The Patient Experience

What is the financial impact of having a chronic medical condition?

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:00:22 +0000

As people with a particular medical condition we, of course, focus on how the illness affects our bodies. Increasingly we have a look at how it impacts our lifestyles and general wellbeing.

In this blog, however, we want to look at the lives from a slightly different angle. What affect of a chronic medical condition has upon your finances and the finances of those who care for patients?

There are lots of issues to consider here. Click here for more

Living with Raynaud’s Phenomenon

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:30:29 +0000

Raynaud’s phenomenon can cause a great deal of discomfort and inconvenience no matter what level the symptoms may present themselves. Surprisingly, a lot of the general public in the UK have not even heard of this affliction.

It is easy to confuse the numbing sensation in your hands with the onset of arthritis but important to remember that these are two separate conditions. Click here for more

Spotlight On Heart Health – managing high cholesterol and high blood pressure Web TV show

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:30:01 +0000

Log on to our live web TV show where we discuss how to manage high cholesterol and high blood pressure to keep your heart healthy

Show date: Monday 21st May
Show time: 3pm

High cholesterol and high blood pressure are the biggest causes of heart disease and if left untreated or not managed correctly, seriously increase your risk of heart attack or a stroke. Click here for more

Duchenne muscular dystrophy – Raising Awareness

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 08:30:22 +0000

Until few weeks ago while I had heard about and knew a little about muscular dystrophy I had not heard of a specific type called Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

My ignorance was ended when earlier this month when I read an article by and eminent journalist and interviewer Martin Bashir in the UK’s Guardian newspaper. I cannot recommend Bashir’s article too strongly. Click here for more

Hepatitis C Awareness – Ending the stigma

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:30:27 +0000

In December 2009 Magdalena Harris of National Centre in HIV Social Research, University of New South Wales in Australia published a paper in Body Society called Injecting, Infection, Illness: Abjection and Hepatitis C Stigma.

Based upon “qualitative interviews with 40 people living with chronic hepatitis C in New Zealand and Australia” Harris argues that there are three primary causes for Hepatitis C stigma?Click here for more

Fibromuscular Dysplasia Awareness –Get informed

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:30:27 +0000

FMD Chat have asked us to share this short informational blog to raise awareness of Fibromuscular Dysplasia in general and FMS Awareness Day 2012 in particular. Welcome to our first Fibromuscular Dysplasia blog.

Fibromuscular dysplasia was first discovered in 1938. It is a nonatherosclerotic, noninflammatory vascular disease that most commonly affects the renal arteries, and in its primary form, the affected artery is characterized by a string of beads appearance. Click here for more

Do you eat five portions of fruit and vegetables each day?

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:30:36 +0000

Since 2003 the UK government has been recommending that we eat five portions of fruit and vegetables each day! Indeed on this very blog Amanda Ursell argues for two pieces of fruit and three different vegetables.

This statement however is slightly confused as to what “a portion” actually means. Though it sometimes means 80g of a particular fruit or vegetable but this is ambiguous. To add to the confusion Australia recommends seven portions each day and in America the US National Cancer Institute “recommends seven for women and nine a day for men. Click here for more

What not to say to someone with obsessive compulsive disorder OCD

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:30:52 +0000

People say the darnedest things. And sometimes they say the most insensitive things. Whilst it’s great that obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has received enough media attention that it’s no longer a dirty secret, it is obvious that many people still fail to understand the true severity of this anxiety disorder. When people say things like “I’m so OCD about that,” what they don’t get is that were they really suffering from OCD they would be trapped in an endless cycle of intrusive thoughts and anxiety, held hostage by their own minds, and often barely able to function in their lives.Click here for more

World MS Day 2012 – find out more about 1000 Faces of MS and help raise Multiple sclerosis awareness

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:30:36 +0000

World MS Day (WMSD) is the only global awareness raising campaign for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Every year, the MS movement comes together to provide the public with information about MS and how it affects the lives of more than two million people around the world.

WMSD was launched in 2009 with over 200 events in 67 countries and has continued to grow every year. Last year saw activities taking place in more than 73 countries worldwide! Click here for more

Healthcare Blogger – The Patient Experience wants you to blog for us

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:30:28 +0000

Thanks for dropping round. This blog is a bit different from our usual posts.

It is a request really. Would you like to write a blog for us? Yes you. We are delighted to publish the thoughts of patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals. They often spark great debates and are a great opportunity to share ideas and experiences about medicine and healthcare.

So what sort of things are we looking for? Well pretty much anything as long as it is related to healthcare. Click here for more