Your mother was right: Standing up straight IS good for you (by helping you tolerate pain) By FIONA MACRAE

Mothers have long told their children to stop slouching and sit up straight.

Now scientists have shown that good posture doesn’t just give a good impression – it also raises your pain threshold. They also found slouching makes the body more sensitive to discomfort.

The researchers began their tests by putting blood-pressure cuffs on the arms of volunteers and inflating them until they began to feel pain. 

Restless leg syndrome may be hereditary as scientists discover faulty genes

Scientists have discovered two faulty genes that cause restless leg syndrome, the annoying condition that affects five million Britons.

The discovery sheds light on the origins of one of the most common nerve disorders, and could pave the way for new drugs to help sufferers.

Around one in 10 adults experiences restless leg syndrome at some point in their life. Sufferers experience unpleasant sensations in their legs which can only be eased by moving, walking or jiggling.

Discomfort: Restless leg syndrome causes unpleasant sensations which can only be eased by moving, walking or jiggling

Now a team of scientists from Germany, Canada and the U.S. have found two genetic mutations linked to the condition.

He really is a big baby! The 13lb 2oz boy born weighing same as a three-month-old (and mum felt her pelvis crack as she had him)

When doctors reassured Jennifer Foreman her unborn baby would not weigh more than 8lb she hoped she could trust their judgment.

But after putting on a staggering five stone during the course of her pregnancy, she was right not to be so confident.

Her son Christopher eventually entered the world at a thumping 13lb 2oz – the weight of the average three-month-old – making him one of Britain’s biggest ever newborns.

Take care of your teeth and eyes 'to cut risk of dementia'

Going to the dentist, having your eyes tested and trying to avoid coughs and colds could help prevent dementia, claim scientists.

They say regular check-ups and staying as healthy and active as possible lessen the chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease and similar conditions in later life.

Researchers have identified a range of illnesses, aches and pains that all increase the risk of the condition including arthritis, poor eyesight, broken bones and even badly fitting dentures.

Open wide: Regular dental check-ups and staying as healthy and active as possible lessen the chance of developing Alzheimer's disease and similar conditions in later life, scientists claim. (Posed by model)

Four in ten Britons will contract cancer: Rates soar by a third in just 10 years

More than four in ten Britons will get cancer at some point in their lives, figures reveal.

The numbers affected by the disease have increased by more than a third in ten years and experts blame our increasingly unhealthy lifestyles.

Figures obtained by Macmillan Cancer Support show 42 per cent of us will develop cancer compared to around 32 per cent 30 years ago. And although treatments have drastically improved, some 64 per cent of sufferers will eventually die from it.

More patients than ever waiting 18 weeks for treatment

The proportion of patients waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment has increased, official figures show.

The terms of the NHS Constitution state that patients should be seen within 18 weeks.

Endless waiting? New figures have revealed 2.3% of outpatients waited more than 18 weeks for treatment in May 2011

Data for May 2011 reveals that 2.3 per cent of outpatients waited more than 18 weeks compared to 1.8 per cent in May 2010. 

Meanwhile 9.2 per cent of inpatients waited more than 18 weeks compared to 7.1 per cent last year.

NHS chiefs insist 'the percentages fluctuate but remain low' and they are committed to keeping waiting times low 'despite rising NHS activity'.

Our jigsaw baby: Boy's skull broken into pieces and fitted back together to stop pressure damaging his brain

A baby boy is recovering from life-saving surgery after his skull was removed and replaced like a jigsaw puzzle. 

Six-month-old Liam Rustell's skull was taken out, broken into four pieces and replaced before being fused together properly in a six-hour operation.

Liam was born with a rare birth defect that meant his skull failed to form properly at birth causing an abnormally shaped head.

Diesel fumes 'increase the risk of heart attacks'

Diesel fumes are as bad for your heart as they are for the lungs, new research revealed today.

Scientists in Scotland have found that tiny particles produced when diesel burns are harmful to blood vessels and can increase the chances of blood clots forming in arteries, leading to a heart attack or stroke.  

The research by the University of Edinburgh measured the impact of diesel exhaust fumes on healthy volunteers at levels that would be found in heavily polluted cities. 

The 'super tomatoes' fortified with minerals that combat cancer

It is the perfect excuse to have that last piece of pizza.

‘Super tomatoes’ fortified with minerals have just hit shelves across the UK.

Ordinary tomatoes  – which are already viewed as one of the superfoods – have been enriched with selenium, a powerful anti-oxidant that boosts the immune system and may prevent cancer.

Society girl with rare wrist disease talks about how she really does suffer for her art

Some say that to be an artist, you should suffer for your art. 

If this really were the case, I'd be a master. 

For over the course of a ten-year career as a portrait and wildlife artist  -  painting Prince Charles and his horse, and counting lyricist Sir Tim Rice and footballer Teddy Sheringham as clients  -  I have often been in excruciating pain, wincing while holding even the lightest paint palette.

Sorry Pauline, but you WILL put the weight back on

When I saw the photos of Pauline Quirke showing off the results of her six-stone weight loss, I have to admit, I thought she looked great. But my heart sank when the Birds Of A Feather actress admitted it was thanks to the LighterLife plan.

For the uninitiated, this is the cult diet with more than 150,000 followers that claims to help obese, serial dieters shed huge amounts of weight in record time (Pauline did it in just six months). 

The company has an annual turnover of more than £20million. It even has its own dedicated magazine. 

Why don't the over-50s get the safe sex message? New figures reveal huge rise in STIs

The middle-aged, middle-class woman sitting in my office was beside herself with worry. A mother of three in her late 50s , she was recently divorced. 

Like many women in her circumstances, in the five years since separating from her husband she had dabbled with dating, as it is now known. 

There had been 'a friend of a friend', and a gentleman she'd met via a website. Both relationships had ended  -  but both had been intimate. 

Then she had started experiencing discomfort  -  discharge, and pain on urinating  -  which is why she had come to see me. 

IVF warning for women who put off motherhood

Women must not assume they can delay motherhood and rely on IVF, a major study warns.

By waiting until their late thirties and beyond to try for a baby they risk leaving it too late because fertility treatment can never make up for lost time.

After the age of 35, a woman is five times more likely to have problems becoming pregnant compared with during her twenties, the research concludes.

My baby makes me eat furniture polish: Pregnant woman

A pregnant woman with a constant craving for furniture polish has been diagnosed with a rare eating disorder after her three-times-a-day habit forced her to seek medical advice.
Seven months pregnant Emma Veness, 26, is inexplicably drawn to eating polish despite her own fears she could be harming her baby.

My baby makes me eat furniture polish: Pregnant woman

Far from being the preserve of a few hardy types foolish enough to brave chilly British waters, outdoor swimming – in lakes, ponds, streams and lidos – is increasingly popular.

'Trish saved my life at the marathon': How Sophie Raworth was inspired to become a first-aider

As Sophie Raworth valiantly strode across the finish line at the London Marathon in April to calls of 'You can do it!' from the crowd, her relief was palpable.
For after a strong start, with just two miles to go the 43-year-old BBC newsreader had dramatically collapsed, suffering from heatstroke  -  a condition that can be life-threatening.
Despite having trained rigorously, like many of the 45,000 competitors that day, Sophie had not bargained for the unseasonable 20C weather.

Researchers discover simple eye test that may detect Alzheimer's

Scientists in Australia are reporting encouraging early results from a simple eye test they hope will give a noninvasive way to detect signs of Alzheimer's disease.

Although it has been tried on just a small number of people and more research is needed, the experimental test has a solid basis: Alzheimer's is known to cause changes in the eyes, not just the brain. Other scientists in the United States also are working on an eye test for detecting the disease.

Can you slim down in time for the beach? Yes Dukan! It's the diet you can't afford to miss - you could lose 7lb by the weekend

Today - and all this week - the Mail could have the answer. The Dukan Diet has been one of the most popular weight-loss plans in Britain since it was launched here in April 2010 - the Duchess of Cambridge's mother Carole Middleton used it to slim down before the Royal Wedding.
Devised by French doctor Pierre Dukan, this high-protein, low-fat eating plan has been credited with swift weight loss for those who find dieting a struggle.

Three victims of the 'angel of death': Patients killed by hospital poisoner pictured for first time

Two more suspected victims of the hospital insulin poisoner were named yesterday as the deadly speed with which the drug could have been used as a murder weapon became clear.
Great-grandfather George Keep, 84, and 71-year-old Arnold Lancaster are feared to have died as a result of the sabotaged saline solution that is also suspected to have killed Tracey Arden, 44.

I want to go home: Locked-in mother desperate to return to her family two years

When Nicola Watson greets her daughters each day after school, she always has a special smile for them.
But the 42-year-old struggles to do little more - because since suffering from a brainstem stroke two years ago, she has been locked inside her own body in hospital.

Doctors told us to abort our little girl as she wouldn't survive birth - but our little fighter has flourished

Before she was even born, doctors said there was little chance Charley-Marie Skinner's would survive her birth.
Scans showed a massive tumour covering the entire left chamber of her heart that was restricting blood flow.
Specialists were convinced she would die in the womb and advised her parents Heather and Andy, from Darwen, Lancashire, to terminate their baby.

Miracle: Charley-Marie with her parents Heather and Andy. The youngster's heart has found a way to pump blood around her tumour 

They refused, saying they would rather let her die naturally than go through the trauma of an abortion.
The couple were told to start making funeral arrangements and even bought a moulding kit to make prints of their baby's hands and feet as a reminder of their child.
They were forced to break the tragic news to their five other children that they would not be welcoming a new baby sister.
The couple already knew they were having a girl after full-time mother Heather, 27, went for a 20 week scan at Burnley General Hospital - but the tumour was  missed.
It was spotted just over a week later when she went for another scan to check the growth of the baby because some of Heather's older children had been born abnormally small.
Heather and Andy were transferred immediately to St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, to see a specialist.

Heather said: 'When the doctor said there was nothing they could do and that I needed a termination, I just said: 'no way.'
'I didn't want an abortion. I wanted nature to take it's course. The thought of losing my baby was awful. I didn't know how to deal with it.
'We were left in a room and just cried.'
When they got home, a specialist midwife was assigned to them to help them cope with their inevitable loss.


Heather added: 'We bought a moulding kit to make prints of her hands and feet. We also got two identical blankets - one to wrap her in when she was born that we would keep and the other to bury her in.
'It was heartbreaking having to tell the children. They were so quiet.
'Every day we wondered if today would be the day she died inside me.'
But against the odds, Charley-Marie, now 19 months old, astounded medics and clung on to life.
She was born in January 2010 three weeks premature by Caesarean section at Blackburn Royal Hospital.
Heather said: 'All I wanted was to see her eyes. The doctors still said that she would die as the tumour was so big it would stop the blood flow around her heart.
'But she cried, she was breathing and doing everything that a newborn does.
'Straight away they took her down to the neonatal intensive care unit and scanned her heart. The tumour was inside the entire left chamber but somehow her little heart was still finding a way to pump blood around.'

   

Family: Genetic tests have revealed father Andy also has the condition that creates benign tumours

The first 48 hours were were critical and her parents were left not knowing if their daughter would make it.
However, scans showed that Charley-Marie's heart had actually grown to make room for the tumour.
Three days after she was born, the couple were allowed to take her home.
Council worker Andy, 51, said: 'We came home and just in the car on the drive way. We didn't know what to do next.
'We were numb. We hadn't bought anything for her - just the clothes and blanket to bury her in.'
The couple even brought their wedding forward because doctors warned Charley-Marie would not see her first birthday.
Heather said: 'We'd planned a big, white wedding in our local Cathedral but we wanted Charley-Marie there so we got married when she five-weeks-old.'
The baby was diagnosed with the rare, life threatening condition Tuberous Sclerosis, which causes benign tumours to grow on vital organs, when she was five-months-old.
There is no cure and the couple were told an operation wouldn't help.
Heather said: 'We were told it was the largest tumour they had ever seen at the hospital.'
As Tuberous Sclerosis is a genetic condition, the family asked to be tested for it.
It revealed that Andy and the couple's daughter Emma-Jean also have the condition.
Scans showed three-year-old Emma-Jean has a tumour behind her left eye and two smaller ones in her heart. Their son Alfie, two, does not have the condition.
Andy has had several benign tumours during his life but it was never known why until Charley-Marie's diagnosis.
Heather and her three children from a previous relationship - nine-year-old twins James and Jessica and Jennifer, eight - did not need to be tested.
When Charley-Marie reached her first milestone, the family celebrated with a party and fireworks.
Heather said: 'She's our little miracle. She's proved everyone wrong and shown she's a fighter.
'They have no idea how Charley-Marie's heart will cope as she gets older. They don't think that the tumour will ever shrink but may in fact grow with her. We just have to watch her and hope for the best.
'She's just started walking and sometimes she gets out of breath, which worries me, but she's like any girl her age. She's loves Peppa Pig and always has a cheeky smile on her face.
'Finding out that Emma-Jean and Andy have Tuberous Sclerosis has definitely saved their lives as now we know what to watch out for and they can be closely monitored for any problems.'

 

How to... pick a good bottle of wine

Perusing the aisles of the supermarket trying to choose a decent bottle of wine can be a daunting prospect. The groaning shelves of white, red and pink can be so overwhelming you either end up picking the most decorative label or opting for the special offers when at a loss about what else to buy.

Just two glasses of wine a day raise a woman's risk of death if she has breast cancer

ust a couple of alcoholic drinks a day could dramatically reduce a woman’s chance of survival if she develops breast cancer, a study reveals.
Women who drank as little as two small glasses of wine on a daily basis were more likely to die from the disease if they later developed it than those who drank less, the research suggests.
Though previous studies have shown alcohol consumption increases the risk of contracting breast cancer, this is believed to be the first to show it also raises the risk of a woman dying from it once she has.

At risk: Even moderate levels of alcohol consumption appear to influence cancer survival rates

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute in Milan studied 264 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 1987 and 2001.
They had also taken part in lifestyle studies that gathered information on their alcohol consumption before diagnosis.
They were divided up according to whether they drank nothing at all, ‘moderate’ amounts of up to 13 grams of alcohol a day, or ‘high’ amounts of 13 grams plus.

 

A typical 125ml glass of wine contains between eight and 12 grams of alcohol while a pint of strong lager contains nearly 24 grams.
Researchers then matched up the results with data showing how many women had died in the ten years after being diagnosed with the disease, using this information to calculate relative survival rates.
Among non-drinkers, the relative survival rate was 88 per cent, and 89 per cent for moderate drinkers.

Uncertainty: One flaw in the survey was lack of information on how much the women drank after being diagnosed with breast cancer 

But the rate for women who drank 13 grams or more on a daily basis was 65 per cent – meaning they were significantly less likely to survive in the ten years after diagnosis.
In a report on their findings, published in the Italian journal Tumori, the researchers said: ‘The finding[s]...lend some support to the evidence that alcohol may influence cancer progression and survival.’
However, they admitted one flaw in the study was a lack of information on how much alcohol the women drank after being diagnosed.
Last night, experts said the research adds to evidence connecting alcohol with the disease.
Henry Scowcroft, Cancer Research UK’s science information manager, said: ‘There’s now a large body of evidence linking increasing alcohol consumption to breast cancer. The more a woman drinks, the higher her risk.
‘This small study adds another piece to this bigger picture. It suggests that women who drink more, and who go on to develop breast cancer, might have worse outcomes.’
Carolyn Rogers, a clinical nurse specialist for Breast Cancer Care, said the link was well established.
She added: ‘It has also been suggested that regularly consuming more than the recommended amount of alcohol may increase the risk of breast cancer recurring in those already diagnosed.’
But Dr Susie Jennings of Breakthrough Breast Cancer warned: ‘Not all research in this field is consistent so we still can’t be sure of the effect of drinking alcohol on breast cancer survival.’
A previous study of 1.3million women across the UK by Oxford University found their chances of getting breast cancer rose by 7 per cent for every unit of alcohol they drank a day.
A typical 125ml glass of white wine is equal to 1.5 units.

 

Obesity and 'couch potato' lifestyle blamed for cancer rise in over-40s

Obesity, heavy drinking and a ‘couch potato’ lifestyle are fuelling soaring rates of cancer in the middle-aged, a report warns today.
The numbers in their forties and fifties diagnosed with the illness has risen by a fifth in the last 30 years.

Elderly left to scream in pain, dossier finds

A dossier compiled by major charities says desperately sick elderly people have been left screaming in pain, with others given the wrong drugs, while families were denied crucial information about the health of their loved ones.

In detailed accounts, based on in-depth interviews with relatives of those in care homes, one family described how they and their elderly mother only learned that she had cancer when they asked care home staff what her tablets were for.

Latest generation of children will live 20 years longer than their grandparents

Research found that the continuing rise in life expectancy in the UK now means a modern toddler should live 20 years longer than their predecessor in the years prior to the Second World War.

The findings show that on average a girl born today will live to be 82 and a man 78 - an increase which demonstrates the successes of healthier lifestyles and improved medical science.

GPs told to keep list of terminally ill patients

Guidelines published by the National Council for Palliative Care and the National End of Life Care Programme state that family doctors should take action to make sure the choices of the terminally ill are met.

It comes after claims that many people do not receive the best quality care at the end of their lives, with thousands forced to see out their days in a hospital bed rather than surrounded by loved ones at home.

Eve Richardson, chief executive of the National Council for Palliative Care and the Dying Matters Coalition said: "Too many people towards the end of their lives are being needlessly admitted to hospital against their wishes, causing unnecessary pain and suffering.

Two more victims named in hospital deaths probe

George Keep, 84, and Arnold Lancaster, 71, died at Stepping Hill hospital last week where saline drips are thought to have been tampered with.

The death of Tracey Arden, 44, at the hospital in Stockport, Greater Manchester, is also being looked at by detectives while 11 more patients are still recovering after being given insulin that dangerously lowered their blood sugar levels.

Relatives paid tribute to the three who died as more details emerged of the police investigation into their deaths.

In a statement, the family of Mr Keep, who died on Thursday, said: “George had in his younger years been a hard-working Cheadle/Gatley man who was enjoying his retirement with family and friends in spite of his failing health.

“He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He will be greatly missed.”

A photograph was released of Mr Lancaster, who died last Monday, but his grieving relatives were too upset to comment.
Miss Arden had been admitted to the hospital for routine Multiple Sclerosis treatment and was said to be doing well when she suddenly took a turn for the worse.
Her brother, Gary, said: “By the time my mother and father arrived she had just passed away.”

Look on the bright side of life if you want to feel young, say researchers

Scientists say those who age best have a light-hearted, optimistic outlook on life.

The findings offer a new theory on why some people with good genes have a sunnier outlook and sharper mind in old age, with exercise and even completing crosswords previously cited as ways of keeping your brain young.

Are these the women we really admire?

Who would be a female icon in these fickle days? No sooner have you peaked professionally - selflessly flogging makeup, wrestling Third World babies out of Madonna’s bony grasp or shaking off malaria and a philandering husband - than the public decides you no longer qualify as an influential role model.

A new poll of women on women for mydaily.co.uk has revealed that Kate Moss, Angelina Jolie and Cheryl Cole are non-starters compared with the likes of Baroness Thatcher, Florence Nightingale, Condoleezza Rice and The Queen.

Home birth? No thanks, hospital labour ward gets my vote

The women of Britain are being cordially invited to give birth at home. Hospital maternity wards are “not necessarily the safer option”, said a report last week by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

The only people who should definitely give birth in hospital, the report concluded, are women at clear risk of complications, such as the clinically obese or the over-40s.