Health Bulletin

May 31 is World No Tobacco Day

The theme for this year's World No Tobacco Day is 'Ban Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship'. Commemorated annually on May 31, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners seek to highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocate for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death globally and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide.

The specific objectives of the 2013 campaign are to: spur countries to implement WHO FCTC Article 13 and its guidelines; and drive local, national and international efforts to counteract tobacco industry efforts to undermine tobacco control, specifically industry efforts to stall or stop comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. Evidence shows that comprehensive advertising bans lead to reductions in the numbers of people starting and continuing smoking.

Unicity International brings healthy options to Jamaica

In celebration of Jamaica's partnership with Unicity International's 'Make Life Better Movement', Team Elite Jamaica will this week launch the Jamaican chapter. Unicity provides a range of products specially formulated to improve overall health, increase energy and physical well-being. Their holistic health-management products have elevated Jamaica to becoming the 42nd member of the Unicity global network. Two of Unicity's core products, Bios Life Slim and Bios Life Slim G, are both specially formulated to help the body find well-needed stability, thus providing freedom through good health.

Among the activities during this week's launch will be discussions about the products, health management and utilising health to build wealth. Events are scheduled for the Medallion Hall Hotel, Gloucestershire Hotel, Golf View Hotel and the Emmanuel Apostolic Church.

Late nights are bad for your health

A new British study has revealed that getting just one poor night's sleep (four hours) can make your blood vessels less flexible, raising your risk of cardiovascular disease.

In a recent experiment, people slept normal hours one night, then stayed awake for most of the next night. Researchers tested the sleepers the following morning and found that their blood vessels were stiffer and their breathing was irregular.

While the reason for the link between poor sleep and heart health isn't yet clear, researchers believe that a sleep-deprived brain directly signals your blood vessels to become stiff and unresponsive, says study author Shahrad Taheri, PhD. So frequently missing sleep may be enough to raise your risk of cardiovascular disease by making your heart and body work harder to overcome an out-of-whack vascular system.

What's more, irregular breathing can further raise your risk of heart disease by causing sleep apnoea, Dr Taheri says.

While occasionally missing a night or two of perfect sleep isn't enough to cause any problems - the study participants tested normal again after getting a full night's rest - repeatedly pulling all-nighters could, says Dr Taheri.

Nurses to use research findings to strengthen nursing care

The University of the West Indies School of Nursing will stage its 23rd annual Nursing and Midwifery Research Conference and 24th Mary Seivwright Day on May 30 and 31.

Under the theme 'Evidence-based practice: Promoting Excellence in Patient Care', participants will examine how research can make a difference to patient care and outcomes, review existing barriers that prevent the utilisation of research in patient care and enable dialogue among health-care providers and policymakers.

Organisers hope that the conference will contribute to improved quality in patient care, thereby increasing utilisation of research in nursing practice, and the development of a research culture in nursing. Keynote speaker is Professor Alexander M. Clarke of the University of Alberta, Canada.

MAJ symposium, June 7-9

The Medical Association of Jamaica will be hosting this year's medical symposium at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in St Andrew from June 7-9. This year's theme is 'New Frontiers in Medicine and Health-care Delivery', which will seek to provide updates on understanding diseases and their management as well as emerging trends in health-related technologies and policies. The discussions will take place within the context of their sustainability for developing economies as well as their potential effects on wellness and human development of Jamaicans and other members of the Caribbean community.

New health-empowerment app released

Patient Whiz App, an innovative health-empowerment app designed to streamline medical care and reduce health-care costs, is now on the market. It was designed to empower individuals with no medical background to optimise their health while slashing their medical bills, minimising delays in diagnoses, and decreasing medical errors. The multi-feature app teaches users basic 'patient skills' that equip them to streamline their own high-quality medical care while they minimise expensive and potentially dangerous testing.

"Every individual has a colossal interest in the future of health care, whether he knows it or not. Together we'll thrive or together we'll fall," says A. Maria Hester, MD, creator of the Patient Whiz App.