Another gender gap – plus other Health and Beauty snippets

Another gender gap AN A&E doctor who sees roughly 26,000 patients a year said that male-centric medicine put women at a disadvantage.

“Female bodies are physiologically different from men’s on every level, from chromosomes and hormones to our bodily systems and structures,” Dr Alyson McGregor wrote in her recently-published book. “The medicine that works for men doesn’t always work for, or even apply to, women.”

The assumption that what makes sense in a male body must make sense in a female was flawed, she maintained.

“Despite this, the current medical model is based on, tailored to, and evaluated according to male models and standards,” Dr McGregor declared.

Sun-dried A STUDY by the Microbiology department at Aston University in Birmingham concentrated on pinpointing locations where bacteria lurk in family homes.

Findings included a warning about leaving wet laundry in the machine for even a short time. As germs can flourish if clothes remain wet for more than 30 minutes, it is best to do another cycle, the investigators recommended.

Alarmed readers belonging to the “eat a peck before you die” generation might find some consolation in the Spanish belief that washing which dries in the sun gets sterilised anyway.

No bad hair days EVERY day can be a good hair day even when yours isn’t at its best.

Brush with a soft bristle brush before washing to break down product build-up and  choose sulphate-free products to avoid dry hair, now that sunny days are back on the Costas.

If hair is greasy and there’s no time to shampoo, try refreshing it with a blast of cool air. When it’s beyond help, put long hair up in a topknot and choose a half-up, half-down style for mid-length.  For short hair, go for a side parting or tuck it behind your ears.

Whatever you do, the secret is to make it look intentional, hairstylists say.

Screen time SUNSCREEN should be applied daily, particularly now that the warmer weather has arrived and the sun is harsher.

Even on dull days, ultraviolet radiation can come through clouds and rain and although it has benefits that include creating Vitamin D, it also poses health risks for the skin.

Sunscreen is vital, but not all go on easily with other creams so it helps to leave a good 15 minutes between using moisturiser and the SPF.

Relief at last NHS figures reveal that 1.7 million Britons suffer antibiotic resistant urinary tract infections (UTIs).

The majority are women and relief from painful and recurring infections could eventually be treated with a new form of antibiotic that has never been used anywhere in the world.

Called gepotidacin, the medication is a leap forward in the battle against antibiotic resistance, since bacteria have not had a chance to become resistant to its attacks.

Its developers GSK believe this means gepotidacin can fight off aggressive (UTIs) that do not respond to current antibiotics.

Ageing gracefully A SURVEY of 1,000 British women by a collagen brand found that women grew in confidence as they aged.

Those between 60 to 70 were more confident about their appearance than any other age group, the study found.

Two-thirds in this group said that they felt confident about how they looked, compared with approximately half of those in their 20s.

Women between 70 and 79 were the second-most assured, with 57 per cent liking what they saw in the mirror.

Time to eat NUTRITION scientist Dr Emily Leeming recently recommended the practice of eating only when hungry.

“One of the best ways to help our metabolism is by learning how to listen to our body’s hunger cues,” she said.

Too often people ate because they had a routine of eating at a certain time, she explained.

“This this might suit some of us, but it’s a good idea to practise asking ourselves the question of whether we actually feel hungry before we eat.”