Health & Beauty

High levels of calcium in blood, a condition known as hypercalcaemia, can be used by GPs as an early indication of certain types of cancer, according to a study by researchers from the University of Exeter Medical School and the University of Bristol.

Hypercalcaemia is the most common metabolic disorder associated with cancer, occurring in 10 to 20 per cent of people with cancer. While its connection to cancer is well known, this study has, for the first time, shown that often it can predate the diagnosis of cancer in primary care.

A simple blood test could identify those...

Exeter-based baker Glenn Cosby is sharing his baking expertise to support Epilepsy Action’s National Tea and Cake Break. Epilepsy Action is the UK’s leading epilepsy charity. Glenn, who was a contestant on the BBC’s Great British Bake Off in 2013, has donated a recipe to the charity to inspire other budding bakers to get involved and bake a difference for people with epilepsy.

National Tea and Cake Break takes place on Friday 17 October. Tea drinkers and cake lovers are encouraged to get their mixing bowls and teapots at the ready and host an event to raise funds for Epilepsy...

The fifth National Eye Health Week will take place on 22 – 28 September 2014.

The week aims to raise awareness of the importance of good eye health and the need for regular sight tests for all. 20 million people in the UK could be at risk of avoidable sight loss because they fail to have regular sight tests. Almost two million people in the UK are living with sight loss yet over half of sight loss can be avoided.

The number of people in the UK with sight loss is set to increase dramatically. It is predicted that by 2050 the number of people with sight loss in the UK will...

MEN and women aged over 40 are the target of a sexual health campaign launched by an NHS clinic in Exeter. The Centre, managed by the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, is aiming to raise awareness among over-40s of the sexual health and contraceptive services it provides.

The move comes ahead of Sexual Health Week 2014, which runs from 15 to 21 September. Data from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) shows that the number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continues to rise among those aged 45 to 64, while HIV diagnoses have doubled in the over-50s over the past decade....