By Charlotte Barnes
Our roundup of health news headlines on Thursday 13 January
The Department of Health is accused of prioritising ‘political considerations' over the ‘wellbeing of women who need an early abortion in pregnancy', reports The Guardian. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) will challenge the Government in the High Court this month over its refusal to ‘allow [women] to take the necessary pills in the comfort of their own home'.
Women who require a ‘medical abortion' take two sets of pills, taken 24 to 48 hours apart, and in most other countries, including the US, women are allowed to take the second set of pills at home. Ann Furedi –chief executive of BPAS – said the requirement to take the second pill at a clinic was regarded as 'ludicrous and stupid' by experts in other countries.
When GP surgeries started running out of flu jabs last week, pharmacies with plentiful supplies came to the rescue. Now even these big pharmacies are running out of the vaccine, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Boots the chemist and Lloyds Pharmacy, which had been running private services, now have ‘limited availability'. This comes after Dr Clare Gerada questioned whether the ‘worried well' should be allowed to purchase the vaccine at pharmacies when many ‘at risk' patients were yet to be protected against the virus.
The Daily Mail reveals a new way to get that suntan glow that won't cost you a flight ticket nor leave you looking tangoed. Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables is ‘by far the best way to achieve a healthy, golden glow' according to scientists at the University of Bristol.
Their research found ‘those who ate more portions of and vegetables a day were found to have a more golden, yellow skin colour' caused by a higher presence of carotenoids in the skin, which are common antioxidants found in your five a day.
Spotted a story we've missed? Let us know, and we'll update the digest throughout the day...
Daily Digest - 13 Jan 2011
