Cancer patient, 74, left paralysed after doctors failed to realise she had an abscess in her neck until it was too late.

A woman was left paralysed and unable to feed herself after doctors failed to realise she had an abscess in her neck.
Jean Warne, 74, was left partially paralysed and unable to lift her arms shortly before her death in March last year.
Her family say by the time doctors realised what was wrong, it was too late to save her.

Her son-in-law John Snowden, 64, said: ‘Jean was strong, she was feisty and her brain was working 100 per cent.

Women under 50 most likely to need help for depression.

Nearly two thirds of patients seeking treatment for depression are women, NHS figures show.
Almost 475,000 women were referred for counselling or behavioural therapy last year, compared to only 274,000 men.
The figures, which for the first time reveal the numbers of patients receiving the so-called ‘talking treatments’, also showed women under 50, and especially those in their 20s, are most likely to seek help.

Revelation: Nearly two thirds of patients seeking treatment for depression are women, NHS figures show

Some experts say women are more prone to mental illness because they tend to bottle up their emotions, whereas men lash out if angry.
But female patients are also far more likely to admit they have a problem.

Could mole rats hold the key to a cure for cancer? Scientists hail 'potentially life-changing' breakthrough.

Scientists have made a 'potentially life-changing' breakthrough in the search for a cure to cancer.
Researchers believe that the cells of a cancer-immune rodent could hold the key to stopping the disease that kills eight million people worldwide each year.
A team, which spent 16 years studying blind mole rats and naked mole rats, have said that harvesting a substance secreted by their cells and making it digestible can destroy cancer in humans and other mammals.

Scientists believe a substance secreted from the cells of mole rats can destroy cancer in humans

According to the Daily Express, Professor Aaron Avivi, of Haifa University, Israel, will present his team's findings in London.

Alternative 'tapping' therapy could be used by the NHS to treat anxiety and depression.

A primary school teacher has died from a blood clot just four months after she got married.
Helen Thompson, 28, was told she had a clot on her brain, believed to have been caused by the contraceptive pill, and died within 24 hours of being diagnosed.
Her devastated widower, James, from Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire, said they were childhood sweethearts who had met when hey were 12.
'She has been my best friend since I was 12 years old, and my partner since we were 18,' he said.

Newlywed primary school teacher Helen Thompson died weeks after marrying her childhood sweetheart and just hours after discovering she had a deadly blood clot

'I was so fat I broke a TRAIN'.

A mother who ballooned to 20 stone was shamed into shedding the pounds after she broke a miniature train because she was so fat.
Kerry Hill, 30, gorged on pizza and greasy takeaways which saw her pile on the pounds as a teenager.  
At her heaviest, she tipped the scales at 20 stone and was a hefty size 24.

Kerry Hill, 30, dropped from 20st to 12st 5lbs after her weight brought a miniature train to a standstill

The 999 call handler was too embarrassed to go shopping with friends or to celebrate her birthday with a party because she could barely walk.

Poor children are more likely to be obese.

Poor diet: Children from low income families are more likely to be fed foods high in fat and sugar

Childhood obesity really is creating a class divide, scientists have warned. 
In the last decade the problem has started to decline in youngsters from middle class backgrounds while continuing to rise among those from poorer families.

Could the menopause be making your wife snore worse than you?

Barbara Metcalf discovered that her snoring could result in some very serious health issues if untreated

Napping on the train last summer I was suddenly woken by the sound of a loud snore. It was deep and resonant and ended in a huge snort.
I opened my eyes to see my family looking shocked before bursting into giggles. I came to properly, in time to see a smartly dressed businesswoman gather up her laptop and move down the carriage.
In that moment I realised it was I who had been snoring - great, shattering blasts worthy of a navvy after downing 12 pints of beer.
To make matters worse, we were in the Quiet Zone, where the only sound allowed was the train's movement. Everyone around me would have heard. It was mortifying.

A young woman who was bullied because her severe underbite can now smile for the first time.

A young woman who was bullied because her severe underbite can now smile for the first time.
Stefanie Grant, 25, from London, was teased throughout her teenage years because she could not smile.
Her severe underbite - which even stopped her eating properly - was so bad she had to have seven teeth removed when she was 13 and had to wear a brace until she was 23.

Stephanie Grant, 25, is now able to smile for the first time (right) after having surgery to correct her severe underbite (left). Before the operation, she was in constant pain, couldn't eat normally and couldn't smile

Amazing; Woman who lost 22st after gastric bypass surgery has 3st of excess SKIN removed (including a solid lump on her stomach she nicknamed 'Fred').

A woman who was left with a huge apron of excess skin after weight loss surgery has had three stone of it removed.
Pauline Mole Gibbons became housebound when her weight reached 40 stone.
She says her weight spiralled out of control after years of depression and heartache over not being able to have children.

Pauline Mole Gibbons, 49, dropped from 40st to 18st after life-saving gastric bypass surgery

Tragedy; Man had to have his buttocks SEWN TOGETHER after years of painful cysts.

A man has told how he had to have his buttocks sewn together after repeated surgery for a painful medical condition.
The man, known only as TBoneTheOriginal, posted his story - on the site Reddit.
Readers were so intrigued by his post - entitled 'I have no butt crack' - that he has been answering questions ever since, including that all important question, that he 'poops just like anyone else'.
TBone explained that he'd needed the surgery to sew his buttocks together after being diagnosed with severe pilonidal cysts.

The man told captivated readers how he had to have his buttocks sewn together after repeated surgery for a painful medical condition

These are painful boils that occur at the end of the tailbone or between the buttocks.
It's unclear why they occur, but it's  generally thought they are caused by loose hairs that push into the skin.

Grieving mother sues NHS after locum doctor refused to give her a scan DAYS before her daughter was stillborn.

A grieving mother is suing the NHS after a locum doctor refused to give her a scan when her unborn baby was in distress.
Ammie Fearon, 26, was 39 weeks pregnant when a midwife was concerned her bump had not grown so booked her in for an emergency scan at the hospital.
But when she arrived at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, locum consultant Dr James Davis told her there were no slots available and examined her before sending her home.

Ammie Fearon (pictured with her partner, Paul Foster) is suing the NHS after her baby was stillborn just days after a locum doctor told her she didn't need an emergency scan

Four days later a GP examined Ms Fearon and discovered her baby had died in the womb.
She was forced to give birth to her dead daughter Lily-Ella on April 26, 2012.
Following the death, the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, carried out a full investigation which revealed six key failings.

 

More...

• Cancer mum took life or death gamble with her unborn child... and won: Son saved by operation tried for first time in the UK
• Grandmother 'left to die' after being refused funding for chemotherapy treatment as her case is 'not exceptional'

They included Ms Fearon not being referred for a scan, staff not having adequate training and poor communication between the midwife and Dr Davis.
Ms Fearon, from Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, is convinced that had she had undergone the scan on April 20, her baby could have been saved.
She said: ‘I know that Lily could have been saved if the problems had been detected earlier. Instead I had to go through the worst experience of my life, something which no one should go through.

When Ms Fearon was 39 weeks pregnant, a midwife became concerned her baby had stopped growing and referred her for an emergency scan but a doctor said it wasn't necessary

‘Everything was fine with the pregnancy up until 39 weeks. I went for a check up on April 17 and the midwife was concerned my bump hadn’t grown.
‘I was booked in for an emergency scan but no slots were available until April 20.
‘A locum consultant then checked me out on April 20 and he just said I was fully engaged and there was no problem with the growth, so I didn’t have the scan.

Four days after the scan should have taken place, Ms Fearon's GP realised her baby had died. Lily-Ella had to be induced and was delivered using forceps. Image shows her footprints

‘The problem was he was looking at notes which said I had been seen just a few days before so he said “of course the baby hasn’t grown”.
‘He said it was unethical the nurse had referred me for a scan because it would have concerned me unnecessarily.

THE TIME LINE OF EVENTS:

April 17, 2012 - Midwife refers Ms Fearon for an emergency scan because of concerns her baby has not grown.
April 20, 2012 - Locum consultant accidentally reads notes from April 17 check up and refuses to carry out scan wrongly believing the baby’s growth to be normal.
April 24, 2012 - GP examines Ms Fearon and discovers the baby died in the womb.
April 26, 2012 - Lily-Ella is stillborn.

‘That was the Friday (April 20) then on the following Tuesday (April 24) I felt something wasn’t right and I went to the GP. That was when he confirmed Lily had passed away.
‘I was in shock, I had felt her kicking the night before.
‘If I had had the scan on April 20 then all this would have been picked up. I was then induced to go into labour and sent home.
‘I had a 12 hour labour - it was horrible. My placenta ruptured and I was in so much pain, I was given every drug and even a spinal during the labour.
‘I was then taken into theatre and she was delivered using forceps.
‘It was very surreal, Lily-Ella was so quiet and there no crying. I was able to stay with her in the bereavement ward.’
Shockingly, as she was in the bereavement ward another locum consultant wrongly believed he was in the maternity unit and congratulated Ms Fearon on being a new mum.
Ms Fearon, who works part-time at Asda, said: ‘Another locum consultant, who clearly didn’t know where he was just came blustering into the ward and said “congratulations” to me.

Ms Fearon and Mr Foster have now had another baby - Macie - who was nearly lost like Lily-Ella as she also stopped growing and became distressed near the end of the pregnancy

‘I didn’t know what to say but the nurses quickly told him he was in the wrong place and told him to get out. It’s just another example of how badly trained the staff were.’
After her ordeal, Ms Fearon became pregnant with daughter Macie and at the same stage her midwife became concerned the baby was not growing.
This time she underwent a scan which revealed her unborn child was in distress and she had an emergency Caesarean.
Ms Fearon, who lives with partner Paul Foster, 21, and six-month-old Macie, is now contacting solicitors to take legal action against the NHS.

Ms Fearon said: 'I know that Lily could have been saved if the problems had been detected earlier, instead I had to go through the worst experience of my life, something which no one should go through.' Image shows the order of service from her funeral

She said: ‘I was terrified during the whole of the pregnancy with Macie because I thought the same thing was going to happen again.
‘It did happen again though, the bump hadn’t grown enough but it was picked up on and I had a scan. The doctors said she needed to be delivered immediately.
‘Macie was born through a Caesarean six weeks early and she was in the neonatal unit for two weeks but she was absolutely fine - that was what should have happened to Lily.
‘I was treated like royalty during the second pregnancy and I always feel like it was because they knew something wrong had been done before.’
In his report to the NHS Trust, Dr Davis, who had been working at the hospital for seven months, said: ‘I was informed that there were no (ultrasound) slots available as the department was too busy.
‘I called the patient in to see me in the clinic room. I felt after clinical examination findings an ultrasound scan was not warranted. I transferred her back to midwife led care.’
The NHS Trust denies negligence but has apologised for the standard of care Ms Fearon received.
Joy Payne, head of midwifery for Heart of England NHS Foudation Trust, said: ‘We would like to send our sincerest condolences to Ms Fearon and her family at this very sad time.
‘We take the safety and care of all of our patients very seriously and have undertaken a detailed investigation into the antenatal care Ms Fearon received.
‘I would like to apologise to Ms Fearon and would welcome an opportunity to meet with her to discuss any aspect of her care further.’

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Leukaemia patient twice denied 'life-changing' hair replacement therapy on the NHS finally gets treatment after expert comes to her rescue.

A leukaemia patient who was denied ‘life-changing’ hair replacement therapy on the NHS has spoken of her delight after a MailOnline reader gave her the treatment for free.
Samantha Green, 29, developed alopecia after twice battling leukaemia.
She applied to the NHS for £2,000 treatment to improve the appearance of her patchy hair three times but was denied it each time.

Samantha Green, 29, had hair replacement therapy after it was offered to her free of charge by Lucinda Ellery, a hair loss expert, who read about Ms Green on MailOnline

Ms Green (pictured left before her hair loss) developed alopecia (right) after two battles with leukaemia. She applied to have hair replacement therapy on the NHS but was refused the treatment three times on the basis her case was not 'exceptional'

But when MailOnline covered her story in December, hair loss expert Lucinda Ellery offered to give Ms Green the treatment free of charge.
After having the therapy last week, Ms Green, who has an eight-year-old daughter, is now delighted with her thick head of hair.

 

She told MailOnline: ‘I'm really pleased with it – it feels like part of me already. It’s amazing.
‘When I got the call to say Lucinda Ellery had offered to do it I was speechless. I got quite emotional. I didn’t know what to do – I was shocked.’

Ms Green (pictured during her hair replacement therapy) said: 'I was gobsmacked watching them do it. I was really nervous and excited and they were so lovely and friendly - they made me feel really comfortable'

WHAT IS  HAIR REPLACEMENT THERAPY?

Designed for women with moderate to severe hair loss or thinning, this is a hair replacement prosthesis.
It is constructed from a breathable mesh and integrated into the existing hair, without the need to cut or shave off any natural hair.
It can be an effective way of managing both the later stages of hair loss and the short hair re-growth when treatment has finished.
To begin with, the mesh is gently placed between the existing hair and the scalp.
Panels, made of ultra-fine mesh containing additional human hair, are then added to it to completely disguise any hair loss.
To complete the look a parting is also added to the crown section.
It allows the person to take part in sports, including swimming, without worrying about their hair.
The hair can also be washed, brushed and styled as normal.
The hair needs to be maintained every six to eight weeks.
An initial consultation costs £55 and the treatment starts from £895.
For more information, visit www.lucindaellery-hairloss.co.uk

She added: ‘My daughter Madison loves it – the first thing she did was start plaiting it.
‘I just want to say thank you to you for publishing it and to Lucinda Ellery – it wouldn’t have happened otherwise.’
Ms Green, an administration worker who was training to be a nurse until she was taken ill, was first diagnosed with leukaemia in August 2005.
She underwent two rounds of chemotherapy and had a bone marrow transplant. After this, her hair grew back fine.
However, she relapsed in 2010 and had another two bouts of chemotherapy and another bone marrow transplant.
This time she was treated with Busulfan which she thinks caused the alopecia, but it was the only treatment available to her at the time.

As a result, she has applied repeatedly for hair replacement therapy on the NHS but The Central Midlands Commissioning Support Unit, which advises on NHS spending, decided her case was not exceptional.

Ms Green says the verdict crushed her remaining confidence.
'Hair makes a woman feel feminine,' she said. 'A lady who had a double mastectomy would not be refused a breast reconstruction.
'Yet someone who suffered alopecia due to intense chemotherapy is classed differently.’
When MailOnline ran Ms Green’s story in December, it was greeted with outrage from readers who felt the mother had been treated unfairly.
The day after the story was published, we were contacted by Lucinda Ellery, a hair loss expert who runs hair extension studios across the country.
She offered to give Ms Green the treatment for free. 
The hair replacement therapy, called the Intralace system, lasts two years.

It works by fitting a mesh over any area with little or no hair, pulling the existing hair through the mesh and plaiting tiny wefts of fine real hair to it.
Unlike normal hair extensions, it doesn't place stress on the remaining strands.
Ms Green, from Wolverhampton, travelled to London for the treatment which took a whole day.
She said: ‘I was gobsmacked watching them do it. I was really nervous and excited but they were so lovely and friendly. They made me feel really comfortable.’

Ms Green (pictured before the hair replacement therapy) hated wearing a wig as she found it hot and itchy and she worried that people were staring at her and wondering if she was wearing a wig

Ms Green (pictured with her daughter, Madison, before her hair loss) said: 'My daughter loves it - the first thing she did was start plaiting it'

Ms Green says she is delighted to be able to leave behind the wig she has been wearing for three years.
She said: ‘I won’t have to think about the hot, itchy wig any more. The hair will make me much more confident as I won’t worry that people are looking at me and wondering if I am wearing a wig.’
Ms Green says she is now looking forward to celebrating her 30th birthday next month with her new hairdo.
Dr Dan De Rosa, chairman of Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group, which spends almost £1m a day on the city’s healthcare, said at the time Ms Green was refused NHS help: 'The decision in this case was made following detailed assessment by a panel of clinicians who took into account a wide range of factors.
'In general, we need to prioritise limited funding based on the needs of the local population and we do this as fairly and equitably as possible.'

How MailOnline reported Sam's story

When MailOnline ran Ms Green’s story in December, it was greeted with outrage from readers who felt the mother had been treated unfairly.

When MailOnline ran Ms Green's story in December (pictured), it was greeted with outrage from readers who felt the mother had been treated unfairly

Frustrated, from Oxford, wrote: 'Appalling, the NHS will pay for a boob job to enhance an already acceptable bust yet will not pay for an embarrassing condition caused by illness beyond anyone's control. Pathetic!'
Nice57, from Glasgow, commented: 'Wasn't there a story a few months back about a woman getting a breast enlargement on the NHS to become a topless model??! Costing say £5000 and now she wants a reduction. But this poor woman can't have a procedure for £2000 to help her feel more confident about herself after battling a serious disease??! Something wrong with this country!!'

MailOnline readers were shocked that Ms Green was not offered hair replacement therapy on the NHS when other women had previously been given breast enlargement surgery

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No wonder she was in agony.

Doctors were shocked when they X-rayed a woman’s knees and found they were full of gold needles.
The 65-year-old South Korean woman had hundreds of tiny acupuncture needles in her knee tissue.
It is thought they were left around her joint intentionally by an alternative medical practitioner who was treating her for knee pain.

A 65-year-old South Korean woman was found to have hundreds of gold needles in her knees (pictured) after acupuncture treatment for her osteoarthritis. It's thought they were left there intentionally

The woman had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, LiveScience reports.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is characterised by inflammation of the affected joint, damage to the cartilage of the joint and bony growths around the edge of the joints.
Pain can result from the damage to the cartilage which lines the bones and allows the joints to move without friction.

 

The woman was treated with painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs but they failed to relieve the pain and they caused her stomach discomfort.
As a result, she turned to acupuncture for relief and is believed to have sought treatment at least once a week.
The therapy involves using needles to stimulate different parts of the body or to relieve pain.

Doctors say leaving the needles in the woman's knees was not necessarily a good idea as they could cause inflammation, infections and abscesses. They also make interpreting X-rays hard (file picture)

In the South Korean woman’s case, it is thought the needles were left inside her knees to provide continued stimulation after the treatment had ended.
However, many experts believe leaving foreign objects inside a person’s body is not a good idea.
Dr Ali Guermazi, a professor of radiology at Boston University, who was not involved in the woman’s treatment, said they could cause swelling, abscesses and infections.
He told LiveScience that leaving the needles in her knee could make it difficult for doctors to interpret X-rays.
Additionally, he said it would mean she could not have an MRI scan if needed because the magnets in the scanner could cause the needles to move and damage an artery.
The woman’s case was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Czech woman has SIX STONE tumour removed from her stomach after it left her bedridden.

A tumour weighing almost six stone has been removed from a woman in the Czech Republic.
The growth, which weighed a staggering 5st 9lbs, had been growing inside the unidentified woman's stomach for years because she was too scared to visit a doctor.
Despite the 47-year-old's stomach swelling to almost 20 times its usual size, she didn't seek help until the tumour left her bedridden.

A Czech woman had a six stone tumour removed from her stomach. It caused her stomach to swell to almost 20 times its normal size. It had been allowed to become enormous as she was too scared to see a doctor

The woman underwent a life-saving operation to have the malignant tumour removed at Zlin Regional Hospital, in Zlin, last month.
It took surgeons more than seven hours to remove the growth which measured more than one metre in circumference.
They also needed to remove a further 4st 7lbs of surrounding tissue - leaving the woman more than 10 stone lighter.

 

During the operation she had to be given 20 blood transfusions.
Zdenek Adamik, head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at the hospital, said doctors were baffled as to why the woman had not sought help earlier.
He said they found it strange that her parents hadn't encouraged her to see a doctor considering the sheer weight of the tumour left her confined to her bed and unable to lead a normal life.

The woman also had more than four stone of surrounding tissue removed so during the operation she lost more than 10 stone. She dropped from 18st 4lbs to eight stone. Image shows her stomach before surgery

During the seven hour operation, the woman had to been given 20 blood transfusions (pictured)

He said: ‘The patient weighed 117 kilos [18st 4lbs] before the operation and now she weighs 51 kilos [eight stone].
‘It is strange that the family and friends were unable to react to what was going on with the lady because just the weight of the tumour confined her to bed and she could not live a normal life.’
It is not yet known whether the woman will make a full recovery.
Doctors are continuing to monitor her condition following the operation.

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'I can't believe I've just watched someone drink their own wee'.

A couple who appeared on ITV's This Morning to discuss the fact they drink their own urine have become the subject of a Twitter backlash from horrified viewers.
Bex Long and John Dixon say their own home brewed elixir has banished symptoms of depression, made their eyes brighter and their skin clearer.
The couple, who have been dating for two years, told an aghast Holly Willoughby and Dermot O'Leary on ITV's This Morning that their urine was so potent it was 'like an energy drink'.

Wee Fit: Bex Long and John Dixon say their own home brewed elixir has banished symptoms of depression, made their eyes brighter and their skin clearer

Home brew: The couple, who have been dating for two years, told an aghast Holly Willoughby and Dermot O'Leary on ITV's This Morning that their urine was so potent it was 'like an energy drink'

They also admitted to dabbing it on cuts and burns to help them heal.
At one point they even downed a champagne flute of the liquid live on air, as Holly shielded her eyes with her hands.
But viewers took to Twitter to complain that the segment - aired at 10.50am - was too much for morning TV.
One wrote: 'Stomach is churning. Just watched people drink their own urine on This Morning. I physically feel sick. Just want to vomit.'
Another said: 'Do you chill it or drink it straight from the tap?? "Straight from the tap" @itvthismorning WHAT AM I WATCHING?
Another added: 'Can not believe I have just watched a segment on this morning about people drinking there own wee. What goes on in some people's minds?'

Disgusted: Some repulsed viewers took to Twitter to complain the piece was 'too much' for morning TV, after Willoughby asked if they drank the liquid 'warm or chilled'

 

Bottoms up! Couple drink their own urine on This Morning

Mr Dixon explained that he has been drinking a cup or two of his own urine every day for seven years after a friend extolled the virtues of it.
When he met Miss Long two years ago, he introduced her to it - and after finding it relived symptoms of her depression, she has continued with it.

 

The couple now firmly believe the practice is a key part of staying healthy.
Mr Dixon told the programme that he'd started drinking his own urine seven years ago after being 'a naughty kid' - and noticed the difference straight away.
He said: 'I found it balanced my head, things were calmer and I could think clearer.'
Miss Long added that when she met him she'd suffered from depression for 10 years and was taking medication for it. 
Wanting to come off the tablets, Mr Dixon told her about the health benefits he'd discovered from drinking his own urine every day.

Happy: Mr Dixon explained he has been drinking a cup or two his own urine every day for seven years after a friend extolled the virtues of it

Doing it together: When Mr Dixon met Miss Long two years ago, he introduced her to 'urine therapy' - and after finding it relived symptoms of her depression, has continued with it

She said: 'I spoke to people where John works and heard stories about how they had got better [from doing it] and thought I would try it.
'For the first couple of months I felt happy and bouncy - it worked straight away,' she added. 'If I had forgotten to take a tablet then I would do that instead.'
She added that the taste and smell of the urine 'depends on what you've been eating and drinking' - and that it 'definitely wasn't an acquired taste'.

Mr Dixon added: 'It smells and tastes like wee - there's not getting around it. But it cleans you out.
'When you carry on doing it, you can taste what food you eat.'
This was backed up further after the couple knocked back a shot of their urine live on air - with Mr Dixon declaring he could 'taste the coffee' he had just drunk.

Caution: But Dr Ranj Singh (right) warned that 'urine is one of the body's ways of getting rid of stuff - and it could contain toxic byproducts'

And when quizzed by an incredulous Holly Willoughby, the couple admitted they tended not to sip the first 'go' of the day, due to it being 'quite strong'.
And Dr Ranj Singh cautioned against the practice. He warned: 'It's not necessarily recommended. If you are on medication and you are going to come off it, then it's important to talk to a doctor first.
'Urine is one of the body's ways of getting rid of stuff - and it could contain toxic byproducts.
'Yes, it is sterile in the bladder, but once it leaves the bladder it can come into contact with bacteria. if you drink it, you are re-introducing that bacteria back into the body.

DOES DRINKING YOUR OWN URINE REALLY HAVE HEALTH BENEFITS?

Urine therapy is said to date back to the Bible. Historical documents suggest that the Aztecs disinfected wounds with it, while the benefits are also mentioned in Indian and Chinese literature.
Urine is highly sterile, consisting of 95 per cent water and five per cent nutrients such as proteins, vitamins and minerals. During the digestive process, the liver deals with toxins and removes them to be excreted.
The blood then goes to the kidneys where it is filtered again and extraneous components the body no longer needs are collected in a sterile solution which is then passed as urine.
But GP Dr Rob Hicks said: 'Over the years many people have claimed health benefits from drinking their own urine, but as far as I'm aware there is no scientific evidence to back-up these claims.
'The kidneys are an efficient filtering system getting rid of what the body doesn't need, so to put this back into the body seems counter-productive.
'Personally, I believe there are better - and more palatable - ways to keep the body healthy including not smoking, eating a healthy diet, and keeping stress under control.'

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Want the tastiest turkey? The tips the TV cooks WON'T tell you

Already panicking about cooking Christmas dinner?
Forget all that complicated advice from the pros. Just use these simple and ingenious tips from our crafty cook (and busy mum) Anne Shooter. 

Christmas covered: Relax and use Anne Shooter's simple and ingenious tips

PERFECTLY MOIST TURKEY

Dry turkey is a disaster and the best way to avoid this is to use a J cloth. It might sound strange, but I promise you won't end up with a strangely coloured turkey.
Dunk a brand new J cloth into a mixture of melted butter and sunflower oil until it is really sodden and use it to cover the breast of the turkey before placing a sheet of tin foil on top. Then roast your turkey according to your chosen recipe.

Ensuring a moist turkey: Use a J cloth - it works wonders

Place the foil so it forms a tent-like shape above the turkey, and add a mug's worth of hot water to the roasting dish. This allows steam to circulate, which keeps everything moist. And, of course, you should also baste your bird occasionally with the juices, spooning them over the J cloth.
At the end of the cooking time you will have a fantastic, juicy turkey and the breast will have browned beneath the cloth.
If you want to add bacon, remove the J cloth for the last half hour and place bacon rashers in its place - they will be lovely and crisp by the time the bird is cooked. 

PARSNIPS WITHOUT PANIC

Roasted parsnips will take up space in your over-crowded oven. Instead, make a root vegetable mash with 1kg parsnips and 500g carrots.
Cut the veg into chunks and boil in salted water, then strain and whizz in a food processor with around 150g butter, a little ground nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Fuss-free sprouts: Use frozen sprouts, which taste great, and then cook with bacon lardons and chestnuts

You can make this a day in advance and reheat it.

NO-BOTHER BRUSSELS

Frozen sprouts are fantastic, much nicer than other frozen veg. They come ready-peeled and par‑cooked, so just need to be plunged into boiling water briefly or pan-fried in plenty of butter before serving.

DISPOSABLE TRAYS

Buy disposable roasting trays for the turkey and potatoes so that after lunch, you can throw them away and put your feet up. Poundland is usually the best place to go for cheap ones. And feel no guilt - aluminium foil trays can be recycled.

PACK THE ROASTING TRAY

Oven space is always an issue at Christmas, so double up in your roasting tins.
For the last 30 minutes of roasting your potatoes, put in your pigs in blankets and stuffing balls.
The potatoes will be even more delicious than usual thanks to the fat from the sausage, bacon and stuffing, and the pigs in blankets will crisp up beautifully in the hot fat used to cook the potatoes.

Time-saver: Peel and par-boil your potatoes and then put them in the freezer and use when needed

PRE-FROZEN POTATOES

Believe me, this works - and it means you don't need to peel and par-boil your potatoes on the day.
Peel and cut into large chunks. Bring to the boil in salted water then simmer them for seven minutes.
Drain, shake in the pan to rough up the edges a little, cool slightly, then put in a freezer bag with a tablespoon of seasoned flour per 2kg of potatoes. Shake well.
Add 100ml of olive or sunflower oil, goose or duck fat and gently move around in the bag to coat before putting in the freezer.
When ready to cook them, add another 50ml of fat to a roasting tray and heat it in a 220c/440f oven, then carefully tip in the frozen potatoes. Roast for 45 minutes to one hour, until golden and crisp.

CRANBERRY WITH A KICK

Shop-bought cranberry sauce can be a bit bleugh! But making your own means yet another job on your list. So why not pimp up a supermarket version with a splash of brandy or Cointreau, some orange zest and a pinch of cinnamon.

A FRIEND IN FILO

One of the most useful things you can have in your fridge over the festive period is a pack of filo pastry. Just brush oil or melted butter between each layer that you use (three layers is enough for most things). Follow the baking instructions on the packet
Short of canapes? Use the filo to line mini-muffin tins, pop in a blob of cranberry sauce, crumble over some stilton and you have fabulous party snacks in 15 minutes.
Need a dessert? Make fruit strudel by spreading out a couple of sheets and loading them with mincemeat, topped with chopped apple. Roll up, bake, and sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.
Unexpected vegetarian guest? Do the same as the fruit strudel but instead of mincemeat, add some of that parsnip and carrot mash and top with sprouts and crumbled stilton. 

Crumble stilton into the filling for a vegetarian strudel

Make your own: Pimp up a supermarket cranberry sauce

QUICK CANAPES

Homemade canapes are so much more delicious than shop-bought ones, and here are a few others you can make in the time it would take to heat some hideous frozen supermarket prawn wontons.

• Cut fresh figs in half lengthways, wrap each half in a thin strip of Parma ham, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake in an oven at 180c/350f for ten minutes. Serve warm.
• Toast little pieces of baguette - a great way to use up stale bread - and spread with goat's cheese. Top with a spoonful of 'smashed peas', made by cooking frozen peas for a minute in boiling water, then briefly whizzing with lemon zest and juice, torn mint leaves, plenty of salt and pepper and a little olive oil. Serve at room temperature.
• Cut a tortilla wrap into eight triangles, then toast on a baking sheet in an oven at 200c/400f for a few minutes until browned. Top with a salsa made by mixing diced avocado and mango with quartered cherry tomatoes, coriander leaves, lime  juice and a little olive oil. Serve at room temperature.

WINE-CHILLING TRICK

Chill wine in record time by putting bottles in buckets of cold water with a handful of ice cubes and another handful of salt. Salt reduces the freezing point of water, allowing it to become colder without turning into ice, which, in turn, chills your wine more quickly.

Co-op Chablis

Sainsbury's Costieres de Nimes

M&S Chateau de Saye

ICING SUGAR MAGIC

There is no shop-bought dessert that won't look homemade with the addition of a good dusting of icing sugar. Particularly if your guests see you remove it from the fridge on a plate and make a bit of a fuss with the sieve or - my favourite new product - Whitworth's Twist  & Sprinkle Icing Sugar (£1.99, widely available).
It's a handy packet that allows sifting without a sieve. Simply twist the lid.

Dust your shop-bought dessert with delicious icing sugar

Extra mince pies? Freeze them

ORANGES WITH A TWIST

Take inspiration from the Middle East and serve this with your Christmas desserts. You will not believe how delicious something so simple can taste.
Remove the skin and pith from enough oranges to serve one per person. Slice thinly and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and pomegranate seeds.

Disguise cheap fizz

EVER-PRESENT PIES

What to do with all those spare mince pies? Don't worry, both homemade and shop-bought ones freeze really well. Just take them out as you need them, brush the top with milk, and heat them in the oven to reheat. Dust with that good old icing sugar to serve.

PERK UP CHEAP BUBBLY

Cheap fizz is in all the shops, but it doesn't always taste fantastic on its own. Try adding a slug of sloe gin in the bottom of the flute or St Germain elderflower liqueur for a festive cocktail. And pomegranate juice in place of orange juice will update your Buck's Fizz.

TURKEY TIMINGS

Here's my cheatsheet for preparing the perfect turkey. A fresh one will keep, wrapped, in the fridge for three days. But first, check that it actually fits in your oven. Take it out of the fridge 90 minutes before you want to cook it. And always rest it under foil for 20-30 minutes before carving.

Father-to-be tormented by rare condition that made him terrified of everyday noises died after he was hit by Tube train.

A father-to-be tormented by his fear of noise may  have thrown himself under  a Tube train, an inquest  heard yesterday.
Neil Carter, 37, ‘felt like there was no way out’ due to his phobia of certain sounds, the hearing  was told.
The IT consultant suffered from misophonia, a rare and incurable neurological disease that gave him a heightened sensitivity to noise.

Neil Carter (left, with his wife Lucy in Australia in 2010) died after he was hit by a tube train, an inquest has heard

WHAT IS MISOPHONIA?

Misofonia, literally 'hatred of sound', is a newly diagnosed condition which usually sets in between 10 and 12 years old.
The sounds trigger a 'flight or flight' style response in the sufferer, provoking either extreme anger or fear, most commonly anger.
The closer a sufferer is to the person making the trigger sound, the stronger the response.

The illness means specific sounds – such as other people walking, chewing or breathing – can trigger rage, panic and even the urge to be violent towards those making the sound.
Mr Carter’s psychiatrist, Dr Elise Stephen, said she had referred him to The Priory clinic in Roehampton, South-West London, less than a fortnight before his death in November last year. He became a voluntary inpatient after being made redundant.
Dr Stephen told West London Coroner’s Court: ‘I was concerned at the frequency and intensity of his suicidal thoughts the last time I saw him on November 7.
‘He told me that he had been at his brother’s party recently and the noise had been too much. He felt like there was no way out and feared he could not be a provider for his family because of his illness. He said he struggled to cope.’
Mr Carter, of East Ewell in Surrey, died when he was hit by a train at Turnham Green Underground station on November 20 last year, after going missing from The Priory.

IT consultant Neil Carter 'felt like there was no way out' due to his fear of certain sounds, the inquest was told

A report by Dr Stephen described the patient’s ‘very low mood’ and said: ‘We discussed his mental  state with his depressive symptoms. We discussed how he had thought about jumping in front of a train, but he said he definitely would not do it.’
She added: ‘We had discussed getting new headphones for him as his other ones were hurting his ears.’
Dr Niall Campbell, a psychiatrist from The Priory, said no formal risk assessment had been carried out as to whether Mr Carter was a suicide risk. The inquest heard he used a cash machine at 1.30pm on the day he died, but was not officially recorded as missing until 5.30pm.

Mr Carter suffered from a rare and incurable neurological disease called Misophonia, which means 'hatred of sound'

Mr Carter died when he was hit by a tube train in west London on November 20 last year

A Priory report on the patient’s state of mind written in October last year said: ‘He felt like there was no way out. The noise and fear of noise is an intrusion into his life. He has suicidal thoughts, but no plan to carry it out.’
Dr Campbell said he thought Mr Carter’s situation may improve with the right treatment, ‘but Neil said he was not so optimistic’. The psychiatrist added: ‘The anti-depressants had not been working for him, but it was still early days.’
The inquest heard Mr Carter had the painkiller Tramadol in his system when he died, but he had not been prescribed it by The Priory.
The inquest continues.

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