This site is intended for health professionals only


Women more susceptible to stress, £10 for a GP appointment and the toddler who has never had a mouthful of food

By Nigel Praities

Our roundup of health news headlines on Wednesday 16 June.

Meet Tabitha Stuttard. Two years old, with a killer smile, she has an unusual secret. She has an unusual condition where she has an aversion to anything going in her mouth and is fed through a tube.

The toddler has a rare birth defect Partial Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum, in which the two halves of her brain are not properly linked, but her parents are trying to raise £15,000 to take her for treatment at an Austrian clinic.

Neuroscientists have discovered a biological reason why women are more susceptible to stress, according to the Daily Telegraph today.

The team found that the brains of females are more sensitive to low levels of corticotropin-releasing factor and are also less able to cope when levels are high. The research was carried out in rats but CRT is known to play a role in all mammals including humans.

Patients should be charged a tenner for every GP appointment, says an ‘influential' right-wing think-tank today. Reform says charging patients a 'token' amount could save the NHS £1.6billion by 2014, and help cut the deficit.

The controversial report - published today ahead of next week's Budget – also recommends cutting a fifth from the health budget, shedding 250,000 staff and leaving sick people to be eaten by dogs. Oops – scratch the dogs bit.

Spotted something we've missed? Let us know and we'll update the digest throughout the day...

Daily Digest - 16 June 2010