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Welcome back to this week’s edition of the news summary at The Medic Portal. This blog brings you the key health stories that occurred from 3rd to 11th June. This week figures published show that the NHS is missing waiting list targets and is struggling to meet increasing demands. New research has also been published that suggests that being married could improve your health whereas even moderate alcohol consumption can affect memory.
Hospital long waits are the highest that they have been since 2008. The number of patients in England who are waiting over 18 weeks for routine treatments is the largest since 2008, official reports found. In addition to this, waiting time targets are also missing in A&E departments as well as for those patients requiring cancer treatment. The new figures reflect how the NHS is struggling to cope with demand due to limited resources.
Research has shown that marriage is good for your health and can increase life expectancy. This is thought to be due to the fact that a spouse may encourage you to look after yourself. The study included participants with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. Those in the study who were married fared better than those who were single, although the study did not take into account those who were cohabiting, separated, divorced or widowed.
A new study that involved analysing brain scans and cognitive tests has suggested that moderate drinking over many years could damage areas within the brain. One of the areas thought to be affected is the area of the brain responsible for memory. The UK drinking guidelines were changed last year and now both men and women are not recommended to drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week. The study showed that those who are light drinkers (less than seven units per week) had no difference in brain structure compared with those who did not drink alcohol.
Words: Joelle
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