SPRING 2013 LATEST NEWS

PREVENTING VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY

Various groups of people (detailed earlier) are prone to develop vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, certain people are advised to take vitamin D supplements routinely. In February 2012 the Chief Medical Officers for the United Kingdom issued the following recommendations:

• All pregnant and breast-feeding women should take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D.
• All infants (babies) and young children aged 6 months to 5 years should take a daily supplement containing vitamin D in the form of vitamin drops. However, those infants who are fed infant formula will not need vitamin drops until they are receiving less than 500ml of infant formula a day, as these products are fortified with vitamin D.
• Breast-fed infants may need to receive drops containing vitamin D from one month of age if their mother has not taken vitamin D supplements throughout pregnancy.
• People aged 65 years and over and people who are not exposed to much sun should also take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D.
• In addition a doctor may advise routine vitamin D supplements for people with certain gut, kidney or liver diseases, and people prescribed certain medicines, and to certain people with darker skin.

You can buy vitamin D supplements at pharmacies. They are also available on prescription to certain groups of people. Also, women and children from families who are eligible for the Government’s Healthy Start scheme can also get free vitamin supplements which include vitamin D. If you are unsure as to whether you should be taking a regular supplement of vitamin D, or the appropriate dose, then your doctor, pharmacist, health visitor or midwife can advise.

Cautions when taking vitamin D supplements
Care is needed with vitamin D supplements in certain situations: If you are taking certain other medicines: digoxin (for an irregular heartbeat - atrial fibrillation) or thiazide diuretics such as bendroflumethiazide (commonly used to treat high blood pressure). In this situation, avoid high doses of vitamin D, and digoxin will need monitoring more closely. If you have other medical conditions: kidney stones, some types of kidney disease, liver disease or hormonal disease. Specialist advice may be needed. Vitamin D should not be taken by people who have high calcium levels or certain types of cancer. You may need more than the usual dose if taking certain medicines which interfere with vitamin D. These include: carbamazepine, phenytoin, primidone, barbiturates and some medicines for the treatment of HIV infection. Multivitamins are not suitable for long-term high-dose treatment because the vitamin A they also contain can be harmful in large amounts.

SIMPLY WALK

Walking can help your physical and mental health. Please follow this link for details of a new service locally: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/row/simply_walk.page

BOWEL CANCER SCREENING

The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is now fully rolled out.

This means that most people in their sixties will have already received an invitation from the programme.

It is important to note, however, that exactly when the invitation is sent out depends upon a person's date of birth. For example, some areas began sending invitations to people with 'even' birthdays (60, 62, 64 etc). Others started with those with 'odd' birthdays (e.g. 61, 63, 65…). It can take up to two years for every eligible person in an area to be invited.

Most areas will have sent out invitations to all those eligible by the end of 2012.

Screening is for people without symptoms.

If you are concerned about any symptoms, please contact your GP or visit NHS Direct Online. If you have questions about the program, please ring the helpline on 08007076060. You can ring this number to request a screening kit if you are over 70.

Transport Problems?

Do you have a transport need but don't know who to ask for help? Do you know someone who is socially isolated due to a lack of transport?
CLICK HERE for help and information>

Charity Corner

As a practice we have decided not to have one single designated charity to support, but that we will raise funds for charities according to individual preferences. We will keep details of fundraising activities by the practice and also of activities being undertaken by individual members of staff in this section of the news.

Cancer Research UK - Race For Life - Join the biggest fight against cancer
It's all of us versus cancer. Every two minutes someone in the UK is told they have cancer. Ladies, join the fight – enter your local Race for Life event today and walk, jog or run to help more people survive. Do it for you, for a loved one, for everyone affected by cancer.

Dr Hykin completed the 5K Race for Life in Wycombe on 16th June 2013 in 24 minutes 40 seconds. The sponsorship page is still open at:
http://raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org/choose-your-event/index.html

or you could sponsor her via the JustGiving page:
http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/lynnettehykin8?utm_source=DM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2013_InSer_PreR1
 

Stamps for RNIB
At Hughenden Surgery, we are collecting used postage stamps for RNIB, supporting blind and partially sighted people. Please bring your used stamps to our reception desk. When cutting, leave approximately 1cm of envelope bordering each stamp. The rest of the envelope can be discarded (which will make it cheaper to send).

Please separate the stamps into:
1. British
2. Overseas

The value of a stamp does not matter, so 1p stamps can be grouped together with £1 stamps. If you would like to know more about this campaign and RNIB, please follow this link; www.rnib.org.uk/getinvolved/fundraising/recycle/Pages/used_stamps.aspx

Christmas Card Amnesty
Every year the staff at the 2 surgeries hold a Christmas Card Amnesty whereby staff may choose not to send Christmas cards to their colleagues, but instead to make a donation to a charity. This year we have chosen to support Carers Bucks (www.carersbucks.org/) which is a charity formed to support unpaid family carers in Bucks. We know they have helped lots of our patients in many different ways. People can be referred to carers Bucks, but can also self refer by ringing 01494 463536.

UPDATE: We raised £68.50