logo
I feel like swarms of ants are crawling all over my leg when I try to sleep. What's happening to me? DR MARTIN SCURR has the troubling answer

I feel like swarms of ants are crawling all over my leg when I try to sleep. What's happening to me? DR MARTIN SCURR has the troubling answer

Daily Mail​12-05-2025

When I try to sleep my lower left leg feels as though swarms of ants are crawling all over it, then my toes seem to go solid! My right leg is perfectly normal. A friend suggested it was restless legs syndrome, but I don't feel the need to move my leg. Despite three visits to doctors, they can offer no solution. At 90 this sleeplessness is a problem.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The key to being happier, smarter and ageing better, by leading neuroscientist DR JOSEPH JEBELLI. An extraordinary scientfic breakthrough shows what part of modern life is destroying our brains - now his new book has the cure
The key to being happier, smarter and ageing better, by leading neuroscientist DR JOSEPH JEBELLI. An extraordinary scientfic breakthrough shows what part of modern life is destroying our brains - now his new book has the cure

Daily Mail​

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

The key to being happier, smarter and ageing better, by leading neuroscientist DR JOSEPH JEBELLI. An extraordinary scientfic breakthrough shows what part of modern life is destroying our brains - now his new book has the cure

You're sitting at your desk, trying to look busy, and your work isn't going well. OK, it's time to double down and try a bit harder... but for some reason your brain fails to ignite. It's just one of those things we all experience at work – and until recently, no one really understood how to kick-start the brain back into action.

Millions of patients to be treated by GPs instead of hospitals under radical reforms to cut NHS waiting list
Millions of patients to be treated by GPs instead of hospitals under radical reforms to cut NHS waiting list

Daily Mail​

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Millions of patients to be treated by GPs instead of hospitals under radical reforms to cut NHS waiting list

Patients will be treated by GPs rather than getting specialist care in hospitals under radical reforms as Keir Starmer battles to tackle the NHS crisis. Routine appointments will be dealt with in community services close to patients' homes in a move they believe could 'fix the waiting list'. The health service will also ramp-up technology meaning patients will have less in-person appointments - instead using like the NHS app and wearable devices to monitor patients remotely. NHS bosses claim half of the 135 million hospital outpatient appointments every year are 'pointless' and follow-ups and consultations could instead be done in high-street surgeries. It comes as the government is set to launch a ten-year plan to create a 'neighbourhood health service', The Times reports. 'As we deliver the transformational shifts in our 10 Year Plan, from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention, it will have radical implications for services,' Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester. 'Much of what's done in a hospital today, will be done on the high street, over the phone, or through the app in a decade's time.' The plans are set to link family doctors, nurses, social care services and volunteers with money being paid to NHS regions based on how effective their care is rather than how busy the hospitals are. Streeting added: 'We will use financial incentives to invest more in public health outcomes, not just in more activity that reacts to sickness.' Earlier this week, figures revealed that the number of patients waiting has fallen to its lowest point in two years - but the number of patients waiting for more than a year for hospital treatment has increased. The news comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave the NHS a cash injection worth an extra £29 billion per year. Speaking to the Commons, the Chancellor said she is making a 'record cash investment' in the NHS, worth an extra 3 per cent a year in real terms. The Chancellor insisted this would lead to 'more appointments, more doctors and more scanners' as Labour seeks to deliver on its manifesto promise to get the NHS 'back on its feet'. But the settlement received a lukewarm response from NHS bosses, who said they would need even more money if the Government is to achieve its aim of treating 92 per cent of patients within 18 weeks of a GP referral by the end of this Parliament. Matthew Taylor, of the NHS Confederation, which represents health organisations, said: 'Difficult decisions will still need to be made as this additional £29billion won't be enough to cover increasing costs of new treatments, with staff pay likely to account for a large proportion of it. 'On its own, this won't guarantee that waiting time targets are met.' Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, told the NHS ConfedExpo conference in Manchester that the health service has done 'really well relative to other parts of the public service'. But he added: 'We all know it's never enough because of the scale of advancement, all the ambition, the day-to-day cost pressures... but I think everyone's starting to accept and understand we've got what the country can afford to give us. 'We really need to get better value for that money – it is broadly the equivalent of the GDP of Portugal, so it's a huge amount.' Government documents accompanying the Spending Review show that, on average, from 2023/24 to 2028/29, the NHS in England will receive 3 per cent real-terms growth in day-to-day spending, equivalent to a £29billion increase in annual budgets The Government said it will also invest up to £10 billion in NHS technology and digital transformation by 2028/29, plus £6 billion to speed up tests and treatments. Scanners, ambulances and urgent treatment centres are among things the additional cash – part of the overall £29 billion – will pay for, with the aim of providing up to 4 million more tests and procedures in the next five years. NHS England figures show 7.42 million treatments were waiting to be done at the end of March, relating to 6.25 million patients – up from 7.4 million and 6.24 million respectively at the end of February.

Quintessential summer drink shockingly linked to aggressive skin cancer
Quintessential summer drink shockingly linked to aggressive skin cancer

Daily Mail​

time3 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Quintessential summer drink shockingly linked to aggressive skin cancer

Summer's here, which means millions will be enjoying a glass of wine on a warm evening. But scientists warn that the type of wine you drink could be raising your risk of skin cancer. A new study found that drinking white wine was associated with a 22 percent higher risk of melanomas and other forms of skin cancers compared to drinking red wine. One of the theories is that white wine is often consumed in the sun, which itself is a risk factor for skin cancer. Red wine also contains chemicals that have anti-inflammatory properties which some studies suggest could have a protective effect on cells. Eunyoung Cho, co-lead author of the study and associate professor of epidemiology and of dermatology at Brown University, said: 'We did observe a distinction when it came to skin cancer risk. 'Specifically, the consumption of white wine, but not red wine, was associated with an increased risk of skin cancer.' The American Cancer Society notes all alcohol consumption can lead to cancer and recommends limiting to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. The group of researchers analyzed 42 studies with nearly 96,000 participants to compare the cancer risk caused by both red and white wine. Among the participants, the scientists identified those who drank the most and least white and red wine, respectively, and how much they consumed. Since the analysis pooled data from multiple research papers from across the world, each with its own definitions of consumption levels, it remains unclear how many glasses of wine each participant was drinking. While 'high' consumption usually means around one glass per day, this can vary from country to country. However, the data that was collected by the Brown University researchers was then measured using multiple statistical models to find a link between drinking wine and the probability of developing cancer. Results showed that women who drank white wine were at a greater risk of developing any kind cancer in their body as compared to men who drank white wine. The researchers did not find any link between red wine and skin cancer. It also remains unclear how many glasses of white wine can raise the risk of skin cancer. has reached to Dr Cho for more information. While Dr Cho and her team did not identify a clear reason on how white wine can increase the risk of cancer, they theorized that it was possible that women do not take protective measures against skin cancer when under the influence of alcohol. Skin cancer is usually caused due to a toxic growth of skin cells and can quickly spread across the skin. Normally, as skin cells grow old and die, new cells form to replace them. When this process stops to work as it should due to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun, cells grow more quickly and become toxic. The most common form of skin cancer is basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma - both of which can often be cured. Basal cell carcinoma is defined as the cancer that forms in your basal cells in the lower part of the outside layer of the skin while squamous cell carcinoma forms in the squamous cells in the outside layer of the skin. The most dangerous form of skin cancer is melanoma. It is more likely to spread, making it harder to cure. This type of skin cancer forms in cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes produce melanin, a brown pigment that gives your skin its color and protects against some of the sun's damaging UV rays. However, without proper protection such as using sunscreen, UV rays can damage melanocytes and pave the way for the development of melanoma. Previous studies have shown a statistically significant association between alcohol consumption and an increased risk of melanoma. According to Harvard Health, one study found that the risk of basal cell carcinoma increased by seven percent and squamous cell carcinoma increased by 11 percent for every 10-gram increase in intake of alcohol in distilled spirit form (or one standard beer or small glass of wine) each day. Another study also found a 20 percent increase in melanoma in drinkers (compared to those who don't drink alcohol or only drink occasionally) Additionally, it also found that those who drink 50-grams of alcohol (or five beers) per day had a 55 percent increase in risk for melanoma. Numerous researchers believe that drinking alcohol while basking in the sunlight can increase a person's risk of developing cancer. As you drink, the body begins to process and metabolize alcohol which leads to the formation of Acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is a known carcinogen - cancer causing substance - that is known to damage cell DNA and can increase a person's chances of having cancer. Coupled with the sun's UV rays that continue to damage the skin, the likelihood to develop the deadly illness increase. The American Cancer Society recommends limiting alcohol consumption to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. But experts say that it is important to consider your underlying risk for developing skin cancer based on sun exposure and ethnicity and then alter your lifestyle.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store