Smileband Health issues

Students at University College London have been given 'precautionary' antibiotics after someone at the university was taken to hospital with meningitis.

The college said it had managed to identify everyone who had come into contact with the patient, who was described as a person associated with the university.

In a statement UCL warned students to make sure they were vaccinated after the individual was admitted to hospital with suspected meningococcal meningitis.

The university said: 'UCL is working closely with Public Health England and we have identified all of those who had close contact with the person and arranged a course of antibiotics for them as a precautionary measure. The antibiotics are given to kill the meningococci that they may be carrying in their nose or throat, and will reduce the risk of infection to others. 

'Although the risk to other members of the UCL community is generally low, it is important to be aware of the symptoms, which can include fever, a severe headache, stiff neck, drowsiness or confusion, aversion to bright light, painful joints, nausea and vomiting.

'It can also cause a characteristic rash that does not fade when pressed against a glass. Advice from Public Health England says that contact between two people has to be close for the bacteria to be picked up, because they cannot live for more than a few seconds outside the body. The college said that early signs of meningitis could be mistaken for flu or even a hangover, but warned staff and students to call their GP or NHS 111 if they suspected it could be something worse.

Members of the university were also told to make sure they had had the Meningitis ACWY vaccine which protects against four kinds of meningococcal bacteria. 

The vaccine, offered to people aged under 25, is available from GPs. 

Smileband Health issues

A cannabis compound could hold promise as a treatment for psychosis - despite the drug being considered a cause, 'promising' research suggests.

Cannabidiol, subject to an array of research in recent years, is widely known to have therapeutic benefits for dozens of ailments, including multiple sclerosis.

And a new medical trial, led by Kings College London scientists, has now found it can ease symptoms of psychosis - such as hallucinations and hearing voices.

The British study, which involved 88 patients, offers sufferers hope of a drug that doesn't trigger any serious side effects.

However, the findings dispute the substantial body of evidence that links smoking cannabis to the mental health condition that drives some to suicide. Campaigners have long been concerned that super-strength skunk, flooding the illegal market at a worrying rate, is actually fuelling rates of psychosis. 

But these high potency strains, often purposely created by criminals, are abundant in tetrehydrocannabinol (THC) - responsible for marijuana's high.

Researchers believe CBD, which doesn't cause a high, has quite the opposite effect - and has been touted as a cure for various conditions. 

Dangerous side effects 

Anti-psychosis drugs have been used as a first-line treatment for 60 years - but are worryingly linked to heart attacks.

Figures estimate that around one per cent of the population suffer from psychosis, which can cause delusions, such as hearing voices, and lead to severe distress.

Ian Hamilton, a lecturer in mental health at York University, welcomed the findings, which he described as 'timely'.

He told MailOnline: 'Traditional medicines are not tolerated well by patients as they have a range of side effects which can put people off taking them.'

Mr Hamilton suggested that the medicines using CBD could be effective at treating the symptoms of the condition. Is there a risk of psychosis? 

He was behind research in April that found the risk of developing psychosis as a result of smoking cannabis is much lower than first thought.

A review of existing studies published on 4/20, an unofficial day to celebrate cannabis, found that cases are relatively rare. 

Skunk, the potent form of the drug, is responsible for a quarter of new cases of psychotic mental illness, KCL researchers announced two years ago. 

They found skunk to be so powerful that users are three times more likely to suffer a psychotic episode than those who have never tried it. 

Smileband General News

A royal police officer is facing jail after he was found to have posed online as a 17-year-old girl and possessed more than 1,000 indecent images.

PC Adam Cox, 31, was working in Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection when he created an alter ego by the name of Emily Whitehouse, where he then exchanged explicit messages with other men online.

When he was asked to send sexually explicit photographs, Cox found images online of a Canadian woman named Alicia Fuller who had killed herself aged 21 which he then claimed was 'Emily'.

Cox's home was raided and police found chat logs and internet searches for 'pre-teens' on his computer.

He told police: 'I'm not hoarding images. I have never meant to hurt anyone. I'm not a collector. I've not got a secret stash.'

Yet police found 1,691 indecent and extreme images, including one featuring an infant and others showing children as young as seven.

Cox, from Windsor, pleaded guilty to four counts of possession of indecent images - 645 of the most serious category A pictures, 201 category B, 449 category C, and 396 extreme pornographic images of bestiality.

He has denied encouraging three men to attempt to illicit indecent images from 'Emily' and the charges were ordered to lie on file. Prosecutor Charles Falk said: 'This may very well be an abuse of trust because he is a police officer.

'His role is security for embassies, parliament and the royal family.'

The court heard how Cox had expressed 'intense remorse' and faced losing his job due to the case. 

He said: 'He is a man who finds it extremely difficult to articulate his motivation and one can quite understand that because the context is extremely unusual conduct, one might think.' 

Cox was in the Old Bailey alongside Harry Gibbs, 32, of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, Andrew Monk, 39, of Kettering, Northamptonshire, and Ajai Shridhar, 46, of Ealing, west London.

All three men admitted to talking to 'Emily' and attempting to possess indecent images of children.

Monk had pestered 'Emily' for images, particularly ones involving high heels, and sent her sexually explicit questions such as 'Are you a moaner or a screamer?'

He was given a 12-month community order by Judge Dennis, who said: 'Over two months you were engaged in online chat with a co-defendant who you now know as Adam Cox but who pretended to be a 17-year-old female.

'Over that two-month period as discussions went on you were making repeated requests to see images of the person you were speaking with who you thought was called Emily.

'In total you received five category C images and one category B of her, she being a teenager now sadly deceased from abroad, but images that Mr Cox had obtained online to carry out his fantasy of speaking to people such as yourself pretending he was a 17-year-old female in online chat. Gibbs, a supply teacher, talked to 'Emily' between July and September 2015, and even though she was under 18, he tried to coax her into logging onto 'Chaturbate' - a chat and masturbate website.

He told her she had 'real model quality' and sex was 'always big business'.

Gibbs was given a 12-month order and told by a judge: 'Fantasy or otherwise, it is of great concern to the court as to the risks you may pose for others.'

Shridhar asked 'Emily' for photos to 'cheer' him up as he chatted with her on Skype in February and March last year. He appeared keen to see her underwear and told her: 'Naughty of me to ask, but have you got any pics where you have to wear your school uniform?'

Cox has been made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and will be sentenced next Friday with Shridhar.

He was suspended from duty on August 2 2016 following his arrest by Hertfordshire Constabulary.

The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) will conduct a misconduct review once criminal proceedings are complete. 

Smileband General News

An enormous asteroid is set to brush past Earth this weekened, Nasa has warned. 

The asteroid, called 3200 Phaethon, measures three miles (five kilometres) in diameter, and is classed as 'potentially hazardous. At its closest at 22:00 GMT (17:00 ET) on Saturday 16th December, the asteroid is estimated to be around 6.4 million miles away from our planet – 27 times the distance between the Earth and the moon.

It will be the closest this asteroid has been to Earth since December 16, 1974, when it was around 5 million miles away, although we were blissfully unaware at the time. In a statement about the asteroid, which was first discovered in 1983, a spokesperson for Nasa said: 'With a diameter of about 5km, Phaethon is the third largest near-Earth asteroid classified as "Potentially Hazardous".'

During its fly-by the the space agency hopes to take detailed images of the asteroid. 

The Nasa spokesperson said: 'Phaethon will approach within 0.069 au of Earth on 2017 December 16 when it will be a strong radar imaging target at Goldstone and Arecibo.

'This will be the best opportunity to date for radar observations of this asteroid and we hope to obtain detailed images.

'The images should be excellent for obtaining a detailed 3D model.'

The next pass is predicted to be in 2093 when it is expected to pass at just over 1.8 million miles (2.9 million kilometres) away. But Phaethon's orbit puts its origins in a region between Mars and Jupiter where asteroids commonly originate.

Typically, icy comets come from colder regions of space beyond Neptune. 

In a statement, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University said: 'Apparently, this asteroid was once a much bigger object.

'But its many approaches to the sun have caused it to crumble into smaller pieces which eventually formed this meteor shower.

'If so, the asteroid itself could be the residue of a comet nucleus.

'The asteroid's extremely elongated orbit, thanks to which it sometimes gets to the Sun closer than Mercury and it sometimes moves away farther than Mars, is another argument in favour

Smileband Health issues

1. Lemons

The simple but versatile lemon goes way beyond anything you could imagine as far as a super food goes because it is a very therapeutic citrus fruit. One lemon has around 100% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin C, it is an anti inflammatory and cleanses the system from bad toxins in the body, plus it has citrus flavonoids, which can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. If you drink a glass of warm lemon water each morning, you are setting your body up for a healthy digestive system, helping your immune system and it works as a blood purifier. Lemons are positively full to the brim with calcium, potassium, pectin fiber and other nutrients, and one glass of juice has less than 25 calories. 

2. Broccoli

Broccoli, that gorgeous green stalk is one of the world’s healthiest foods. There have been numerous studies on the effect broccoli has on the body, all with positive results. Eating regular amounts of broccoli can lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation and allergy reactions, is beneficial for bone and heart health and it helps alkalize your body. Want more? Broccoli is also an antioxidant; it’s got lots of kaempferol and isothiocyanates and Omega 3 fatty acids. Because broccoli contains glucoraphanin and indole-3-carbinols, it means it can help prevent the growth of certain cancers in the body. We should be eating lots more broccoli. 

3. Salmon

It is widely known that salmon is a good for you fish. It’s labeled as one of the go-to fish for inflammatory disease sufferers because of its high omega 3 benefits, but it’s not just that, and not just for inflammatory disease patients. You get so much more in a piece of fresh wild caught salmon. High on the scale of vitamin B12, D, B3 and B6, it also contains selenium, protein, Iodine, and potassium. So it is perfect for bones and joints but also the brain and neurological symptoms. Heart health, better eyesight, and softer skin can seam as side benefits from the major help that eating salmon brings, which means all benefits are good. 

4. Spinach

Spinach is more and more popular these days in the average American diet than it was 40 years ago, and this is an excellent thing. One of the healthiest foods you can eat. It is low in fat and cholesterol, high in protein and fiber, zinc and iron, niacin, calcium, iron, magnesium, copper potassium, manganese and loaded with vitamins. Plus, hello flavonoids! Packed with good stuff, good for the gut, good for the brain, good for cardiovascular systems and blood pressure. Plus, versatile! Do a little research, and you’ll see that spinach works in a variety of hot and cold dishes. Popeye was not wrong here, it will, in fact, help you to get big and strong. 

5. Beans

A legume, or bean, is a member of the pea family, a vegetable grown in a crop which has a seed or pod that is edible. For a healthy body, it is recommended that you eat around 3 cups of legumes a week, which is not that hard to do really. They are full of fiber, both soluble and insoluble, so say hello to a good digestive system. They are low on the glycemic index, which keeps your blood sugar levels healthy and has a good impact on heart health, the cardiovascular system, blood pressure regulation and the functioning of the nerves system. Careful with beans though, they are very good for you but don’t over do it, and drink lots of water to help the beans along. 

Smileband Health issues

Your body depends on water to survive. Every cell, tissue, and organ in your body needs water to work properly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste, and lubricate your joints. Water is needed for overall good health.

Path to improved wellness

You should drink water every day. Most people have been told they should drink 6 to 8, 8-ounce glasses of water each day. That is a reasonable goal. However, different people need different amounts of water to stay hydrated. Most healthy people can stay well hydrated by drinking water and other fluids whenever they feel thirsty. For some people, fewer than 8 glasses may be enough. Other people may need more than 8 glasses each day. If you are concerned that you are not drinking enough water, check your urine. If your urine is usually colorless or light yellow, you are well hydrated. If your urine is a dark yellow or amber color, you may be dehydrated.  Water is best for staying hydrated. Other drinks and foods can help you stay hydrated. However, some may add extra calories from sugar to your diet. Fruit and vegetable juices, milk, and herbal teas add to the amount of water you get each day. Even caffeinated drinks (for example, coffee, tea, and soda) can contribute to your daily water intake. A moderate amount of caffeine (200 to 300 milligrams) is not harmful for most people. This is about the amount in 2 to 4, 8-ounce cups of coffee. However, it’s best to limit caffeinated drinks. Caffeine may cause some people to urinate more frequently, or feel anxious or jittery.

Water can also be found in fruits and vegetables (for example, watermelon, tomatoes, and lettuce), and in soup broths.

Sports drinks can be helpful if you are planning on exercising at higher than normal levels for more than an hour. It contains carbohydrates and electrolytesthat can increase your energy. It helps your body absorb water. However, some sports drinks are high in calories from added sugar. They also may contain high levels of sodium (salt). Check the serving size on the label. One bottle usually contains more than one serving. Some sports drinks contain caffeine, too. Remember that a safe amount of caffeine to consume each day is between 200 and 300 mg (milligrams).

Energy drinks are not the same as sports drinks. Energy drinks usually contain large amounts of caffeine. Also, they contain ingredients that overstimulate you (guarana, ginseng, or taurine). These are things your body doesn’t need. Most of these drinks are also high in added sugar. According to doctors, children and teens should not have energy drinks.

If staying hydrated is difficult for you, here are some tips that can help:

• Keep a bottle of water with you during the day. To reduce your costs, carry a reusable water bottle and fill it with tap water.
• If you don’t like the taste of plain water, try adding a slice of lemon or lime to your drink.
• Drink water before, during, and after a workout.
• When you’re feeling hungry, drink water. Thirst is often confused with hunger. True hunger will not be satisfied by drinking water. Drinking water may also contribute to a healthy weight-loss plan. Some research suggests that drinking water can help you feel full.
• If you have trouble remembering to drink water, drink on a schedule. For example, drink water when you wake up, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and when you go to bed. Or, drink a small glass of water at the beginning of each hour.
• Drink water when you go to a restaurant. It will keep you hydrated, and it’s free.

Smileband Health issues

Nearly 40 per cent of cancer deaths could be prevented with eight simple lifestyle changes, new research has concluded.

Quitting smoking, eating healthier and boozing less would help stop the disease, which claims 8.2 million lives worldwide each year. 

Scientists suggest those three habits can be blamed for 30.4 per cent of all cancer deaths, around 2.5 million - with tobacco proving the biggest burden. 

Five other habits, including excessive UV radiation, obesity and not exercising enough can be blamed for a further 14.4 per cent of deaths - 1.2 million lives. 

Researchers at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, said the total amount is greater than 38 per cent because many deaths involved two factors.

Even 'small improvements' would help reduce the risk of dying prematurely from cancer, the Australian researchers claimed. Their findings, which also highlighted irresponsible sun tanning as a cause, were derived from an analysis of the country's cancer deaths.  

Figures showed 44,000 Australians died from the umbrella of diseases in 2013 - of which 38 per cent were deemed preventable. Obesity and infections were responsible for five per cent of the deaths while not exercising enough was blamed for 0.8 per cent.

Dr David Whiteman, lead researcher of the study published in the International Journal of Cancer, found that the bad habits fueled 41 per cent of cancer deaths in men and 34 per cent in women.

He said 'this is because men smoke and drink more, spend more time in the sun and don't eat as well', science alert reports. 

Smileband Health issues

Aside from cold weather and winter festivities, the inevitable flu season has begun - and it's only going to get worse.

The dreaded 'Aussie flu' is expected to wreak havoc on an already over-stretched NHS after blighting Australia during the country's winter.

But it's not all doom and gloom, according to various medical experts, ranging from nutritionists to A&E doctors and dermatologists.

Here, in a piece for Health that they have explained which cold and flu remedies they swear by and what they do to avoid catching a bug.

And their answers range from a plant extract, dubbed 'better than anything a doctor could prescribe', to simply drinking more water. I really don’t think you can get enough of it. If I feel a cold or sniffle coming on – I add two Berocca tablets to my shake, which seems to really stop anything nasty in its tracks.

Do you take an precautions to avoid getting sick?

In the wintertime I up my game a little. 

I am a big fan of antioxidants to help the immune system boost itself – particularly glutathione and vitamins C and E so I’ve added these to my supplement range. 

Berocca has been helping me for years and I really swear by it, particularly when I was working in the NHS and was exposed to all sorts of viruses on a daily basis.

I think eating a good range of fruit and vegetables every day is also essential – particularly strongly coloured fruits such as raspberries, blueberries and Concord grapes. 

I eat these on a daily basis, particularly in wintertime when the risk of infections is higher. 

As a rule I try to avoid antibiotics wherever possible and treat things with supportive measures instead. 2. Sarah Flower – nutritionist

Which cold and flu remedies do you swear by?

I swear by adding a good quality probiotic daily. This not only ensures your bowel is in good health but also boosts your immune system dramatically.

I also highly recommend vitamin D, daily throughout the year for those who don’t spend much time outside.

But everyone should take it during the winter months as we do not get vitamin D from the sun in this country during the winter months.

The third is a very good quality fish oil. 

Do you take an precautions to avoid getting sick?

Hydrate. Keeping yourself well hydrated is absolutely vital to help ‘flush’ out the cold, break down congestion and keep your throat lubricated. 

Try to avoid sugary or milky drinks especially if you have a lot of mucus as this can often make it worse. 

I would opt for water (sparkling water with lemon can be very refreshing), you can also try soothing warm herbal and fruit teas. 

Smileband General News

Ecuador's vice president has been sentenced to six years in prison for taking illegal kickbacks from a Brazilian construction giant.

Jorge Glas is highest-ranking politician to be convicted in the sprawling case centred on Odebrecht, whose practice of giving bribes to secure public works contracts has cast a cloud over officials and ex-officials in several Latin American countries.

Glas, 48, had been in preventive custody since October. 

His trial before Ecuador's Supreme Court started last month and he was sentenced today.

Prosecutors said he received a total of $13.5 million in Odebrecht bribes, via an uncle who is also under arrest.

Fallout from the massive Odebrecht corruption scandal has continued to sweep Latin America.

The company, which has admitted to paying bribes to win contracts in a number of countries, has already paid $3.5billion in settlements in the United States, Brazil and Switzerland.

A close ally of leftist ex-President Rafael Correa, Glas served as Correa's vice president from 2013 and retained the position under current President Lenin Moreno. Three other individuals have been sentenced to 14 months in prison in the same case, their sentences lightened by 'effective cooperation' with authorities, according to the verdict read by judge Edgar Flores.

In an October interview from prison in Quito, Glas said he was a victim of the construction giant's revenge after he was instrumental in kicking the company out of Ecuador in 2008 following a dispute over repair of a hydroelectric plant.

Glas, who was minister of strategic sectors before becoming vice president in 2013, denied any link to the Odebrecht scandal, though his uncle, Ricardo Rivera, has been arrested for his alleged involvement.

Under investigation by the US Justice Department, Odebrecht agreed in December to pay the record $3.5 billion fine after admitting to paying $788 million in bribes across 12 countries to secure contracts.

The scandal has ensnared politicians in several countries, including Mexico, Peru, Panama and Venezuela.

Ecuadoran prosecutors said Odebrecht spent $47.3 million in bribes in their country to get public contracts.

Ecuador's former president, Rafael Correa, told CNN Spanish from Panama that Glas was a 'political prisoner' and there was 'no evidence against him'.

He claimed the conviction was a way for his successor, President Lenin Moreno, to seize control of the vice president's office. 

Smileband General News

Members of the Royal Family shed tears for the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire alongside their bereaved relatives at a poignant and emotional memorial service today.

Princes Charles, William and Harry were joined by the Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Cambridge at St Paul's Cathedral for the service, with Kate clearly battling tears as tributes were made to those who lost their lives in the tragedy. 

Celebrities with links to the area were also among the 1,500 guests, including Adele, who had many friends in the Kensington community, who was seen openly weeping as she embraced others in the congregation.

She was joined by fellow singer Marcus Mumford and his actress wife Carey Mulligan, with both also seen crying as they struggled to keep their emotions under control.  

After the service, the Royals were quick to engage with the families, providing comforting words and a friendly face for them to talk to and share their grief with.

It comes after Boris Johnson branded London Mayor Sadiq Khan's response to the tragedy 'spineless' after Tory councillors were blocked from attending today's service.

The Foreign Secretary launched a furious attack on the London Mayor who he said should share some of the blame over why many victims have still not been rehoused.

And he hit out at the decision to block Tory councillors in Kensington and Chelsea from attending even though Labour councillors were invited.

The blaze at the 24-storey tower in June killed 71 people and injured a further 70, while making hundreds homeless and is believed to have been started by a faulty fridge-freezer before spreading rapidly. As the service ended, the Grenfell banner was held aloft and carried out of the cathedral, followed by survivors and bereaved holding white roses and photographs of their loved ones.

Maria Jafari, 38, and her family met Prince Harry at the end of the service.

Harry told her mother, Fatima Jafari, 78, that she must have been very proud of her daughter for speaking at the front, before congratulating her for taking part.

As Mrs Jafari began sobbing for her husband, who was 82 when he died, the prince asked an interpreter: 'Just tell her I am so incredibly sorry for her loss.' 

Meanwhile the Bishop of Kensington told the community at the heart of the Grenfell Tower fire of his hope that the tower may one day become 'a symbol of the time we learnt a new and better way'.

The Right Reverend Graham Tomlin said six months on there were 'so many unresolved issues and questions', but he trusted that the truth would bring justice and heal the divides in society the tragedy had laid bare.

He told survivors and those who lost family members in the blaze that he hoped that Thursday's national memorial service would assure them that the nation had not forgotten them.

Bishop Tomlin told the congregation at St Paul's Cathedral: 'My hope, my prayer is that today we will pledge ourselves to change, from a city where we didn't listen, where we didn't hear the cries of our neighbours because we were too wrapped up in our own interests and prosperity, to create a new type of life together, where we are turned not inwards to ourselves, but outwards towards each other: a society known for listening, compassion and love.

'In years to come, our hope is that the name of Grenfell will not just be known as a symbol of sorrow, of grief or injustice, but a symbol of the time we learnt a new and better way, to listen and to love.'

Reflecting on the immediate aftermath of the fire, the Bishop said the response from all over London, the UK and beyond had been 'extraordinary', while the emergency services worked tirelessly.