Positive Health Online

The MHRA, Democracy, Lies and Dirty Tricks

Reposted from Martin Walker’s post on  facebook.com

https://www.facebook.com/1198797546/posts/10218219216290706/

A week ago, David Noakes the chief executive of a long standing company which produced a seemingly successful cancer treatment was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to a number of charges. The case was brought it appears by the MHRA, which has, without any discussion turned itself into a prosecuting agency, avoiding all the 'safeguards' of the police or the Crown Prosecution Service. The MHRA claim that they brought the case in the public interest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvnH-j2M_g8) Although this same agency has brought no cases against the pharmaceutical companies responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of pharmaceutical drug users.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgQiuGEc22Y&fbclid=IwAR3U-PFiQVbvrjNyWBcWOT8qAdABdfphNA9vwZW27hlPgfuuH9ICR7Mt7Sg

Ian R Crane’s Video: David Noakes in Jail but the GcMAF Genie is Out the Bottle

This morning I find myself having to deal with a matter which has been upsetting me for some time. Those few of you who have read any of my longer pieces, or my books, will know that despite not being an academic, I try my hardest to research my material and if it’s necessary references. I consider research being an essential part of truth telling. That is not to say that those who don’t do detailed research do not tell the truth, but that arguments and analysis even from the best truth tellers becomes by their nature verges on ‘untruth fullness’ when it lacks foundation.

OK, I can see your puzzled frown and I hear your whisper, ‘What the f*** is he talking about? So, I will be explicit. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), that is, the UK licensing and regulatory agency for pharmaceuticals, people keep saying in interviews, in vids, in films, in writing, that it has been ‘infiltrated’ by the pharmafia - hey, say the pharmaceutical corporations, I say the Pharmafia.

The only words which I can use to describe this wrong statement is ‘old school’; it’s an ‘old school’ idea, like the telephone and the fountain pen. Infiltration was used from the end of the nineteenth century to the present day, and is still used in some circumstances, so that producing companies could present an altered perception of the dangers of their products. How widespread this was can be seen in the last book I worked on, Corporate Ties that Bind: An Examination of Corporate Manipulation and Vested Interest in Public Health. Today, however, we are in a new era, one of corporatism, a political condition in which corporations and the fringes of governments move as one, dancing to the same tune. This condition used to be called fascism and its hallmark is the complete exclusion from power of the citizen and consumers.

So that we all understand what we’re talking about, I will try to make a single cogent statement about the MHRA and perhaps we might extend it to include the cancer research organizations. ‘The MHRA is an organ of the pharmaceutical industry’. To fill this out a little, ‘The MHRA exists close to government and might draw occasionally on government funds but it principally serves the interests of the pharmaceutical industry.’ It is not a cuckoo in the nest of democratic society but an enemy encampment, behind the lines of a possible democratic society. In more simple terms perhaps we might state clearly what the MHRA does. The MHRA raises hundreds of thousands of pounds ‘selling’ licenses to pharmaceutical companies. So if you are a pharmaceutical company that has been working on a new drug and you have carried the load to the very end of the path, you finish off with in-house clinical trials, and buy a bill of health from the MHRA.

The present cost for a UK national license is £92,753 (you can only wonder what the three pounds covers - staples?) Every company that begins the process of ‘buying’ a license can assume that everything will be done to grant it, whatever the impediments. Those who arbiter your papers will be engineered to grant the license - all the MHRA committees are packed with ‘experts’ who have conflicting interests and there are no citizens or illness sufferers represented. It might be said that the whole process is one where no critical voices get in the way of ‘buying a license’.

There is a great slew of committees in the MHRA, a number of which show a vague intention on, for example, tracking adverse reactions. However, ask yourself this, if there is a contractual understanding between a pharmaceutical company which has paid for a license and the MHRA who has agreed the safety of a drug and accepted the money for the license, how often will the awkward vehicle, even if those driving it wish to, turn round in the road and cancel the agreement?

And, of course, we have not even mentioned the disappearance of citizens’ rights when faced with corporate authoritarianism. We begin to live in a world which is only a facade, a world which has no substance and on in which all previous standards have disappeared, like the thousand year old right to have a hearing against someone who has injured you - civil claims against pharmaceutical companies are now things of the past.

As the economies of capitalist countries move on, corporatism becomes the form of governance, democracy is dispelled, choice disappears and, as George Orwell said, “lies become the order of the day”; or to put it another way, “fake information describes and presents a democratic world.” The period between 1950 and the year 2000 turns out to have been an illusory period of liberal democracy during which the corporations tooled-up to subjugate and in some cases destroy a dissenting population. See the video statement made by two men from the MHRA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvnH-j2M_g8.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The Pharmapolice

This is a short piece I wrote last year which adds a couple of pieces to the jigsaw puzzle.

Just this morning I saw Robert Kennedy’s meme about the control of the CDC by pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical company licensing. The situation is not quite the same in the UK but his statement “The CDC is not an independent agency, it is a vaccine company” rang bells with me.

The pharmaceutical companies have taken over completely the regulation of pharmaceutical medicines in the UK. The most powerful of the groups involved is the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency, (MHRA), like the CDC the agency, responsible for licensing. Most people in Britain see the Agency as part of the UK government with a supportive civil service. However the MHRA, although apparently attached to the UK government, is actually a free standing ‘executive agency’.

The Agency employs more than 1,200 people and has facilities in London, York and South Mimms, Hertfordshire. It deals with the licensing of all drugs and has various departments which carry the pharmaceutical cause further. The group also has ex-police investigators there to harry alternative medicine practitioners and bring charges against them if necessary, and a small unit which sends out letters under the names of fictitious patients asking for information on alternative treatments. The executive Agency is wholly funded by the pharmaceutical industry.

Although the pharmaceutical companies pay the whole bill for the MHRA, there are occasions when the MHRA sees fit to make a criminal prosecution - yes the MHRA has the power to prosecute in criminal law - against an alternative health distributor or practitioner. Clearly it would be unfair to expect the pharmaceutical companies to pay for such cases, so when they do bring them, despite the fact that they do not pass through the Crown Prosecution Service (the government check on the validity of cases) they draw on the common purse getting the tax payer to foot the Bill.

How the MHRA came into being is instructive. The Evans Cunliffe report, Study of Control of Medicines, published in 1987 written by a senior civil servant at the Department of Health with an ICI chemicals executive, a leading member of the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries (ABPI), acknowledged the cosy, informal relationship between ‘officials’ in the DoH and ‘applicant companies’ seeking to license their products.

The report - that had come about because of the massive backlog of chemicals, drugs and apparatus in need of licences, which were piling up on the books of the Medicines Division - determined this informal co-operation to be a healthy state of affairs, which had regrettably been lost over the years. The report recommended that there was a return to this ‘informal communication’ between parties and that ‘both parties should take steps to encourage informal communication’.

DHSS (Department of Health and Social Security) and the pharmaceutical industry agree that communication between officials and applicant companies has become more formal in recent years, with more reliance on written notices referring to the terms of the Medicines Act. All parties agree that there is a need for informal communication by telephone, letter and meetings help to remove misunderstanding and aid the smooth dispatch of business.

This report signalled the first momentum, outside of the defence industry, in modern British history that ushered corporations into the structure of the Government’s civil service.

In order to solve the ‘backlog of licencing’ problems, a department in the DHSS was designated for the pharmaceutical companies, who would at that time fund 60% of its cost. Within a short time, this was a booming ‘department of Government’, running all aspects of regulation and licensing of pharmaceuticals and paid for in its entirety, by licensing fees, by the ABPI and separate pharmaceutical companies.

Just as with the CDC, governments have left the pharmaceutical regulators to get on with their own business. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s there was constant sniping from the media, usually restricted to the minor question of the involvement of those within the wide ranging committees of the MHRA with vested inters. The much larger question, however, of who controls pharmaceutical licensing, has been left entirely to the pharmaceutical companies.

Further Information

For background news to this issue, please see previous posts in Positive Health PH Online:

Letters to the Editor Issue 221 UK Government Raid Strips Cancer and Other Patients Of Choice Over Innovative Natural Treatments

Editorial Issue 221

Acknowledgement Citation

Reposted from Martin Walker’s post on  facebook.com

https://www.facebook.com/1198797546/posts/10218219216290706/

For anyone wishing to write to David Noakes, here's the address:

David Noakes - A7081DY

PO Box 757, Heathfield Road, Wandsworth London SW18 3HU

Follow Ian R Crane on YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/user/ianrcrane

 

 

Mike Mew Expelled from the British Orthodontic Society- Right or Wrong? The facts!

by Dr Michael Mew BDS(Lon)MSc(Orth)

 

The British Orthodontic Society have unanimously expelled me from the society. I feel that this is unjust and unfair, and is a symptoms of a medical group unwilling to face the scientific facts, in this case that the condition that they are treating is predominantly due to the changes from how we evolved to live to how we are living now. The hard scientific evidence, the weight of quality research paper in respected peer reviewed journals clearly demonstrate this. This is not a genetic condition and treating as such is causing problems which I wish to highlight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mWt1g6AB-Q&feature=youtu.be

It seem that this is a case of shoot the messenger. It has been my aim to inform and assist the public, the benefactors of the British Orthodontic Society (a charity) and as well as support a campaign for a better understanding of what is occurring and how we might prevent this with simple public health measure; https://preventcrookedteeth.com/ I could have just taken down the videos, but this would be giving in to politically motivated censorship.

1. Outcome letter https://orthotropics.com/decision-dr-...
2. The transcript of the meeting https://orthotropics.com/transcript-b...
3. Original allegation document https://orthotropics.com/british-orth...
4. Transcribed allegation document with links https://orthotropics.com/british-orth...
5. Appeal to BOS https://orthotropics.com/mike-mews-re...
6. The Chair and board of trustees https://www.bos.org.uk/Who-We-Are/Abo...

The story so far; Video taken down https://youtu.be/_UbUGUSMf8c

How I got here https://youtu.be/T-QXbJM-FlM

The meeting with the British Orthodontic Society https://youtu.be/oanvWPk8cSU

Return of the video that was taken down https://youtu.be/8rE_iADr3eY

Please sign the petition; https://www.change.org/p/public-healt...

The main aim of the platform is to precipitate debate on why teeth are crooked. Most people are not aware that (in most cases) the dental profession has little or no idea why the teeth are crooked, or for that matter why children need major surgery. Clearly there are genetic issues, however the science is clear, the weight of quality research papers, in respected peer reviewed journals, show that our modern lifestyle is a more important factor and most importantly we can do something about this.

This is especially important as sleep apnoea, TMD, forward head posture and a most otolaryngology problems are implicated as other symptoms of the same underlying problem. Orthotropics essential means straight or correct growth. If your faces grows well it tends to work well. The concept is based on the Tropic Premise; https://www.watkinsdentalsurgery.com....

The underlying pathology of malocclusion and the related symptoms is referred to as Craniofacial Dystrophy; http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v21...

Further Information

Dr Mike Mew BDS(Lon)MSc(Orth) may be contacted on Tel: 020 8660 3695;  theclinic@orthodontichealth.co.uk    https://orthodontichealth.co.uk/

 

Comment by Dr M Amir re Dr Mike Mew Expulsion from the British Orthodontic Society

I have been reading with great consternation what Dr Mike Mew BDS(Lon)MSc(Orth) is going through. While I must emphasize that I have never met Dr Mike Mew I have met his father Dr John Mew who was the pioneer of non extraction orthodontics in the UK. I was alarmed  when I found out that instead of being given a lifetime award for his contribution to dentistry,  he was erased from the dental register by the General Dental Council at the age of 89!

I have come across many conventional orthodontists who totally refuse to accept that our cranium, occlusion and skeleton have to be symmetric for optimal health. Any deviation from symmetry may contribute to and result in many symptoms, as illustrated on the home page graphic on my website: http://dramir.com/index.php

Dr Mew says exactly the same perhaps in a different way. He has been penalized for making claims about  'medical' symptoms"   and told "you are not qualified to make such comments" or what he is saying is not "evidence based".

Well, Our bottomless pit - the NHS works on  "evidence based" treatments. This has resulted in almost half the country with one or another chronic illness.  This needs confrontation not separation into dentistry and "evidence based" medicine. The present division of these two disciplines is helping to create illness on an unprecedented scale. Whether this is altruistic, or criminal I leave you to be the best judge.

A general practitioner recently writing in the BMJ, said that evidence-based medicine is polluted with “fraud, sham diagnosis, short-term data, poor regulation, surrogate ends, questionnaires that can’t be validated, and statistically significant but clinically irrelevant outcomes”, all leading to “over diagnosis and misery”.

The simplest way to look at the ramifications of an asymmetry around the jaw joints is to consider the trigeminal nerve, the main nerve around the teeth and jaws which supplies 60% of the afferent input to the brain; upon this afferentation the output of our brain is determined. Imagine all the signals going to the brain saying that something is wrong with the mouth, teeth and jaws. The ramifications of jaw asymmetry spiral down the body, affecting organ function and skeletal function, with pain and symptoms arising anywhere and everywhere.

Many of organic symptoms get lumbered into various syndromes such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Raynaud's Syndrome. Rest assured that largely, none of these descriptions are legitimate any longer. These are mostly resolvable illnesses as long as one concentrates on the correction of the asymmetries.

Further Information

Dr M Amir BDS MSc (U of London) LDS RCS (England) may be contacted on Tel: 020 8780 3433; http://dramir.com/index.php

 

Environmental Factors May Trigger Onset of Multiple Sclerosis                  

Structural changes to protective neural membranes may be involved in onset of neurodegenerative disease, TAU researchers say. A new Tel Aviv University study finds that certain environmental conditions may precipitate structural changes that take place in myelin sheaths in the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS). Myelin sheaths are the "insulating tape" surrounding axons; axons carry electrical impulses in neurons.

The research demonstrates that myelin sheaths undergo structural transitions when triggered by changes in local environmental conditions, such as salt concentration (salinity) and temperature. These transitions, according to the study, render the body vulnerable to autoimmune attacks that can lead to MS.

The research was led by Prof Roy Beck of TAU's School of Physics and Astronomy and conducted by Rona Shaharabani, a doctoral student in Prof. Beck's lab, and Maor Ram-On, a doctoral student in Prof. Ronen Talmon's lab at the Technion Institute of Technology. It was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS).[1]

Earlier research by Prof. Beck revealed that changes in the structure of myelin sheaths are a factor in the development of MS.

"Current therapeutic approaches have focused on the autoimmune response without identifying the culprit," says Prof. Beck. "We have found that under certain environmental conditions, such as elevated salinity and temperature, myelin sheaths protecting neurons undergo structural transitions consistent with pathological myelin structures in multiple sclerosis."

Physiological conditions are regulated in the body itself, but temperature and salinity are subject to localized external changes. The results presented in the study suggest that even minor changes in these conditions may trigger multiple sclerosis.

"The myelin sheaths undergo structural transitions at the molecular level when affected by different environmental conditions. These small modifications create structural instabilities that allow the immune system to attack neurons," says Shaharabani.

The researchers used X-ray scattering and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) to track and measure the myelin sheaths in healthy and diseased animal models. They found that healthy lamellar membranes spontaneously morphed into different pathological structures of nano-scale tubes called inverted hexagonal shapes.

"These results highlight that local environmental conditions are critical for myelin function. These conditions should be considered as alternative possibilities for early diagnosis and as a means of avoiding the onset of demyelination," says Shaharabani. "Since we believe that these structural modifications result in myelin membrane vulnerability to the immune system attacks, it can help explain the causes of MS and perhaps pave the way for a treatment or a cure.

"Since we now have a new biophysical understanding to investigate the degradation of myelin sheaths, we are following up on other candidates that can induce such structural transition. There are several molecular candidates, including specific proteins and other alterations in the myelin's fatty acids, that are relevant, which may unravel further insights to fight multiple sclerosis and related disorders," Shaharabani concludes.

The full study is available here: www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1804275115 .

Reference

1. R. Shaharabani, M. Ram-On, Y. Talmon, R. Beck, "Pathological transitions in myelin membranes driven by environmental and multiple sclerosis conditions," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1804275115 

Source

George Hunka, <ghunka@aftau.org>

Communications Manager, American Friends of Tel Aviv University. Tel: +1 212.742.9070, ext. 117

 

Contact:

Contact: Jordan Isenstadt <jisenstadt@marinopr.com>

Marino. Tel: +1 212.402.3510

 

Nearly 9 in 10 Young People would tell Friends and Family they are ‘fine’ even if Struggling with a Mental Health Problem

New research released by the mental health anti-stigma campaign, Time to Change, reveals that when asked, nearly nine in ten (88%) 16-24-year-olds would tell friends and family they are ‘fine’, even if struggling with a mental health problem, such as depression or anxiety[1].

When asked why, responses suggest young people doubt whether those around them really want to hear the honest answer.

The top concerns were[1]:

• I don’t want to burden people (59%)
• Just because people ask how you are, doesn’t mean they really want to know (52%)
• I’d only talk if I was confident my friend or family member really wanted to listen (45%)

The national survey highlights that young people seek permission to talk about their mental health, beyond the questions ‘How are you?’ or ‘Are you ok?’ To tackle this, Time to Change is urging people to ‘Ask Twice’ if they think a friend or family member might be struggling with their mental health. The campaign says the simple act of asking again, with interest, shows a genuine willingness to talk and listen.

‘Ask Twice’ is the latest campaign from Time to Change which encourages young people to be more supportive of friends who might be experiencing a mental health problem.

While there has been a positive shift[2] in the way mental health problems are viewed in England, insight shows that in practical terms many people are still unsure of how to be more supportive.

Jo Loughran, Director of Time to Change, said “When we consider that 75% of all mental health problems are established by the age of 24[3], it’s all the more important that young people feel supported. Our research shows that asking ‘Are you ok?’ is often not enough. Asking twice is a simple, effective way to show that you’re asking for real and ready to talk and listen.”

Georgie Kelly, 21, said “There are times when I am surrounded by people, yet I still feel completely alone. I suffered with bulimia for years, yet I didn’t know because I thought it was normal. I was eight when I started hating my body – in my mind, my body had ballooned, and I let self-hatred take over me, and more importantly, my childhood and teen years. Maybe if I had spoken about it with my friends and family as openly as I do now, I would have saved years of battling my mental illness.”

Boston Wyatt, 18, has a diagnosis of OCD and experienced panic attacks “When I was diagnosed I found it extremely difficult to talk about my mental health. Sometimes it feels like just too much effort to explain to someone how you feel. As a teen I hate the repetitive, 'how was your day' small talk and so sometimes it is just easier to reply with 'fine', even when there's something really wrong.

“I feel older generations seem to think mental health problems are a myth and it wasn't until my Dad himself had a panic attack that he really understood. While we can't be expected to completely understand everyone else’s situations – sitting and listening to someone or having someone do that for you can, not only be a major relief, but a life saver too. When I did talk I quickly found out I was not alone.”

Adam Howard, 18, said “During sixth form, I experienced intense social anxiety, to the point where I was frightened of walking past groups of people. I was very reluctant to tell my teachers and friends due to the fear of being judged. Many of my peers were quite loud and boisterous and I think that influenced my decision in not talking.

“More recently I have met so many supportive people and become more able to open up. Rather than saying ‘I’m fine’, I am now more honest about my feelings and people are happy to listen. It can still be very hard to say I’m struggling, however when someone checks in, it makes me feel less alone and that people genuinely care about how I’m feeling.”

Time to Change has compiled some tips on how to support a friend who is experiencing a mental health problem:

• Reach out – get in touch by text, call, or face-to-face
• Take it seriously, listen and don’t judge
• Do something you love together – you don’t need to change your behaviour

About Time to Change

Time to Change is a growing movement of people changing how we all think and act about mental health problems. Their voice is stronger and louder thanks to funding from the Department of Health and Social Care, Comic Relief and the Big Lottery Fund using National Lottery funding. The campaign is run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, and thousands more organizations have joined us to make change happen.

Notes and References 

[1] The research was conducted by Censuswide with a nationally representative sample of 2,012 general respondents between 10.08.2018 - 13.08.2018, of which 342 respondents were aged 16-24. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles

[2] ‘Our impact’ Time to Change: http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/about-us/our-impact

[3] Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. (2005). Lifetime Prevalence and Age-of-Onset Distributions of DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62 (6) pp. 593-602. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593.

Further Information

For more information go to www.time-to-change.org.uk.   You can watch the new campaign film here www.time-to-change.org.uk/asktwice    For access to a range of free images to accompany mental health news stories please visit: http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/getthepicture

Source: Please contact Ellie Stone Senior Media Officer, Time to Change Tel: 0208 2152 389; e.stone@time-to-change.org.uk

 

 

How to Spot the Early Warning Signs of Mouth Cancer

David Arnold

 

Mouth cancer cases rise by 135% but an alarming number of us are unable to spot the early warning signs

Cases Of Mouth Cancer in the United Kingdom have more than doubled inside the last generation, yet an alarming number of us are still unable to identify the early warning signs and symptoms.

Last year, more than 8,300 British adults were given the news that they had mouth cancer. This is an increase of around 135% compared with 20 years ago and the highest since records began. Despite this, new figures released by the Oral Health Foundation shows that three-in-four (75%) of us remain unaware about the symptoms of mouth cancer. There is also uncertainty about where mouth cancer appears while more than four-in-five (82%) of us do not know how to check ourselves for mouth cancer.

Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, says with the number of cases on the rise, it is important for us to know how to spot the early signs of mouth cancer and know how to perform a simple self-check.

Dr Carter says: “In the UK, and around the world, the number of people affected by mouth cancer continues to grow at an astonishing rate.  Anyone of us are at risk of mouth cancer, whether we have our own teeth or not. That’s why it is so important to know how and where mouth cancer can strike.

“Look for mouth ulcers that do not heal within three weeks, red or white patches in the mouth and unusual lumps or swellings in the mouth, head and neck. Persistent hoarseness could also be a potential sign of mouth cancer.

“A quick self-check at home takes as little as 45 seconds. By examining the mouth, lips, head and neck as part of our morning routine, we can help catch mouth cancer early and drastically improve our chances of beating it.”

The research published as part of November’s Mouth Cancer Action Month, reveals less than half of us identify long-lasting mouth ulcers (42%), red or white patches (31%) and unusual lumps (47%) as potential warning signs of cancer. Awareness is especially low for those groups who may be more at risk of mouth cancer. Three-in-five (60%) smokers and almost nine-in-ten (89%) of those who drink more than 20-units of alcohol a week, cannot identify the symptoms of mouth cancer.  Men are around 25% less likely to know symptoms associated with mouth cancer compared to women, while a large proportion of over-65s (85%) do also not know what to look for.

Around two-in-three mouth cancers are linked to smoking and a third to alcohol.  Mouth cancer is twice more common in men than women while nearly half (42%) of all cases are diagnosed in the over-65.

“Although mouth cancer can affect anyone, there are certain things that are likely to increase our risk,” adds Dr Carter.

“Mouth cancer is heavily linked to smoking and alcohol, and a combination of doing both can increase our risk by over 30-times. The human papillomavirus (HPV), transmitted through oral sex, is another strong cause.

“All of us should be knowledgeable and vigilant when it comes to recognizing mouth cancer, but those at greater risk need to pay even more attention.

“Mouth Cancer Action Month is the perfect opportunity to become mouth-aware by learning the risks and early signs of mouth cancer. It is also important that we not only recognize, but act on unusual changes in the mouth.  If you notice anything out of the ordinary, get checked out by your dentist or doctor.”

Further Information

For more information about mouth cancer, please contact David Arnold Director of Communications, Oral Health Foundation on Tel: +44 (0)1788 539789;  davida@dentalhealth.org     www.mouthcancer.org

 

7.5 Million UK Workers Suffer from Mental Health Problems in the Office; 44% Do NOT Tell their Employer

A majority fear revealing their problems will block career progress, with three-fifths worried it will damage relationships with colleagues

HealthTech startup Mynurva has commissioned an independent, nationally-representative survey among more than 2,000 UK adults to uncover the number of full-time workers who suffer from mental health problems; how many of them seek help for their issues; and the main barriers that hold them back from doing so. The survey found that 32% of all UK adults in full-time employment have suffered from mental health problems in the workplace – that equates to 7.5 million people across the country. Of those:

• 37% have never sought any professional help for their mental health problems
  • Men (42%) were more likely than women (32%) to not seek help
• Furthermore, 44% have never disclosed their issues to a manager at work.

So why do such large proportions of the UK workforce not open up about mental health problems with their employer? Mynurva’s research revealed:

• 55% fear admitting their problems to a manager would hinder their chances of a promotion;
• 59% think that if their mental health problems became common knowledge in the office then it would negatively affect their relationships with colleagues; 
  • This figure rises to 71% among workers aged 18-34
• 58% worry that their mental health problems would not remain confidential if they were to discuss them in the workplace;
  • Again, there is a significant rise among millennials (68%).

Mynurva’s new research follows on from the Prime Minister’s independent Thriving at Work report from 2017, which showed that a staggering 300,000 people lose their job each year as a direct consequence of mental health problems. Furthermore, 91 million working days are lost in the UK every year due to people’s struggles with mental health at a cost to the national economy of £99 billion per annum.

Dr Zain Sikafi, CEO and founder of Mynurva, is a GP. He created Mynurva – a platform that provides live video therapy and counselling sessions anywhere, anytime and confidentially – to enable more professionals to access support for their mental health problems.

Dr Sikafi commented on the research findings: “Mynurva's research shines a light on just how many people in full-time work across the UK are suffering in silence with their mental health problems. Clearly, employees still live in fear of what will happen to their careers and colleague relationships if they were to open up about the problems they are facing, and this is a serious concern.

“Society is certainly taking positive steps forward in talking more and more about mental health, but evidently there is still much more to be done in a professional context. Stress, anxiety and depression significantly impact employees and their organisations, and so people must have the support and confidence they need to talk about their problems and seek the help they need.”

Further Information

Please contact Rhys Merrett Senior Account Director, City Road Communications on Tel: 020 3883 8944;  Rhys@cityroadcomms.co.uk    www.wearecityroad.com /  www.mynurva.com/

 

 

New Report Highlights Need for Radical Overhaul of Cancer Diagnostics

A new report by the Health Foundation has rightly highlighted the urgent need for a revolution in cancer diagnosis in Britain, Proton Partners International said today.

The Health Foundation report found that 10,000 deaths could be prevented each year with better diagnosis. Despite enormous investment over the past three decades, Britain still lags behind all Western European countries in cancer survival statistics.

According to the report, at the heart of the problem is the ‘tight gate-keeping’ of the NHS, only GPs can refer patients for check-ups and are pressured not to refer too many, while the NHS does not have enough equipment or staff to carry out the checks that it should.

Professor Karol Sikora, chief medical director at Proton Partners International, a leading provider of cancer services in the UK including cancer diagnostics, called for a radical overhaul of the way cancer is diagnosed in Britain.

He said: “What we urgently need is for patients with certain symptoms to go straight to a non-hospital clinical environment where all relevant tests can be done at once and then referred to an appropriate specialist if necessary. That would be a real game changer in cancer diagnostics in the UK and more lives will be saved.

“The current system of incorporating diagnostic services within hospitals is simply not working. Patients are facing drastic delays in getting crucial imaging and biopsies.”

Steve Powell, chief diagnostic officer at Rutherford Diagnostics, a subsidiary of Proton Partners International that specializes in cancer diagnosis, said: “At present, patients are having to wait at least six weeks for their diagnosis, that is not acceptable. We should be aiming to reduce those weeks of waiting to days and ultimately be able to provide a 24-hour service.”

He said: “Adding diagnostic equipment to hospitals will not solve the problem, it will simply be engulfed by the demand and patients will face the same structural obstacles of ‘tight gate-keeping’ that this report highlights. Patients with the relevant symptoms should be able to get all their tests in a pleasant specialised diagnostic environment, and then forwarded to the relevant specialist if diagnosed with cancer.

“GPs need to be empowered to use CT, MRI and endoscopy services without having to make endless referrals. This will not only lead to quicker diagnoses but will prove hugely cost-efficient too.”

About Rutherford Diagnostics

Rutherford Diagnostics is a subsidiary of Proton Partners International. The company provides optimal, cost-effective, diagnostic services while investing in new technologies. The core technologies Rutherford Diagnostics will provide include CT, PET-CT, MR, ultrasound, endoscopy, genomics and personalised screening. For more information on Rutherford Diagnostics, please visit: http://www.therutherford.co.uk/rutherford-diagnostics/

About Proton Partners International Ltd

Proton Partners International is a private limited company, registered in Wales, at the vanguard of advancing cancer care in the UK. Proton Partners International is building a series of oncology centres across the UK known as the Rutherford Cancer Centres. The company was founded in 2015 by Mike Moran and UK and international cancer experts, including Professor Karol Sikora, former head of the World Health Organisation’s cancer programme.  For more information on Proton Partners International, please visit: www.proton-int.com

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