FROM MY SURGERY

PRESCRIPTION PAYMENT

We all know money is an issue for our beloved NHS. Prescriptions for many common medicines cost the NHS pounds, when the same medicine could be bought for pennies. So the NHS is reviewing its policy. In future, you may be asked to buy paracetamol, indigestion mixtures or gluten-free foods, but the money will be ploughed back into other services we all need.

NUDGE, NUDGE

Most of us want to eat healthily, and the occasional treat is fine – but lots of us struggle to get our 5 (or more) a day. A clever experiment in a school canteen shows that “nudge tactics” – switching round the position of fruit and veg, without changing what’s available – can mean youngsters eat more than twice as much of the healthy stuff! Put more plant-based food out where you can see it.

HOT FLUSH HEAVEN?

A whopping 80% of women suffer hot flushes round the menopause, and for many they can wreak havoc. They settle for most, and HRT or complementary treatments help many. But for women with 7 or more hot flushes a day, new research could offer hope. A new drug that targets brain receptors could cut flushes for them by over 70%. Still a way to go, but it looks promising.