Medical Matters The coronavirus has taken centre stage and dominated daily news headlines as the number of cases and countries affected continues to rise. To date, over 3000 deaths have occurred globally but this is small compared to the fatality due to seasonal influenza which can be as high as 500,000 annually. Fears and concerns…
Medical Matters Last September the Medical Council issued warnings about the over-prescribing of medications for anxiety and insomnia. Belonging to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines, they first took prominence in 1963 with the arrival of Valium, a safer and better alternative to hitherto existing hypnotics. Its use skyrocketed along with newer versions in…
Medical Matters Have you had your blood pressure checked recently? Well, measurement of blood pressure, as we all know, is a fundamental part of the routine clinical examination – and for good reason. This is because high blood pressure or hypertension is for the most part a silent condition which, over time, may have far-reaching…
Medical Matters The fight in the battle against Alzheimer’s got some positive news last month when the results of a drug trial raised hope and promise for a potential new ground breaking therapy. Disappointedly, the search for new medicines to treat Alzheimer’s has been a story of gloom and failure spanning more than 15 years…
Medical Matters September has been designated ‘Sepsis Awareness Month’ in a campaign to increase knowledge and recognition by the public of one of the most common yet poorly understand medical conditions. In fact, sepsis occurs more frequently than heart attacks affecting about 17,000 people each year in Ireland and is the leading cause of death…
Medical Matters The Fair Deal Scheme has once again come under increasing pressure and scrutiny this year as costs rise and concerns loom that delays will ensue for older adults waiting to access nursing home care. Introduced in 2009 as a new way to help finance long term care, it replaced a wholly inadequate…
Medical Matters Doctors are often asked to do blood tests or checks on people as they get older to make sure all is well and give reassurance to their patients. The old adage of “prevention is better than cure” is so true and indeed early detection and treatment can also make a big difference.…
Medical Matters Last week saw the signing of new legislation that will allow for the operation of a Medical Cannabis Access Programme in Ireland. The law allows a medical consultant to prescribe cannabis-based products for patients who suffer with any one of three specified conditions. These include spasticity due to multiple sclerosis, intractable nausea due…
One year has just passed since the referendum paved the way for the introduction of abortion services in Ireland in January. The Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018 permits abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy without any specifed reason and in cases where there is a serious risk to the health or…
Medical Matters It’s now just over 50 years ago since it was first announced that smoking causes lung cancer, a moment which spelled the beginning of a decline in tobacco use. Despite all of the negative effects from smoking and restrictions on its use in public places, a considerable number of people still use…