Women Flu

Men have long been the source of entertainment with the term ‘man flu’ but a new study has revealed that women are actually likely to suffer for longer and feel their symptoms are worse.

Image courtesy of NHSE / flickr

Beechams commissioned the research which found female flu lasts 20 per cent longer and has worse symptoms than ‘man flu’ with 21 per cent of women retiring to their beds on the first day of the illness, compared to 16 per cent of men.  Women are also more likely to use their symptoms as an excuse to get out of something they don’t want to do.

The research highlighted that women are happier to complain about their ailment to get sympathy, whereas 13 per cent of men prefer ‘tough love’ and 14 per cent want people to make them laugh to feel better.

Women Flu

Nursing Personnel Achieves ISO 9001 Quality Certification

Following an assessment by an independent organisation, Medical Professional Personnel Ltd has been successful in achieving ISO 9001 Certification. This internationally recognised prestigious award for quality is an International Standard in use worldwide as a bench mark for quality.

The award recognises Medical Professional Personnel Ltd commitment to an exceptional quality of service. With only around 3% of UK businesses holding this certificate Medical Professional Personnel are now at the forefront of quality and service care.

We have always tried to provide a quality service and now with the certification this has been confirmed by outside experts who are used to judging service on daily basis in a variety of trades and industries.

As a medical recruitment business placing nursing jobs through our nursing agency and locum jobs through our locum agency, quality is an integral part of our service. With ISO 9001 we want to continue to improve the quality of service we provide to our customers.

Overseas Nurses

Recently a government report revealed that there could be a shortage of almost 50,000 nurses within three years, based on current trends.

In the short term, NHS trusts are recruiting nurses from overseas to plug the shortfall in staff and the UK has seen these numbers double in the last three years. A Department of Health spokesperson said: “Recruiting from abroad is nothing new. Overseas nurses make a very valuable contribution to the NHS patient care. However, they should only ever work in the NHS if they have proven their competence and language skills.” Hospitals are said to have recruited from 29 countries outside the UK including their highest numbers from Portugal, Spain, Ireland and the Philippines. Of 105 NHS trusts, 40 have actively recruited nurses from abroad in the last twelve months to ensure staff shortages do not impair patient care and safety.

Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders are more common than most think with people in the UK struggling to get enough sleep at night which leaves them tired during the day.

According to sleep disorder specialist Dr Peter Venn, the minimum amount of sleep we should be aiming for is six hours. Dr Venn says: “There is evidence that the amount of sleep on average that society is getting is shortening and if you are tired during the day the best thing you can do is address your night time sleeping pattern. The best amount of sleep to get is about 7.5 to 8 hours and that’s where mortality rates are the lowest.”

An increasingly popular solution to a lack of sleep is a power nap during the day but experts are divided as to whether this is beneficial. The most commonly cited study, compiled in 2006, suggests a daytime nap of less than 30 minutes will promote wakefulness. What experts do agree on however is that a daytime nap should not replace sleeping at night as this is when restorative sleep takes place.

Broccoli Helps Prevent Skin Cancer

New research in the US suggests that broccoli could be just as effective at protecting skin from the sun’s harmful rays as sun screen.

Rubbing broccoli directly into the skin could also reduce the chance of a person developing skin cancer the study suggests.  The team believe the vegetable contains a compound called sulforaphane which could help prevent skin cancer and triggers chemoprotective genes which protect healthy tissue from the toxic effects of chemotherapy drugs.

Dr Sally Dickinson, research assistant, said: “Sulforaphane may be an excellent candidate for use in the prevention of skin cancer caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays.  It is the kind of compound that has so many incredible theoretical applications if the dosage is measured correctly.  We already know it is very effective in blocking sunburns and we have seen cases where it can induce protective enzymes in the skin.”