Our roundup of the health news headlines on Monday 16 January
Reason #641 to keep slim – The Mirror reveals that obese patients too fat for NHS scanners are being referred to the zoo instead, in the hope that they will be treated alongside other ‘larger specimens'.
The Daily Mail welcomes a breakthrough in the attempt to grow blood vessels in labs. Scientists at the University of Cambridge succeeded in growing the key cells needed to build the walls of a blood vessel, raising hopes that heart bypass surgery could one day be replaced by an implant procedure.
What happened to ‘doctor's orders'? Quack nutrition therapists are encouraging patients to ignore NHS advice. An undercover investigation by the consumer watchdog Which? revealed amongst other oddities, a therapist telling a cancer sufferer that she could cure her illness through eating less sugar.
‘Elderly may be told to pay £60,000 for care', warns The Telegraph front page of the proposed limit on spending before the Government steps in. This is, of course, in contrast to what older people must fork out at the moment – an infinite amount.
And finally, The Mail cheers up neurotic fans of the health section with the picture of baby Samuel. Stem cells from Samuel's umbilical cord may be able to help treat his older brother's leukaemia.
