Health & Wellbeing

"I am writing to invite your readers to sign up to the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) toughest fundraising challenge yet, a 100km trek. The BHF has four 100km treks available which will push participants to the limit. Each challenge takes, on average, 26 hours to complete and will see participants cover 62.1 miles, walking nonstop through the night to raise funds for the BHF’s life saving research.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) Charity is raising money to help bring Christmas to over one million patients and staff who will be at hospital over the festive period. From elderly care patients with few or no family members, to children receiving radiotherapy, a gruelling course of treatments five days a week for six weeks, over one thousand patients will face the prospect of spending Christmas Day in the QE.

A UK health charity has expressed deep concern following new data which reveals the alarming use of online self-diagnosis. The British Dental Health Foundation believes an over-reliance on websites, particularly online symptom checkers, could lead to delays in the diagnosis and treatment of life threatening diseases such as mouth cancer.

The latest estimates from the International Diabetes Foundation Atlas indicate that there are 382 million people living with diabetes worldwide. A further 316 million people are currently at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, with the number expected to increase to almost 500 million within a generation.

Ahead of England’s fourth annual National HIV Testing Week, which will feature on buses travelling across Birmingham, new figures released this week by Public Health England (PHE) reveal there were 10 per cent more diagnoses in the West Midlands in 2014 compared to 2013, showing HIV testing is working.

If you’re thinking about putting your house on the market and moving on to pastures new then you might want to think again, as according to a new survey 43 per cent of people consider moving house to be life’s biggest headache. The survey of 2,000 UK adults by Syndol Headache Relief also revealed that over a quarter of people (28 per cent)think it’s the process of buying the house itself that causes the most stress.

During this Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week, Public Health England (PHE) is advising people in the West Midlands to have their fossil fuel and wood burning appliances – such as boilers, heaters and cookers – checked by an appropriately registered engineer before winter sets in. There are about 30 accidental deaths a year from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in England and Wales.

A community activist from Birmingham has been given an award by the national charity Rethink Mental Illness for his work to improve attitudes to mental health. Steven Gilbert, has been awarded winner of the Janey Antoniou award for his passion and commitment to improving the lives of people living with mental illness.

Health visitors and children’s centres in Wolverhampton have been praised for their work to promote breastfeeding and improve care for new mums. They have been awarded the prestigious Baby Friendly Award from Unicef, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and in doing so have joined the maternity unit at New Cross Hospital in securing the accreditation.

A survey of opticians has revealed the most common complaint they hear from patients who drive is that they momentarily fall asleep at the wheel. A poll of members of Sight Care – a support network for independent opticians – found that 57 per cent rated losing concentration and briefly falling asleep as the complaint they heard the most from driving customers.

People who care for a friend or relative can find out about the support available to them during this year's Carers Rights Day on Friday 20 November, 2015. The charity Omega is holding a free outreach and information session at Beckminster Church, Birches Barn Road, from 10.30am-2pm, with a host of organisations on hand to highlight the help available to carers.

Services for people with dementia in Birmingham are being expanded as the Alzheimer’s Society enlarges its popular dementia café programme to cover more areas of the city. 7 new dementia cafes are opening across the city and 1 new Singing for the Brain group is being created. There already are 5 dementia cafes across the city that have been running for up to 5 years.

Workers in West Midlands have revealed what they think are the top 10 most socially awkward situations that inevitably happen at work, as part of the British Heart Foundation’s new Raise Funds Your Way campaign to get workplaces fundraising to fight heart disease.

With colder weather approaching, people are being advised of the steps they should take if they are struck down by norovirus. Also called the winter vomiting bug, norovirus causes diarrhoea, vomiting and flu-like symptoms and is highly contagious – so infected individuals should minimise contact with other people to prevent its rapid spread.

A dog was given life-saving surgery by vet charity PDSA after a sausage binge caused a potentially fatal stomach condition. Seven-year-old Weimaraner Jake wolfed down the tasty treats whole (perhaps he’d heard it's British Sausage Week!) but began feeling ‘offal’ soon after.