Inside Health Folgen

Recent reports say that as many as 2 million people in England could be eligible for bariatric surgery. Dr Mark Porter investigates if a new gastric balloon swallowed in a capsule could be a valuable new tool for weight loss. Targeted for people whose BMI is lower than those who would be eligible for weight loss surgery, Inside Health finds out what the new balloon involves and asks two NHS bariatric surgeons - Sally Norton in Bristol and Guy Slater in Chichester - is this a boon to the arsenal of weight loss surgeons or is it a just slimming aid?Proton pump inhibitors are a family of drugs which reduce stomach acids to stop the symptoms of heartburn and ulcers. But they are being widely overused according to many gastroenterologists and doctors. Mark talks to gastroenterologist, Anton Emmanuel about the scale of the overuse, the potential side effects of being on them for too long as well as what people can do if they think they should come off the drug.Margaret McCartney and Mark Porter ask whether the anonymity of patient records on a new NHS database can be guaranteed? And using botox to treat vocal dysphonia, a kind of writer's cramp for the voice.

As Germany becomes the first country in Europe to pass a law allowing newborn babies to be registered as being of indeterminate sex - neither male nor female - should the UK follow suit?The incapacitating facial pain that feels like an electric shock - a world expert explains Trigeminal Neuralgia.And recurrent indigestion - should more be done to investigate the millions of people troubled with heartburn?Plus a new test for diagnosing diabetes that's causing some confusion.

Current recommendations advise that parents should give children under five Vitamin D supplements, but most parents do not follow this, and Vitamin D deficiency is now widespread, leading to a resurgence of rickets. To combat this, England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies is now recommending that free supplements be available to all children under five.Following the publication of a new Cochrane review into the evidence behind advocating exercise for people who are depressed, there were very different conclusions in the medical press; ranging from suggesting exercise was as good as antidepressants, to the other extreme that there was not much evidence that it helped at all. But is exercise an effective treatment or not? Gillian Mead, Professor of Stroke and Elderly Care Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, was lead author of the review.Fungi occur naturally on our bodies but thrive in warm, damp dark places like shoes. If you have healthy nails and a normal immune system, it is hard for the fungi to get a foothold. But if your nails are damaged, creating a portal of entry for the fungus, or your immune system is compromised because of some underlying health issue, then infection becomes more likely. But how are they best treated? Ina Farrelly is a senior podiatrist at Mile End Hospital in London.We often hear how difficult it is to get a GP appointment. It is an issue that has been picked up recently in the debate about pressure on A + E departments. So how can access be improved? In North Manchester, a group of GPs are trialling web based solutions that blur the boundary between hospital and community and out-of-hours GP clinics and normal surgeries. Dr Frederic Thomason is working on the pilot.