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The latest health, therapy and business news...
Touch therapies could reduce sick days by 1.76 million says new report A new report commissioned by the British Beauty Council, of which the FHT is an Affiliate member, has found that the introduction of touch therapies within the NHS could reduce mental health problems by 10%, potentially reducing sick days by 1.76 million. The report was given to the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to highlight the countless benefits of complementary therapies. It also includes information to show that touch therapies can help people to manage back, neck and shoulder pain, osteoarthritis, cancer symptoms and treatment side effects,
First Women’s Health Strategy being developed in England The government is working on a Women’s Health Strategy for England, to ensure women’s voices are heard and to put them at the centre of their own care. Matt Hancock said, ‘For generations, women have lived with a health and care system that is mostly designed by men, for men. ‘This has meant that not enough is known about conditions that only affect women, or about how conditions that affect both men and women impact women in different ways... I’d urge you to come forward and have your say, so we can make sure our nation’s health system truly works for the whole nation.’ A call for evidence is taking place for a period of 14 weeks to collect views on women’s health. n Have your say by visiting fht.org.uk/IT-137womens-health
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fibromyalgia, HIV/AIDS and premature infant care. The hope is that this report will encourage the government to recognise the importance of complementary therapies moving forwards. Editor’s comment: In addition to this excellent report by the British Beauty Council, in recent months we have also been providing case studies and statistics from our FHT Member Surveys to government contacts at all four UK nations, highlighting the health and wellbeing benefits of the various therapies our members provide. n Read more at fht.org.uk/IT-137-massage-therapy
Researchers say blood pressure lowering drugs could benefit more people People with high cardiovascular risk could benefit from blood pressure lowering drugs a study analysis has concluded. The analysis looked at 48 randomised control trials and found that a 5mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure lowered the relative risk of cardiovascular events by around 10%. Researchers are calling for a global review of blood pressure medication guidelines so that anyone with increased risk of cardiovascular disease is considered for blood pressure lowering medication. n Read more at fht.org.uk/IT-137blood-pressure Summer 2021
