TRAVEL INSURANCE LATEST
Older people with pre-existing conditions might like to try Norwich Union who apparently asks more detailed questions about conditions, not just 'yes' and 'no' responses, and as such can be a bit more realistic about ones condition (www.norwichunion.com or 0808 101 4991). There is no upper age limit but I have no idea of the cost. Other insurers for older people are FT Insurance Services (0116 272 0500), Co-operative Insurance (0845 746 4646), Age Concern (0845 685 1058) and Help the Aged (0800 0223 1921). I have just got a single trip insurance from Help the Aged, two weeks in Egypt for a premium of £76 for myself and my wife - not a bad rate!
David Read
PULMONARY REHABILITATION
Since working in the field of exercise I have noticed that the key to most rehabilitation programmes is to promote a healthy lifestyle by encouraging physical activity. Cardiac rehabilitation is well established and has been around in the UK since the 1970's. A recent review of exercise based cardiac rehabilitation trials has high lighted several key benefits, which include an increased exercise capacity; a reduction in certain coronary artery disease risk factors; an improvement in quality of life and an increase in survival rates in patients who have sustained a heart attack. The need for cardiac rehab has been well publicised in the press and most areas in the UK now have an exercise based cardiac rehab programme.
However, a new era is beginning with the introduction of pulmonary rehabilitation to help treat patients with respiratory disease. Respiratory disease affects the lungs, which includes conditions such as Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Surveys of people with chronic lung disease by the British Lung Foundation suggest that 90% of chronic lung disease is due to COPD. This equates to approximately
600,000 people living in the UK have the condition. COPD is a term used for a number of conditions including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
COPD leads to damaged airways in the lungs, causing them to become narrower and making it harder for the air to get in and out of the lungs. The word 'chronic' means that the problem is long-term. The consequences of COPD leads to symptoms of shortness of breath during everyday tasks such as housework, shopping and even self care activities. Such symptoms cause anxiety, disability and handicap. The treatment of COPD includes medical management and pulmonary rehabilitation. Pulmonary rehabilitation is similar to cardiac rehabilitation, which includes an exercise component and educational sessions on managing symptoms of breathlessness, nutrition, medication, physical activity and the anatomy of the respiratory system (the lungs).
Although there is no cure for COPD, there is a wealth of evidence that suggests that pulmonary rehabilitation reduces disability. The reduction in disability improves the quality of life in individuals with COPD, which also reduces the burden on the healthcare system. The number of programmes that are available in the UK limits the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation for many patients. It has been estimated that only 10,000 patients in the UK have access to rehabilitation. However, this is all about to change. The British Lung Foundation and Loughborough college have developed an educational course to train exercise instructors to deliver exercise programmes in the format of an exercise class to patients with chronic respiratory disease. The idea behind this course is to raise the standard of pulmonary rehabilitation up to the level to that of cardiac rehabilitation.
Tim Grove
STRESS AND THE UNDER-50s
I suspect that the average age of THROB members is well over fifty but I thought this item is something members should be aware of in order that they can bring it to the attention of their offspring, many of whom must be in their forties.
Stressed workers under fifty years old are two thirds more likely to suffer from heart disease. Employees with heavy workloads and little control over decisions that affect their professional lives were found to be 68 per cent more likely to suffer from heart disease than those who had easier jobs. While previous studies have also suggested stress is linked to cardiovascular problems, the new research sheds light on the specific changes to the nervous system and the body's hormone levels that cause the increased risk. Researchers found stress at work increased the risk of heart attacks by undermining the body's natural mechanisms for coping under pressure.
The research team at University College London, which monitored more than 10,000 civil servants over 12 years, showed how the hearts of those under the most pressure became less able to change the rate at which they beat in response to stress over time. They also found that high workplace demands also encourage smoking, poor diet and a lack of physical activity - all linked to increased danger of heart disease.
Dr. Tarani Chandola, who led the study, said: "This is the first large study of people in everyday working life, rather than just of chronic burnt-out patients, showing that those who report more stress are also more likely to have certain biological stress responses." He added that during 12 years of follow-up, the researchers found that chronic work stress was associated with coronary heart disease and this association was stronger among both men and women aged under 50 - their risk of coronary heart disease was an average of 68 per cent more than for people who reported no stress at work. The body defends the heart from damage caused by stress through a system called the autonomic nervous system. Stressful situations trigger immediate increases in levels of the hormone adrenaline and boost the heart rate. These subside gradually when conditions return to normal. Repeatedly high levels of stress cause wear and tear, undermining this so-called heart rate variability - the heart's natural stress defence mechanism.
David Read
RIGHT CARE - RIGHT PLACE
A CONSULTATION ON THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE IN BERKSHIRE
The Berkshire East Primary Care Trust, which is the NHS authority responsible for managing the finances of the local healthcare provisions, has just started a major consultation on the future way that healthcare will be offered to patients in the area. This must be of significant interest to all THROB members and I hope that you will all make an effort to contribute.
There are six major changes being proposed. These are:
1. Moving outpatient services from the major hospitals into the community hospitals and clinics.
2. To improve local services in all three boroughs.
3. To introduce a new GP-led health centre at Upton Hospital.
4. To set up new urgent care centres at Wexham Park Hospital and in Bracknell.
5. To change the maternity services at Wexham Park and Heatherwood Hospitals.
6. To introduce treatment centres for cancer in Bracknell and Slough.
There are also proposals for changes to the mental health services on which comment is requested.
The details of the proposals can be found in the consultation document which can be accessed through the website www.rightcarerightplace.nhs.uk or through freefone 0800 288 9807 and there are local meetings throughout the district over February and March. Some of these proposals will undoubtedly meet with general approval but there are several ideas which will certainly be considered contentious and it is imperative that those of us with a continuing need for healthcare services should make our feelings plain.
Roger Mills
TAKE A NAP!
You may remember a short piece in the last issue of THROBNews extolling the virtues of the post-prandial nap - or 'siesta' as the southern Europeans are wont to call it. No sooner had the issue hit the streets than I discovered yet another article on the subject, this one a bit more statistically significant.
In a joint project the Greeks and Americans studied 23,681 Greek men and women of all ages and who were quite fit when enrolled on the trial. Their siesta habits, diets and exercise regime were monitored for a period of five years and their subsequent long-term health monitored for a further six years and four months. Once the effects of diet and exercise were taken into account there was still a significant benefit from taking a nap after lunch. Among working men the risk of dying from Cardiac Heart Disease was 64% lower, while retired and non-working men had the smaller but significant benefit of 36% lower risk. So there you have it - I'll promise not to call you between 2pm and 3pm - so don't you ring me!
David Read
ICDs
If any of you have had an ICD fitted recently( my name for it is the "Gizmo"), and are in any way concerned about the device, or what you can or can't do, or if you are just a little concerned about the implications of the whole business, please feel free to contact me, Kaz James on 01344 445304 or e-mail ke.james@ulonline.co.uk: - a problem shared is a problem reduced! I have resolved to grasp the nettle and get fitter and so will be starting Exercise Classes on a Monday!
The THROB Committee are keen to provide a support group for people with ICDs and are working towards that end. While they would like all the members of that group to be members of THROB it is not an essential requirement. This would be exactly the same basis as for attendance at exercise classes. THROB prides itself on offering its services to anyone with Cardiac Heart Disease, not just its members.
If you know anyone who has had an ICD fitted you can tell them to contact the THROBNews editor on 01344 454743 who will be happy to send them a copy of this issue and information on how to join THROB.
Any THROB members who were recalled for an ICD check before Christmas will be fully aware that the manufacturers were concerned that there might be a design fault with a very small percentage of ICDs. We were all (44 in total) fitted with an alarm which would be activated between 7am - 8am if the "device is working towards the limits of its parameters", Although this is reassuring it is still just a little bit scary. We are trying to arrange a meeting with the manufacturers. However, although we are keen, the Managers at Wexham Park and Heatherwood seem to be dragging their feet. We are now trying to arrange something ourselves. Dr. Steven Rex (President of THROB) is keen on this idea. We have the contact at the manufacturers and we have the backing of THROB. Watch this space!
Karen (Kaz) James
(What's an ICD? I think it's an Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator - am I right? Ed.)
BEWARE THE DREADED 'FLU
A British Heart Foundation funded study reveals that a bout of influenza doubles the immediate risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Sufferers are four times more likely to be affected within four days of falling ill with the flu and are at double the risk for up to a week, according to the study of two million people. Flu dislodges fatty deposits that build up in the arteries, leaving them free to move around the body and get stuck in the brain or heart where they block the blood flow.
Today researchers describe the increased risks associated with flu as a "substantial public health problem" that is killing thousands of elderly people every year. The risks also apply to other serious respiratory infections; such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Around 23,000 more people die in winter than in the summer months. Prof. Tom Meade, the co-author of the study, said heart attacks and strokes brought on by flu and other respiratory infections would account for "several thousand" of these deaths.
More than 15 million flu jabs will have been given to elderly and vulnerable patients this winter and Prof Meade is calling for as many as possible to have the vaccine to guard against the risks. He stresses that the risks did not apply to colds, only serious bouts of flu or other infections such as bronchitis which were severe enough for patients to see their GP. Dr Tim Clayton, the lead author of the report, said the results suggested that putting more effort into preventing infection through vaccination and treating diseases sooner could save many lives. Since there may be a large number of vascular deaths attributable to respiratory infection the benefits of reducing respiratory infection, particularly in the winter months, could be substantial.
Of the two million people whose GP records were studied, 11,000 had suffered a heart attack. They were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with flu or a respiratory infection in the previous month. Around 9,000 had suffered strokes. They were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with a respiratory infection in the previous three days. The risk tailed off with time and three months after being diagnosed with flu, patients were at only slightly increased risk.
David Read
THE BERKS, BUCKS AND OXON BIG BAND
The band provided another great evening for THROB and guests at the annual concert held at Bourne End at the end of November 2007. Not only was it a feast of musical entertainment but also lucrative to the tune of almost £1300 which we will put to good use. Personally I thought it was one of the best THROB concerts we have ever heard and I have only missed a couple since March 1995. The "March of the Trombone Section" - off the stage , down the central aisle and back - will be remembered for ever!
One of our guests, Brian Vincent, was the co-founder of Big Bands - Windsor and obviously an afficionado of the subject, reported in their Newsletter that he had been to our concert, found it to be superb and gave the thumbs up to all aspects:
".....the BBO with their two vocalists played 27 numbers altogether, including four Millers, and many other favouite tunes were featured. There were approximately 150 people in the audience and there were teas and mince pies in the interval. Most enjoyable!"
The band was formed 22 years ago, in 1986, by Roy Hole - from Maidenhead - in a pub in Lane End. This was the most convenient place when he put together several local musicians for the first 'blow' of what was to become the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Big Band - the BBO. The beer might also have played a part in that decision! After a short while, Roy thought the band should put on monthly concerts for local charities. Since then it has raised over £235,000 and has played in some wonderful venues - including the Albert Hall in the presence of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. Professional, semi-pros and those who have retired from the business but just can't stop coming back, are joined together by the infectious drive and swing of the big band repertoire. It is the music that holds the band together and the results never cease to be in demand.
Since Roy's retirement, the band has been led firstly by Alan Grahame (considered by many to be the best vibraphone player in Britain), then by Sid Busby (one of the finest trumpet players you could hear) and now by Bill Skelton (a sublime trombonist, when he gets the chance to play).
As well as other engagements like the concert put on for THROB, the band puts on a concert at the Royal British Legion Club in Marlow on the last Thursday of nearly every month of the year. Tickets priced at about £6 are available at the door. If you can only manage once a year then the next THROB concert will be on Sunday, 30th November 2008.
The Band is as ambitious as ever to raise as much money as they can for as many local charities as possible, so if you know of a local charity which could do with some support tell them about the BBO Big Band as they might be able to help. The Band can be contacted through their website www. bbobigband.co.uk I think THROB is a shining example of the BBO's achievements - 14 concerts and over £17,300 raised for our funds.
David Read