Content about Medicine

IMAGINE walking around all day with your fingers in your ears. You wouldn’t be able to hear properly, would turn up the TV volume to maximum and struggle to understand what everyone was trying to talk to you about.

That’s what life is like for the one in five toddlers the NHS estimates suffer from glue ear.

With spring will soon upon us, many are looking for a lifestyle overhaul. 

Aside from gym membership deals and generic celebrity fitness DVDs, sales of another handy health tool are also on the increase – herbal supplements.

Echinacea, St Johns Wort, Vitamin C, D and E – the list of supplements that can be taken to treat a combination of ailments is endless. Promising to boost immune systems, cure or prevent colds and flu, and promote general wellbeing, herbal supplements are popular and are taken by a large amount of people every day.

Only 10 per cent of dental surgeries in Cardiff are currently accepting new NHS patients, with waiting lists in some areas running at more than two months.

This comes after a report by the Welsh Liberal Democrats revealed only 37 per cent of dentists across Wales were accepting new patients, with waiting lists on the increase across the country.

Men watching the rugby, fighting, swearing. Men arguing with each other, having sex, working, driving. Produced by Shock 'n' Awe Performance Company, Muscle is an energetic mix of theatre and dance which places the energy and frustrations of the male sex under the spotlight.

Beginning with a comic demonstration of stereotypical male behaviour, the production attempted to peel back these perceptions. It juxtaposed physical male strength, from fight scenes and acrobatics, with emotional fragility, exploring deeper issues of childhood, love and parenting.

The thought of losing a loved one is something which terrifies us all. It is a fear people avoid acknowledging, pushing it to the back of their mind because nobody wants to admit something so desperately sad is happening to them.

So when Nia Griffiths, 45, owner of Neo Hair Design in Gabalfa, Cardiff, learnt her older sister had developed breast cancer, she was determined to stay strong. Nia said: “Losing a sister would leave a big hole in my life.”

Cardiff pharmacists will now be able to provide women and under-16s with emergency contraception, free of charge.

From today, chemists across Wales can apply to dispense the morning-after pill for free, while women in the rest of the UK continue to pay around £25.

Emergency contraception is free across the UK if it is prescribed by a GP or family planning clinic, but Wales is the first nation to offer emergency contraception over the counter free of charge.

With the budget due to be announced tomorrow, yet again the Government is targeting alcohol tax to try and ease the burden on the economy.

Although this paper realises money needs to be found to lower the deficit, the Government must remember people are already struggling to make ends meet due to the recession.

Although it may take more than a 10p increase per pint to discourage some avid pub-goers, it could significantly add to an evening spent in the pub and people may look to other forms of entertainment.

The latest dance craze has hit the capital - forget the tango, it's time to do the Zumba.

A Latin-inspired dance fitness class, the Zumba is a fun way to get fit without even noticing. Grooving to specifically timed beats which strengthens your core muscles, the Zumba even got the over 50s grooving at their Eisteddfod performance in Caerau.

Holland House Hotel and Spa is one of many in the city offering spa treatments and facilities. I booked myself in for a massage to see how the four star hotel fared.

Before I had my treatment, I decided to check out the rest of the spa facilities. The leisure receptionist was incredibly helpful and went out of her way to make sure I knew where I was going and whether I had everything I needed.