Natural Woman for 2012

Not a very good start to 2012 weather-wise but here at Natural Woman we are anticipating bigger and more things to come!

We have a number of new products which have come in including Menopause supplements and intimate washes, organic lubricants, organic baby wipes and more series to our popular Patch-It range.  As we continue to search for the most effective, both human and environmentally friendly products, we have also continued to think of other things to add that maybe fun, or what you maybe interested in.

Late 2011 we added Deals of the Week and a sales section, 50% sale, where items have up to 50% off.  Due to it's popularity these offers will continue, and to carry on with the momentum we will be introducing a competition zone.  Along with running competitions throughout the year will will also continue to add money off vouchers, limited and special offers too in our offers section, so keep an eye on our blog!  We will also be posting limited discount and special offers in our Twitter site so if you haven't followed us yet now's the time to do it!

As always we love to hear from you, so if you have any suggestions, comments, feedback or anything else you'd like to share, don't hesitate to drop us an email - sales@natural-woman.com

In the meantime wrap up warm,
NW Team

Paracetamol warning: 'Slightly too much can cause overdose'

Taking slightly too much paracetamol day after day can be fatal, experts have warned.

A dangerous dose might just be a few pills too many taken regularly over days, weeks or months, they said.
Researchers at Edinburgh University saw 161 cases of "staggered overdose" at its hospital over a 16-year period.

People taking tablets for chronic pain might not realise they were taking too many or recognise symptoms of overdose and liver injury, they said.

The researchers told the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology that this life-threatening condition could be easily missed by doctors and patients.

Doctors may not initially spot the problem because blood tests will not show the staggeringly high levels of paracetamol seen with a conventional overdose, where someone may have swallowed several packets of the drug.

Patients who have taken a staggered overdose tend to fare worse than those who have taken a large overdose, the study suggests.

Taking slightly more than is recommended can cause significant damage over time

Dr Kenneth Simpson and colleagues looked at the medical records of 663 patients who had been referred with paracetamol-induced liver injury to the Scottish Liver Transplantation Unit at the university hospital.

The 161 who had taken a staggered overdose were more likely to develop liver and brain problems and need kidney dialysis or help with their breathing. They were also more likely to die of their complications.

Dr Simpson said: "They haven't taken the sort of single-moment, one-off massive overdoses taken by people who try to commit suicide, but over time the damage builds up, and the effect can be fatal."

Professor Roger Knaggs of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society said patients should heed the warning.

"If people experience pain and paracetamol doesn't help, rather than thinking a 'top up' dose may work, they should consult their pharmacist for alternative pain control or referral to someone who can help with the cause of the pain. 

"The message is clear: if you take more paracetamol than is recommended, you won't improve your pain control but you may seriously damage your health.

"At this time of year people should also take care with combination cold and flu products which may have paracetamol as one of the ingredients. It's easy to take more than intended, so if in doubt consult your pharmacist."

Meanwhile, researchers at King's College London and Lund University in Sweden say they have discovered precisely how paracetamol works in the body. It is via a protein on nerve cells called TRPA1, says Nature Communications.

Now that they understand this principal mechanism, scientists can start to look for molecules that work in the same way to effectively relieve pain, but are less toxic and will not lead to serious complications following overdose.

Recommended dose

• Take paracetamol as directed on the packet or patient information leaflet that comes with the medicine

• Each tablet usually contains 500mg

• Adults can take 1-2 tablets of paracetamol 4-6 hourly, up to four times a day 

• This means you should not take more than 8 tablets (4g) in a 24-hour period

• If you accidentally take an extra dose of paracetamol, you should miss out the next dose so that you do not take more than the recommended maximum dose for a 24-hour period. 

• If you are concerned or you feel unwell, contact your GP or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647

By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News
Photo: SPL 

England 'healthier than the US'

People living in England enjoy better health than Americans, despite less investment in healthcare, research published in the US has revealed.

Across all ages, US residents tend to fare worse in terms of diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease markers, data on over 100,000 people show.

Expanding waistlines in the UK have not closed the transatlantic health gap

The reason remains a mystery, says the US team, and challenges the idea that resources necessarily improve health.

It may be due to the UK's bigger drive on disease prevention, they say.


Transatlantic health gap
 
Despite the greater use of health care technology in the US, Americans receive less preventive health care than their English counterparts.

They have fewer physician consultations per year.

Acute hospital visits are also shorter in the US, potentially resulting in missed opportunities for follow-up, say the report authors in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

It is also possible that differences in social or environmental conditions or lifestyle play a role.


But despite looking, the researchers did not find any real evidence that differences in obesity, alcohol consumption or physical activity were to blame.

Smoking may be a factor, but Dr Melissa Martinson and colleagues doubt it because even younger Americans who have not yet been exposed to decades of tobacco smoke appear to be in worse health than English counterparts.

And although a larger share of Americans are uninsured or under insured compared to populations in England or other European countries, even groups with good access to health insurance experienced worse health than people in England.

The researchers say: "Why health status differs so dramatically in these two countries, which share much in terms of history and culture, is an unresolved puzzle.

"Given our finding of health differences between the US and England at young ages, a promising focus of future research - one that could help to elucidate the causes of poor health across the life course - is on health differences between countries at the earliest ages."

Public health experts suggested more generous holiday entitlements and more favourable working conditions in the UK might also play a part.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health said: "The NHS offers care free to all at the point of use and based on need.

"Whilst in some areas our outcomes may be favourable compared with those in the US, we are still clear that we have a long way to go before we achieve outcomes comparable with the best performing health systems.


"That is exactly why we are modernising the NHS."




Article written by Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News
Photo: SPL

Brain chemistry winter blues link

Scientists have pinpointed seasonal changes in brain chemistry which may cause some people to suffer from the winter blues.

 

Seasonal affective disorder, which can be debilitating, is linked to lack of light exposure on short winter days.
The latest study suggests this might make proteins which clear the brain of the mood-regulating chemical serotonin more active.

Poor mood in winter is linked to lack of light

The University of Toronto study appears in Archives of General Psychiatry.

Seasonal affective disorder is linked to lack of energy, fatigue, overeating and a tendancy to sleep longer as well as depressed mood.

The condition affects thousands of people in the UK.

Writing in the journal, the researchers said it was common for people living in temperate zones to feel happier and more energetic on bright and sunny days, with many experiencing a decline in mood and energy during the dark winter season.

Brain scans
 
The researchers carried out brain scans on 88 volunteers between 1999 and 2003.

The scans were designed to assess the activity of a protein known as a serotonin transporter, which binds to serotonin and clears it from the spaces between brain cells.

The more active the protein, the lower the levels of serotonin in the brain, and the greater the likelihood of a depressed mood.

The researchers found that the protein was significantly more active in all areas of the brain examined by the scans in the autumn and winter.

They believe light may have a direct effect on the activity of the protein.

The researchers wrote: "These findings have important implications for understanding seasonal mood change in healthy individuals, vulnerability to seasonal affective disorder and the relationship of light exposure to mood.

"This offers a possible explanation for the regular reoccurrence of depressive episodes in fall and winter in some vulnerable individuals."

Dr Jonathan Johnston, a lecturer in neuroscience at the University of Surrey, said: "The data show a correlation between a serotonin transporter chemical and hours of sunshine, although how day-length might change transporter activity is not yet known."

Professor Michael Terman, an expert in seasonal affective disorder at Columbia University in New York, said the causes were likely to be complex.

He said the condition might be linked to disturbance caused to the body's natural daily rhythm by the fact that dawn and dusk were closer together in the winter.

He said research had shown that symptoms of winter depression had been reduced by brief exposure to light around dawn.

This suggests that the timing of exposure to light, rather than the simple volume of exposure might be important.


Article and photo by BBC News, Health
Brain chemistry winter blues link