Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

Cancer Research Gift Shop is offering free delivery on all their excellent selection of thoughtful presents when ordering online before the end of Wednesday 31st March 2010. Simply add the code -

FS09TGN0014

at the online checkout to ensure all your goodies are delivered free of cost. Plus with no minimum spend, anything you order won’t you cost a penny.

There’s loads of great charity gift ideas to choose from, and now is the perfect time to be ordering any Mother’s Day or Easter presents. Every penny of profit from all online transactions go towards Cancer Research’s life saving work, so why not treat a loved one to something special and help provide funds to stop cancer.

> > Click here to order online at the Cancer Research Gift Shop

Other great charity gifts

Cancer Research UK scientists have now discovered why some breast cancers are resistant to the commonly used drug tamoxifen. This drug is given to women after they have been diagnosed with breast cancer to help prevent the disease from coming back, but some patients can develop resistance to the treatment meaning that their cancer is more likely to return.

The health charity scientists have discovered that when a gene called FGFR1 is over stimulated it can cause breast cancer cells to no longer grow rapidly and spread, making tamoxifen and other hormone treatments less effective.

Scientists were able to switch off FGFR1 in cancer cells by adding a drug that blocks its functions. Once the FGFR1 is switched off, hormone treatments were able to perform far more effectively in destroying cancer cells.

Cancer Research UK funded clinician scientist Dr Nick Turner, said -

We have known for some time that breast cancer patients with too much of the FGFR1 gene in their cancer are more likely to have a poor prognosis, but we did not know if FGFR1 was behind this. Understanding how this gene can cause tamoxifen resistance reveals a new drug target for treating breast cancers in patients who would otherwise have a poor outcome. There are a number of drugs in development that stop FGFR1 working, and clinical studies are investigating whether these drugs work against cancers with too many copies of this gene.

The next step is to set up a clinical trial to see whether a drug that blocks the action of this gene can counteract hormone therapy resistance in breast cancer patients. If these trials confirm our lab work we could be on the verge of a potentially exciting new treatment for breast cancer.

With breast cancer being the most common cancer in the UK, these findings are fantastic news in helping to personalise each diagnosis to try to ensure that once breast cancer has been treated, that it doesn’t unneccessarily return.

Help Cancer Research with a Charity Gift

You can also help by purchasing a charity gift from the Cancer Research gift shop. There is a great selection of gifts to choose from, plus they offer a great gift wrapping service and super fast delivery. Plus you have the piece of mind to know that all profits are going towards the fight to help beat cancer.

> > Click here to visit the Cancer Research gift shop

Other top charity gifts

Love is in the air, and Cupid is readying her bow and arrow to bestow love on the people of the Earth as only she knows how…

not sure if all that is strictly true, but Valentine’s Day is certainly just round the corner! So, if you’re in the mood this year and want to show that special someone in your life that you care, why not treat them to as interesting charity gift from the Cancer Research UK Shop?

When you shop online with Cancer Research UK, you can be sure that 100% of the profits go towards their lifesaving work. This year there’s loads to choose from, with a wide range of quirky gifts for both him and her to melt even the coldest of hearts! Choose from -

• Silver Love Hearts
• Heart Shaped Frying Pan
• Million Kisses Mug
• Love Heart Lights
• ‘I love you’ Toast Stamp
• Love Heart Hot water Bottle
• And Many More…

Personally, the heart shaped frying pan would be a winner in my house! Cancer Research UK has also teamed up with Arena Flowers, the UK’s leading ethically sourced online florist, to allow you to send a luxury bouquet or a heart shaped balloon to your Valentine with 20% of every order being donated to the health charity.

Cancer Research UK’s trading director, Simon Ledsham -

We’re delighted to be working with Arena Flowers.  Not only will you be giving beautiful flowers with each purchase, but you will be helping us to beat cancer at the same time.  Thank you for your support.

> > Click here to order online at the Cancer Research UK Shop

Other top charity gifts

Cancer Research UK is delighted that the Sunbed Bill passed its second reading in the Commons last month. The Bill, seeking to help prevent under 18’s from using sunbeds, was supported by long term sunbed campaigners who spoke about their experiences of unstaffed sunbed salons.

The Bill, delivered by Cardiff North MP Julie Morgan, is asking tanning salons to provide accurate health information and prohibit unstaffed sunbed suites. During a lively lively debate, the Bill received good cross-party support, with Public Health Minister Gillian Merron applauding Julie on highlighting the problem of sunbed use by young people.

With no MPs opposed the Bill, it will now be passed on to the Committee Stage without a vote. This stage involves a small group of cross party MPs, who will discuss over several meetings its implications in detail. If this is seen as a relevant Bill, it will then reach the Report Stage in the House of Commons before being sent to the Lords for its final approval.

With the general election just around the corner, it is the perfect time for the Government to push through the Sunbeds Bill and help stop more children being exposed to the damage sunbeds can cause to young skin.

Help Cancer Research with a Charity Gift

You can also help by purchasing a charity gift from the Cancer Research gift shop. There’s a great selection of gifts to choose from, plus they offer a great gift wrapping service and super fast delivery. Plus you have the piece of mind to know that all profits are going towards the fight to help beat cancer.

> > Click here to visit the Cancer Research gift shop

Other top charity gifts

The UNICEF charity ambassador, David Beckham, recently took time out of his hectic schedule to visit South Africa and check on the progress that has been made around the world in the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission.

Beckham visited a clinic in Cape Town where he met pregnant young women and new mums who are living in the shadow of the HIV virus. The UNICEF programme ‘Mothers to Mothers’ is helping to provide the education and support that will help to prevent young women and mothers pass on the virus to their unborn babies. Founder of the programme, Dr. Mitch Besserby, met David and told him about the care and support that the clinic’s patients are receiving.

David Beckham said -

It gives me such hope that in a country like South Africa where over 5 million people are living with HIV, this inspiring work is being done by UNICEF childrens charity and their partners to help prevent the virus passing from pregnant mothers to their newborn children. The solution is cheap and it’s simple and can help save the lives of hundreds of thousands of children each year. Children have a right to be as healthy as possible and I can think of no better thing than ensuring babies are born free from HIV.

If all the women who needed it received treatment to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies, a generation of children free from the virus could be within reach. Now, everyone needs to come together to make sure this happens. I urge everyone to support this work and help save the lives of babies.

A baby is born with HIV somewhere in the world almost every minute of every day. The disease is passed on by their mother during pregnancy, but with simple inexpensive treatment, the mother-to-child transmission of HIV is almost entirely preventable. Thanks to health charity programmes such as ‘Mothers to Mothers’, 73% of those most in need of treatment are receiving it, compared to just 15% in 2004. But more work must be done across Africa to help stop the unneccesary amount of children still being born with HIV.

Help Support UNICEF UK with a Charity Gift

You can help raise funds with UNICEF Inspired Gifts. Presents start at just £8, and for a little as £16 you could buy a virtual charity gift like five footballs for children in refugee camps. There are so many to choose from, and these thoughtful gifts would make an ideal present for a loved one…

it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

> > click here to purchase a UNICEF UK Inspired Gift

Instead of buying socks this Christmas, why not buy a Christmas gift from the Virtual Gifts catalogue from St Mungo’s – London’s largest charity for homeless people – and buy a present that could actually make a life changing difference to someone who really needs it?

Their Virtual Gifts catalogue contains innovative presents that support a wide range of homeless needs, including health checks, literacy training, toiletries and fresh clothing. There is even the opportunity to provide vet care for dogs (a dog is often a homeless person’s only companion), or even a set of gardening tools, or lunch money so that someone can join one of St. Mungo’s vocational training programmes. Other gifts include -

• Give a dog a home £8
• Safe warm bed, health check and healthy meal £50
• Depression counselling £45
• Literacy training £50
• Keep an outreach team going £150
• Phone call £10
• Health check £15
• Present £20
• Fresh start £25
• 2 weeks lunch £32
• Gardening tool kit £35

St Mungo’s is London’s largest charity for homeless people, offering emergency services to rough sleepers, supporting homeless people in their recovery, and working to prevent homelessness 24 hours per day, 365 days a year and Christmas is no exception. In the last year St Mungo’s helped 450 people off the streets, provided accommodation for 1,400 people every night and helped more than 2,300 clients access work and learning programmes.

So why not help support London’s homeless and order a virtual charity gift from St Mungo’s today? Not only will you be providing essential funds to help those most in need, but you will also receive a thank you card and a voucher that you can personalise and pass on to a friend or family member as a unique and imaginative Christmas gift.

> > Click here to order online at St. Mungos shop

Other top charity gifts

Alternative gift ideas from development charity Sightsavers

A pair of artificial eyeballs, four white canes and a handheld telescope – they may not be on your wish list this Christmas, but for people living in some of the least privileged countries in the world these simple gifts can transform lives. By choosing to buy a charity gift from Sightsavers International this year, you can give a personal and thoughtful gift to friends and family, and also help to change people’s lives for good.

Sightsavers health charity, which works to prevent and cure blindness in over 30 developing countries, has a range of gift ideas this Christmas through its alternative online gift scheme. Last Christmas the most popular charity gift was a cataract operation which takes just 20 minutes and costs a mere £17. People in the developing world very often cannot afford this simple yet life-changing operation, so with Gift of Sight, it really is possible to transform someone’s life forever.

Santosh Devi from Uttar Pradesh in India had been suffering from cataracts in both eyes and was finding it difficult to carry out her daily chores such as cooking and sewing.  It was also affected her children’s upbringing. The 38-year-old mother said that her failing vision affected her family routine to such an extent that she had to depend on her sister-in-law to stay at home as a carer. Santosh thought she was never going to see again and was fearful of her future. Luckily, a local screening camp supported by Sightsavers diagnosed her and encouraged her to have the 20-minute cataract surgery that would allow her to see clearly again.

After the sight-restoring surgery, Santosh said -

I can manage my home independently now and support my family. Prior to the surgery, I could not cook food, feed the animals or fetch water for my family. Now I can do all this again and today not only me but all the members of my family have a new vision.

Paying for a cataract operation through Sightsavers’ Gift of Sight contributes to much more than just the surgery itself. It also helps fund the pre-screening process, the patient’s transport costs, training of ophthalmic staff and educational materials.

Other inspirational Christmas shopping ideas include -

• An eye operation for £5, curing the painful eye disease trichiasis. Causing constant irritation and terrible pain, if left untreated the disease can lead to blindness.
• A low vision telescope for £9, giving a child with sight problems the best possible chance of succeeding in school and going on to lead an independent life.
• Protect a community for £19, helping to fund the distribution of Mectizan, a drug which guards families in Africa against river blindness. Around 35 million people are currently infected with river blindness, and roughly 300,000 of them are already irreversibly blind.
• School screening for £45, helping to screen 100 children for sight related problems early on.

Once a gift has been selected, the recipient receives a card and voucher explaining how the gift supports Sightsavers’ projects in eye care, education and the rehabilitation of people who are blind and visually impaired.

> > Click here to shop online with Sight Saver

More information on The Gift of Sight

Epilepsy Action has a great range of charity Christmas cards, gifts, wrap and table decorations available. There are cards to suit all tastes and plenty of stocking fillers for less than £5. Not only is there something for all the family but by ordering a charity gift you will be helping Epilepsy Action.

Epilepsy Action exists for every single one of the 456,000 people in the UK who have epilepsy. From all age groups and all walks of life, people with epilepsy can rely on them for support, advice and campaigns to build a better future. Funding enables Epilepsy Action to provide essential support and services to those with epilepsy, ranging from a freephone helpline and a specialist nurse scheme to a national network of branches.

The Epilepsy Action health charity work closely with the government and the NHS to campaign for improved services for people with epilepsy. By working together, they can achieve their goal of living in a society where everyone understands epilepsy and attitudes towards the condition are based on fact, not fiction.

> > Click here to shop online with Epilepsy Action

Other top charity gifts

British Epilepsy Association is a registered charity in England No. 234343

Be Loud Be Clear is the annual fundraising event from health charity Beating Bowel Cancer, which this year will take place across the country on the week of 25th – 31st January 2010. This great event is a chance to get your friends, family and work colleagues to dress up in their most outrageous clothing and help raise funds and awareness for beating bowel cancer.

It’s really easy to do. Just simply download a fundraising pack using the link below, then get your friends together for a festival of fun and frolics as you parade around in the loudest clothes you own. This would be great fun at work or at school, and not only will you see some of the most grotesque outfits known to humanity (I know that I have a few bright orange numbers that got laughed into the back of the wardrobe!), but you will also be helping to raise money to fund the tireless work of Beating Bowel Cancer.

Bowel cancer currently claims almost 50 lives a day, but if diagnosed early it can be treated successfully. This killer disease will affect 1 in 18 people at some point in their lifetime, and by increasing awareness of the disease is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment.

Now in it’s 10th year, ‘Be Loud Be Clear’ is being supported by ex-England rugby player Matt Dawson, who will be donning his flower short and shirt combo this year to join in the action. So why not join Matt and the thousands of other people across the country who will be dressing up and having fun whilst raising funds to help beat bowel cancer.

> > Click here to download a fundraisng pack

> > Click here to make a donation to Beating Bowel Cancer

Stroke for Stroke will be encouraging as many people as possible to join them and perform a 10km row between 25th – 31st January 2010. By being sponsored to perform this testing trail, you will be helpings raise money to help fight strokes in the UK in association with The Stroke Association health charity and Siemens, official sponsor of the Great Britain Rowing team.

Nuffield Health have very kindly opened up their network of Fitness and Wellbeing centres and are giving away free five day passes to anyone who doesn’t have regular access to a gym. You can participate in Stroke for Stroke by using a rowing machine at any location, including your home. You can even perform the 10km on open water if you’re feeling adventurous! All you have to do is set your target, get sponsored, and get training.

Having a stroke is the second biggest killer in the UK, with over 1.1 million people currently living with the after effects of a stroke. Many people lose their speech, sight, hearing or memory, and the ordeal can change someones life forever.

A stroke is preventable, treatable, and with long term care, there is life after a stroke. By taking part in the Stroke for Stroke challenge, you can make a real difference by raising vital funds for The Stroke Association and reduce your stroke risk through exercise.

> > Click here to register for the Stroke for Stroke challenge