Sniffing Among Teens Makes for Lethal Combo By BORIS KORBY and COURTNEY HUTCHISON At age 12, most kids are concerned with finding a ride to the movies and making it through middle school. Ashley Upchurch was younger — 11 — when she became addicted to inhaling air dusters as a way to get high. “It was a cheap high, it was instant, and it was intense,” Upchurch, now 17 and sober for over two years, said today in a Washington D.C. seminar about the danger inhalants pose to children. New data released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)...

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) employment of registered nurses is expected to grow by 22 percent from 2008 to 2018. The BLS cites technological advances in patient care, the increasing emphasis on preventive care, and the aging baby boomers as drivers of the field’s growth. To help meet the demand for nurses, Everest College has begun enrollment for its Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at the college’s Salt Lake City campus. The three-and-one-half-year baccalaureate degree program is approved by the Utah State Board of Nursing and, in addition to the baccalaureate...

Thomas Moore, health correspondent Doctors will today unveil the world’s first sticking plaster that can cure cancer. The high-tech device contains a small light that combines with a chemical cream to kill skin cancer cells. The Ambulight plaster has already been used on 50 patients with a success rate of up to 90%. It is less painful than surgery and leaves no scar. Muriel Lowe, who had two treatments a week apart, described the result as “fantastic”. She said: “I have a skin condition that means normal surgery would scar me. Read More…

Bottled fresh air from some of the country’s favourite beauty spots is being given out to stressed city workers by the National Trust. The air, which was collected from seaside and rural areas around the UK, comes in several scents, including the seaside smell of Townend, and the lakeside aroma of Windermere in Cumbria. Other aromas include the grass-filled air of Stourhead in Wiltshire, and woodland scents from Box Hill, Surrey. Three-quarters of UK workers (74 per cent) claim that they feel stressed on a daily basis, but 70 per cent say that escaping from the city makes them feel instantly...

By Lyndsay Moss TAKING the contraceptive pill can help women live longer and reduce their risk of serious diseases, according to a major new study by Scottish researchers. They found that women who had taken the Pill – even for a short time – could expect to have longer lives than those who had never used oral contraception. The research, led by the University of Aberdeen, showed those who took the Pill were less likely to die from any cause – including all types of cancer – and heart disease. Read More…

By Lyndsay Moss MEDICAL employers across Scotland are being warned to check that any doctors they employ are fit for the job and can speak good enough English. The General Medical Council (GMC) is writing to NHS managers and private health companies to highlight gaps in what the regulator is able to check with medics wanting to work in the UK. This includes laws which mean doctors who qualified in European Union countries do not have to complete language or skills tests before being allowed to join the medical register. Read More…

Emma Wilkinson People with occasionally high blood pressure are more at risk of stroke than those with consistently high readings, research suggests. Current guidelines focus on the need to lower blood pressure levels to reduce the chance of suffering a stroke. The research suggests doctors should no longer ignore an occasional high reading and give the drugs that produce the most steady blood pressure levels. Read More…

A nurse who cared for terminally ill women with cancer had sexual relationships with their partners after they died. By Andy Bloxham Sara Dale, 39, a Macmillan cancer nurse, was sacked by the hospital after a whistleblower reported the relationships and an inquiry found against her. Miss Dale admitted to two relationships with the partners of former patients but she denied allegations that there was a third and it was not proven by investigators. The nurse is divorced and has two children with her ex-husband. The first liaison was when she began seeing the former partner of one patient after...

New York becomes the fourth state to provide virtual physician visits By Lucas Mearian Two BlueCross BlueShield insurance organizations in upstate New York announced today that they will offer their members and employers virtual physician visits beginning this summer, making New York the fourth state to provide these types of services. BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, BlueShield of Northeastern New York and technology services provider American Well Inc. said the Online Care service will allow members to talk with physicians in real time through a private online chat network or through...

By Carl Cameron The health care reform bill passed by the Senate on Christmas Eve appears to be dead on arrival in the House, as six anti-abortion Democrats intend to join the ranks of lawmakers who plan to vote against the legislation, Fox News has confirmed. The health care reform bill passed by the Senate on Christmas Eve appears to be dead on arrival in the House, as six anti-abortion Democrats intend to join the ranks of lawmakers who plan to vote against the legislation, Fox News has confirmed. Six new no votes would be enough to kill the Senate bill, and several more fence-sitting lawmakers...