HEALTH NOTES: Most people still use A&E services over NHS 111 helpline

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Nine in ten Britons agree that help from GP and A&E services should be sought only when essential – but nearly half admit to using both for minor conditions such as coughs and colds, a survey has found.

Over the past 12 months, more than a third of the 5,000 adults questioned visited a GP, and 12 per cent went directly to A&E for self-treatable illness, which also included hay fever.

NHS 111 is the number to call for medical help or advice in non-life-threatening situations.

Nine in ten Britons agree that help from GP and A&E services should be sought only when essential (stock photo)

The Proprietary Association of Great Britain study found that eight in ten respondents knew about the 111 service but only a third used it

Twelve per cent of those questioned said they would never use the service, with those aged 65 to 75 more likely to visit their GP or nurse practitioner for advice.

Millions use fish-oil supplements, rich in healthy omega 3 oil, to bolster heart, brain and joint health. Now, an unlikely non-animal source of these beneficial fats has been found in a weed first found growing in hedgerows.

The plant, above, is commonly known as gromwell or wheat thief and in 2015 the first crop – rebranded as Ahi Flower – was grown in the UK.

It contains the highest concentration of natural omega 3s of all plant-based sources. Extracts are being used in a new vegetarian ‘fish-oil’ supplement, Vertise Ahiflower Oil.

Plant sources do not contain the omega 3 compounds DHA and EPA, found in fish and which are responsible for most of the health benefits, but other forms of omega 3 in Ahi Flower are converted well by the body into EPA.

Winter brings dry skin blues

It is not just the days that get darker towards the end of the year – the mood of the nation also suffers.

More than eight in ten British women say they suffer from ‘winter blues’: feeling run-down, lacking in energy and suffering from skin problems as the seasons change.

More than eight in ten British women say they suffer from ‘winter blues’: feeling run-down, lacking in energy and suffering from skin problems as the seasons change (stock image)

And 79 per cent of the women who admitted to being affected said that dry skin contributes to their low mood, with seven in ten saying that recurring common colds was what got them down, a study by skincare brand E45 has revealed.

More than half (59 per cent) say having dry skin in winter affects their confidence, with 41 per cent saying it makes them feel self-conscious and one in five describing themselves as ‘ugly’.

 

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