Quit smoking before surgery
A new study shows that stopping smoking before surgery reduces post-operative complication. Some 120 patients who were awaiting hip or knee surgery were randomly assigned to a smoking intervention group six to eight weeks pre-operatively, while the control group received no intervention.
Counselling and a choice of nicotine replacement therapies were offered to those in the intervention group. Patients were encouraged to give up smoking completely or at least cut down by up to 50 per cent.
Results showed that those who quit smoking completely had significantly reduced post-operative complications, especially for wound-related problems, and stayed in hospital for two days less than the control group. Those that merely reduced their cigarette consumption did not show the beneficial effects enjoyed by the quitters.
Lack of information for mothers
More than 60 per cent of Irish mothers received no information from their GP, public health nurse or other health professionals about developmental and other tests for their babies before or immediately after the birth of their child.
One in four Irish mothers said they didn't know in advance what any of the tests would cover. "This survey reveals that Irish mothers experience higher levels of stress and anxiety about baby checks compared to British mums, which clearly indicates the need for more accessible and straightforward information to help reassure them," says Breda Cleary, assistant director of Public Health Nursing and president of the Institute of Community Health Nursing in Britain.
Is it really an allergy?
Food allergies are greatly overestimated in adults, according to a report in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. More than one fifth of adults surveyed reported suffering adverse reactions to certain foods. Yet, when medically tested for allergies to five foods (wheat, egg white, shrimp, cow's milk and peanut), less than two per cent were diagnosed with a true food allergy. The author of the study, Rosalie Woods, concluded that the number of people modifying their diet is many times higher than the number who need to due to a possible food allergy.
Herbs and health
Herbalist Sean Boylan (who is also manager of the Meath football team) will speak on herbal medicine on Thursday at 6.30 p.m. in University College Dublin, Earlsfort Terrace. He is the guest of the complementary medicine society which was set up last year by medical students "to educate students and others about alternative and complementary therapies and medicines".
lifelines@irish-times.ie