A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Dentists warn over teeth whitening
The Irish Dental Association (IDA) has called on Minister for Health James Reilly to support European Commission plans to regulate the use of hydrogen peroxide, the chemical used in tooth whitening.
Under the new regulations, which should come into force next month, only fully qualified dentists will be allowed to provide this service.
The IDA expressed concern about tooth whitening products, saying many of them range from “useless to dangerous”.
Dublin-based dentist Tom Feeney, IDA representative on the Council of European Dentists, said regulation of the sector was long overdue.
He said some teeth whitening products available on the internet contain very high levels of hydrogen peroxide and these could be lethal in the wrong hands. Other products contain very low levels of hydrogen peroxide and are not effective.
“To be effective, a product has to have over 3 per cent hydrogen peroxide and the new regulations from the European Commission will prohibit products containing more than 6 per cent hydrogen peroxide. The new regulations will ensure that properly qualified dentists are carrying out this procedure and that safe products are being used,” Mr Feeney said.
He advised pregnant women and young people under 16 not to have their teeth whitened.
Family freezes eggs of dead daughter
AN ISRAELI family has been given legal permission to extract and freeze eggs from the ovaries of their 17-year-old daughter, who died in a road accident. The ruling by the magistrates court in the town of Kfar Saba sets a legal precedent in Israel and, according to a lawyer with 10 years’ experience in similar cases, is possibly the first of its kind in the world.
According to the Ha’aretz news organisation, the family of Chen Aida Ayash agreed for her organs to be donated following her death last Wednesday, a week after she was hit by a car. They also petitioned the court for permission for her eggs to be harvested and frozen.
Ha’aretz quoted a medical source as saying the family had requested that the eggs be fertilised with donated sperm, as embryos stand a better chance of surviving the freezing procedure than unfertilised eggs, but the court denied permission for fertilisation at this stage.
Maayan Maor, a spokesperson for the Meir medical centre in Kfar Saba, said: “This is a unique case, since this is the first time an Israeli court has approved the extraction and freezing of ovarian eggs from a dead woman. We don’t know the reason why Chen’s parents wanted it done.”
Exercise a 'wonder drug' for cancer survivors, report finds
EXERCISE IS a “wonder drug” for cancer survivors and may even prevent the disease coming back, according to a report.
The UK-based charity, Macmillan Cancer Support said physical activity should be “prescribed” by doctors after “hard evidence” showed it can significantly help recovery and prevent other long-term illnesses. Rather than patients being told to “rest up” as in the past, doctors must encourage people to get moving as soon as they feel able.
A review of more than 60 studies for the charity found people undergoing treatment for cancer – as well as survivors – could benefit from exercise. During treatment, being active does not worsen a person’s fatigue and has positive effects on mood and wellbeing, the study said. Once treatment has finished, exercise can reduce the impact of side effects.