jeanmark

Whilst supporting him having the courage to bare his soul in public, I feel much of the current problems are exacerbated by them both trying to avoid the press. If they hit them head on and stood their ground the press would get bored and give up harassing them. Both need to learn from his brother and sister-in-law to see what works well.

It would it appear MaryPoppins56 that you are not alone with regard to the word 'gotten'. However, despite the many claims that it is an Americanism, it is of British origin and the Oxford English Dictionary traces its first use to the 4th century.

I would get a dog for the pleasure of having a loyal friend, that I got exercise as a result would be a bonus not the reason.

Oh dear djl277, you appear to make an assumption that everyone who has a different opinion to yours must be narrow minded, and unable to understand the discussion because they have not read the research used to influence the decision in Scotland. Everyone on this site has been a child, many are parents, grand parents and great grandparents and therefore they also recognise the need to use their knowledge and experience of life to help form their opinions and not only rely on research findings. Most comments on here have expressed the feeling that they haven't come to harm, either physically of psychologically, from receiving a reasonable degree of chastisement and the research can not alter what they have learnt from life.

Having been at the receiving end of news media sensationalism and their journalistic behaviours, I never buy newspapers on principle and rarely read them on-line.

I understand what what you have said but still believe that not every woman is helped by taking either HRT or other recommended natural products, how ever well educated they are on the subject on what is available (and many women are), we should all have an understanding of how these few women may suffer and ensure we give our support. That doesn't mean being treated as 'special'!

Sorry SandraD46, whilst understand your sentiment I am a little confused about your suffering from menopausal symptoms from the age of 12 until a hysterectomy at 31?

Sometimes the risks may appear to out weigh the benefits and a good GP should be able to assess this. I think it has to be up to the individual to consider what is best for her. A close friend suffered really badly from the side effects to the extent were she had difficulty working and was advised by her GP to discontinue it after 5 months. She had no choice but to try and soldier on and would get increasingly upset when other women would tell her to pull herself together and take HRT! I think it is important to recognise that HRT may not be for everyone and be ready to support those who have to find other ways of coping.

And if they are unable to take medication, what then?

Pauline52 that appears a little hard if you are at the peak of your career. I agree most women do not need 'special' consideration, just consideration for what they may be going through. Yes, we have fought hard for equality, but there are those of us who have always considered we are equal anyway and have never let our gender tell us differently as we progressed through our lives!

Interesting the comments on here from a number of women who just say take medication and get on with it. What happens if you are unable to take medication, must you continue to suffer just because others before you 'just got on with it'? We all know women who sail through the menopause and those who have a degree of discomfort, but I have met many women who are suicidal as a result of their symptoms and become housebound because they feel so embarrassed. Should we not be giving our support to such women? I worked in a predominately female profession and I am well aware of staffing issues relating to pregnancies, but surely it shouldn't stop us from showing some understanding for those women at the other end of the scale who are suffering.

I wonder how Ian Fleming would feel, after all, he created the character?

Well Attagirl, as only 71.8% of the population voted, how can you be so certain that 'leave' is what the majority the country wants?

I agree with you and usually wisdom comes with age. However, sometimes age comes on its own......

Well said jacacc1210. I am still trying to understand why people consider that democracy is okay, even when based on lies. I also believe Boris is just a puppet for Rees-Mogg and his like, He didn't even have to courage to ask the Queen himself.

Thanks for clarifying that for me. To be honest I have never watched the programme and have no intention of starting. I just question if we now have to have representation from all sections of society to make an interesting programme.

Is age really an issue on a programme that focuses on baking?

Considering the number of comments on this subject suggesting that we cull a number wild bird species that are perceived as a hazard or nuisance, well, I can think of a number of humans who could possibly also be culled for their anti-social behaviour. That to me is much more of a problem because they should be able to control their behaviour and habits but choose not to, where as birds merely react on instinct and the need to survive.

But children do not and that is the worry. We now have children with Type 2 Diabetes, a condition that usually occurs in later life, with all the problems this can cause. As one of the roles of the Government is choosing what to spend public money on that includes the NHS, I believe they have a degree of responsibility in helping control obesity and do not view that as "nanny state" interference.

Why believe it is a way of privatising the NHS? Surely it is a way of helping people find health information who may not be able to access the NHS website. It doesn't replace a health care professional or the NHS!

It appears we are both luckier than many people on this site. We were also pioneers in Patient Access having been involved in the initial trial and roll out. We also appear to have the same services, making it so much easier to access them. In our surgery is a jar of marbles that represent the number of missed appointment for the week along with the cost to the service, the jar is now nearly empty as a result.

Thanks for your explanation Billythequiche and I now understand where you are coming from. I have never felt the need to have an Alexa or any such device to do things for me, I have a husband for that! As to personal health information, I would never use any site that asks for such details but I have used NHS UK for specific information on minor issues, Pharmacists are also a great source for advice. Nationally, we have a crisis with a declining number of GP"s and so anything that can reduce their burden is okay with me. I am fortunate in having a Medical Practice that is very innovative in finding ways to deliver a quality service that will suit most people. They also have their own dispensary within the practice that delivers to the outlying villages free of charge! Take care.

I agree SallyG65, that is what I already do and don't feel I have a need for a device such as Alexa.

Yes but why use an emergency service when an alternative may give you an answer to your question? We already have a crisis with GP numbers so why stretch them further if an alternative is available. The NHS website (www.nhs.uk) is easily accessed and can help reduce the need for further consultation.

Billythequiche, the NHS website is not a commercial site but set up and funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its purpose is to give information on health related issues not to gather information about an individual. Many people access it and it is recorded as receiving more than 43 million visits a month. Many access it initially to judge if they need to seek professional help about a specific thing, not as a substitute for a medical consultation. I also feel an ID card would be great, but too many people appear to think they are so interesting that 'big 'brother' would monitoring everything they do!!

The NHS Website has more than 43 million visits per month. Having used information from the site on a regular basis, I have not encountered any problems and thus have no more concerns than when using any other official website. I have no interest in using Alexa but in practice, using such a device is no different than using your computer to browse and it is the individuals responsibly to ensure their device is as secure as possible.

That's the problem Vera, we have a crisis in recruiting GP's!

Billythequiche, it would be used to access information to help you to identify if an actual face to face consultation with a doctor was necessary, not as a substitute for more necessary professional opinion.

Dezzi, whilst understanding your concerns with regard to security, the information given will be that from the actual NHS Health site thus information will be as up to date as if you were using the website yourself.

Must be a good way of teaching right from wrong, my great nephews and nieces send both mum and dad to the naughty step if they consider they have misbehaved - they have even sent me when I have inadvertently used a banned word!

The question is too general as many chronic conditions require medication. I agree it is good therapy for certain conditions but will not replace medication for a large number of diseases.

That makes more sense now and yes, I agree they should be covered by a lid that protect the content until needed.

I have never seen the programme but I understand the suicides happened at least two years after appearing on the programme so it may be a little unfair to assume the programme was the cause. Mind you I had never watched the Jeremy Kyle programme either but both attracted wide audiences.

But surely we are advised to wash all fruit and vegetables before use, a good practice to adopt whether wrapped or not. As to 'germs', well they can be spread in all kinds of ways, just standing in a queue is risky!

I don't believe the state is trying to interfere with a parents right to choose except when a community as a whole may be affected by one persons decision. On the whole, vaccines have saved countless lives in the world and continue to help reduce the risk from more virulent infections. Unfortunately there will be a small number of individuals who may come to harm and that is tragic for them and their loved ones. However, that is why protocols and guidelines are reviewed and revise to try and prevent further harm. How do we control certain infections that can save a child's life if we refuse too use the very thing that evidence indicates has worked for the majority?

I have been doing that for a number of months and it is so easy to take you own containers plus paper bags. Frozen food etc usually have utensils to use. Waitress has started but many supermarkets would oblige if you took your own containers.

I have to agree Marley444, the bursary for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals was stopped by this government with few having any hope of being high earners. It has been reported that we have over 40,000 nursing post vacant so how do we now encourage more to apply when all they see is debt? When people discuss degrees they tend to forget public servants such as nurses and teachers need degrees!

Sciences does provide data, not to be confused with industry. I try not to focus on the profit making pharmaceutical companies but rather the medical and scientific people who work to fight such infections. It isn't just about industries but scientific progress in the field of medicine. I certainly understand risk v benefit, it was a daily occurrence for me when working. I do believe in vaccines as I spent a large part of my career witnessing the results. I find it a little sad that you do not believe in vaccines as a whole as we have come so far in preventive work as a result of them. I assume you would discourage young girls from getting the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that can protect them from a high-risk type of HPV that has been found to cause the most common cancer in women under 35.

In general vaccines are effective at reducing the incidence and severity of vaccine-preventable diseases but no vaccine is 100% effective against a viral infection. It is also recognise that the mumps portion of the MMR vaccine is the least effective of the three components, providing 88% effectiveness. If I recall the MMR vaccine was introduced in 1971 and outbreaks decreased as a result. The Wakefield report caused a great deal of panic and as a result take-up of MMR vaccination decreased with a noted increase of outbreaks. Now I may be rather naive but I believe there is correlation between the two. There will always be documented outbreaks of viral and other infections in close knit communities, such as the military, but these tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Do you have the same beliefs regarding all vaccinations?

And now there has been a significant increase in mumps cases along with continuing outbreaks of measles. There were 795 cases of mumps in the first three months of 2019, compared with 1,031 in the whole of 2018 with young adults being affected. Do people still believe vaccination should not be made compulsory but the decision left to parents?