. The technique, which recuduces body temperature from 36.8C to between 34C and 35C has already been used to treat brain injury after cardiac arrest or birth defects. Inducing [...]

Possible Junk Food Advert Ban

Scotland’s Public Health Minister, Michael Matheson,  has introduced a pre-9pm ban on the television advertising of foods which are high in fat, sugar and salt content. Matheson has also written to Westminster Health Secretary Andrew Lansley asking whether he would support a move to introduce this ban across the UK. “We want to introduce a [...]

First scientific proof of exercise-induced female orgasm

yoga

Women can feel sexual pleasure or even have an orgasm when exercising, a new study proved. The research group from the Indiana University Bloomington found that about 40 % of the 370 women responding to the survey had experienced exercise-induced orgasms or sexual pleasure in more than 10 occasions. The most ‘rewarding’ type of exercise [...]

Rugby legend donates brain to science

Rugby ball

Scottish rugby star John Beattie has announced he intends to donate his brain to science after he dies. The revelation follows a recent study which suggests that rugby players are at risk of similar long term brain injuries to those sustained by boxers. His brain will be used in a neuroscience study to determine the [...]

Concerns over standard of home care for the elderly

Better care for the elderly: The UK Home Care Association reveal shocking conditions in care homes. Image: Nick Fraser/ CC license

The UK’s home care service has been described as “shocking and disgraceful” by a consumer group today.  Many elderly people have been left with food out of reach, in soiled beds and without their medication, a care association has said. The UK Home Care Association said it was never acceptable for people to experience rushed or inadequate [...]

‘No Smoking Day’ urges Scots to quit

With 25% of adults smoking cigarettes, Scotland has the UK’s highest percentage of smokers according to Government statistics.  With this in mind, the nation will participate in the 28th annual “No Smoking Day” on 14 March, Ash Wednesday. This year the British Heart Foundation has merged with the  “No Smoking Day” charity, to support anti-smoking [...]

Young mother died in paracetamol overdose, enquiry hears.

The dangers of overdosing on over-the-counter painkillers Image: pepedelaolla de la olla

A 20 year old woman died after taking too many paracetamol tablets, a coroner has told an enquiry today. Desiree Philips upped her dose of the over-the-counter drug after a routine breast surgery and was found unconscious next to a packet of tablets at a home where she lived with her 11 -month – old [...]

The message in Freddie Mercury’s silence

World Aid Day raises awarness around the globe. Photo: Coursty UNAIDS

“Goodbye everybody – I’ve got to go, gotta leave you all behind and face the truth.” These are some of the lines from one of the most famous songs in music history and looking back they seem hauntingly accurate. The song, written by Freddie Mercury, reached number one for the second time in 1991, staying [...]

“Chinese Army” couldn’t grit Edinburgh

Central areas like the mound are being gritted, but will they go far enough?

A local Councillor has described Edinburgh’s attempt to keep the city’s streets safe during the winter season as “impossible for the Council to do, even if they got the Chinese army.” The comments come as local residents raise concerns about the availability and distribution of grit as predictions of a harsh winter loom. Last year [...]

Self-talk in sports helps to improve performance

Talking to yourself is not always bad, according to a recent study. Sports and exercise psychologist Dr David Tod, from Aberystwyth University, has found that positive self-talk has beneficial effects in sports performance. The study suggests overcoming one’s weaker self is not always easy, even if one  regularly engages in sports. Many people often either [...]

Green spaces can improve your quality of life

As the Woodland Trust says: "life is better with trees."  Photo: Sunny Johnson

Plant a tree, save a life. That’s the idea behind the Green Gym charity. With the help of the Dunfermline and West Fife Community Health Partnership, they aim to improve the lives of patients at Lynebank Hospital by planting trees. The Green Gym charity encourages communities to work together to enhance their local areas by [...]

Potentially promising new cancer treatment and biomarker

There have been great breakthroughs in cancer research.

by Sonja Klein A potential new additional treatment for patients with advanced lung cancer has been found in a collaboration study in Europe. Patients diagnosed with stage III or stage IV lung cancer who have little hope of survival may have renewed hope with a new treatment that is currently being tested at various clinics [...]

New Call for Opt-Out Organ Donation

by Sarah Turnbull “Three people will die unnecessarily every day in Scotland” said Professor John Forsythe, lead clinician for NHS Lothian. This is because more than 700 people in Scotland are waiting for an organ transplant. While 90% of the population in Scotland are in favour of the idea of organ donation, only 37% of [...]

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