HEALTH NOTES: Take a shine to cheap sunscreen
HEALTH NOTES: Take a look at cheap sunscreen, as researchers claim supermarket own-brand bottles offer just as much protection
Don’t waste money on expensive sunscreen – supermarket own-brand bottles offer just as much protection, it is claimed.
Researchers from review website Which? tested the efficacy of 12 SPF30 products. Each cream was applied to a patch of skin and ultraviolet light was shone over it.
The team timed how long it took for the skin to turn red, both with and without sunscreen, to see which product provided the longest-lasting protection.
The £3, 200ml Asda Protect Moisturizing Sun Lotion topped the list. Meanwhile, the most expensive cream – Ultrasun’s £22 bottle – was no better than Asda’s and just as easy to apply, according to testers.
Researchers from review website Which? tested the efficacy of 12 SPF30 products
Meditation can relieve severe pain
Meditation and posture training can relieve pain, as can strong medication.
A team from the University of Warwick asked 300 patients taking addictive painkillers called opioids to take part in a non-drug intervention, which included a two-month stress management course, posture advice and mindfulness meditation.
After a year, one-third of those in the non-drug group had stopped taking the medication and saw no difference in pain severity, compared to less than one in 10 who did not take the course. Prof Sam Eldabe, pain expert at James Cook University Hospital, said: ‘Our study shows that opioids can be stopped without actually making the pain worse.’
About half of all recorded drug poisoning deaths in 2021 involved an opioid.
A camera that can be swallowed can detect stomach cancer.
Scientists in the US have developed a small capsule containing the recording device that examines stomach tissue for signs of disease. Unlike previous models, this device can be directed around the stomach by a doctor.
It is attached to a magnet, which is linked to a joystick on the outside of the body – when the joystick moves, so does the magnet. The developers say the capsule could replace endoscopies, in which a tube with a camera is screwed down the throat and into the stomach.
Dr. Andrew Meltzer, part of the team behind the tool at George Washington University, said: ‘Endoscopies are invasive procedures, not to mention the cost of anesthesia and time off. Magnetically controlled capsules can be used as a quick and easy way to screen for stomach ulcers or stomach cancer.’