A tax on chocolate and the impact of devolution
The Scottish LMCs conference in Clydesbank today will debate, among other things, whether there should be a tax on chocolate and if GPs in Scotland should become a salaried service. The debate on...
View ArticleWill you follow in the footsteps of Henry VIII?
Obesity is not some brand new phenomenon, like social networking or celebrity chefs: the truth of this is illustrated clearly by an exhibition currently on display at the Tower of London: Henry VIII –...
View ArticleObesity, cows and climate change
I was flabberghasted when I learned that cows produce as many litres of polluting gases as a car does in a day. And I’ve since been trying to run over as many cows as possible to reduce the carbon...
View ArticleAre smokers subsidising the NHS while ‘fatties’ bleed it dry?
Being a (slightly rabid) non-smoker, I was very irritated by a conversation I had with a smoker friend, in which he claimed that the duty paid on cigarettes renders smoking cost-neutral to the NHS. He...
View ArticleDoctors and nurses must be able to nag patients about their weight
‘Not everyone has a free choice about controlling their weight: for instance, people in inner cities are much more likely to be overweight because of poorer education, poorer housing and poorer job...
View ArticleAvoid fad diets and patronising supermodels
Fat is a contentious issue, stimulating debate and polarising opinion. However, on one weight-related matter there is a definite consensus: nobody likes to be patronised by underfed, overpaid...
View ArticleChristmas tongue-in-cheek tale gone wrong?
Oh if we had known a little tongue-in-cheek health story about Santa failing to be a healthy role model for children would generate such heated debate! Of the dozens of potentially controversial news...
View ArticlePromote a healthy lifestyle… after Christmas
It seems even Father Christmas isn’t safe from the public health messages driven home during the festive season. Santa was criticised earlier this month for drink-driving after too many brandies,...
View ArticleCan GP commissioning tackle bariatric surgery lottery?
The BBC news led last week with the story that the number of people in England undergoing surgery on the NHS to help them lose weight has increased 10-fold in less than a decade. This week’s GP...
View ArticleIs it fair to give an overweight patient discounted gym membership?
Not just is it fair, but is it ethical, financially justifiable and does it work? The majority of NICE’s independent Citizens Council voted in favour of offering incentive schemes to patients to...
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