A recent Court judgment has changed the amount of financial compensation for minor car accident victims. You can now claim compensation for whiplash injuries (neck, back, shoulder) and non-whiplash injuries (rest of the body).

Most of these are low-speed accidents with minor or almost no visible damage to the vehicle.

This ruling has a profound effect on the amount of compensation for the people who are suffering from these injuries. It also affects the amount of car insurance premiums that we all pay.

This means my role as an independent medicolegal expert opinion has now become ever more indispensable.

So, what is my role as a medico-legal expert?

I do not act as your lawyer or provide a legal opinion.

I do not assess or talk about how much compensation you will receive. That is for the Court, which has the absolute power to award damages.

If you had a road traffic accident, I examine you and provide my independent medical opinion.

My medicolegal opinion is wholly independent, and my duty is to the Court and NOT to your lawyers or insurance company who are paying my professional fees.

So, I have to balance my duty as a doctor towards you and to the Court, which relies on my expertise.

And the only way I can do this is by being robust and forensic in my analysis of the accident, your injuries, and recovery process and making recommendations for a speedy recovery.

If you have injured your neck or back in a rear-end shunt but also sustained injuries to the knees, elbows, shoulders, chest or any other body parts, then it is up to you as a claimant to provide all the facts.

• You can take photos of the injured part that show the bruising or swelling to these body parts and bring them to the medical appointment.
• You can also maintain a symptom diary or journal to help me understand your recovery or the lack of recovery.
• If you have visited a GP, hospital or physiotherapist, ask for a copy of your visit record. Your medical information is your property, and you own it.

The long and short of this, If you are claiming pain and suffering due to the car accident, then the onus is on you to present all medical facts to me.The most common question I get is: Is there a lot of fraud? This one is difficult for me to answer as this is a criminal matter beyond my expertise.
I am a doctor and not a detective.

The Good Medical Practice guidelines dictate that I treat each patient respectfully and without any bias or discrimination.

I want to empower you as a patient and your legal team through my expertise and reliable medico-legal opinion.

If your legal team would like to instruct me, please email hazel.medicogb@gmail.com or call us on 07308 657 477.

Menopause brings with it a whole host of unpleasant, and often debilitating symptoms. Fluctuating hormone levels don’t just wreak havoc on your mental wellbeing, they also cause a range of physical symptoms too.

Here, we look at some of the common physical symptoms of menopause, and what you can do to ease them.

What are common physical symptoms of menopause?

Though the symptoms of menopause can differ from person to person, many women report the same physical experiences. Some of the most common physical symptoms include:

• Hot flushes
• Vaginal dryness
• Heart palpitations
• Muscle aches and joint pains
• Weight gain
• Skin changes

These are just a small number of physical symptoms you may develop. While medications can help to manage some of the symptoms listed, they too often come with their own side effects. There has been a significant rise in HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) prescriptions, as women try to get their symptoms under control. While the drug is highly effective, concern over its safety for long-term use has been raised.

Medications do have a place in menopause treatment, but they certainly aren’t a patient’s only option.

Physio to ease symptoms of menopause

Did you know that some of the physical symptoms of the menopause can be successfully managed with physiotherapy and other alternative methods? Whether you have lingering muscle and aches and pains, or you need help to shift menopausal weight gain, clinics such as OnHealth can help.

A trained physiotherapist can help you eliminate aches and pains, as well as improve your sleep. They can also advise you on any lifestyle modifications you could make to help better manage the symptoms.

If you are struggling to lose weight, a physiotherapist can also provide one-on-one psychological sessions, alongside training classes to help. They will get to the root of the problem, before working with you to create a weight management plan.

For those struggling with sleep deprivation, OnHealth offers acupuncture as an effective way to promote muscle relaxation. In fact, one Danish study found that five weeks of acupuncture in women with menopausal symptoms reduced hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances and emotional problems.

Get fast and effective treatment for physical symptoms today

Like any condition, the symptoms of menopause can be better controlled if you catch them early. When you are going through the menopause, you are also at risk of developing other, more serious illnesses. Undergoing ovarian and cervical cancer testing for example, is crucial for those over the age of 65.

Don’t let the physical symptoms of menopause get you down. The experts at OnHealth can provide support and help with effective, natural treatments for menopause as well as ways to monitor and check your health, so that you can get on with enjoying living life to the full. Contact them today by calling 0344 576 1679 or email hello@on-health.co.uk .

Ovarian cancer affects approximately 7,495 women each year according to statistics from Cancer Research. Like any form of cancer, early detection is key to successfully treating the disease.

The trouble is the early symptoms of ovarian cancer can point to a range of non-serious issues. This, alongside how quickly the symptoms can appear, makes diagnosing the condition difficult.

Tennis legend, Chris Evert, has recently revealed her battle with ovarian cancer and is hoping to raise awareness of early detection. Her cancer was caught in Stage 1, giving her an excellent prognosis for recovery. After receiving chemotherapy and undergoing a hysterectomy, there is now a 80% chance that the cancer won’t reoccur.

In today’s post, we look at the challenges associated with early ovarian cancer detection, and the options women have in order to try and catch the disease as early as possible.

What are the early symptoms of ovarian cancer?

Early symptoms of ovarian cancer include bloating, abdominal swelling, and cramping. It can also cause changes in appetite, urinary symptoms, and feeling full quickly when eating.

In some cases, patients don’t present any symptoms at all. If you do have any of these early symptoms and they occur more than 12 times in any one month, it’s a warning sign that you may have cancer.

Initially, the symptoms are mild, but they will grow in severity the longer they are left untreated. More advanced signs of ovarian cancer include:

• Frequent urination
• Unexplained weight loss
• Ascites
• Constipation

Again, even in advanced ovarian cancer cases, patients may not always present symptoms.

Why is ovarian cancer hard to detect in its early stages?

There are a few reasons why ovarian cancer is hard to detect in its early stages. The main one is that the symptoms can link to a range of other, less serious conditions. Some patients also don’t present with any symptoms at all until the cancer has advanced. Screening tests used for cervical cancer, such as a Pap test or HPV (human papillomavirus) test aren’t effective tests for ovarian cancer.

Being aware of the risk factors of ovarian cancer can help you to seek out an earlier diagnosis. In general, those who are aged 60 or over, or who have a family history of reproductive cancer, are most at risk.

If you have any of the early or advanced symptoms, it’s important to get checked over by a doctor. Even if you don’t have any of the increased risk factors, speaking to your doctor will at the very least ease your mind. They will conduct a pelvic exam and may recommend other tests to make a diagnosis. After this, if your tests suggest that you have ovarian cancer, you will be referred to a gynecologic oncologist that is specially trained in treating cancers of the female reproductive system.

What options do you have for early ovarian cancer detection?

Seeking an early diagnosis can be tricky, but there are options available. On Health has recently partnered with Datar Cancer Genetics Limited to offer early detection blood tests. Known as Trucheck, the simple blood test is able to detect up to 70 different types of cancer. By catching ovarian cancer early, there is a high chance of survival.

To find out more about this non-invasive screening method, contact Dr Sahir today.

A new state-of-the-art blood test that uses Trucheck™ technology to detect and characterise cancer cells, will be a ‘game-changer’ for breast cancer screening. These are the words of breast cancer surgeon Professor Kefah Mokbel of London breast institute at Princess Grace Hospital, who was involved in researching the pioneering blood test. He told the Mail on Sunday in a recent interview,

“The blood test results, (published in the journal Cancers) represent a pivotal step towards extending early breast cancer detection beyond the current screening age and to women not participating in the current screening programmes.”

What is a Trucheck blood test?

Trucheck is a blood test that detects the existence of over 70 types of cancers. It is a unique blood test that detects and characterises circulating tumour cells ( CTC’s) and clusters. This is not intended to be a replacement for any Standard of Care screening tests. But, it can catch cancer in its earliest stages and provides an accurate detail of the location of the tumour in the body.

Trucheck has undergone extensive clinical validations involving more than 40,000 participants. Helping to catch cancer in its very early stages, Trucheck is a more comfortable, non-invasive screening method. Importantly, it could benefit millions of women in the UK.

The advantages of a blood test for detecting breast cancer

Women in England are invited for their first breast screening at 50, but recent reports showed that many women are not attending their appointment. Importantly, of the 10,000 yearly cases of breast cancer, a fifth of those diagnosed are women in their 40s. However, mammograms are relatively poor at spotting tumours in the dense breast tissue found among these younger women. This means that cancer is going undetected for under-50s, giving it a chance to spread. This delay makes it far more life-threatening and difficult to treat.

So how could a Trucheck Blood Test help?

♥ Simple blood test that detects circulating cancer tumour cells!

• ✓ 92% detection of breast cancer
• ✓ 5% higher detection than mammography
• ✓ 100% detection in stage 3 and 4
• ✓ 96% detection for Stage 2
• ✓ 89% accuracy for stage 1
• ✓ 70% accuracy in Stage 0, where there are pre-cancerous lesions that could develop into cancer..

And this isn’t just good news for millions of women, as a more accurate and convenient alternative to their annual mammogram, but it will also be able to screen for multiple other cancers. This is currently being tested and studied further, but it could even form part of a yearly health check – that could be conducted in the privacy and comfort of your own home.

If you have any questions about the new Trucheck blood test, please contact Dr Sahir today.

Dr Sahir has brokered a strategic partnership between Datar Cancer Genetics Limited, a World-leading molecular oncology facility, and Onhealth, a nationwide health and wellness service with 24/7 support, to offer liquid biopsy cancer screening tests. The new FDA-approved liquid biopsy is a type of blood test that can detect cancer in its earliest stages.

As a passionate champion of cancer screening, Dr Sahir is proud to be one of the first medical experts to offer these innovative tests. He encourages employers to get on-board and implement cancer screening for their staff as an employee benefit.

“As a clinical lead , I am excited to offer my medical expertise to those we will take these blood tests. And in the event of a positive test , we will be able to ‘sign post’ you to the appropriate oncology service,” he said.