Latest news with #specialist

Cancer patients warned not to use weight-loss jabs

Telegraph

11 hours ago

Health
Telegraph

Cancer patients warned not to use weight-loss jabs

Cancer patients should not take 'quick fix' weight-loss jabs unless under specialist care, experts have warned. Macmillan Cancer Support said there had been a surge in people asking about the drugs, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, but that there was not enough evidence about how they might affect cancer treatment. It said there was already evidence the injections may affect how other medicines are absorbed by the body, and that this could include cancer drugs. The manufacturers acknowledge the weight-loss jabs may affect the absorption of other drugs. The contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are among treatments experts have said are affected when taken orally. It is thought the mechanism by which the drugs make a person feel fuller and reduce their appetite – called delayed gastric emptying – also slows down the rate at which medicines are absorbed by the gut. Dr Owen Carter, national clinical adviser at Macmillan Cancer Support, said there had been 'a noticeable increase in calls to Macmillan's free support line and a flurry of messages on our peer-to-peer online community about weight-loss drugs'. 'We know that cancer affects everybody differently and it's understandable that lots of people are interested in new drugs which accelerate weight loss, particularly if they want to manage their weight before or after treatment for cancer,' he said. 'While 'quick fixes' may seem attractive, we simply do not know enough about the long-term impact of these weight-loss medications to recommend them if they're not prescribed by a specialist.' He also said that 'certain weight-loss medications carry warnings about a potential link with thyroid cancer'. He added that 'eating well and staying as active as possible are proven to help people feel better, increase their energy levels and strengthen their immune systems, which can help them to manage their weight and cope better with cancer treatment'. Weight-loss drugs have been available on the NHS to a select few patients via specialist weight management clinics. The majority of the estimated 1.5 million people taking the drugs in the UK are accessing them privately for around £200 a month, often from online pharmacies. Later this month, GPs will be able to prescribe one of the drugs, Mounjaro, to obese patients. Last week, Prof Sir Stephen Powis, the NHS England national medical director, said they could be as transformative as statins.

Health implications of in utero measles exposure

CTV News

10-06-2025

Health
CTV News

Health implications of in utero measles exposure

Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch discusses the health implications of in utero measles exposure, and what this outbreak signals for Canada's vaccination strategy.

I can't shift pink marks on my skin – they keep popping up but I can't get a GP appointment

The Sun

07-06-2025

Health
The Sun

I can't shift pink marks on my skin – they keep popping up but I can't get a GP appointment

OUR resident specialist and NHS GP, Dr Zoe Williams, shares her expert advice. Today, Dr Zoe helps a reader who has noticed marks on their skin. 2 Q) I HAVE some skin marks that I first noticed last year. I tried to see my doctor but could only get a phone consultation which, as you can imagine, was useless. They wanted me to email a picture, but I couldn't access the site. I've used a steroid cream, which I had for a different issue, and found it makes the marks go, but after a while, more appear elsewhere. They aren't sore or itchy, but this is really getting me down. Can you help? A) Thank you for sending the images of the rash, which appear to show oval salmon-pink-coloured patches on your torso. While seeing images of skin is helpful, we doctors usually need to get a history from the patient in order to make a diagnosis. I would like to know if, prior to the rash appearing, there was a single larger patch that came up first. If this was the case, then that would likely be the herald patch – a sign of the harmless skin condition pityriasis rosea. It usually gets better on its own over the course of around four to ten weeks. You say you first noticed skin marks a year ago, but I'm unsure if there was a period in between where it cleared. This could be a second episode of it. If this sounds likely, it will resolve on its own and a mild steroid cream can alleviate any discomfort if there is any. If you do not think it is this, then you need a consultation with a GP. TIP: As we enjoy the summer, try to refrain from wearing sandals and flip-flops too often. Their lack of support can lead to calluses, corns and issues like plantar fasciitis, which causes heel pain.