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Pro-anorexia site clampdown urged

Another great piece from BBC News on the health community's efforts to remove "pro-anorexic" groups from popular social network utilities like Facebook and MySpace was published yesterday.

BBC once again shares some of the relevant data. Research has shown that young women exposed to “pro-ana” websites felt more negative, had lower self-esteem, perceived themselves as heavier and were more likely to compare their bodies with other women.

Dr Ty Glover, consultant psychiatrist on the Eating Disorders Unit at Cheadle Royal Hospital, said it had proven difficult to shut down “pro-ana” websites, but the situation was slightly different for sites such as Facebook.

"Social networking sites can censor their material and we expect them to act responsibly," he said. We are horrified at the content of these sites and the tips they give on how to be thin. People with eating disorders are extremely vulnerable and often have very low self esteem, so pro-ana and pro-mia sites can be very damaging as they are sending out the wrong advice."

Fellow blogger David Wescott said: “Facebook and MySpace are currently hosting groups that tell sick girls, on the brink of starvation, to ignore health care professionals and continue to fast, and even provide advice on what illegal drugs to use to get thinner. And they apparently think that's OK, because it's been brought to their attention several times and they've done virtually nothing about it”.

BBC asked MySpace and Facebook to respond to the article MySpace said they're resisting censorship but at least they're doing something:"It's often very tricky to distinguish between support groups for users who are suffering from eating disorders and groups that might be termed as "pro" anorexia or bulimia. Rather than censor these groups, we are working to create partnerships with organisations like B-eat. We have also placed ads on pro-anorexia profiles for up to a year from the National Eating Disorder Association to target these groups with positive messaging about how and where they can get help."

Facebook, however, gave the same stock answer to BBC that has been used several times
“Many Facebook groups relate to controversial topics; this alone is not a reason to disable a group. In cases where content is reported and found to violate the site's terms of use, Facebook will remove it."

Blogger David Wescott goes on to say: “Of course, "harmful" content does indeed violate Facebook's terms of use, and the medical community has been talking about the harm of pro-ana sites since at least 2002. As for censoring "controversial" content, we all remember that Facebook had no problem banning a member for posting a picture of herself breastfeeding two children”.

Tesco backs cheap alcohol limits

Supermarket giant Tesco has agreed to work with the government on possible legalisation that would limit its ability to sell cut price alcohol.

The announcement comes after the British Medical Association, which says cut-price offers fuel binge drinking, has said it wants tougher restrictions on how alcohol is sold. Tesco says ministers must take the lead because competition laws stop retailers from artificially raising prices.

The UK's biggest retailer says it would be "commercial suicide" to act alone. And it said it was too simplistic to blame price alone for binge drinking and other alcohol-related problems. However, the supermarket giant said it was prepared to take an active role in discussions about possible legislation on pricing and promotions.

Fellow blogger Chritian Quoter disagreed with the British Medical Association by saying “People who want to get drunk will do so. You cannot price them out of it without penalising the vast majority who are responsible consumers. Enforcing the laws on drunken disorderly behaviour is the remedy not curbs on sales, fiscal or otherwise. My experience is that the cheapest beer is not from Tesco at all.”

In December, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "It's not right that we still have three for two, or buy 3 bottles for £10 deals in our off-sales and supermarkets encouraging people to buy and drink more than they had intended.”

Drop in Suicide rates among Men

According to researchers the suicide rate among young men is at its lowest level for 30 years.

The key factor to the drop is the cut in toxins in vehicle exhaust fumes making harder for them to commit suicide. Suicide rates among men are less documented then womens as many chose to bottle up their emotions as they feel too embarrassed to seek help with the common triggers of suicide such as stress, depression and anxiety.

Overall the number of suicide rates has declined for males aged 15 to 24 by 16.6% in 1990 to 8.5% in 2005. Over the same period for men aged 25 to 34 the rate has dropped from 22.2% to 15.7%.

The study has been welcomed by mental health groups but it also highlights the need for further research. Although the study is encouraging as the number of suicides continues to decline the unneccessary loss of one life to suicide is one too many. More awareness must be raised of the triggers to suicide of that rate is to continue to decline.

The Debate on Global Warming Continues

A recent survey by the British government warned the country's National Health System to expect thousands more deaths as the effects of global warming progress's in the next five years.

Issued as part of official advice from the government to hospitals, nursing homes and other medical institutions, the report entitled "Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK" is published after a long list of other pieces of research into climate change. Although the report warned of the dangers of global warming and the negative effects on the environment the reporting of the survey by two major news providers serves only to emphasize the mixed reaction to global warming.

The report published on the BBC online news service warns of the risk of fatal heat waves in the next 10 years in the UK is high but overall global warming may mean fewer deaths, due to the rise in temperature. It warns that hot summers could claim thousands of lives but milder winters which far outstrip heat related deaths will continue to decline.

The Guardian online which also published the findings of the report interoperated them differently. The article warned of the neagitve effects of global warming by stating
that climate change could lead to a heatwave in the south-east of England killing 3,000 people within the next decade.

The two different interpretations of the report mirrors the publics confusion over the effects of global warming. The BBC article suggests that there are some positive effects to global warming whilst the Guardian warns of the dangers and negative effects of global warming.

However the research is interpreated it once again rasies the question of is it too little to late to reverse the effects or is it another piece of fear mongering reaserch intended to scare people into becoming enviornmentally friendly? Whatever the answer it will be some years before the effects of global warming become apparant.