I wasn't told my prostate pills would make me impotent. So many people are on them - shouldn't we be warned? DR SCURR's answer all men must read
Some years ago I was prescribed the drugs tambulosin and finasteride for an enlarged prostate. But I was never warned that they might make me impotent, which they have. Should I have been told?
N. Palmer, Broadwell, Glos.
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The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Midwife struck off over claim vaccines ‘attacked babies in the womb'
A midwife has been removed from the register after she shared posts on social media claiming that vaccinations harm babies in the womb. Seana Mary Kerr, from Newry in Northern Ireland, also told a pregnant woman in a shop that she should not be wearing a face mask during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) tribunal panel. Ms Kerr, who had been a registered midwife since 2007, was found by a panel to have placed the woman at 'significant risk of harm' with her views, while she had 'risked seriously undermining the public confidence' in her profession at a crucial time with her posts. In the first of three social media posts in September 2020, Ms Kerr said that babies were being attacked in the womb through vaccination of mothers during pregnancy. Then, in March 2021, she claimed healthcare professionals were being 'complicit' in the national response to Covid-19, and that the health crisis was 'a Trojan horse intend[ed] to introduce a new era for humanity'. A further post in December that year made reference to how a group of people, described as 'they', had been 'planting the seeds' about Covid-19 over Christmas 2020 by referring to 'some bat in China'. Ms Kerr's advice and social media comments were given when she had identified herself as a midwife and was 'promoting her opinion on matters of clinical importance', the panel found. 'The panel considered that the actions of Ms Kerr took place during an exceptionally unusual time, where the entirety of the NHS was mobilised to protect the public from the international Covid-19 pandemic,' they said. 'Therefore, by expressing the view that other healthcare professionals, who Ms Kerr was working with in the Trust, were acting in ways which may cause harm, a view Ms Kerr held which was against the recognised guidance at the time, Ms Kerr risked seriously undermining the public confidence in the profession. 'It further noted that by making these accusations that Ms Kerr's colleagues may have suffered harm while working in an unprecedented and challenging situation.' The midwife approached the pregnant woman in the shop, which was her place of work, during the other allegation in question in August 2020. She identified herself as a midwife before advising the woman that she should not be wearing the face mask as it reduced the amount of oxygen her baby was receiving. Ms Kerr went on to tell the woman that she should not receive a flu vaccination as this would increase the risk of her baby being stillborn. The panel found the pregnant woman and her family were caused 'significant emotional harm' as a result of Ms Kerr's behaviour. 'The panel noted that it is a reasonable expectation of everyone working in a public environment, such as a shop, that they will not be approached and given personal, clinical advice and that such advice would normally only be given during a private clinical appointment or at an antenatal class,' they said. 'Therefore, by approaching Patient A in her place of work, outside a clinical relationship, unsolicited, Ms Kerr placed her at significant risk of harm.' The panel found Ms Kerr's fitness to practise was still impaired and that there was a risk of the individual repeating her behaviour. Ms Kerr did not show any remorse for her misconduct or demonstrate any insight into her previous actions, and had not engaged with the NMC since June 2022, the panel said. It made an order to strike Ms Kerr's name from the register, after a 12-month suspension order had previously been imposed last year.
Telegraph
37 minutes ago
- Telegraph
My elderly parents have become cantankerous and refuse to listen to reason
Dear A&E, My parents, who are in their 70s, are driving my three siblings and me mad. They are vague with information, complain endlessly about everything but don't seem to want any actual solutions. They have various health issues but they just moan about the doctors without seeing anything through. They are panicking about money but don't want any support: one minute they are selling their house and the next they are not. How can we make them handle things more practically, or let us do it for them? – Infuriated Dear Infuriated, We have a feeling that a lot of people reading your dilemma will be saying, 'Hmm'. Why? Well, it just might be that you are at Everest base camp, complaining about the altitude and the cold, rather than looking up and thinking, 'Holy hell – this is the easy bit. We are going to have to equip ourselves to get up that mountain – as a team.' Brace yourself, Infuriated: your parents are only going to get more frustrating and, probably, crosser. Information is only going to become more opaque. They will likely continue to ignore your advice, and you have no real idea how it's all going to play out. You have little agency here. And, quite frankly (here's the shocking bit), they may be old, but it's still their life and their business. We are telling you right at the top of this column: choose love. Let go of any illusion that you are going to somehow wrestle control, or that you are going to say one thing and all the cards are going to magically fall into place. Instead, be a sympathetic ear, listen without judgment and don't wear yourself out before you even start the real climb. Do you remember what it was like being a teenager? You might have teenagers now and are watching them do all sorts of stupid things (as you once did). Did you listen to advice then? Are your teenagers taking notes and nodding enthusiastically as you dispense your wisdom, telling them they should put their studies first or eat more greens or go for a walk? What you wanted from your parents then was just love and minimal intervention, and this is what they want from you now: an understanding ally for when getting a doctor's appointment is impossible, the hospital parking is impossible and the price of whatever is impossible. They don't want your projections or your spreadsheets, just as you didn't want theirs. Sometimes all you need to do is learn how to listen to people complain or wobble, without immediately leaping to offer advice or to fix it. It's also important to remember that your parents, frustrating and teetering as they may be, might not be ready to sign over their lives; to hand over their decisions; to sell the home they have spent 50 years maintaining. Even though you may feel strongly that you're right, it's a decision that you would make within the context of your life right now – when you are busy and organised and energised. You may not make the same decision 35 years down the line. So, deep breaths. Listen. If you are still desperate to 'help', you could try a subtle approach. When they're not in the middle of downloading their discontent while also rejecting any advice, you might be able to say something like, 'By the way, if you would like to create a bible of all your passwords, bank accounts and insurance details, so it's all there for you in one place, I'd be really happy to do it.' Make these kinds of suggestions far away from any exasperation or conflict, not when they're moaning about something you've heard them drone on about before, while you are already fizzing and furious. Instead, try 'I was just thinking, would it be helpful if I did this?' You might get a no every time. But one yes might slip through. We know this is not easy, dear Irritated. While you are busy trying and failing to take care of them in the way you wish to, you are also going to have to honour your own sense of being a child. Respect the fact that, while you're responding as a frustrated midlifer who understands things such as power of attorney, you're also responding as a teenager who finds everything your parents do intolerable, and as a five-year-old who loves them more than you love anyone – and thinks that they can solve every problem in the world. All those things are happening at the same time. And that is what makes this painful. Love your parents and communicate with your siblings, because this is only going to get more arduous and, ultimately, sad. You and your siblings should try to be a cohesive, united front who can share and support each other, whatever is coming your way. Your parents are going to do what they are going to do. It might get hairy, but really, after all is said and done, you want to be left with good relationships. Choose love, not lectures; and look for the glimmers. You will need them to see you through this.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Midwife struck off after claiming vaccines ‘attacked babies' on social media
A midwife has been struck off the register after posting claims on social media that vaccinations attacked babies while in their mother's womb during pregnancy. Seana Mary Kerr, of Newry, Northern Ireland, also told a pregnant woman in a shop that she should not be wearing a face mask during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) tribunal panel judgment. Ms Kerr, who had been a registered midwife since 2007, was found by a panel to have placed the woman at 'significant risk of harm' with her views, while she had 'risked seriously undermining the public confidence' in her profession at a crucial time with her posts. In the first of three social media posts in September 2020, Ms Kerr said that babies were being attacked in the womb through vaccination of mothers during pregnancy. Then, in March 2021, she claimed healthcare professionals were being 'complicit' in the national response to Covid-19, and that the health crisis was 'a Trojan horse intend[ed] to introduce a new era for humanity'. A further post in December that year made reference to how a group of people, described as 'they', had been 'planting the seeds' about Covid-19 over Christmas 2020 by referring to 'some bat in China'. Ms Kerr's advice and social media comments were given when she had identified herself as a midwife and was 'promoting her opinion on matters of clinical importance', the panel found. 'The panel considered that the actions of Ms Kerr took place during an exceptionally unusual time, where the entirety of the NHS was mobilised to protect the public from the international Covid-19 pandemic,' they said. 'Therefore, by expressing the view that other healthcare professionals, who Ms Kerr was working with in the Trust, were acting in ways which may cause harm, a view Ms Kerr held which was against the recognised guidance at the time, Ms Kerr risked seriously undermining the public confidence in the profession. 'It further noted that by making these accusations that Ms Kerr's colleagues may have suffered harm while working in an unprecedented and challenging situation.' The midwife approached the pregnant woman in the shop, which was her place of work, during the other allegation in question in August 2020. She identified herself as a midwife before advising the woman that she should not be wearing the face mask as it reduced the amount of oxygen her baby was receiving. Ms Kerr went on to tell the woman that she should not receive a flu vaccination as this would increase the risk of her baby being stillborn. The panel found the pregnant woman and her family were caused 'significant emotional harm' as a result of Ms Kerr's behaviour. 'The panel noted that it is a reasonable expectation of everyone working in a public environment, such as a shop, that they will not be approached and given personal, clinical advice and that such advice would normally only be given during a private clinical appointment or at an antenatal class,' they said. 'Therefore, by approaching Patient A in her place of work, outside a clinical relationship, unsolicited, Ms Kerr placed her at significant risk of harm.' The panel found Ms Kerr's fitness to practise was still impaired and that there was a risk of the individual repeating her behaviour. Ms Kerr did not show any remorse for her misconduct or demonstrate any insight into her previous actions, and had not engaged with the NMC since June 2022, the panel said. It made an order to strike Ms Kerr's name from the register, after a 12-month suspension order had previously been imposed last year.
