MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'house of lords'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:48:33 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452445&cid=t_102808_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fassisted-suicide-issues-debated-in-britain%2F Swiss clinic Dignitis and the issue of assisted suicide have been in the British media spotlight lately, mainly due to a debate that is taking placing before the  House of Lords. This debate revolves around an old law and a new case. The old law, the 1961 Suicide Act bans assisted suicide in Britain and criminalises anyone who aids, abets, counsels or procures someone else’s suicide. The new case -  a 46-year-old woman with progressive multiple sclerosis who wants to travel abroad to die and wants to ensure her husband Omar Puente won’t be  prosecuted if he helps her travel. The law as it stands can allow for the prosecution of  relatives and friends who travel with someone planning to undertake assisted dying overseas. Granted, government law officers readily admit that thos... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452445 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:08:47 +0100 2452445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1065779&cid=t_102808_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F12%2F03%2Fgovernment-response-to-the-house-of-lords-science-and-technology-committee-report-on-allergy-6th-report-of-session-2006%25e2%2580%259307%2F The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee published its report on allergy (see our post on Allergy Care in the NHS) on 26 September 2007. This is the government’s response to the conclusions and recommendations in that report. It recognises the importance of allergy and is committed to playing its part in helping to alleviate the burden of allergic disorders. This command paper refers to some of the strategies being developed and employed to do so. (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1065779 Mon, 03 Dec 2007 09:59:43 +0100 1065779 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=917953&cid=t_102808_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Fnhs-choices-spreads-confusion-about.html Journalists and and a certain class of nutritionists frequently conflate allergy and intolerance. UK newspapers regularly carry stories about 'food allergies' where the topic is actually food intolerance and it is not unusual for IgG blood testing to be promoted as a scientifically and clinically validated test for the diagnosis of food allergies or intolerance. These misunderstandings are so common that I notice when a journalist doesn't make these mistakes.Nonetheless, I was particularly irritated when a correspondent drew my attention to an NHS site with a section dedicated to allergies: Which allergy test? The page carries some useful information about various tests, both those which are available from the NHS and those that are direct-to-consumer. For some of the tests (e.g., the hydr... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=917953 Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:37:00 +0100 917953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=906061&cid=t_102808_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F09%2Fhouse-of-lords-reports-on-allergy-and.html Imagine having a Ferrari that you are only ever allowed to drive in a velodrome. Imagine further, that there is a noise-limiter on the engine and that you are not allowed to exceed 12 miles an hour. The UK is in the somewhat remarkable position of having some of the most well-respected and expert clinical allergists and immunologists in the world yet employing them within a National Health Service that is infamous for its lack of adequate allergy services and the poverty of available resources. A House of Lords Committee has been investigating allergy and allergic diseases in the UK. The House of Lords (HoL) committee has issued a comprehensive report (HL 166-1 or pdf) and made some strong recommendations that seem wholly appropriate to the scale of need within the UK.It is breathtakingly ... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=906061 Wed, 26 Sep 2007 09:47:00 +0100 906061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=539101&cid=t_102808_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F04%2Fself-testing-for-allergy-and.html Last month, I wrote up part of an House of Lords evidence session for allergy and allergic disease in which IgG food intolerance tests were described as a waste of money. The first part of that session was less entertaining but does give an insight into the regulatory mess that surrounds self-testing kits in the UK. Patrick Holford (amongst others) describes the availability of these self-tests as empowering and suggests that: some health professionals just haven’t kept up to date. Perhaps it’s because a ‘home test’ takes the power away from the professional and puts it in your hands.Not withstanding Holford's comments there are serious questions about the harm to children that arises from misdiagnosis or the inappropriate use of allergy and intolerance tests.The transcript for the... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=539101 Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:11:00 +0100 539101 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=481903&cid=t_102808_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fwhy-both-misdiagnosis-or-inappropriate.html I have been writing a lot about allergy and intolerance tests recently; a number of factors have contributed to this. The House of Lords is currently scrutinising allergy and intolerance in the UK. When I look through the medical histories of the children with whom I work, in 60-80% of them, the parents have usually indicated that there are several allergies and intolerances. I would estimate that there is clinical confirmation of these allergies etc. in fewer than 2% of the children.It is breathtakingly difficult to obtain a referral to a clinical allergist in the UK. In the whole of the UK, we have the equivalent of 26.5 consultant posts: approximately 5 of those are specialists in paediatric allergy. It is frequently argued that the lack of NHS allergy diagnosis and management pushes pe... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=481903 Mon, 19 Mar 2007 11:19:00 +0100 481903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478799&cid=t_102808_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Ffood-allergy-and-intolerance-tests.html And please let Shinga hear some decent testimony before she explodes.Dr. Glenis Scadding is a consultant allergist with an fine reputation. She has clearly and elegantly stated that IgG tests for the diagnosis of food intolerance are "a waste of money". She has criticised the availability of direct-to-consumer IgE tests because they lead to "mis-diagnosis and mis-allergen avoidance".However, at the same hearing where Dr. Scadding spoke, and earlier in the session, Dr. Hart, a representative of YorkTest, gave evidence at a meeting of the House of Lords, Science and Technology SubCommittee hearings that are investigating allergy and allergic disease in the UK.In summary, Dr. Hart acknowledged that IgG levels are not necessarily related to either food intolerance or chronic conditions. She al... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478799 Fri, 16 Mar 2007 17:47:00 +0100 478799 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478800&cid=t_102808_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Figg-tests-are-waste-of-money-house-of.html I think that IgG tests may accurately measure IgG levels but I do not believe that there is scientific support to confirm the relevance of IgG levels in the diagnosis of food intolerance. I have stated this in several posts over the last few weeks (see list at foot of post).Today, the House of Lords SubCommittee that is looking into allergy and allergic diseases in the UK heard Dr. Glenis Scadding, Consultant Allergist of the Royal Nose, Throat and Ear Hospital, state this in a far more succinct and elegant fashion. My draft transcript of the full exchange from today's meeting (audio recording: available for 28 days and thereafter in transcript form) follows but the highlights from the redoubtable Dr. Glenis Scadding are:What I do dispute is that it is worth making any attempt to identify ... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478800 Thu, 15 Mar 2007 14:55:00 +0100 478800 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478801&cid=t_102808_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fmultiple-chemical-sensitivity-and-house.html What do you call it when somebody attempts to flatter the intellect of their audience and then bamboozles them to the point that it feels as if they have cast ground glass and fine grit in people's eyes? I felt like this during a recent discussion of multiple chemical sensitivity.The House of Lords has appointed a committee to investigate allergy and intolerance in the UK. The Committee is investigating some important issues with implications for public health and public policy so I was hopeful that the written submissions and oral hearings would involve robust explorations of the science and associated issues.One of the topics under investigation is multiple chemical sensitivity. Unsurprisingly, most of the experts and bodies that submitted evidence on this topic concentrated on their own... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478801 Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:16:00 +0100 478801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478802&cid=t_102808_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fdiscouraging-news-from-review-of.html When people want you to consider rewriting "textbooks in physics, pharmacology and chemistry", you hope that they have good evidence behind it and some workable hypotheses with which to replace these erroneous and out-moded doctrines that have maintained a stranglehold in scientific and medical education. Sadly, it doesn't seem as if either the evidence or workable replacement mechanisms of action will be available any time soon so 'we mun dree oor wyrd' and hope for a paradigm shift to happen before error leads us into catastrophe.The House of Lords has appointed a committee to investigate allergy and intolerance in the UK. The Committee is investigating some important issues with implications for public health and public policy so I was hopeful that the written submissions and oral heari... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478802 Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:47:00 +0100 478802 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=478808&cid=t_102808_87_f&fid=34882&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbreathspakids.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Fallergy-and-intolerance-under-scrutiny.html The House of Lords has a Science and Technology Committee that is one of the main investigative committees in the UK. The Committee is a major forum of independent expertise and its broad remit is “to consider science and technology”. The S & T Committee investigates a range of topics including those with public policy implications and assessing health and research priorities. Committee recommendations are largely directed at Government, though they may also have implications for industry, the professions and consumers and the general public.Presently, Sub Committee 1 is investigating allergy and allergic diseases and their associated range of policy issues. However, because allergy service provision was recently examined by the House of Commons Health Committee and the Department of H... Breath Spa for Kids blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=478808 Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:07:00 +0100 478808